1978–79 Northern Rugby Football League season

The 1978–79 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 84th season of rugby league football. Sixteen English clubs competed for the Northern Rugby Football League's first division championship, with Hull Kingston Rovers claiming the title by finishing on top of the League.

1978–79 Northern Rugby Football League season
LeagueNorthern Rugby Football League
Champions Hull Kingston Rovers
Premiership Leeds
Man of Steel Award Doug Laughton
Top point-scorer(s) Sammy Lloyd (373)
Top try-scorer(s) Steve Hartley (35)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Second Division Hull
New Hunslet
York
Blackpool Borough
Relegated to Second Division Barrow
Featherstone Rovers
Rochdale Hornets
Huddersfield

Season summary

The 1978 Kangaroo tour took place during the first half of the season and involved matches between a number of clubs.

Hull Kingston Rovers won their third Championship this season.

The Challenge Cup Winners were Widnes who beat Wakefield Trinity 12-3 in the final.

Rugby League Premiership Trophy Winners were Leeds who beat Bradford Northern 24-2 in the final.

The BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Winners were Widnes who beat St. Helens 13-7 in the final.

2nd Division Champions were Hull F.C. New Hunslet, York and Blackpool Borough were also promoted to the First Division.[1]

Geoff 'Sammy' Lloyd of Hull F.C. equalled the club match record for scoring goals when he was successful 14 times in the match against Oldham on 10 September 1978. They were part of a club record 170 goals in a season, and a club record 369 points in a season.[2]

Widnes beat Workington Town (from Cumbria) 15–13 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Bradford Northern beat York 18–8 to win the Yorkshire County Cup.

League Tables

Challenge Cup
Main article: 1978–79 Challenge Cup

Widnes beat Wakefield Trinity 12-3 in the State Express Challenge Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 5 May 1979, in front of a crowd of 94,218.[3]

This was Widnes' fifth cup final win in seven Final appearances. To date, this was Wakefield Trinity’s last appearance in a Challenge Cup Final.

The Wakefield Trinity stand-off, David Topliss, won the Lance Todd Trophy.

League Cup
Main article: 1978–79 League Cup (rugby league)

Premiership
Main article: 1978–79 Rugby League Premiership

Statistics

The following are the top points scorers in the 1978–79 season.[4]

Kangaroo Tour
Main article: 1978 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

The months of September, October and November also saw the appearance of the Australian team in England on their 1978 Kangaroo Tour. Other than the three test Ashes series against Great Britain (won 2–1 by Australia), The Kangaroos played and won matches against 12 club and county representative sides as well as playing Wales in a non-test international.

The 1978 Kangaroos were coached by dual Manly-Warringah NSWRFL premiership coach Frank Stanton who had previously toured as a player in 1963–64. The team was captained by brilliant centre / stand-off Bob Fulton making his second tour after being a part of the 1973 squad.

The 11–10 loss to Widnes at Naughton Park on 25 October remains (as of 2017) the last time that the Kangaroos have lost to an English club or county team.

gameDateResultVenueAttendance
130 September Australia def. Blackpool Borough 39–1Borough Park, Blackpool2,700
21 October Australia def. Cumbria 47–7Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness5,964
34 October Australia def. Great Britain U/24 30–8Craven Park, Hull6,418
48 October Australia def. Bradford Northern 21–11Odsal Stadium, Bradford15,755
511 October Australia def. Warrington 15–12Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington10,143
615 October Australia def.  Wales 8–3St Helens Rugby Ground, Swansea4,250
717 October Australia def. Leeds 25–19Headingley, Leeds9,781
821 October Australia def.  Great Britain 15–9Central Park, Wigan17,644
925 October Widnes def. Australia 11–10Naughton Park, Widnes12,202
1029 October Australia def. Hull F.C. 34–2The Boulevard, Hull10,723
111 November Australia def. Salford 14–2The Willows, Salford6,155
125 November Great Britain def.  Australia 18–14Odsal Stadium, Bradford26,761
138 November Australia def. Wigan 28–2Central Park, Wigan10,645
1412 November Australia def. St Helens 26–4Knowsley Road, St Helens16,352
1514 November Australia def. York 29–2Clarence Street, York5,155
1618 November Australia def.  Great Britain 23–6Headingley, Leeds30,604

References
  1. "1978-79 Season summary". Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  2. "Hull F.C. History". Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  3. "RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  4. Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David. Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997. London: Headline. pp. 163–7. ISBN 978-0-7472-7764-4.

Sources
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