1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League Season
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The 1975–76
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
season was the 81st season of
rugby league football Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playing field, field measur ...
. The
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
was won by
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
and the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
winners were St. Helens who beat
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
20-5 in the final. The
Rugby League Premiership The Rugby League Premiership was a competition for British rugby league clubs, which operated between 1973 and 1995. As the Super League Premiership the competition continued to operate until 1997. History From 1909 until 1973 (except for the p ...
Trophy winners were also St. Helens who beat
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
15-2 in the final. The 1975–76 Players No.6 Trophy Winners were
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
who beat
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...
19-13 in the final. The BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Winners were St. Helens who beat
Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
22-2 in the final.
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
beat
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
16–7 to win the
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
, and
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
beat
Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...
15–11 to win the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
.


Championship

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
won their sixth, and to date last, Championship.
Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
,
Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of ...
,
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
and Swinton were demoted to the Second Division.


Challenge Cup

In the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 89,982 St. Helens defeated
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
20-5. This was St Helens’ fifth Cup Final win in eight Final appearances. Referee: Ron Moore (
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
) St Helens 20 #
Geoff Pimblett Geoffrey Pimblett (11 May 1944 – 19 February 2018), also known by the nickname of "Pimmer" was an English professional rugby league and rugby union footballer whose career rose to prominence in the 1970s. He played for St Helens as a goal-k ...
(3 goals, 2 drop goal) # Les Jones #
Eddie Cunningham Edward "Eddie" Cunningham (born 22 February 1951) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at international level for Great Britain and Wales, and at club level for Wigan, St. Helens, ...
(1 try) # Derek Noonan # Roy Mathias #
Billy Benyon William Benyon (born 7 March 1945) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancash ...
# Jeff Heaton (1 try) # John Mantle # Tony Karalius #
Kel Coslett Thomas Kelvin Coslett (born 14 January 1942) is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached rugby league in the 1970s and 1980s. He played represent ...
# George Nicholls #
Eric Chisnall Eric Chisnall (born 5 July 1946) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for St Helens and Leigh, as ...
# David Hull *Sub.
Peter Glynn Peter Glynn (born 7 January 1954) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for St. Helens and Salford, as a , or , i.e. number ...
(2 tries) on for Billy Benyon *Sub. Mel James on for John Mantle *Coach:
Eric Ashton Eric Ashton MBE (24 January 1935 – 20 March 2008) was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played his whole top flight football ca ...
Widnes 5 #
Ray Dutton Raymond "Ray" F. Dutton (born c. 1946) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and a ...
(2 goals) #
Alan Prescott George Alan Prescott (17 June 1927 – 20 September 1998) was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. He played initially at , and then later at or . In 404 matches for St Helens. ...
# Eric Hughes #
Derek Derek is a masculine given name. It is the English language short form of '' Diederik'', the Low Franconian form of the name Theodoric. Theodoric is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler". Common variants of the name ar ...
'Mick' George # David Jenkins #
David Eckersley David Eckersley (born 10 October 1948) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Leigh ( Heritage ...
#
Reg Bowden Reginald Bowden (born 17 December 1949) is an English former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. He played for Widnes, Fulham and Warrington. He played as a . He was head coach at Fulham and Warrington. Background Reginald Bowden ...
# Nick Nelson #
Keith Elwell Keith Elwell (12 February 1950), also known by the nicknames of "The Mole", "Chiefy", and "The Ubiquitous Elwell", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level fo ...
(1 drop goal) # John Wood # John Foran #
Mick Adams Michael Adams (28 September 1951 – 9 March 2017) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for the Canterbury-Ban ...
#
Doug Laughton Charles Douglas Laughton (born 13 May 1944) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain ( ca ...
*Sub. Dennis O'Neill on for Alan Prescott *Sub. Barry Sheridan on for John Foran *Coach: The winner of the
Lance Todd Trophy The Lance Todd Trophy is a trophy in rugby league, awarded to the annual Challenge Cup Final's man of the match. Introduced in 1945–46, the trophy was named in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed i ...
was St. Helens ,
Geoff Pimblett Geoffrey Pimblett (11 May 1944 – 19 February 2018), also known by the nickname of "Pimmer" was an English professional rugby league and rugby union footballer whose career rose to prominence in the 1970s. He played for St Helens as a goal-k ...
.


Premiership

In 1975–76 season the RFL introduced the Premiership Trophy competition. It was played at the end of the season with the top 8 in the league qualifying to play each other in a simple 1st versus 8th, 2nd versus 7th, 3rd versus 6th, and 4th versus 5th system. The final was played on a neutral venue. The competition was played until 1997 when it was scrapped. This was the second end of season Premiership Play-off Final and was played in front of a crowd of 18,082 at
Station Road, Swinton Station Road was a stadium in Pendlebury, near Manchester, England. It was the home of Swinton Rugby League Club between 1929 and 1992 and was widely recognised as one of the finest grounds in the Rugby League. Swinton moved to Station Road w ...
between the number four seeds, St Helens, and the number one seeds, Salford. Referee: M.J.Naughton (Widnes) St Helens - 15 #
Geoff Pimblett Geoffrey Pimblett (11 May 1944 – 19 February 2018), also known by the nickname of "Pimmer" was an English professional rugby league and rugby union footballer whose career rose to prominence in the 1970s. He played for St Helens as a goal-k ...
(3 goals) # Les Jones #
Peter Glynn Peter Glynn (born 7 January 1954) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for St. Helens and Salford, as a , or , i.e. number ...
(1 try) # Derek Noonan # Roy Mathias #
Billy Benyon William Benyon (born 7 March 1945) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancash ...
# Jeff Heaton # John Mantle # Tony Karalius (1 try) # Mel James # George Nicholls #
Eric Chisnall Eric Chisnall (born 5 July 1946) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for St Helens and Leigh, as ...
(1 try) #
Kel Coslett Thomas Kelvin Coslett (born 14 January 1942) is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached rugby league in the 1970s and 1980s. He played represent ...
*Substitute:
Kenneth Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...
"Ken" Gwilliam on for Jeff Heaton Salford - 2 # David Watkins (2 drop goals) #
Keith Fielding Keith John Fielding (born 8 July 1949) is an English dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a winger. He played representative level rugby union for England, a ...
#
Maurice Richards Maurice Charles Rees Richards (born 2 February 1945) is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby footballer. A wing, he was part of the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa. His grandfather had been a professional footballer with Charlt ...
#
Chris Hesketh Christopher Hesketh (28 November 1944 – 10 August 2017) was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire as ...
#Graham #Butler # Steve Nash #
Mike Coulman Michael John Coulman (6 May 1944 – 21 April 2023) was an English rugby football footballer, and coach. He played at the highest levels in both rugby union and rugby league - a dual-code rugby international. Playing career Rugby union Born ...
#Raistrick # William Sheffield #Knighton # Colin Dixon #
Eric Prescott Eric Prescott (21 June 1948 – 21 August 2023) was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Widnes ICI RUFC, and representative level r ...
*Substitute: Sam Turnbull for Knighton St Helens second-row forward, George Nicholls, was the winner of the
Harry Sunderland Trophy The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Troph ...
as ''Man of the Match''.


Second Division Championship

2nd Division Champions were Barrow, and they,
Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...
,
Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
and
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...
were promoted to the First Division.


League Cup


References


Sources


1975–76 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.comThe Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugby Football League Season, 1975-76 1975 in English rugby league Northern Rugby Football League seasons 1976 in English rugby league