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
League	Stones Bitter Championship
Duration	30 Rounds
Teams	16
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 Division	London 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.

• Stones Bitter League Champions: Wigan (16th title)
• Silk Cut Challenge Cup Winners: Wigan (30-10 v Leeds)
• Stones Bitter Premiership Trophy Winners: Wigan (69-12 v Leeds)
  • Harry Sunderland Trophy: Kris Radlinski
• Regal Trophy Winners: Wigan (7 - 40-10 v Warrington)
• 2nd Division Champions: Keighley

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

League	RFL Championship
Duration	30 Matches
Teams	16
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	30	28	0	2	1148	386	+762	56	1995–96 Championship
2	Leeds	30	24	1	5	863	526	+337	49
3	Castleford	30	20	2	8	872	564	+308	42
4	St. Helens	30	20	1	9	893	640	+253	41
5	Halifax	30	18	2	10	782	566	+216	38
6	Warrington	30	18	2	10	753	570	+183	38
7	Bradford Northern	30	17	1	12	811	650	+161	35
8	Sheffield Eagles	30	15	0	15	646	699	-53	30
9	Workington Town	30	12	1	17	538	743	-205	25
10	Oldham	30	11	1	18	534	746	-212	23
11	Featherstone Rovers	30	10	1	19	582	687	-105	21	1995–96 First Division
12	Salford	30	10	1	19	613	775	-162	21
13	Wakefield Trinity	30	9	0	21	434	807	-373	18
14	Widnes	30	8	1	21	481	767	-286	17
15	Hull	30	7	1	22	594	880	-286	15
16	Doncaster	30	5	1	24	469	1007	-538	11	1995–96 Second Division

Second Division

League	Second Division
Duration	30 Matches
Teams	16
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
1	Keighley	30	23	2	5	974	337	+637	48	1995–96 First Division
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 Kingston Rovers	30	16	1	13	824	516	+308	30	1995–96 Second Division
9	Ryedale-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

Premiership

Regal Trophy

[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

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]

Most tries Player Team Tries Martin Offiah Wigan 53 Greg Austin Huddersfield 52 Nick Pinkney Keighley Cougars 46 Ellery Hanley Leeds 41 David Plange Hull Kingston Rovers 35 Mike Pechey Whitehaven 34 Gary Connolly Wigan 30 John Bentley Halifax 29 Alan Hunte St. Helens 29 Scott Limb Hunslet 29

Most goals (including drop goals) Player Team Goals Frano Botica Wigan 186 Bobbie Goulding St. Helens 158 Simon Irving Keighley Cougars 152 Martin Strett Rochdale Hornets 150 John Schuster Halifax 144 Mike Fletcher Hull Kingston Rovers 142 Graham Holroyd Leeds 135 Deryck Fox Bradford Northern 131 Simon Wilson Batley 127 Jonathan Davies Warrington 126

Sources

• "Club-by-club guide to the new season", The Independent, 19 August 1994
• 1994–95 Rugby Football League season at rlhalloffame.org.uk
• 1994–95 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com
• Wigan's record Cup run at news.bbc.co.uk
• Great Britain Competitions 1994-1995 at hunterlink.net.au
• Championship 1994/95 at rugbyleagueproject.org

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.