1972-73 Northern Rugby Football League season
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The 1972-73 Northern Rugby Football League Championship was the 77th season of rugby league football played in England. It would also be the last season whereby the champions were decided by a play-off system until Super League season 1998. Dewsbury Rams were crowned champions after defeating Leeds in the Final. At the end of this season the league re-formed into two divisions. The top 16 in the championship would form Division 1 and the bottom 14 Division 2.
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[edit] Season summary
This season the "4 Tackle" rule became the modern "6 tackles" although at first a scrum was formed at the end of the tackle count instead of a handover. Timekeepers and hooter sirens were also introduced for the first time.
Salford's David Watkins set the record for most goals (including drop goals) in a season with 221.
1972-1973 saw Wigan celebrate its centenary, having been formed as Wigan F.C on 21st November 1872. During the season they played a special Centenary Celebration match against an "Australians" side.
- Challenge Cup Winners: Featherstone Rovers (33-14 v Bradford)
- Players No.6 Trophy Winners: Leeds (12-7 v Salford)
- Lancashire Cup Winners: Salford (25-11 v Swinton)
- BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Winners: Leigh (5-0 v Widnes)
Hunslet disbanded at the end of the season, reforming as New Hunslet for 1973-74.
[edit] Final standings
| Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | D | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warrington | 34 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 816 | 400 | 416 | 56 |
| 2 | Featherstone Rovers | 34 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 768 | 436 | 332 | 54 |
| 3 | Leeds | 34 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 810 | 324 | 486 | 53 |
| 4 | St Helens | 34 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 623 | 298 | 325 | 50 |
| 5 | Wakefield Trinity | 34 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 814 | 398 | 416 | 50 |
| 6 | Salford | 34 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 723 | 383 | 340 | 50 |
| 7 | Castleford | 34 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 704 | 404 | 300 | 50 |
| 8 | Dewsbury | 34 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 534 | 354 | 180 | 46 |
| 9 | Oldham | 34 | 20 | 2 | 12 | 604 | 349 | 255 | 42 |
| 10 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 34 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 731 | 522 | 209 | 41 |
| 11 | Rochdale Hornets | 34 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 438 | 426 | 12 | 41 |
| 12 | Widnes | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 592 | 458 | 134 | 38 |
| 13 | Leigh | 34 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 479 | 390 | 89 | 38 |
| 14 | Bramley | 34 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 452 | 453 | (1) | 37 |
| 15 | Whitehaven | 34 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 408 | 512 | (104) | 37 |
| 16 | Wigan | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 577 | 491 | 86 | 35 |
| 17 | York | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 586 | 575 | 11 | 35 |
| 18 | Halifax | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 543 | 562 | (19) | 34 |
| 19 | Batley | 34 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 537 | 600 | (63) | 30 |
| 20 | Keighley | 34 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 451 | 505 | (54) | 30 |
| 21 | Swinton | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 441 | 458 | (17) | 29 |
| 22 | Workington Town | 34 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 444 | 464 | (20) | 25 |
| 23 | Bradford Northern | 34 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 582 | 685 | (103) | 24 |
| 24 | Huddersfield | 34 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 465 | 598 | (133) | 22 |
| 25 | Hull | 34 | 11 | 0 | 23 | 494 | 693 | (199) | 22 |
| 26 | Barrow | 34 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 351 | 775 | (434) | 14 |
| 27 | Doncaster | 34 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 298 | 911 | (613) | 12 |
| 28 | Hunslet | 34 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 371 | 916 | (545) | 10 |
| 29 | Blackpool Borough | 34 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 324 | 972 | (648) | 8 |
| 30 | Huyton | 34 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 243 | 879 | (636) | 7 |
[edit] Championship Play-offs
[edit] Round 1
- Castleford 24 beat Hull Kingston Rovers 12.
- Dewsbury 29 beat Oldham 14.
- Featherstone Rovers 14 beat Whitehaven 4.
- Leeds 45 beat Bramley 8.
- Rochdale Hornets 14 beat Salford 10.
- St Helens 29 beat Leigh 14.
- Wakefield Trinity 33 beat Widnes 6.
- Warrington 30 beat Wigan 15.
[edit] Round 2
- Dewsbury 26 beat Featherstone Rovers 7.
- Leeds 30 beat Castleford 5.
- St Helens 28 beat Wakefield Trinity 0.
- Warrington 16 beat Rochdale Hornets 9.
[edit] Semi-finals
- Leeds 7 beat St Helens 2.
- Dewsbury 12 beat Warrington 7.
[edit] Final
The 1973 Final was to be the last time a play-off system would be used to determine the British champions until 1998's Super League season. The match was played at Bradford's Odsal Stadium between Dewsbury and Leeds. Dewsbury had suffered a county cup record defeat 36-9 at the hands of Leeds in the Yorkshire Cup final earlier in the season. Also Leeds had finished 3rd on the ladder and Dewsbury 8th. However, Dewsbury opened up a 12-4 lead by the interval with tries by the hooker Mick Stephenson and Allan Agar and two goals and a drop-goal from the boot of centre Nigel Stephenson. Leeds captain Alan Hardisty was sent off for the first time in his career for a high tackle on John Bates.
A second try from Mick Stephenson on 44 minutes extended Dewsbury's lead and though Leeds hit back with tries by Graham Eccles, Phil Cookson and Les Dyl, it was not to be with Nigel Stephenson converting his own try to complete a resounding 22-13 success. Leading journalist Jack Winstanley wrote at the time: "Dewsbury's win sprung from a superb team effort that paid ample tribute to the coaching and inspiration of (coach) Tommy Smales. They bewildered a jaded Leeds outfit with a series of scissors moves and dummy passes that might have looked grossly over-elaborate had they not worked to such perfection." The Harry Sunderland Trophy for man-of-the-match went to Mick Stephenson. Greg Ashcroft, Jeff Grayshon and Alan Bates also played in the champion Dewsbury side.
[edit] Sources
- All Time Records at rlhalloffame.org.uk
- 1972-73 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com
- Pain of defeat serves Dewsbury well to prevent any repeat performance - article at yorkshirepost.co.uk
- Playing at Smales pace sank champions - article at yorkshirepost.co.uk
| Rugby Football League seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
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1890-91 · 1891-92 · 1892-93 · 1893-94 · 1894-95 · 1895-96 · 1896-97 · 1897-98 · 1898-99 · 1899-00 |
