SUPER League’s huge changes will happen after the Rugby Football League’s council voted its proposal through.

The Super 8s and Qualifiers will now be ditched after this season in favour of a one up, one down system with a five-team play-off – the Championship will expand from 12 clubs to 14 next season.

And after a series of public arguments, threats and claims, the change was voted through with a substantial majority.

Because Catalans Dragons, Toulouse and Toronto Wolfpack could not vote, some were split.

And in the end out of the 55 votes, 36.8 voted in favour, 17.2 against with one abstention.

Now Super League has won out, work starts on how to make the top flight commercially bigger and more attractive, both to sponsors and broadcasters with the Sky TV deal up in 2021.

Chief executive of the competition, Robert Elstone, said: “The job starts now for the RFL and me, because now we know where we’re going and where we are – it’s about delivering on these lofty visions we have.

“I’ve been telling people that as a game, we obsess about structures. We think they're the panacea and if we get the right structure it’ll be phenomenal.

“The game is about the players and we need to change the perception of our game. Structures are important because the simplest ones are the best, and Super 8s created so much uncertainty that held clubs back.

“The pressure is now on, rather than off. But it’s a good pressure, and a pressure I want.”