1995–96 Rugby Football League season

none October 2025 1995–96 Rugby Football League season Centenary Championship 20 Rounds First Division: 11 Second Division: 11 Third Division: 11 19,526Wigan vs St. Helens (26 December 1995) 761London Broncos vs Sheffield Eagles (17 December 1995) Sky Sports First Division Wigan (17th title) Champions Man of Steel Award England Bobbie Goulding (285) England Martin Offiah (28)England David Plange (28) New franchise Paris Saint-Germain Awarded to Second Division Salford Reds Champions Third Division Hull Kingston Rovers Champions 1994–95 Rugby Football League season 1994–95 Super League I 1996 The 1995–96 Rugby Football League season was the 101st season of rugby league football. Eleven English teams competed from August 1995 until January 1996 for the Stones Bitter Centenary Championship. The season was kept brief to accommodate the first season of the forthcoming new Super League competition, which would see top-level rugby league in the UK changed to a summer sport.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/centenary-waits-for-the-revolution-1596800.html?test_group=lighteradlayout Dave Hadfield 18 August 1995 28 January 2026 The Independent Centenary waits for the revolution It was also punctuated by the 1995 World Cup which took place in Britain throughout October. The 1996 Challenge Cup rounds started immediately after the Centenary Championship and the final was played in summer, during Super League I. Season summary Stones Bitter Centenary League champions: Wigan (17th title) Silk Cut Challenge Cup: Final played in 1996 summer season. Regal Trophy Winners: Wigan (8 - 25-16 v St Helens) First Division champions: Salford Second Division champions: Hull Kingston Rovers Charity Shield winners: Leeds Rhinoshttps://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/charity-shield--uk--1995-96/summary.html Charity Shield (UK) 1995/96 28 January 2026 Rugby League Project Personnel During pre-season, Kath Hetherington of Sheffield was elected as president of the Rugby Football League, succeeding Batley's Ronnie Teeman. Eleven years after becoming the first female member of the league's board of directors, she became the first woman to hold to the presidency.Roberts Chris 29 June 1995 https://www.newspapers.com/image/831255228/ Green light for King Huddersfield Daily Examiner 22 newspapers.com Rules Prior to the signing of the agreement paving the way for the Super League, the RFL had voted in February on a wage cap, limiting player salaries to 50 percent of a team's income.Whalley John 21 February 1995 https://www.newspapers.com/image/751813083/ Tough policing needed to make wage cap work The Daily Telegraph London 33 newspapers.com Format The 1995–96 First Division season served as a trial run of sorts for the Super League's inaugural season, which would follow it in the spring of 1996, and its format changes were largely made in anticipation of the latter's launch. Following intense negotiations, it was decided that only the top ten teams from the 1994–95 season, joined by second-tier capital representatives London Broncos (all the projected British entrants in the Super League), would participate in a condensed 1995–96 First Division. There would be no promotion or relegation between it and the inaugural Super League campaign (only the purpose-built Paris team would be added). The lower league clubs were split between a Second and a Third Division, marking a return to the three-tier professional pyramid last used in 1993.Roberts Chris 1 May 1995 https://www.newspapers.com/image/831230120/ Super league critics force RL re-think Huddersfield Daily Examiner 3 newspapers.com While the new setup was generally considered an appropriate compromise, 1994–95 second-tier champion Keighley and Widnes, a traditionally strong team which had missed the 10-team cutoff after an uncharacteristically poor season, launched legal proceedings after being left out. Hoping for a compromise, Widnes proposed a one-off 1995–96 schedule consisting of a 16-team, dual conference setup where the top five clubs within each conference would advance to the Super League. While some agreed that the plan would make the transitional season more meaningful, it did not come to pass, and their legal challenges were ultimately unsuccessful as well.Fitzpatrick Paul 9 May 1995 https://www.newspapers.com/image/260784927/ Widnes offer a deal The Guardian London 19 newspapers.com Highlights The absence of relegation was blamed for a sizeable dip in attendance. Combined with a salary hike resulting from the announcement of the Super League, the season was a financial failure for many clubs, and powerhouse Wigan reported losses of about £450,000 at the end of the shortened campaign.Tingle Richard 10 February 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/899725003/ 'Centenary season has been a disaster' Hull Daily Mail 15 newspapers.com Standings First Division main WDL WIG LEE HFX STH SHE CAS BRA OLD WAR LON WOR 18 0 2 810 316 14 0 6 552 405 12 1 7 456 463 12 0 8 732 508 10 0 10 482 528 9 1 10 448 566 8 0 12 418 476 8 0 12 382 535 7 0 13 443 514 7 0 13 466 585 4 0 16 317 610 C Wigan Leeds Halifax St Helens Sheffield Eagles Castleford Bradford Northern Oldham Warrington London Broncos Workington Town 1) Points; 2) Points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded) yes points 2 1 0 complete https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/championship-1995-96/summary.html Championship 1995/96 Rugby League Project 19 March 2026 Second Division main WDL SAL KEI WID HUL FEV WHI WAK ROC HUD BAT DEW 17 1 2 661 278 13 2 5 491 255 13 1 6 475 334 11 0 9 571 420 11 0 9 420 431 10 2 8 345 435 10 0 10 346 422 8 1 11 365 483 6 0 14 395 485 5 1 14 302 492 2 0 18 261 597 C Salford Reds Keighley Cougars Widnes Hull Featherstone Rovers Whitehaven Wakefield Trinity Rochdale Hornets Huddersfield Batley Dewsbury 1) Points; 2) Points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded) yes points 2 1 0 complete https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/second-division-1995-96/summary.html Second Division 1995/96 Rugby League Project 19 March 2026 Third Division main WDL HULKR LEI HUN SWI CAR YOR BRA2 BAR CHO DON HIG 18 0 2 744 231 16 0 4 592 335 14 0 6 514 315 13 0 7 521 331 12 0 8 600 309 10 1 9 442 415 9 1 10 400 434 6 0 14 342 488 5 1 14 324 608 5 0 15 348 646 0 1 19 249 964 C Hull Kingston Rovers Leigh Centurions Hunslet Hawks Swinton Carlisle York Bramley Barrow Braves Chorley Chieftains Doncaster Dragons Highfield 1) Points; 2) Points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded) yes points 2 1 0 complete https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/third-division-1995-96/summary.html Third Division 1995/96 Rugby League Project 19 March 2026 Regal Trophy 1995–96 Regal Trophy Statistics The following are the top points scorers in the 1995–96 season.Fletcher Raymond Howes David Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997 27 March 1997 Headline London 978-0-7472-7764-4 163–7 Most tries Player Team Tries Martin Offiah Wigan 28 David Plange Hull Kingston Rovers 28 Anthony Sullivan St. Helens 24 Va'aiga Tuigamala Wigan 22 Jason Robinson Wigan 21 Simon Ashcroft Swinton 20 Joey Hayes St. Helens 18 Jason Viller Hunslet Hawks 18 Gary Atkins Hull Kingston Rovers 18 Jason Roach Swinton 17 Nathan McAvoy Salford Reds 17 Most goals (including drop goals) Player Team Goals Bobbie Goulding St. Helens 135 Mike Fletcher Hull Kingston Rovers 117 Steve McNamara Hull F.C. 101 Paul Cook Bradford Bulls 99 Willie Richardson Carlisle 96 Steve Blakeley Salford Reds 93 Andy Farrell Wigan 92 Martin Pearson Featherstone Rovers 86 Simon Irving Keighley Cougars 81 Chris Wilkinson Leigh Centurions 81 References Sources 1995–96 Rugby Football League season at rlhalloffame.org.uk 1995–96 Rugby Football League season https://web.archive.org/web/20080222020711/http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=258 22 February 2008 at wigan.rlfans.com Great Britain Competitions 1995-1996 at hunterlink.net.au Championship 1995/96 at rugbyleagueproject.org Category:Rugby Football League seasons Rugby Football League season Rugby Football League season