1994–95 Rugby Football League season

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.

1994–95 Rugby Football League season
LeagueStones Bitter Championship
Duration30 Rounds
Teams16
Broadcast partners Sky Sports
1994–95 Season
Champions Wigan
Premiership winners Wigan
Man of Steel Denis Betts
Top point-scorer(s) Frano Botica (408)
Top try-scorer(s) Martin Offiah (53)
Selected for promotion to Championship
Elevated from Second DivisionLondon Broncos
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to new First Division



Relegated to new Second Division		 Featherstone Rovers
Salford
Wakefield Trinity
Widnes
Hull

Doncaster
Second Division
Champions Keighley
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to new Second Division Hull Kingston Rovers
Ryedale-York
Hunslet
Leigh
Swinton
Bramley
Carlisle
Barrow
Highfield

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)

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]

Championship
LeagueRFL Championship
Duration30 Matches
Teams16
Champions Wigan Warriors
Promotion and relegation
Relegated to
First Division:





Second Division:
Featherstone Rovers
Salford
Wakefield Trinity
Widnes
Hull

Doncaster

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. The team finishing bottom would be relegated to the Second Division and teams finishing 11th to 15th would make up the new First Division. [3]

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Wigan 3028021148386+762561995–96 Championship
2 Leeds 302415863526+33749
3 Castleford 302028872564+30842
4 St. Helens 302019893640+25341
5 Halifax 3018210782566+21638
6 Warrington 3018210753570+18338
7 Bradford Northern 3017112811650+16135
8 Sheffield Eagles 3015015646699-5330
9 Workington Town 3012117538743-20525
10 Oldham 3011118534746-21223
11 Featherstone Rovers 3010119582687-105211995–96 First Division
12 Salford 3010119613775-16221
13 Wakefield Trinity 309021434807-37318
14 Widnes 308121481767-28617
15 Hull 307122594880-28615
16 Doncaster 3051244691007-538111995–96 Second Division

Second Division
LeagueSecond Division
Duration30 Matches
Teams16
Champions Keighley
Elected to Championship London Broncos

The teams finishing in the top 7 went on to form the new First Division with teams from the Championship. London Broncos were fast tracked into the Championship as they were to be part of the new Super League in 1996. [3]

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1Keighley 302325974337+637481995–96 First Division
2Batley 302307754423+33146
3Huddersfield 301938870539+23041
4London Broncos 302019732480+25241
5Whitehaven 3019011766507+25938
6Rochdale Hornets 3018012805570+23536
7Dewsbury 3017112744538+20635
8Hull Kingston Rovers 3016113824516+308301995–96 Second Division
9Ryedale-York 3015213720602+11832
10Hunslet 3016014611783-17232
11Leigh 3012018622787-16524
12Swinton 3012018576768-19224
13Bramley 3010020554655-10120
14Carlisle 308022546877-33116
15Barrow 306024449811-36212
16Highfield 3010292241604-13802
Elected to Championship

Premiership

Regal Trophy
Main article: 1994–95 League Cup (rugby league)

[4]

Key
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
Batley (22)
22
St Helens (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 Kingston Rovers 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 28
Bramley 4
Keighley 26
Sheffield Eagles 10
Sheffield Eagles 46
Leigh 10
Keighley 18
Warrington 20
Salford 16
London Broncos 14
Salford 24
Warrington 31
Warrington 44
Doncaster 14

Challenge Cup
Main article: 1994–95 Challenge Cup

Rounds One and Two were contested between amateur clubs only. Millom 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 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]

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 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

Statistics

The following are the top points scorers in all competitions in the 1994–95 season.[7]

Sources

References
  1. Dave Hadfield (1995-03-22). "Trio face referee reports". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  2. BBC Sport (2004-10-27). "Referee signals: Incident on report/holding down a tackled player". BBC. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  3. Raymond Fletcher; David Howes (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 304. ISBN 0-7472-7817-2.
  4. Raymond Fletcher; David Howes (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 0-7472-7817-2.
  5. Raymond Fletcher; David Howes (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 189. ISBN 0-7472-7817-2.
  6. Raymond Fletcher; David Howes (1995). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 190. ISBN 0-7472-7817-2.
  7. Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David. Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997. London: Headline. pp. 163–7. ISBN 978-0-7472-7764-4.
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