Regal Trophy

Regal Trophy
Sport	Rugby league football
Formerly known as	Player's No.6 Trophy John Player Trophy John Player Special Trophy
Instituted	1971
Ceased	1996
Countries	United Kingdom (RFL) France
Last winners	Wigan (1996)
Most titles	Wigan (8 titles)

The Regal Trophy was a knock-out competition for British rugby league football clubs between 1971 and 1996.

It was initially for professional clubs with the exception of two amateur teams who were finalists of the BARLA National Cup. However, in the latter seasons the cup was expanded to include leading amateur and French teams, the latter as a precursor to their inclusion in the Challenge Cup. The rounds were played during the early part of the season, with the final taking place usually in January. The tournament was regarded as much less prestigious than the Challenge Cup, and it was abandoned when Rugby League moved to be a summer sport.

The name Regal Trophy was used as a result of sponsorship from the tobacco manufacturer John Player & Sons. The competition was also known as the Player's No.6 Trophy (1971–77), the John Player Trophy (1977–83) and the John Player Special Trophy (1983–89), before becoming the Regal Trophy in 1989.

List of finals

Season	Winners	Score	Runner-up	Venue
Player's No.6 Trophy
1971–72	Halifax	22–11	Wakefield Trinity	Odsal, Bradford
1972–73	Leeds	12–7	Salford	Fartown Ground, Huddersfield
1973–74	Warrington	27–16	Rochdale Hornets	Central Park, Wigan
1974–75	Bradford Northern	3–2	Widnes	Wilderspool, Warrington
1975–76	Widnes	19–13	Hull	Headingley, Leeds
1976–77	Castleford	25–15	Blackpool Borough	The Willows, Salford
John Player Trophy
1977–78	Warrington	9–4	Widnes	Knowsley Road, St. Helens
1978–79	Widnes	16–4	Warrington	Knowsley Road, St. Helens
1979–80	Bradford Northern	6–0	Widnes	Station Road, Swinton
1980–81	Warrington	12–5	Barrow	Central Park, Wigan
1981–82	Hull	12–4	Hull Kingston Rovers	Headingley, Leeds
1982–83	Wigan	15–4	Leeds	Elland Road, Leeds
John Player Special Trophy
1983–84	Leeds	18–10	Widnes	Central Park, Wigan
1984–85	Hull Kingston Rovers	12–0	Hull	Boothferry Park, Hull
1985–86	Wigan	11–8	Hull Kingston Rovers	Elland Road, Leeds
1986–87	Wigan	18–4	Warrington	Burnden Park, Bolton
1987–88	St. Helens	15–14	Leeds	Central Park, Wigan
1988–89	Wigan	12–6	Widnes	Burnden Park, Bolton
Regal Trophy
1989–90	Wigan	24–12	Halifax	Headingley, Leeds
1990–91	Warrington	12–2	Bradford Northern	Headingley,Leeds
1991–92	Widnes	24–0	Leeds	Central Park, Wigan
1992–93	Wigan	15–8	Bradford Northern	Elland Road, Leeds
1993–94	Castleford	33–2	Wigan	Headingley, Leeds
1994–95	Wigan	40–10	Warrington	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield
1995–96	Wigan	25–16	St. Helens	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield