135-615: The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester , England. Leigh play homes games at Leigh Sports Village and compete in Super League the top tier of British rugby league . Leigh Leopards have won the League Championship twice and Challenge Cup three times. The clubs traditional home colours are red and white. They have a local rivalry with Wigan Warriors . Leigh RFC
270-557: A smallpox outbreak, and were subsequently fined £20. Rochdale purchased the Athletics Grounds in 1913. Hornets won the Lancashire County Cup in 1911 and 1914. Between 10 October 1914 and 6 March 1915, Hornets played 25 games without defeat, shortly after this streak was broken by a defeat by Wigan but they would finish fourth in the table. Hornets beat Broughton Moor 75–13 in a cup-tie on 13 March 1915; it
405-489: A 3–0 home win over Halifax . Hornets played in green and black for the first time in 26 years on 13 December 1947 in a match against Wigan. Thereafter they used the colours as a change strip in the event of a colour clash. In 1947 and 1958, Rochdale Hornets made it to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, but both times Wigan ended their hopes of a Wembley Final. On 24 October 1953, Hornets' second row Ralph Slater
540-431: A Wigan player had left the field during the game without the referee's permission, Leigh lost the second replay. In 1909, Mather Lane was upgraded when the embankment on the popular side was extended and raised giving the ground a capacity of 20,000 spectators. Around this time Leigh named its first coach – Jim Jolley . Over the next few years, Leigh had little success and crowd numbers dropped dramatically. However, when
675-617: A breakaway faction of England's Rugby Football Union (RFU). Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first, although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately, thus creating a new simpler game that was intended to be a faster-paced form of rugby football. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football league s" and introducing Northern Union rules. In 1922,
810-558: A breakaway governing body – the Northern Union. The first season of the new game kicked off in September with Leigh recording a 6–3 loss against Leeds . Leigh finished ninth that season. Leigh had a great start in the new Union, they played well and the crowds increased; however they had mixed fortunes over the next few years. As the new century began, Leigh struggled and despite winning the West Lancashire and Border Towns Cup,
945-463: A comeback the following season but was forced to retire, although once more the club enjoyed runs in the cup competitions, losing to Barrow in the Lancashire Cup semi-final and then getting knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Featherstone. Joe Egan remained with the club as coach and the team was successful in his final season, finishing 11th but winning the Lancashire Cup for a second time with
1080-580: A decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to twenty-two clubs (including Stockport, who negotiated by telephone) meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield , on 29 August 1895 and forming the "Northern Rugby Football Union". Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join the rugby league. In 1897,
1215-474: A dual-international when he was selected to play for Australia against the touring Great Britain side in 1958 and was the vice-captain to Welsh born Kangaroos captain Keith Barnes on the 1959–60 Kangaroo tour . An injury to Egan saw him sit out the entire 1953–54 season and his absence hit Leigh hard and the club finished 13th and interest in cup competitions also finished early. Joe tried to make
1350-405: A four-yearly cycle in the 2010s; as of 2023 , the holders are Australia . A short-sided version of the sport, rugby league nines , using modified rugby league rules also exists, and is comparable to rugby sevens . Wheelchair rugby league is a mixed-gender sport using heavily modified rugby league rules for disabled and able-bodied players. Unlike wheelchair rugby which adopted its name after
1485-720: A leading position in the game in Lancashire . Hornets had an open door approach to membership and were able to insist on gate money as they played on an enclosed field. In June 1879, Rochdale Rovers threw in their lot with the Hornets, and it was in this year that the club first adopted the white jersey. A ground was taken at Oakenrod for the 1879–80 season but owing to poor gates, Rochdale Hornets returned to Rochdale Cricket Club ground. In 1881 no fewer than 57 rugby clubs played in Rochdale and district, fielding 80 teams regularly. By
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#17327974066551620-437: A mix of the two sports' rules. Much more so than rugby union, rugby league shares significant similarities with North American gridiron codes. Although described as evolving from both rugby and association football , the basic structures of American and Canadian football are remarkably similar to rugby league through a process of parallel evolution: a try-and-goal based scoring system, a set number of plays before handover of
1755-597: A new club record defeat with a whopping 64–9 win over Leigh at Knowsley Road . Leigh regain their form however with great wins at Wakefield Trinity, Hull and Sheffield; and finished the season with excellent results at home. In February 1993, Leigh failed in a bid to buy back Hilton Park for £300,000 but in June, they were offered a reprieve and are allowed to stay for another 12 months. Leigh enter administration in July 1994. In December 1994, Ian Lucas became head coach of Leigh,
1890-556: A new stadium at Leigh Sports Village . The club changed the name of its stadium back to Hilton Park after renaming it the Coliseum a number of years earlier. However, due to an influx of letters, e-mails and telephone calls from Leigh supporters asking the club to re-think its decision; this decision was reversed in May. Darren Shaw's first full season in charge of Leigh ended with a 19–6 play off defeat away to Whitehaven. Leigh's 2007 season
2025-662: A new stand open on the south side in a momentous year for Rugby football. Leigh, along with Salford and Wigan, was suspended for professionalism by the Rugby Football Union , and placed joint bottom of the Lancashire league. With automatic promotion and relegation, it faced dropping down a division, and potential financial ruin. On top of years of arguments with the Rugby Football Union concerning player expenses, 22 teams including Leigh decided to form
2160-470: A new team. They had 19 players and even though their league performances were patchy, they had some success in the cups. In the 1920–21 season, in a round of the Lancashire Cup in which Leigh played Rochdale Hornets , an attendance record was set at Mather Lane when a crowd of 21,500 saw Leigh win 9–7. Leigh reached the final but lost to Broughton Rangers . In 1921 the club won the Challenge Cup with
2295-550: A number of the club's playing staff to leave. Darren Shaw was appointed as coach of the club in October 2006, however, it was found that Darren Shaw did not have the necessary qualifications to coach at this level and he was moved to the position of Football Manager, while assistant coach Paul Rowley was appointed as First Team Coach. In January 2007, the club announced it would drop the Centurions name ahead of its move to
2430-418: A pay cut. Crowds fell to about 1,000 for home games and one midweek fixture against Swinton saw only 400 spectators. Leigh rallied briefly in 1931–32, encouraged by the return of Abe Johnson, but it didn't last. In the 1932–33 season, things were so bad that the players played for free in several games. The club had major financial problems and a young inexperienced team. Financial support from an outside source
2565-633: A professional level. 45 national teams are ranked by the RLIF and a further 32 are officially recognized and unranked. The strongest rugby league nations are Australia , England , New Zealand , Samoa and Tonga . The Rugby League World Cup is the highest form of representative rugby league. Countries that have contested are Australia , Cook Islands , England , Fiji , France , Ireland , Italy , Jamaica , Lebanon , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Russia , Samoa , Scotland , South Africa , Tonga , US and Wales . The 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which
2700-509: A promising start to the 2008 season, Shaw tendered his resignation following defeats to Salford, Widnes and Featherstone Rovers . Darren Shaw was replaced by Neil Kelly . Rugby league Rugby league football , commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby XIII in non- Anglophone Europe and South America, and referred to colloquially as football , footy , rugby , or league in its heartlands,
2835-592: A record £5,000 fee in October 1950 and succeeded Emlyn Jenkins as player / coach. Leigh finished 4th in the league in his first season. In Egan's second season, Leigh made it to the Lancashire Cup Final and a Challenge Cup semi-final as well as finishing 7th in the league. On Saturday 27 October 1951, 33,230 spectators saw Leigh lose 14–6 to Wigan in the final of the Lancashire Cup at Station Road , Swinton . The club repeated that league placing
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#17327974066552970-807: A resounding 26–9 success over Widnes. Leigh and Bradford Northern were the first rugby league clubs to stage matches on a Sunday in December 1954, although there was opposition from the Sunday Observance lobby . The 1955–56 season saw the introduction of a tournament titled the ITV Rediffusion Cup . Eight clubs participated in a series of games played at football grounds in the London area, with Warrington eventually running out 43–18 victors over Leigh at Loftus Road . Alex Murphy joined Leigh as player-coach in 1966. In 1971, Leigh reached
3105-453: A result play stops much less frequently in rugby league, with the ball typically in play for 50 out of the 80 minutes compared to around 35 minutes for professional rugby union. Other differences include that there are fewer players in rugby league (13 compared to 15) and different rules for tackling . Rugby union has more detailed rules than rugby league and has changed less since the 1895 schism. Since rugby union turned professional in
3240-417: A run of six consecutive losses. Darren Shaw was appointed as Rochdale Hornets coach in May 2008 after a previous spell as assistant coach under Bobbie Goulding in his first spell as player coach in 2003. On 13 January 2009, shareholders voted to put Rochdale Hornets into administration after debts ordered by HM Revenue and Customs accumulated £55,000. An Industrial and Provident Society (a co-operative)
3375-448: A season with an 80% win rate. Many clubs complained that Leigh had provided themselves with an easy fixture list, ducking the challenge of the stronger clubs and play-offs were brought in. In 1907–08, Leigh and Wigan were again in conflict in the Lancashire Cup . An attendance record was set when 17,000 spectators watched Leigh and Wigan draw 3–3 at Mather Lane. Leigh lost the replay at Central Park but appealed for another replay because
3510-517: A shock 13–0 victory over Halifax at the Cliff in Broughton , Salford . In 1934, Leigh played under floodlights for the first time, losing 8–25 at London Highfield . Leigh were the first Lancashire side to win the Challenge Cup since 1911. Over the following seasons Leigh was quite successful in the league and cup. The club attracted huge crowds, and a Leigh v Wigan derby was guaranteed to draw in
3645-415: A team's creative unit or 'playmakers'. During the interactions between a team's 'key' players (five-eighth, half-back, fullback, lock forward, and hooker), the five-eighth and half-back will usually be involved in most passing moves. These two positions are commonly called the "halves". The forwards' two responsibilities can be broken into "normal play" and "scrum play". For information on a forward's role in
3780-560: A transfer fee. Deep in debt, Rochdale accepted Morrisons £2.7m offer for the Athletic Grounds and following the sale of the land, moved to Rochdale A.F.C. 's stadium in the Spotland area of the town at the end of the 1988 season. The stadium became jointly owned by Hornets, Rochdale Council and Rochdale A.F.C. In October 1988, Rochdale were saved by the local council with a £60,000 loan. In 1989, Hornets were promoted from
3915-401: A value of 2 points when kicked from beyond the 40 metre line. Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates, therefore, have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. The ball may be kicked ahead, but if teammates are in front of the kicker when
4050-496: A year later, this time helping Leigh win the Lancashire Cup in front of a crowd of 34,785 at Swinton. The 14 March 1953 brought the biggest recorded crowd at Hilton Park when 31,326 crammed in to see St Helens win 12–3, to make up for their Lancashire Cup defeat. In 1951, Leigh signed Australian rugby union test forward Rex Mossop . The tough man known as "The Moose" played three seasons with Leigh before returning to Sydney to play for his local club Manly-Warringah . Mossop became
4185-486: Is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It is one of the two major codes of rugby football , the other being rugby union . It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield , Yorkshire , England, as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over
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4320-474: Is conducted under the direction of the Federation of International Touch (FIT). Though it shares similarities and history with rugby league , it is recognised as a sport in its own right due to its differences which have been developed over the sport's lifetime. Touch is a variation of rugby league with the tackling of opposing players replaced by a touch. As touches must be made with minimal force, touch
4455-432: Is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland . The game is also among the predominant sports of Tonga and is played in other Pacific nations such as Samoa and Fiji . Researchers have found that rugby league has been able to help with improving development in the islands. In Australia, and indeed the rest of the region, the annual State of Origin series ranks among
4590-555: Is therefore considered a limited-contact sport. The original basic rules of touch were established in the 1960s by members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club in Sydney, Australia . OzTag is a non-contact form of rugby league, and can be seen as a variation of British tag rugby. Cronulla Sharks and St George Dragons halfback Perry Haddock introduced the sport in Australia while coaching
4725-413: Is worth. One of the main differences is the rules of possession. When the ball goes into touch , possession in rugby union is contested through a line-out , while in rugby league a scrum restarts play. The lesser focus on contesting possession means that play focuses more on powerful running, hard tackling, forward progression and the contest for field position (commonly compared to an "arm wrestle"); as
4860-602: The 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final replay at Odsal Stadium , Bradford , England, setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code. Also in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French. In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on
4995-432: The 1999 NRL season . Figure shown is the total attendance which is officially counted for both games. ** The official attendance of the 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay was 102,569. Unofficial estimates put the attendance as high as 150,000, Bradford Police confirming 120,000. Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale , Greater Manchester, England, competing in
5130-454: The ARL and NZRL . Since rugby league was introduced to Australia in 1908, it has become the largest television sport and 3rd most attended sport in Australia. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea is one of two countries to have rugby league as its national sport (with Cook Islands ). Australia's elite club competition also features a team from Auckland , New Zealand's biggest city. Rugby league
5265-536: The First World War began in summer 1914, the Northern Union believed that it would be over by Christmas and the season began as normal. Leigh performed poorly. Competitive rugby was suspended in 1915 until the hostilities ceased. Competitive rugby resumed in 1918 with an interim season from January to May. Leigh finished 2nd. Leigh had limited success just after the war and the Leigh directors set about building
5400-634: The International Rugby League . Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands and is a popular sport in countries such as England , Australia , New Zealand , France , Tonga , Fiji , Samoa , Lebanon , Jamaica , and Malta . The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the first World Cup of either rugby code, and has been held sporadically ever since, settling into
5535-599: The Lancashire League but also carried off the Lancashire County Cup . Rochdale's biggest win against a senior club came on 27 March 1920 when Wakefield Trinity were beaten 64-nil. The annual Law Cup, then known as the Infirmaries' Cup, was first contested against neighbours Oldham on 7 May 1921. Hornets played six games in a fortnight before falling to their biggest ever defeat 79–2 at
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5670-640: The League 1 , the third tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, making them one of the world's first rugby league clubs. Their main local rivals are Oldham , Salford Red Devils , Swinton Lions , Halifax and the Huddersfield Giants . A Rochdale Athletic Club was formed in 1866 and held its first festival on
5805-704: The New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman's Hotel in George Street. Unlike in England, where both codes maintained their own geographic areas of dominance, in Australia rugby league went on to displace rugby union entirely as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland , while Australian rules football dominated the rest of Australia. On 5 May 1954, 102,569 spectators watched
5940-749: The Ottawa Aces were scheduled to join the English league pyramid, becoming the only Canadian team in the system after the Wolfpack were denied re-entry. The club subsequently relocated to Penryn, Cornwall , and are now known as Cornwall R.L.F.C. In 2021, the North American Rugby League announced an attempt to be North America's professional championship, with Canadian club Toronto Wolfpack joining several USA Rugby League clubs, New York Freedom and Cleveland Rugby League to form
6075-598: The Rugby League European Federation and Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation expanding the game to new areas such as Chile , Canada , Ghana , Philippines , Czech Republic , Germany , The Netherlands , Sweden , Norway , Spain , Sri Lanka , Hungary , Turkey , Thailand and Brazil to name a few. The two most prominent full-time professional leagues are the Australian National Rugby League and
6210-556: The line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced. In 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after tackles with the play-the-ball . By this point, rule changes meant the game organised by the RFL was distinct as a sport from its union cousin. A similar schism to that which occurred in England took place in Sydney , Australia. There, on 8 August 1907
6345-450: The 'working clause'. Leigh was found guilty of fielding an ineligible player and ordered to replay without expenses and for Leigh the gate receipts to be given to the Northern Union. Wigan won the replay 5–0 and Leigh were so incensed that the club considered leaving the Northern Union and starting an Association football club. Leigh became a limited company as a result of this financial blow. In 1906, Leigh were Northern Union champions after
6480-658: The 1890s, the players were almost all working class. Rochdale moved to the Athletic Grounds in Milnrow Road, which opened on 9 June 1894. Their first game at their new home took place in September 1894 against Crompton. They were founder members of the Northern Union in 1895. Hornets made a poor start under the new regime and finished bottom of the league table, for a good number of years they lost many more matches than they won. They became tenants of
6615-544: The 1941–42 Lancashire War Emergency League but weeks before the new season began, the Rugby Football League passed a resolution that clubs could only participate if they had a home ground. Leigh arranged to play at Hindsford Football Club's ground but this was over-ruled by the RFL and Leigh ceased operations for the duration of the Second World War . In 1946–47, the Rugby Football League drew up
6750-466: The 1990s, when News Corporation paid for worldwide broadcasting rights. The media giant's "Super League" movement created changes for the traditional administrators of the game. In Europe, it resulted in a move from Rugby League being a winter sport to a summer one, as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market. In Australasia, the Super League war resulted in long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties, causing significant damage to
6885-491: The 1990–91 season the club adopted the nickname the Bears , adding a bears emblem to the right breast of the club jerseys. The nickname was only used for one season and did not prove popular. In January 1991, the club tried to sell its ground to ease cash problems. A consortium offered £200,000 to take over Leigh but the club ended up in administration. Swinton offered to ground share, Station Road , to help Leigh but this offer
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#17327974066557020-518: The 1992 St George Jersey Flegg side. Together with Chris Parkes, the two took the sport to fields across Australia. Today, it is played by over 200,000 players in organised leagues across the country. League Tag replaces tackling with the removal of one of two tags carried on an opponent's hips, attached directly to specific League Tag shorts with Velcro patches, but otherwise retains almost all other rules of traditional rugby league (such as kicking). A number of additional rules are also added relating to
7155-515: The 2017 Kingstone Press League 1 in their inaugural season and earned promotion to the 2018 Rugby League Championship. In 2019 The Wolfpack won promotion to the Super League, lasting only a few months before having to withdraw due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic . New ownership is currently trying to revive the club with matches against amateur clubs in the US and Canada. Beginning in 2022,
7290-462: The Athletics Grounds in 1900. Between the 7–9 March 1901, a three-day bazaar was held at the town hall where around £1,000 was raised to help pay for the club's debts. Incidents from the game played on 22 March 1901 resulted in the ground being suspended by the Northern Union . The players went on strike on 29 March 1902 as empty coffers meant that they went unpaid. Rochdale Hornets then refused to travel to Dewsbury on 1 October 1904 on account of
7425-674: The British Super League (with teams from New Zealand and France respectively). Other professional and semi professional leagues include Australia's Queensland Cup (which includes a team from Papua New Guinea ) and NSW Cup , the British RFL Championship and RFL League 1 , the French Super XIII and Elite 2 . The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League operates as a semi-professional competition and enjoys nationwide media coverage, being
7560-467: The Lancashire Cup, their first win in any competition for 21 games. They took the touring Australians to within two points on the opening match of their tour. These were desperate times though and when Dewsbury visited Mather Lane for a mid-week game in November 1937, only 200 spectators were there to see Leigh suffer a record home defeat of 64–6. This prompted the Leigh directors to resign en masse and
7695-566: The Mather Lane site from the owners, Messrs. George Shaw & Company Ltd of the Leigh Brewery. The new owners needed the ground to store steel drums and cases and they advised Leigh that they were unable to let them have a lease on the ground. Leigh's last game at Mather Lane was a War Emergency League fixture against St Helens on 27 April 1940 where a crowd of only 300 spectators saw the visitors win 16–5. Leigh had intended playing in
7830-534: The National Rugby League, this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season and further reduced to eight prior to the 2016 season. If a team has to interchange a player due to the blood bin rule or due to injury, and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team, the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field. The backs are generally smaller, faster and more agile than
7965-547: The Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football. In 1895, a schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU). The success of working class northern teams led to some compensating players who otherwise would be on their job and earning income on Saturdays. This led to
8100-411: The RFU reacting to enforce the amateur principle of the sport, preventing "broken time payments" to players who had taken time off work to play rugby. Northern teams typically had more working class players (coal miners, mill workers etc.) who could not afford to play without this compensation, in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain the amateur principle. In 1895,
8235-565: The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final and defeated Leeds , 24–7. Murphy left Leigh on 20 May 1971 to become player-coach at Warrington. In 1978, John Woods played and scored in every game as Leigh secured the Second Division . In 1982, Leigh were Champions for the second time, as Alex Murphy guided them to a tense 13–4 victory at Whitehaven , after Leigh trailed 4–1 at half time. The 1981–82 season
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#17327974066558370-569: The Rugby League Management Committee stepped in to prevent the club from folding by guaranteeing their fixtures until the end of the season. The following February, a members club was formed, though the RFL stayed in control until June and Leigh won only one of their last 15 games, again finishing 3rd from bottom. The club found itself without a ground in August 1940 when Callender's Cable and Construction Company bought
8505-667: The Second Division Championship in 1985–86, losing one league match. During the season, they twice broke the scoring record for most points in a game against Mansfield Marksmen (76–6) and Keighley (92–2). Leigh were relegated from the First Division again in 1988 but again won the Second Division title to secure promotion at the first attempt. Leigh relegated from First Division yet again in 1990 and crippling financial problems are revealed. For
8640-519: The Second Division to the top tier. The club's record attendance at Spotland was set at 8,150 when Hornets played Oldham on Boxing Day 1989. In September 1990, Neil Holding briefly coached Hornets. In 1991, Hornets appeared in the final of the Lancashire Cup. On 9 May 1996, Rochdale sacked their coach, Steve Gibson, after taking just one point from their first six games of the First Division season. Deryck Fox became player-coach in May 1998, and made an immediate impact. A ten-match losing sequence
8775-541: The Trans-Pennine Cup. However, Leigh were defeated in the play-off semi-finals and Widnes went on to win the Grand Final and a place in Super League. In 2002 and 2003, the relegated Super League sides, Huddersfield and Salford remained fully professional teams. Thus, their full-time fitness and coaching led to defeat in successive grand finals for Leigh. A consortium saved Leigh from administration on
8910-469: The ashes of the old, was opened on Saturday 7 March 1936 for the match against Liverpool Stanley . Another financial crisis in 1938 led to further talks about selling the ground and a further crisis in 1939 resulted in the creation of a members' club. Hornets dropped out of the wartime Lancashire League, their last match a 12–4 defeat against Salford at the Athletic Grounds on 11 May 1940. An appeal went out to supporters in July 1945 for help in renovating
9045-447: The ball comes into contact with the ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Once the tackle is completed, the ball-carrier must be allowed to get to his feet to ' play-the-ball '. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards. The ball can also be turned over by going over
9180-421: The ball is kicked, they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the ball may be tackled. A tackle is complete, for example, when the player is held by one or more opposing players in such a manner that he can make no further progress and cannot part with the ball, or when the player is held by one or more opposing players and the ball or the hand or arm holding
9315-500: The club had won that particular trophy having also triumphed in the 2004 final against the same opposition. A loss to Batley in the play-offs signals the end of Tony Benson's reign. Following Leigh's 23–22 defeat by Batley Bulldogs in the 2006 National League One playoffs, the club's future was thrown into doubt. The club's owners decided to part company with Tony Benson causing some of the back room staff and management to resign in support of their colleague. The uncertainty also caused
9450-473: The club moved to Kirkhall Lane headquarters and in 1953 floodlights were installed at a cost of £4,100. The ground saw a record home crowd of 31,326 attend a Challenge Cup tie with St. Helens in the same year. Later, Kirkhall Lane was officially renamed Hilton Park after James Hilton. Leigh signed Jimmy Ledgard from Dewsbury in January 1948 for a then record fee of £2,650. Joe Egan joined Leigh for
9585-480: The club were not in Super League. Tommy Martyn and Heath Cruckshank both try their hand at the job before Tony Benson was appointed head coach in September 2005. Leigh's relegation from Super League had been all but confirmed at the time of his appointment. In July 2006, Leigh won the Northern Rail Cup after defeating Hull Kingston Rovers 22–18 at Bloomfield Road , Blackpool . It was the second time
9720-469: The code in an extremely competitive sporting market. In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia, after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed. The NRL has since become recognised as the sport's flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures. The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries , goals and field goals (also known as drop goals) than
9855-571: The cricket ground at Merefield. Rugby football first took place as an organised game about 1866 or 1867, when the Rochdale Football Club was formed by a magistrate and numerous business owners and self-employed men. Within a year they were all playing alongside new members when working-class men were allowed to join as well. Other clubs quickly followed, among them Rochdale Wasps and Rochdale Juniors. In 1871, Rochdale Juniors and Rakebank merged to form Rochdale United. On 20 April 1871,
9990-414: The crowds and their fortunes dropped dramatically. In the 1904–05 season, there was a dispute with Wigan in the Challenge Cup game. The game was played on 4 March 1905 and Leigh won 3–0 in front of 13,000 spectators. The Northern Union, after being alerted by Wigan, alleged that Leigh player Dick Silcock had played illegally after being absent from work in the week before the game without a permit breaking
10125-467: The cup. The biggest winning margin is still that of Huddersfield , who beat the amateur side Swinton Park 119–2 in 1914. Darren Abram was appointed head coach two weeks later. Abram was dismissed on 9 July 2007 after a run of defeats which left the club facing relegation. Shaun Gartland was placed in temporary charge. Bobbie Goulding was appointed as Rochdale Hornets coach for the second time in September 2007 and relieved of his duties in May 2008 after
10260-638: The directors of Rochdale Wasps, Rochdale United and Rochdale Football Club met at the Roebuck Hotel in the town centre to form a senior team that would represent the town. Rochdale Wasps. Rochdale Butterflies and Rochdale Grasshoppers were suggested as names for the new club before Rochdale Hornets was agreed on. The original team colours were amber and black. In 1875, Hornets played at Mr R. Kershaw's Athletic Grounds in Vavasour Street, and later at Rochdale Cricket Ground. The club very quickly took
10395-530: The early 1960s, starting with Orisi Dawai and Josefa Levula in 1961 and, later Apisai Toga . This has resulted in Rochdale having the largest Fijian community in the UK, outside of London. In 1965, Hornets appeared in the final of the Lancashire County Cup when a 19,000 crowd saw them lose to Warrington at Knowsley Road , St. Helens . Frank Myler arrived at Hornets in May 1971 to take up
10530-439: The eve of the 2003 season. Towards the end of the 2003 season Paul Terzis was sacked. In October 2003, Darren Abram was appointed head coach, with a view to taking them into Super League. When Halifax were relegated to play in the 2004 National League competition, their financial troubles meant they were unable to retain a full-time team and struggled, paving the way for Leigh to go about achieving their dream. Whitehaven were
10665-618: The ferocity of their play, their pack of forwards was known as "the Terrible Six" . Hornets were formed into a limited company on 31 May 1929. On 4 October 1930, Stanley Baldwin, Hornets' winger was fatally injured during a match with Oldham . Owing to a financial crisis in 1931, the Athletic Ground was offered for sale and all the players put on the transfer list. A fire destroyed the stadium's main stand, dressing rooms and offices on 18 September 1935. A new stand, built over
10800-564: The five years prior to the Second World War , the sport's popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s. However, after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940, the Vichy regime in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left-wing Popular Front government that had governed France before
10935-406: The fixture list but Leigh's name was omitted and it was only when local businessman James Hilton made a personal and impassioned plea to the Rugby Football League that Leigh were included. In January 1946, a public meeting at Leigh Liberal Club approved a motion to re-launch the club as Leigh RLFC . The club played the 1946–47 at Madeley Park, the home of Leigh Harriers & Athletic Club. In 1947,
11070-547: The football, each play restarting from a set piece position and ended by a tackle. Although the Canadian Football League in particular maintained the word 'rugby' in its name for many years, alluding to that shared past, the introduction of the forward pass and unlimited substitution in North American games created a fundamentally different species of game from either original rugby code. Although
11205-407: The forwards. They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field, relying on running, kicking and handling skills, as well as tactics and set plays, to break the defensive line, instead of brute force. Generally forwards play a more collision oriented game, making ground by pure strength, and tackling near the play-the-ball. Usually, the stand-off/five-eighth and scrum-half/half-back are
11340-406: The fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover. 1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played. The first sponsors, Joshua Tetley and John Player , entered the game for the 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season . Television had an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in
11475-431: The ground and the field's slope was levelled. The club moved to Frog Hall Field, later known as Mather Lane, in 1889. The pitch was drained and levelled, a 10-foot-high hoarding was built around the ground, and a 500-seater stand was erected. The first game at Mather Lane was played on 7 September 1889 against Aspull and Leigh forward James Pendlebury scored the first try in front of a 2,000 crowd. The 1894–95 season saw
11610-414: The ground, pitch and premises so that rugby league could restart at the Athletic Grounds after the war. On 25 August 1945, Hornets resumed with an away game at Craven Park , Barrow which they lost 5–14. The first Infirmaries' Cup game since 1938 was played at the Athletic Grounds on 24 August 1946, in which Hornets were beaten by Oldham. On 29 March 1947, Hornets ended a run of 14 consecutive defeats with
11745-585: The ground, with the ball usually set in a kicking tee , and the opposing team not allowed to directly challenge the kicker. The Super League in Europe and the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australasia are the world's premier club competitions. Globally, rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasian , and Pacific Island countries, and is governed by
11880-476: The ground. Leigh added "Centurions" to their name for the 1995–96 season. In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural Super League season and changed from a winter to a summer season. As the sport in Britain entered a new era, it was eight years before Leigh gained promotion to the top level of the game. In April 1996, Eric Hughes was appointed head coach replacing Ian Lucas who
12015-529: The hands of Hull FC . Hornets changed their colours from green and black to red, white and blue as the green and black strip was deteriorating in the wash. The club's record attendance was set at 26,664 in 1922 when Oldham were the visitors for a third round Challenge Cup match. Hornets won the Northern Union Challenge Cup in 1922 by beating Hull 10–9 at Headingley , Leeds . That was Hornets' one and only Challenge Cup final. Due to
12150-411: The historic link between the codes continues to be acknowledged, neither Canadian or American football is commonly considered a rugby code today except in the broadest sense, and are more commonly referred to collectively as gridiron codes, or simply as 'football' within their respective countries. Players on the pitch are divided into forwards and backs , although the game's rules apply to all players
12285-440: The invention of the sport previously called murderball and is not directly linked to rugby union, wheelchair rugby league has grown out of the parent sport, and retains key aspects of that sport such as an egg shaped ball, the forward-pass rule and conversions. While not a Paralympic sport, the sport has its own Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup . A further variation for ambulatory disabled players, physical disability rugby league ,
12420-412: The issue of payments to players. The rules of the game governed by the new Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing a faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income the new organisation and its members depended. In rugby league, points are scored by carrying an oval ball and touching it to the ground beyond
12555-511: The league's inaugural season. Several brand new clubs from Western USA were scheduled to join in 2022 but never played. The new competition is sanctioned by Canada Rugby League , but not yet by the United States governing body. Unfortunately, while some exhibition matches were played in 2021 and 2022, NARL was defunct by 2023 The early 21st century has seen other countries take up the game and compete in international rugby league with
12690-453: The mid-1990s, it has increasingly borrowed techniques, tactics and even laws from rugby league, while high-profile players and coaches from the league game have increasingly gone on to success in the union code in those countries where both codes are popular (e.g. Andy Farrell , Jason Robinson and Henry Paul ). The inherent similarities between rugby league and rugby union have at times led to experimental hybrid games being played that use
12825-418: The mini-boom was over. In 1924–25, Leigh slipped to 20th in the league and suffered a record 9–52 defeat in the league game at Central Park on Christmas Day. In December 1925 star player Abe Johnson was transferred to Oldham for £650 and Leigh's decline continued the next season when they slipped to 4th from bottom in the league. The club lost every away match and suffered some heavy defeats as confidence left
12960-537: The most popular sporting events. The Rugby League European Federation are responsible for developing rugby league in Europe . In England, rugby league has traditionally been associated with the historic northern counties of Yorkshire , Lancashire , and Cumberland , where the game originated, especially in towns and cities along the M62 corridor . Its popularity has also increased elsewhere. As of 2024 , only two of
13095-413: The national sport of the country. Five main variant sports of rugby league exist worldwide; Touch , OzTag , League tag , Nines , and Sevens . Touch, OzTag, and League Tag are all non-contact versions of the sport, where as Nines and Sevens are both reduced form (shorter match times and smaller teams) of the sport. Touch (also known as touch football or touch rugby) is a variant of rugby league that
13230-561: The new Super League, although the club was dissolved in 1997. In 2006, the Super League admitted the Catalans Dragons, a team from Perpignan in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. They have subsequently reached the 2007 Challenge Cup Final and made the playoffs of the 2008 Super League XIII season. The success of the Dragons in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league, with new-found enthusiasm for
13365-460: The north of England there have been complaints about its lack of profile in the British media. On the eve of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final where England would face Australia, English amateur rugby league coach Ben Dawson stated, "we're in the final of a World Cup. First time in more than 30 years and there's no coverage anywhere". France first played rugby league as late as 1934, where in
13500-527: The opponents when Leigh won the National League One Grand Final 32–16 (after extra time, 16–16 at full-time) in 2004, thus securing promotion to Super League . Leigh's Super League season of 2005 proved a disaster and the club were relegated to National League One after winning just two games. Abram resigned in August 2005 after a disagreement with the board, who felt unable to offer him the full-time contract he wanted for 2006 if
13635-404: The opposing team's goal line; this is called a try , and is the primary method of scoring, worth four points. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball and denying forward progress. On occasion, where a clear try scoring opportunity has been thwarted by foul play, a penalty try may be awarded without the ball being grounded over
13770-475: The opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If after two-halves of play, each consisting of forty minutes, the two teams are drawing , a draw may be declared, or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule, depending on the relevant competition's format. The try is the most common form of scoring, and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield or passing from player-to-player in order to manoeuvre around
13905-400: The opposition's defence. A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team's goal-line and is worth four points. A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty . A field goal, or drop goal, is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play. A field goal has
14040-536: The players, with each receiving £1 each per game. Leigh lost their best players and any new signings were juniors or free transfers from other clubs. The Rugby League Management Committee visited the club in March and two of its members were co-opted on to the Leigh board until the end of the season and the A-team was scrapped to cut costs. The 1937–38 season opened with some encouraging signs as Leigh beat Rochdale Hornets in
14175-525: The position of coach at Rochdale Hornets in November 2000. He stepped in after the shock resignation of Steve Deakin who returned to Keighley after a few months in charge. He took Rochdale to two consecutive third-place finishes in the Northern Ford Premiership . Hall departed along with all the players after not renewing his contract after his failed bid to take over the club. Bobbie Goulding arrived as player-coach in December 2003. He
14310-563: The position of player-coach with the Rochdale Hornets from May 1971. They reached a Players No 6 Final in 1974. Myler left Hornets in October 1974. Kel Coslett was coach between 1976 and 1979. In the 1980s, things took a turn for the worse with the crowds virtually disappearing. Eric Hughes coached Rochdale for the 1987–88 season. In 1987 both Rochdale Hornets and Rochdale A.F.C. were in financial trouble. Hornets were banned from signing players in November after failing to pay
14445-542: The position they play, similarly to association football . Substitutes (generally referred to as "the bench") are allowed in the sport, and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured , although they can also be used tactically. Each team is currently allowed four substitutes, and in Australia and New Zealand, these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22. There are no limitations on which players must occupy these interchangeable slots. Generally, twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team, although in
14580-501: The same way. Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players. These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing. The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in. In Australia and New Zealand, each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field. However, since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers, which they keep without regard to
14715-496: The scrum see rugby league scrummage . Forward positions are traditionally named after the player's position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to "normal play" with the exception of the hooker. Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows: Rugby league is played in over 70 nations throughout the world. Papua New Guinea is the only country to have rugby league as its national sport . Four countries – Australia, England, France, and New Zealand – have teams that play at
14850-524: The sideline. Rugby league and rugby union are distinct sports with many similarities and a shared origin. Both have the same fundamental rules, are played for 80 minutes and feature an oval-shaped ball and H-shaped goalposts. Both have rules that the ball cannot be passed forward, and dropping it forwards leads to a scrum. Both use tries as the central scoring method and conversion kicks , penalty goals and drop goals as additional scoring methods. However, there are differences in how many points each method
14985-526: The specific issues associated with a tag based game. Rugby League played with nine players per team with nine minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. Rugby League played with seven players per team with seven minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. The top five attendances for rugby league test matches (International) are: The top five attendances for domestic based rugby league matches are: * NRL double header played to open Round 1 of
15120-404: The spectators. One such meeting when Leigh met Wigan in the first round of the Challenge Cup in 1923–24, saw a crowd of 33,500 at Mather Lane. However, the 1920s, and 1930s were marred by strikes, unemployment and periods of economic depression. The government levied an entertainment tax of around 20% on gate receipts, at a time when clubs were experiencing difficulties balancing the books. For Leigh
15255-663: The sport in the south of the country where most of the Super XIII teams are based. In other parts of Europe, the game is played at semi-professional and amateur level. As of 2023, there is no professional rugby league in North America. From 2017 to 2020, the Toronto Wolfpack were North America 's only active professional Rugby League team, competing in the English Rugby League system. They won
15390-468: The team. 1926 was the year of the General Strike and Leigh admitted miners free of charge for many home games. Leigh had a decent season, finishing 7th in the league. Around this time, Mather Lane was improved including the construction of a covered terrace at one end, the doubling in size of the grandstand and an iron bridge was constructed across the canal to give the spectators easier access from
15525-405: The town centre. Growing financial problems forced Leigh to sell players. In the 1930–31 season, the lack of experienced players had an effect on the field when Leigh won only one away game. The directors decided to ease the financial pressure by reducing players' wages. The players went on strike in response and Leigh were forced to play their reserves. The striking players eventually agreed to take
15660-482: The try line. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. Drop goals (or field goals) can be attempted from the hand at any time for a single point. Following a successful try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion worth a further two points. Penalty kicks at goal, known simply as penalties, may also be awarded for general foul play, and are also worth two points. Unlike drop goals, penalty kicks and conversions are taken from
15795-571: The twelve Super League teams are based outside of these traditional counties: Catalans Dragons and London Broncos . One other team from outside the United Kingdom, Toulouse Olympique , competes in the British rugby league system , although not at the highest tier Super League level, but rather in the second tier Championship . Super League average attendances are in the 8,000 to 9,500 range. The average Super League match attendance in 2014
15930-527: The war. The sport was unbanned after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime, although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s. Despite this, the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups, and the country hosted the 1954 event. In 1996, a French team, Paris Saint-Germain was one of eleven teams which formed
16065-408: The youngest senior coach in the game. Despite victories over title chasing St Helens and Bradford, Leigh are relegated from the top division. In 1995, the football club Horwich RMI made the decision to move from Horwich , near Bolton , to Hilton Park, changing their name to Leigh RMI in the process. As part of the deal a new company, Grundy Hill Estates, was formed to take over the ownership of
16200-424: Was 8,365. In 2018 average Super League match attendance was 8,547. Ranked the eighth most popular sport in the UK overall, rugby league is the 27th most popular participation sport in England according to figures released by Sport England ; the total number of rugby league participants in England aged 16 and over was 44,900 in 2017. This is a 39% drop from 10 years ago. While the sport is largely concentrated in
16335-640: Was announced that Deryck Fox was no longer Rochdale's coach. During his 13 months as Hornets' coach, the club played 38 matches. They won 12, drew one and lost the remaining 25. Bob Eccles took over as caretaker coach. Steve Linnane became head coach in December 1999 but quit in June 2000 to become assistant coach at Super League club Halifax . Steve Deakin joined Rochdale Hornets as head coach in August 2000 before rejoining Keighley as head coach in September 2000 when incumbent Karl Harrison left to become assistant coach at Bradford . Martin Hall took up
16470-498: Was coach of Leigh from 1999 to 2003. His reign was notable for a number of 'near misses' as Leigh attempted to win promotion to Super League. In 2000, Leigh made it through to the Grand Final before losing 13–12 to Dewsbury. In 2001 Leigh recorded a shock Challenge Cup victory over Super League Salford , finished 9 points clear at the top of the Northern Ford Premiership winning 26 from 28 league games and claimed
16605-497: Was created and had its first world cup in 2022 to coincide with the rescheduled 2021 Rugby League World Cup competitions. Rugby league football takes its name from the bodies that split to create a new form of rugby, distinct from that run by the Rugby Football Unions, in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908. The first of these, the Northern Rugby Football Union , was established in 1895 as
16740-403: Was created and recognised by the Rugby Football League, and the Hornets were re-founded. The co-operative was initially created around a core of loyal fans, and membership is open to all. The co-op operates on a one-member, one-vote principle. Darren Shaw departed the club at the end of the 2009 season and was replaced by ex St Helens player John Stankevitch in early November 2009. Stankevitch
16875-621: Was ended as Hornets won at Featherstone Rovers in Fox's first match in charge. However, Hornets ended that 1998 campaign in next to bottom position in Division One. In October 1998, Karl Marriott died following a training session and a couple of months later Roy Powell died in similar circumstances. Hornets struggled early in the campaign when they occupied bottom spot for a couple of weeks. They recovered slightly and had moved up to 15th position, fourth bottom, by late June. On 30 June 1999, it
17010-409: Was fatally injured in an A-team game at the Athletic Grounds against Oldham A. Rochdale's highest attendance in a league match was set on Saturday, 16 October 1954 when Hornets lost 4–18 to local rivals Oldham in front of 19,654 spectators. Hornets played their first game at Spotland in 1954 when a one-off game against Keighley was played there. Rochdale Hornets brought in a Fijian contingent in
17145-636: Was founded in 1878 by a surveyor named Fred Ulph. Leigh's first practice match was on 5 October 1878 at Buck's Farm in Pennington and their first game was against Eccles two weeks later. In 1879, the club moved to a field behind the Three Crowns in Bedford and played there for 10 years. Leigh came to the attention of the wider district in 1885 when they had a 23 match unbeaten run with 21 wins and 2 draws. As attendances grew, improvements were made to
17280-479: Was hosted by England during October and November 2022, staged the Men's , Women's and Wheelchair competitions together for the first time. The competition formerly featured 16 teams, but has been cut down to 10 for the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup . The Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation 's purpose is to spread the sport of rugby league throughout their region along with other governing bodies such as
17415-403: Was in charge of Rochdale Hornets for two seasons, twice being nominated for coach of the year. He left in November 2005, citing frustration at the club's financial problems and his lack of a proper contract. On 13 March 2005, Hornets set an all-time Rugby League record when they defeated the amateur side Illingworth 120–4 in the Challenge Cup . This is the highest score ever achieved by a team in
17550-566: Was memorable as the club lifted the Lancashire Cup and ended the campaign as winners of the Championship for the second time in their history. Notable players during the season included John Woods, Des Drummond, Steve Donlan, and Alf Wilkinson. Unfortunately Alex Murphy resigned at the end of the season to take over at Wigan, with Colin Clarke taking the reins at Leigh. Leigh were relegated from First Division in 1985 but bounced back; winning
17685-419: Was one dogged by inconsistency. Convincing wins were often followed by heavy defeats as Shaw was forced to field a number of youngsters due to injury problems. The unsettled nature of the side in 2007 was reflected by the fact that Shaw gave debuts to over 20 players over the course of the season. Despite the disappointing end to the 2007 season, Shaw was given a contract to coach Leigh for the 2008 season. After
17820-413: Was received which enabled the club to continue. Things went from bad to worse in the 1936–37 season when Leigh won only five games all season and finished third from bottom in the league. Gate receipts crashed to an all-time low, with the final home game of the season against Broughton Rangers attracting a crowd of around 250 spectators. From the start of the next season, a new pay structure was agreed with
17955-582: Was refused. Tony Cottrell heads a consortium that takes over the club in 1991 and Alex Murphy is sacked on the eve of the new season. Kevin Ashcroft takes over and guides the club to promotion behind Sheffield. Steve Simms is appointed as the club's first overseas coach in 1992. John Woods broke the club record for points scored in a game at Leigh's home game against Ryedale-York in January 1992. In November 1992, Leigh get High Court reprieve following threat of eviction from Hilton Park. St. Helens inflict
18090-454: Was sacked after Leigh had won only one of its first five games of the season. Hughes was replaced by Keith Latham who was in charge until 1998. Norman Turley was head coach in 1998, Leigh finish bottom of the table with a succession of heavy defeats. In October 1998 Ian Millward was appointed head coach. Under Millward, Leigh finish 4th in the Northern Ford Premiership . Millward left in 2000 to coach St. Helens . Australian Paul Terzis
18225-494: Was their biggest margin of victory since 1871. Twenty-five Rochdale players enlisted for the First World War , three of whom are known to have died, Sergeant Twigg, Archie Field (Arras 1917) and Walter Roman (Somme 1916) (Rochdale Captain). Rugby League came back to Rochdale following the Great War on Christmas Day 1918 when Rochdale played a friendly game. In the half-season of the spring of 1919, Rochdale Hornets not only won
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