1906-07 Northern Rugby Football Union season
Encyclopedia
The 1906–07 Northern Rugby Football Union
season was the twelfth season of rugby league football
.
, the members of the Northern Union agreed to adopt two rule changes that would distinguish the sport thereafter. The Northern Union, motivated by the need to appeal to spectators to improve the game's finances and ensure its survival, and inspired by the attacking style of rugby displayed by the New Zealand rugby union team during their 1905 tour of Britain, revisited two areas of the game that were the focus of much debate: the optimum number of players per team and how play should continue once a tackle had been completed.
won their second Championship in this season and Warrington
their second Challenge Cup in three years.
This season also saw the introduction of the Championship Play-offs at the end of the season. Similar to the current Grand Final system in today's Super League, it involved the top four clubs playing in two semi finals (1v4, 2v3) and then a final with the winners being declared champions. This system was used right up until 1961-62.
Liverpool City
joined, but Brighouse Rovers, Castleford, Millom
, Morecambe, and Normanton withdrew, reducing the competition to 27 teams. Pontefract resigned after 8 matches and their record was struck out. They had won 3 and lost 5, scoring 63 and conceding 154.
Liverpool City
became the first of only six teams to record no wins in a league season in this year. Though three of the others were during the War time leagues.
Bradford had been playing at the Park Avenue ground until this year. A decision by the Park Avenue Directors to form a professional association football (soccer) club forced Bradford rugby club to reform and relocate at Greenfield Stadium later adding "Northern" to their name.
There was no county league competition this season. Broughton Rangers
beat Warrington
15–6 to win the Lancashire Cup
, and Bradford F.C.
beat Hull Kingston Rovers
8–5 to win the Yorkshire Cup
.
New Zealand toured England this season. On 28 December 1907, they defeated Salford 9-2 in front of 9,000 spectators.
beat Oldham
17-3 in the final at Broughton before a crowd of 18,500 to win their second Cup in three seasons.
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
season was the twelfth season of rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.
Rule changes
During a meeting held on 12 June 1906 at the George Hotel, HuddersfieldGeorge Hotel, Huddersfield
The George Hotel, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, situated in the centre of the city, is a Grade II listed building famous as the birthplace of rugby league football....
, the members of the Northern Union agreed to adopt two rule changes that would distinguish the sport thereafter. The Northern Union, motivated by the need to appeal to spectators to improve the game's finances and ensure its survival, and inspired by the attacking style of rugby displayed by the New Zealand rugby union team during their 1905 tour of Britain, revisited two areas of the game that were the focus of much debate: the optimum number of players per team and how play should continue once a tackle had been completed.
- The play-the-ball rule was introduced. Previously after each tackle had been completed or a player had been "held" the rules mandated that a scrumScrum (rugby)Scrum , in the sports of rugby union and rugby league, is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play...
be ordered by the referee. These scrums had taken up a significant portion of game time and it was felt that the ball was hidden from spectators too often as a result, diminishing the game's entertainment value.
- The play-the-ball restored the early rugby football principle that play does not carry on when the player is no longer standing, but that a tackle is complete when a player is "held" on the ground or while on their feet. The Yorkshire PostYorkshire PostThe Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
commented on 13 June 1906 that the, "proposals in the name of the Bradford Club, provided in effect for a return to the 'play the ball' rule". In New Zealand, a newspaper column in The Truth on 10 November 1906 while describing the sport to its readers wrote, "the most excellent rule, that was obliterated from the earlier laws of the Union has again been introduced, 'That a player, when collared, must put the ball into play'."
- This version of the play-the-ball was used until the 1927–28 season when it was replaced by a 1926 Australian development in which the play-the-ball consisted of two defensive markers, the tackled player and the acting half-back.
- The Northern Union reduced the number of players on a team from fifteen to thirteen following approval by the clubs of a proposal by Warrington. In New Zealand, a newspaper column in The Truth (10 November 1906) describing the sport noted the intention, "to make the game brighter from a spectacular view-point".
- There had been support, stronger among northern clubs, for a reduction in the number of players before the 1895 schism but this had not been taken any further because of the Rugby Football UnionRugby Football UnionThe Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
's threats of sanctions as part of their campaign against professionalism. Since its founding, the NU had trialled games with different numbers of players at various times.
- If a ball was kicked out of play on the full, a scrum back where it had been kicked from would now be formed.
Season summary
HalifaxHalifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
won their second Championship in this season and Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
their second Challenge Cup in three years.
This season also saw the introduction of the Championship Play-offs at the end of the season. Similar to the current Grand Final system in today's Super League, it involved the top four clubs playing in two semi finals (1v4, 2v3) and then a final with the winners being declared champions. This system was used right up until 1961-62.
Liverpool City
Liverpool City (rugby league)
Liverpool City was a semi-professional rugby league club from the city of Liverpool in England.-The first Liverpool City - 1906-1907:A professional club first emerged in Liverpool, called Liverpool City in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the...
joined, but Brighouse Rovers, Castleford, Millom
Millom RLFC
Millom RLFC is an amateur rugby league club based in the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is one of the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world, having been founded in 1873....
, Morecambe, and Normanton withdrew, reducing the competition to 27 teams. Pontefract resigned after 8 matches and their record was struck out. They had won 3 and lost 5, scoring 63 and conceding 154.
Liverpool City
Liverpool City (rugby league)
Liverpool City was a semi-professional rugby league club from the city of Liverpool in England.-The first Liverpool City - 1906-1907:A professional club first emerged in Liverpool, called Liverpool City in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the...
became the first of only six teams to record no wins in a league season in this year. Though three of the others were during the War time leagues.
Bradford had been playing at the Park Avenue ground until this year. A decision by the Park Avenue Directors to form a professional association football (soccer) club forced Bradford rugby club to reform and relocate at Greenfield Stadium later adding "Northern" to their name.
There was no county league competition this season. Broughton Rangers
Broughton Rangers
Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season...
beat Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
15–6 to win the Lancashire Cup
Rugby league county cups
Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...
, and Bradford F.C.
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
beat Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
8–5 to win the Yorkshire Cup
Rugby league county cups
Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...
.
New Zealand toured England this season. On 28 December 1907, they defeated Salford 9-2 in front of 9,000 spectators.
Championship
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halifax Halifax RLFC Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town... |
34 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 649 | 229 | 56 | 82.35 |
| 2 | Oldham Oldham Roughyeds Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895.... |
34 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 457 | 227 | 53 | 77.94 |
| 3 | Runcorn | 30 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 546 | 216 | 46 | 76.66 |
| 4 | Keighley Keighley Cougars Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington... |
24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 431 | 231 | 35 | 72.91 |
| 5 | Wigan Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
34 | 23 | 1 | 10 | 656 | 278 | 47 | 69.11 |
| 6 | Leeds Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
30 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 424 | 301 | 40 | 66.66 |
| 7 | Hunslet Hunslet Hawks Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:... |
32 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 520 | 354 | 42 | 65.62 |
| 8 | Warrington Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |
34 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 554 | 304 | 43 | 63.23 |
| 9 | Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season... |
30 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 496 | 235 | 35 | 58.33 |
| 10 | Salford Salford City Reds Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup... |
32 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 462 | 349 | 36 | 56.25 |
| 11 | Barrow Barrow Raiders Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria.... |
26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 333 | 356 | 27 | 51.92 |
| 12 | Widnes Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward... |
20 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 221 | 320 | 19 | 47.50 |
| 13 | Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006... |
32 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 390 | 366 | 30 | 46.87 |
| 14 | Dewsbury Dewsbury Rams Dewsbury Rams RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury. They are arguably most famous for becoming Champions in 1972-73 after finishing the regular season in 8th place. In the playoffs they beat Featherstone away, Warrington away, and then Leeds in the... |
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 393 | 377 | 25 | 44.64 |
| 15 | Leigh Leigh Centurions Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in... |
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 318 | 311 | 25 | 44.64 |
| 16 | Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts... |
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 348 | 409 | 25 | 44.64 |
| 17 | Swinton Swinton Lions Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:... |
32 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 308 | 380 | 28 | 43.75 |
| 18 | Bradford | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 387 | 367 | 26 | 43.33 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C.... |
32 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 469 | 477 | 26 | 40.62 |
| 20 | Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One... |
26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 292 | 312 | 19 | 36.53 |
| 21 | Batley Batley Bulldogs Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895... |
24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 228 | 326 | 17 | 35.41 |
| 22 | St Helens | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 374 | 353 | 18 | 34.61 |
| 23 | Hull | 32 | 11 | 0 | 21 | 337 | 515 | 22 | 34.37 |
| 24 | York York City Knights York City Knights Rugby League Club is a British professional rugby league club hailing from York. They play at the Huntington Stadium, situated to the north of York city centre... |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 217 | 514 | 10 | 20.83 |
| 25 | Bramley Bramley Buffaloes Bramley Buffaloes is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Previously known simply as Bramley RLFC, the club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895... |
20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 85 | 466 | 2 | 5.00 |
| 26 | Liverpool City Liverpool City (rugby league) Liverpool City was a semi-professional rugby league club from the city of Liverpool in England.-The first Liverpool City - 1906-1907:A professional club first emerged in Liverpool, called Liverpool City in 1906, playing at the Stanley Athletics Ground. They hold an unwanted record in the... |
30 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 76 | 1398 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Champions |
Play-offs |
Championship Play-Off
Challenge Cup
WarringtonWarrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
beat Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
17-3 in the final at Broughton before a crowd of 18,500 to win their second Cup in three seasons.