Super League: York Knights and Toulouse Olympique selected for promotion to top flight

York, who as well as lifting the 1895 Cup at Wembley, finished top of the Championship table this season and won the League Leaders’ Shield, were founded as a Phoenix club in the early 2000s.

Their promotion to Super League means the return of top-flight rugby league to the city for the first time since 1985-86.

Toulouse were founded in 1937 and were forced to return to union under the Vichy regime in the Second World War, but returned to rugby league when the sport was permitted in 1945, subsequently reaching consecutive French Championship finals.

Toulouse, which became the first French club to reach the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup in 2005, joined the English league system for a short time between 2009 and 2010 and has played consistently in this league since 2016.

They were relegated from Super League three years ago after finishing last in their only top flight and stunned York earlier this month by winning the Champagne Grand Final.

Lord Caine said the panel’s decision was unanimous, saying Toulouse and York would be “valuable and deserving additions” to Super League.

“They finished 13th and 14th in the Club standings and were a significant margin ahead of the other Championship entrants,” he said.

“As stated on August 19, the panel’s intention was always to use these ratings as one of the criteria in our deliberations, alongside the enhanced financial review and competitiveness assessment.

“The panel’s deliberations were conducted on the basis of fairness, impartiality, independence and confidentiality. The panel was unanimous in its final decision on the selection of Toulouse Olympique and York Knights.”