1994–95 Rugby Football League season

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1994–95 Rugby Football League season
Stones Bitter Championship
Number of teams 16
1994–95 Season
Champions Wigancolours.svg Wigan
Premiership winners Wigancolours.svg Wigan
Man of Steel Wigancolours.svg Dennis Betts
Selected for promotion to Championship
Elevated from Second Div London Broncos
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to new First Division



Relegated to new Second Division		 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers
Redscolours.svg Salford
Wcatscolours.svg Wakefield Trinity
Widnes colours.svg Widnes
Hullcolours.svg Hull

Doncaster colours.svg Doncaster
Second Division
Champions Cougscolours.svg Keighley Cougars
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to new Second Division HKRcolours.svg Hull Kingston Rovers
Ryedale-York

Hunsletcolours.svg Hunslet
Leigh colours.svg Leigh
Swintoncolours.svg Swinton
Bramley
Carlisle
Barrowcolours.svg Barrow
Highfield
< 1993–94 Seasons 1995–96 >

The 1994–95 Rugby Football League season was the 100th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August, 1994 until May, 1995 for a number of titles, primarily the Stones Bitter Championship.

Contents

[edit] Season summary

The summer Super League concept was agreed to commence in 1996.

The record for most points scored by one team in a match was broken by Huddersfield when they clocked up 142 against Blackpool Gladiators' 4 in a Regal Trophy match on 26 November 1994. This is also the record for widest margin.

The 1995 Man of Steel Award for the player of the season went to Wigan's Denis Betts. Wigan also set a new record for most points in all matches in one season with 1,735 from 45 matches as follows:

  • Division One Championship: 1,148 (from 30 games)
  • Challenge Cup 230 (from 6 games)
  • Regal Trophy 170 (from 5 games)
  • Premiership Trophy 167 (from 3 games)
  • Tour match (Australia) 20 (from 1 game)

[edit] Rule changes

The following rule changes were introduced this season by the referees' coaching director, Greg McCallum:

  • Referees were given the power to put a player suspected of foul play "on report" with the incident to be reviewed later by the disciplinary panel.[1] The system was based on the one already operating in Australian rugby league.[1] Referees signalled that an incident had been put "on report" by crossing their raised arms above their heads.[2]
  • In-goal judges were trialled, these two additional match officials are positioned behind the dead-ball line at each end of the playing field and aim to aid the referee in judging if a try has been scored.[1] The in-goal judges had been used in Australia for two years.[1]
  • McCallum ordered referees to penalise defending players lifting attackers in the tackle in a way that could lead to an illegal spear tackle.[1]

Leeds' Gary Mercer (dangerous throw), Sheffield Eagles' Paul Broadbent and Doncaster's Gordon Lynch (tripping) became the first players cited under the reporting system to be found to have a case to answer.[1]

[edit] League Tables

In preparation for the change to summer matches for the Super League, the position teams finished in this season was critical, as it determined which of the new fore-shortened three divisions they would play next season. Only the London Broncos knew where they were to play as they were controversially awarded one of the Super League franchises based on geographic location.

Championship[3]

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Wigancolours.svg Wigan 30 28 0 2 1148 386 +762 56
2 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds 30 24 1 5 863 526 +337 49
3 Cascolours.png Castleford 30 20 2 8 872 564 +308 42
4 Saintscolours.svg St Helens 30 20 1 9 893 640 +253 41
5 Faxcolours.svg Halifax 30 18 2 10 782 566 +216 38
6 Wolvescolours.svg Warrington 30 18 2 10 753 570 +183 38
7 Bullscolours.svg Bradford Northern 30 17 1 12 811 650 +161 35
8 Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield Eagles 30 15 0 15 646 699 -53 30
9 Workingtoncolours.svg Workington Town 30 12 1 17 538 743 -205 25
10 Oldhamcolours.svg Oldham 30 11 1 18 534 746 -212 23
11 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 30 10 1 19 582 687 -105 21
12 Redscolours.svg Salford 30 10 1 19 613 775 -162 21
13 Wcatscolours.svg Wakefield Trinity 30 9 0 21 434 807 -373 18
14 Widnes colours.svg Widnes 30 8 1 21 481 767 -286 17
15 Hullcolours.svg Hull 30 7 1 22 594 880 -286 15
16 Doncaster colours.svg Doncaster 30 5 1 24 469 1007 -538 11
Champions Relegated to First Division Relegated to Second Division

Second Division[3]

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Keighley Cougars 30 23 2 5 974 337 +637 48
2 Batley 30 23 0 7 754 423 +331 46
3 Huddersfield 30 19 3 8 870 539 +230 41
4 London Broncos 30 20 1 9 732 480 +252 41
5 Whitehaven 30 19 0 11 766 507 +259 38
6 Rochdale Hornets 30 18 0 12 805 570 +235 36
7 Dewsbury 30 17 1 12 744 538 +206 35
8 Hull K.R. 30 16 1 13 824 516 +308 30
9 Rydale-York 30 15 2 13 720 602 +118 32
10 Hunslet 30 16 0 14 611 783 -172 32
11 Leigh 30 12 0 18 622 787 -165 24
12 Swinton 30 12 0 18 576 768 -192 24
13 Bramley 30 10 0 20 554 655 -101 20
14 Carlisle 30 8 0 22 546 877 -331 16
15 Barrow 30 6 0 24 449 811 -362 12
16 Highfield 30 1 0 29 224 1604 -1380 2
Elected to Championship Promoted to New First Division Relegated to New Second Division

[edit] Regal Trophy[4]

Key
Replayed - 1st match in brackets Replayed - 1st match in brackets
  Second Round Third Round Quarter-Final Semi-Final Final
                                               
 Hull 26  
 Barrow 16  
   Hull 14  
   Wigan 38  
 Wigan 34
 Rochdale Hornets 12  
   Wigan 24  
   St Helens 22  
 Batley 36  
 Ryedale-York 8  
   BatleyReplayed - 1st match in brackets (22)
22
   St HelensReplayed - 1st match in brackets (22)
50		  
 Huddersfield 11
 St Helens 52  
   Wigan 34  
   Castleford 6  
 Workington Town 24  
 Wakefield Trinity 8  
   Workington Town 14
   Leeds 18  
 Leeds 54
 Swinton 24  
   Leeds 14
   Castleford 34  
 Carlisle 16  
 Dewsbury 30  
   Dewsbury 2
   Castleford 30  
 Castleford 32
 Halifax 26  
 Wigan 40
 Warrington 10
 Highfield 2  
 Widnes 50  
   Widnes 20  
   Oldham 6  
 Oldham 28
 Hull KR 0  
   Widnes 23  
   Bradford Northern 10  
 Whitehaven 18  
 Featherstone Rovers 12  
   Whitehaven 14
   Bradford Northern 34  
 Bradford Northern 32
 St Esteve 6  
   Widnes 4
   Warrington 30  
 Keighley Cougars 28  
 Bramley 4  
   Keighley Cougars 26
   Sheffield Eagles 10  
 Sheffield Eagles 46
 Leigh 10  
   Keighley Cougars 18
   Warrington 20  
 Salford 16  
 London Broncos 14  
   Salford 24
   Warrington 31  
 Warrington 44
 Doncaster 14  

[edit] Challenge Cup

Rounds One and Two were contested between amateur clubs only. Millom RLFC were the biggest winners in Round One when they defeated Northampton Knights by 62-4. The biggest win in Round Two was Wigan St Patricks who defeated Crown Malet 42-6.

Round Three saw teams from Division Two matched at home against an amateur opponent. There was one shock result, when Beverley beat Highfield by 27-4. Dewsbury recorded the most points in Round Three when they defeated Kells by 72-12, though the biggest margin of victory went to Keighley Cougars who beat Chorley 68-0.

In Round Four, the Division One sides entered the competition with no seeding. There were two shock results when Huddersfield defeated Halifax 36-30 and Whitehaven beat Wakefield Trinity by 24-12. Hunslet drew with Salford 32-32 to take them to a replay before going down by 52-10.[5]

[edit] Results (from Fifth round)[6]

  Fifth Round Quarter Finals Semi Finals Final
                                     
 Batley 4  
 Wigan 70  
   Widnes 12  
   Wigan 26  
 Sheffield Eagles 7
 Widnes 19  
   Wigan 48  
   Oldham 20  
 Warrington 6  
 Oldham 17  
   Oldham 23
   Huddersfield 12  
 Keighley Cougars 0
 Huddersfield 30  
   Wigan 30
   Leeds 10
 Hull Kingston Rovers 14  
 Whitehaven 18  
   Whitehaven 14
   Featherstone Rovers 42  
 Salford 10
 Featherstone Rovers 30  
   Leeds 39
   Featherstone Rovers 22  
 Workington Town 94  
 Leigh 4  
   Leeds 50
   Workington Town 16  
 Leeds 44
 Ryedale-York 14  

[edit] Final

The 1995 Silk Cut Challenge Cup Final was a replay of the previous season's final between Wigan and Leeds. The match was played at 2:30pm on the dry Saturday afternoon of 29 April 1995 at London's Wembley Stadium. This was the first Wembley Challenge Cup Final to use in-goal judges.

Wigan

  1. Henry Paul
  2. Jason Robinson
  3. Va'aiga Tuigamala
  4. Gary Connolly
  5. Martin Offiah
  6. Frano Botica
  7. Shaun Edwards (c)
  8. Kelvin Skerrett
  9. Martin Hall
  10. Neil Cowie
  11. Denis Betts
  12. Mick Cassidy
  13. Phil Clarke

Coach: Graeme West.

30 (12)

Tries:

Robinson 18", 45"
H.Paul 25"
Hall 52"
Tuigamala 64"

Conversions:

Botica 18", 45", 52", 65"

Penalty Goals:

Botica 39"

10 (4)

Tries:

Lowes 78"



Conversions:

Holroyd 78"

Penalty Goals:

Holroyd 3", 34"

Leeds

  1. Alan Tait
  2. Jim Fallon
  3. Kevin Iro
  4. Craig Innes
  5. Francis Cummins
  6. Garry Schofield
  7. Graham Holroyd
  8. Harvey Howard
  9. James Lowes
  10. Esene Faimalo
  11. Gary Mercer
  12. Richard Eyres
  13. Ellery Hanley (c)

Coach: Doug Laughton.

Referee: Russell Smith (Castleford)
Attendance: 78,550
Lance Todd Trophy winner: Jason Robinson (Wigan)

[edit] Internationals

[edit] Kangaroos Tour of Great Britain & France

Main article: 1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

In October, November and December 1994 the Australian National team, known as the Kangaroos, toured Great Britain and France playing three Tests against Great Britain, one against Wales, one against France, eight club games and five other representative matches. The Kangaroos were coached by Bob Fulton, assisted by Brian Hollis, Dave Ryan and Frank Ponnisi.[7] Andrew Ettinghausen, of Cronulla, was the leading points and try scorer on tour with 60 points from 15 tries.

Date
Oct 2
Oct 5
Oct 8
Oct 12
Oct 16
Oct 22
Oct 26
Oct 30
Nov 1
Nov 5
Nov 9
Nov 13
Nov 15
Nov 20
Nov 24
Nov 27
Nov 30
Dec 4

Result (Venue)
beat Cumbria (at Derwent Park, Workington)
beat Leeds (at Headingley)
beat Wigan (at Central Park)
beat Castleford (at Wheldon Road)
beat Halifax (at Thrum Hall)
lost GREAT BRITAIN (at Wembley)
beat Sheffield Eagles (at Don Valley Stadium)
beat WALES (at Ninian Park)
beat St Helens (at Knowsley Road)
beat GREAT BRITAIN (at Old Trafford)
beat Warrington (at Wilderspool)
beat Bradford Northern (at Odsal)
beat Great Britain U21 (at Gateshead)
beat GREAT BRITAIN (at Elland Road)
beat President's XIII (at Stade Robert Bobin, Evry, Paris)
beat Rousillon-Catalan XIII (at Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan)
beat France B (at Stade de Fargues, Avignon)
beat FRANCE (at Stade de la Méditerranée, Beziers)

Score (Australia first)
52-8
48-6
30-20
38-12
26-12
4-8
80-2
46-4
32-14
38-8
28-0
40-0
54-10
23-4
42-17
60-16
64-9
74-0

Attendance
4277
18581
20057
11073
8352
57034
7423
8729
13911
43930
11244
9080
4118
39468
1500
4500
1500
6000

[edit] John Smith's European Championship

Main article: 1995 European Rugby League Championship

The tri-nation tournament was played in February and March of 1995 as single round robin games between England, France and Wales. The tournament was won by Wales. Jonathan Davies of Wales and Deryck Fox of England were joint top points scorers with sixteen points each. Davies scored seven goals and two drop goals, whilst Fox scored one try and three goals. Kevin Ellis of Wales and France's Frederic Banquet and Jean-Marc Garcia all scored two tries apiece.[8]
Match Details

Date Venue Home Team Score Away Team Attendance Referee
1 Feb 1995 Ninian Park Wales 18 - 6
(HT 8 -6)		 England 6,232 Russell Smith (Castleford)
15 Feb 1995 Gateshead England 19 - 16
(HT 14 - 8)		 France 6,103 Jean-Louis Aribaud (France)
5 Mar 1995 Stade d'Albert Domec, Carcasonne France 10 - 22
(HT 10 - 8)		 Wales 6,000 John Connelly (Wales)


Final Standings

Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
Wales 2 2 0 0 40 26 4
England 2 1 0 1 35 34 2
France 2 0 0 2 26 41 0

[edit] Sources

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Dave Hadfield (1995-03-22). "Trio face referee reports". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2009-05-11. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-trio-face-referee-reports-1612327.html. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 
  2. ^ BBC Sport (2004-10-27). "Referee signals: Incident on report/holding down a tackled player". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/rugby_league/rules/referee_signals/newsid_3730000/3730046.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 
  3. ^ a b Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 304. ISBN 0747278172. 
  4. ^ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 211. ISBN 0747278172. 
  5. ^ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 189. ISBN 0747278172. 
  6. ^ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 190. ISBN 0747278172. 
  7. ^ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 338-360. ISBN 0747278172. 
  8. ^ Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. 1995. p. 421-423. ISBN 0747278172. 
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