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The 1976–77 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 82nd season of rugby league football. Sixteen English clubs competed for 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 ...
, with
Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "small ...
claiming the title.


Season summary

The League Champions were
Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "small ...
for the first and, to date, only time. During the season, the
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 ...
versus
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 thi ...
match was abandoned after 38 minutes when Chris Sanderson of
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 thi ...
suffered a fatal injury.
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 thi ...
were ahead 5-2, but the game was declared null and void and not replayed.
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 club ...
,
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, Sta ...
,
Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...
and
Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...
were demoted to the Second Division. The Challenge Cup Winners were
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 thi ...
who beat
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form t ...
16-7 in the final. Players No.6 Trophy Winners were
Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centr ...
who beat
Blackpool Borough Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, that played in the Rugby Football League from 1954 until 1993. The club moved to Wigan in 1987 and was renamed Springfield Borough; to Chorley in 1988 and was ...
25-15.
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 St. Helens who beat
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The populati ...
32-20. BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Winners were
Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centr ...
who beat
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, Sta ...
12-4 in the final. 2nd Division Champions were Hull FC, and they,
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 ...
, Bramley and New Hunslet were promoted to the First Division.
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form t ...
beat
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 a ...
(from
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...
) 16–11 to win the
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
County Cup, and
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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 thi ...
beat
Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "small ...
16–12 to win the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
County Cup.


League Tables


First Division Championship


Second Division Championship


Challenge Cup

Leeds beat Widnes 16-7 in the final played at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
on Saturday 7 May 1977 in front of a crowd of 80,871. 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 the Leeds prop,
Steve Pitchford Stephen Pitchford (born 6 February 1952) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Leeds and Bramley as a . Backgrou ...
. This was Leeds’ tenth Cup Final win in fourteen Final appearances. Leeds 16 # Bryan Murrell # Alan Smith # Neil Hague # Les Dyl (1 try) # John Atkinson (1 try) # John Holmes #
Kevin Dick Kevin Dick (born 27 October 1957), also known by the nickname of "Iron Teddy Bear", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at ...
(1 try, 3 goals, 1 drop goal) # Mick Harrison # David Ward #
Steve Pitchford Stephen Pitchford (born 6 February 1952) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Leeds and Bramley as a . Backgrou ...
#
Graham Eccles Graham Eccles (born 19 May 1949) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at club level for Leeds, and Wakefield Trinity, as a or . Background Eccles was born in Leeds, West ...
#
Phil Cookson Philip Cookson (birth unknown) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Leeds, as a , i.e. number 11 or 12, during t ...
#
Stanley Fearnley Stanley "Stan" Fearnley (birth registered first ¼ 1947) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Bradford Northern and Lee ...
*
Roy Dickinson Roy Dickinson (born ) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Leeds and Halifax, as a , ...
on for
Stanley Fearnley Stanley "Stan" Fearnley (birth registered first ¼ 1947) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Bradford Northern and Lee ...
* David Smith on for Alan Smith Widnes 7 #
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) #
Stuart Wright Stuart Wright may refer to: * Stuart A. Wright, American sociologist * Stuart P. Wright (1903–1982), American athlete * Stuart Pearson Wright (born 1975), English portrait artist * Stuart Wright (rugby league) RL Record Keepers' Club Stuart ...
# Mal Aspey (1 try) # David Eckersley # Dennis O'Neill # Eric Hughes # Reg Bowden # Bill Ramsey # Keith Elwell # Jim Mills #
Alan Dearden Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...
# Mick Adams # Doug Laughton *Derek 'Mick' George on for
Stuart Wright Stuart Wright may refer to: * Stuart A. Wright, American sociologist * Stuart P. Wright (1903–1982), American athlete * Stuart Pearson Wright (born 1975), English portrait artist * Stuart Wright (rugby league) RL Record Keepers' Club Stuart ...
* John Foran on for
Alan Dearden Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...
Referee: Vince Moss (
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
)


League Cup


Premiership


Sources


1976-77 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com

The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugby Football League Season, 1976-77 1976 in English rugby league 1977 in English rugby league Northern Rugby Football League seasons