1996 Wigan RLFC season
| 1996 Wigan RLFC season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League I Rank | 2nd | |||
| Play-off result | Won Premiership Final | |||
| Challenge Cup | 5th round | |||
| 1996 record | Wins: 19; draws: 1; losses: 2 | |||
| Points scored | For: 902; against: 326 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Chairman | Jack Robinson | |||
| Head Coach | Graeme West | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Central Park | |||
| ||||
The 1996 Wigan season was the 101st season in the club's rugby league history and the first season in the newly formed Super League. Coached by Graeme West and captained by Shaun Edwards, Wigan competed in Super League I and finished in 2nd place, but went on to win the Premiership Final at Old Trafford against St Helens. The club also competed in the 1996 Challenge Cup, but were knocked out in the fifth round by First Division side Salford Reds, and was the first time the club had failed to win the trophy since 1987.
In July 1996 Farrell was appointed Wigan's captain.
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  St Helens
|
22 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 950 | 455 | +495 | 40 |
| 2 |  Wigan
|
22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 902 | 326 | +576 | 39 |
| 3 |  Bradford Bulls
|
22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 767 | 409 | +358 | 34 |
| 4 | London Broncos | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 611 | 462 | +149 | 25 |
| 5 |  Warrington Wolves
|
22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 569 | 565 | +4 | 24 |
| 6 |  Halifax Blue Sox
|
22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 667 | 576 | +91 | 21 |
| 7 |  Sheffield Eagles
|
22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 599 | 730 | -131 | 20 |
| 8 |  Oldham Bears
|
22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 473 | 681 | -208 | 19 |
| 9 |  Castleford Tigers
|
22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 548 | 599 | -51 | 18 |
| 10 |  Leeds
|
22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 555 | 745 | -190 | 12 |
| 11 | Paris Saint-Germain | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 398 | 795 | -397 | 7 |
| 12 |  Workington Town
|
22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 325 | 1021 | -696 | 5 |
| Champions | Relegated |
Match results
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Super League
| Game | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership Semi Final | 31 August 1996 | Bradford Bulls | Home | 42–36 | Edwards (4), Ellison (2), Paul, Radlinski | Farrell (5) | 9,878 | MR |
| Premiership Final | 8 September 1996 | St Helens | Neutral | 44–14 | Ellison (3), Connolly, Edwards, Haughton, Murdock, Paul, Robinson | Farrell (4) | 35,013 | MR |
Challenge Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth | 28 January 1996 | Bramley | Home | 74–12 | Offiah (4), Farrell (2), Quinnell (2), Radlinski (2), Connolly, Cowie, Robinson, Tuigamala | Hall (5), Paul (4) | 4,627 | MR |
| Fifth | 11 February 1996 | Salford Reds | Away | 16–26 | Tuigamala (2), Offiah | Farrell, Paul | 10,048 | MR |
Squad
| No | Player | Apps | Tries | Goals | DGs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kris Radlinski | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 2 | Jason Robinson | 25 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 105 |
| 3 | Va'aiga Tuigamala | 25 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 58 |
| 4 | Gary Connolly | 25 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 64 |
| 5 | Martin Offiah | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| 6 | Henry Paul | 23 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 126 |
| 7 | Shaun Edwards | 24 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 70 |
| 8 | Kelvin Skerrett | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Martin Hall | 26 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 44 |
| 10 | Terry O'Connor | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Simon Haughton | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 12 | Mick Cassidy | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Andy Farrell | 26 | 7 | 113 | 0 | 254 |
| 14 | Rob Smyth | 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 15 | Danny Ellison | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 16 | Scott Quinnell | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 17 | Andy Johnson | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 18 | Craig Murdock | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 19 | Martin Dermott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Daryl Cardiss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Nigel Wright | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Andy Craig | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 22 | Steve Barrow | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 22 | Paul Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Matt Knowles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Shem Tatupu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Neil Cowie | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 26 | Sean Long | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Neil Baynes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Gaël Tallec | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Transfers
In
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Lester | Fullback | Auckland Warriors | August 1996 | ||
| Stephen Holgate | Second-row | Workington Town | £100,000 | December 1996 | |
| Ian Sherratt | Prop forward | Oldham Bears | £30,000 | December 1996 | |
| Doc Murray | Fullback | Auckland Warriors | December 1996 |
Out
| Player | Pos | To | Fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Quinnell | Second-row | Richmond | £250,000 | June 1996 | [2] |
| Shem Tatupu | Prop forward | Northampton Saints | £80,000 | July 1996 | [3] |
| Martin Offiah | Winger | London Broncos | £300,000 | August 1996 | [4] |
| Martin Dermott | Hooker | Warrington Wolves | September 1996 | ||
| Andy Craig | Centre | Swinton Lions | December 1996 | [5] |
References
- ^ Fletcher, Raymond (1997). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997. Headline Book Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-7472-7764-4.
- ^ Huxley, John (26 May 1996). "Wigan's Strife of Bryan". Sunday Mirror. London. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "Warrington pin pounds 1.35m price tag on Harris". The Independent. 24 July 1996. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ Richards, Martin (3 August 1996). "Bronco Offiah". The Mirror. London. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (28 December 1996). "Rugby League: Winter games' success". The Independent. Retrieved 3 February 2014.