Club History, Facts and Figures - Yorkshire Evening Post Club History, Facts and Figures 12:07 Wednesday 15 December 2004 10:22 Monday 31 January 2005 LEEDS were founder members of the Northern Union when it broke away from the Rugby Football Union in 1895. But the roots of the current Leeds club date back a quarter of a century earlier than that, to the formation of the Leeds St John's club which played at Cardigan Fields, near Headingley. In 1888 the Cardigan Estate was sold at auction and Lot 17a was purchased by a group of Leeds citizens, who intended to form the city's leading sports club. Lot 17a became what is now Headingley Stadium, one of only a handful of venues in the world to have staged international matches in three different sports - rugby league, union and cricket. Leeds St John's played their final season under that name in 1889-90, before becoming the football section of Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Co Ltd.

With Headingley still being completed, Leeds' first game was staged at Cardigan Fields, the home side defeating Otley. The first game at Headingley was played on September 20, 1890, when Manningham were beaten by one try and one dropped goal to nil. Leeds' debut in the Northern Union was a 6-3 success at Leigh on September 7, 1895 - the inaugural day of the new competition. The club's first major trophy triumph came in 1910, when they won the Northern Union Cup, after beating Hull in a final replay. Blue and amber ribbons have been tied on the Challenge Cup another 10 times since then, including wartime successes in 1941 and 1942 and victory over London Broncos in the last final staged at the old Wembley, in 1999. That game saw winger Leroy Rivett become the first - and so far only - player to score four tries in a Challenge Cup final and the 52-16 triumph was also a record.

The Headingley club reached the Championship final for the first time in 1915, but were beaten 35-2 by a Huddersfield side who are remembered as one of the greatest teams of all time. Leeds had to wait until 1961 to be crowned champions for the first time, the great Lewis Jones leading them to an emotional victory over Warrington in the title decider at Odsal. The Championship trophy returned to Headingley in 1969 and 1972, but Leeds fans then endured an agonising 32-year wait before coach Tony Smith's side claimed the Super League title with a Grand Final triumph over arch-rivals Bradford Bulls. The Super League triumph means Leeds have now won every available domestic honour, including the Yorkshire Cup a record 17 times from 21 finals. Known as the aristocrats of the game, Leeds have a reputation for signing the best players from throughout the world of rugby league, though in more recent times the emphasis has been on developing home-grown talent - with 10 of the 17-strong Grand Final winning squad having come up through Rhinos' youth system.

Though they have always been regarded as one of the sport's richest clubs, financial worries threatened Leeds' future in the mid-1990s, amid speculation the club were preparing to sell Headingley and move in with Leeds United at Elland Road. That was avoided when chairman Paul Caddick and chief executive Gary Hetherington took over the club in late 1996. The Rhinos name was adopted the following year. Role of Honour Championship winners: 1960-61, 1968-69, 1971-72. Championship beaten finalists: 1914-15, 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1937-38, 1969-70, 1972-73. Super League champions: 2004. Super League beaten Grand Finalists: 1998.

League leaders: 1960-61, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1971-72, 2004. Challenge Cup winners: 1909-10, 1922-23, 1931-32, 1935-36, 1940-41, 1941-42, 1956-57, 1967-68, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1999. Challenge Cup runners-up : 1942-43, 1946-47, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1993-94, 1994-95, 2000, 2003.

Regal Trophy winners: 1972-73, 1983-84. Regal Trophy beaten finalists: 1982-83, 1987-88, 1991-92. Premiership winners: 1974-75, 1978-79. BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy winners: 1970-71. Charity shield runners-up: 1995-96.

Yorkshire Cup winners: 1921-22, 1928-29, 1930-31, 1932-33, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38, 1958-59, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1988-89. Yorkshire Cup beaten finalists: 1919-20, 1947-48, 1961-62, 1964-65.

Yorshire League winners: 1901-02, 1927-28, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1936-37, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1960-61, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70. FIVE CLASSIC MATCHES Northern Union Cup final replay Leeds 26, Hull 12 April 18, 1910 at Fartown, Huddersfield. Leeds won the Challenge Cup, then the Northen Union Cup, for the first time with a 26-12 victory over Hull in the competition's first final replay.

The Loiners beat Hull KR, Keighley and Warrington before battling back from a 7-2 interval deficit to draw 7-7 with Hull in front of a 19,000 crowd at Huddersfield's Fartown ground - the game kicking off almost an hour late after both teams were delayed due to railway hold ups. The replay was staged on the same ground two days later, in front of 11,608 fans. Full-back Frank 'Bucket' Young was Leeds' early hero, landing a penalty and a spectacular drop goal before Fred Webster crashed over for the opening try. H Topham then charged down a kick to go over for the Loiners' second touchdown, Young landing two more goals to open a 16-0 half-time lead. Walter Goldthorpe ghosted in for Leeds' third try and H Rowe also touched down, Young defying a strong wind to convert both scores before Hull gained some respectability with late tries by Connell and Walton, plus three Rogers goals.

There were dramatic scenes at the final whistle as a Hull fan attempted to attack referee J Priestley and touch judge Mr Kennedy, only to be floored by Leeds prop Topham before being dragged away by police. CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL April 30, 1938 at Elland Road, Leeds. In 1938, rugby league's best two teams both came from the city of Leeds. Hunslet, from south of the river Aire, finished top of the league table, one place ahead of the Loiners of Headingley. Hunslet qualified for the Championship final with a 13-7 win over Barrow and fans and players of the south Leeds outfit were at Headingley two days later to see Leeds defeat Swinton 5-2, thanks to Eric Harris' late try and Evan Williams' conversion. The authorities switched the final from the planned venue, Wakefield's Belle Vue, to Elland Road and were rewarded with a record 54,112 crowd - still the biggest for a rugby league game in Leeds.

Hunslet went into the final at full-strength against a Leeds side missing a host of key players and with Vic Hey and Stan Smith both reduced to virtual passengers after being injured in the first-half. Ted Tattersfield gave Leeds an early lead with a penalty goal, but Hunslet were the better side throughout, leading 6-2 at the break through tries by Ernest Winter and Jimmy O'Sullivan and grabbing the only points of the second-half thanks to Jack Walkington's drop goal. CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL May 20, 1961 at Odsal, Bradford. It took Leeds an incredible 66 years to be crowned rugby league champions. The Loiners were beaten Championship finalists an agonising five times, before lifting the Holy Grail after finishing as league leaders for the first time. Leeds came through an epic semi-final against St Helens at Headingley to qualify for the championship decider against Warrington, in front of 52,177 fans at Odsal.

Superbly led by Lewis Jones and with Jack Fairbank and Dennis Goodwin in inspirational form in the pack and Barry Simms playing the game of his life at hooker, Leeds never looked like being denied this time. Fairbank crashed over for the opening try, converted by Jones, before Colin Evans darted over from acting-half, the skipper making it 10-0 at the break with the subsequent goal. Two Derek Hallas tries and another Jones goal made it 18-0 before Warrington hit back, crossing Jim Challinor touching down twice for tries converted by Laurie Gilfedder, either side of a Jones penalty. Despite leading 20-10 Leeds could not feel safe until Jones, fittingly, capped the club's finest day with a try at the side of the posts, which he also converted. Leeds' win was dedicated to the memory of former chairman Rex Proctor, who had died in a road accident a few weeks before the final. CHALLENGE CUP FINAL Leeds 14, St Helens 12 May 13, 1978 at Wembley.

Leeds retained the Challenge Cup they had won a year earlier with victory in one of the competition's greatest finals. It was Leeds' 10th Challenge Cup triumph and the second time they had recorded back to back successes, following the wartime victories of 1941 and 1942. Things looked bleak for the Loiners early on as Saints led 10-0 after 13 minutes and 12-5 at half-time, but a stunning second-half display brought the Cup back to Headingley. Blond bomber Phil Cookson crashed over for the equalising try with less than 10 minutes left. With five to go maestro John Holmes landed a sensational left-footed drop goal, before skipper David Ward added a similar effort. In the final seconds Saints almost snatched victory as they created a last-gasp overlap, only for Derek Noonan to knock-on with the line at his mercy on the final play of the game. Saints had started strongly, Graham Liptrot scoring an early try after a double blunder by Willie Oulton and John Atkinson, before Bill Francis galloped over.

Geoff Pimblett converted both and landed a penalty after Leeds hit back with a magnificent Atkinson try, converted by Oulton. Ward booted a drop goal at the start of the second-half and David Smith cut the deficit further with a well-taken try. SUPER LEAGUE GRAND FINAL Leeds Rhinos 16, Bradford Bulls 8 October 16, 2004 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Leeds had to wait 32 long years to be crowned champions for the fourth time. After title triumphs in 1961, 1969 and 1972, the Headingley outfit became rugby league's great under-achievers until Aussie boss Tony Smith transformed their fortunes in Super League IX. The Rhinos, who had failed to reach the Grand Final despite finishing second in the table a year earlier, were the outstanding team throughout 2004, losing just two of their 28 league games to finish a record nine points clear at the end of the regular season.

Defeat by Bradford Bulls in the qualifying final was a set-back, but Rhinos responded with a big win over Wigan in the final eliminator - though Bulls, in their fourth successive final, were confident of retaining their title. Bulls led briefly through Lesley Vainikolo's try, after Kevin Sinfield had kicked Rhinos off the mark with a penalty goal. Man of the match Matt Diskin scooted over for a superb solo try, Sinfield converting and adding a penalty to make it 10-4 at the break. Shontayne Hape crossed for Bulls second try straight after the interval and Leeds held a slender two point lead for the next 30 minutes, until Bulls' Robbie Paul knocked on near his own line. David Furner drove the ball in from the scrum, then Danny McGuire played a one-two with Keith Senior before weaving over for his 39th try of the season, Sinfield's conversion sealing victory and sparking celebrations which lasted for weeks.

TEN LEEDS RL GREATS Leeds Rhinos – talkRugbyLeague Scroll Up Leeds Rhinos Based at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in West Leeds, Leeds Rhinos are a professional Rugby League club who are regarded as the second most successful team in England and the current champions of the Super League. History The first rugby league team was formed in Leeds in 1864 by a Mr Jenkinson, who gathered over five hundred players to begin practising at Woodhouse Moor. From the inaugural training sessions at Woodhouse, several clubs were formed including Leeds St Johns, alternatively known as the ‘Old Blue and Ambers’ who were the early form of the Rhinos. The team based themselves at Cardigan Fields just outside Headingley which served as their home between 1870 and 1887. In 1887 Leeds St Johns reached the final in the Yorkshire Cup against Wakefield Trinity and, despite eventually losing the trophy to Wakefield, they had made their first mark in English Rugby League. In 1888 Leeds St Johns lost their home at Cardigan Fields and moved to Lot 17a, the site which has since been expanded and renamed Headingley stadium.

The stadium was used for cricket and athletics as well as rugby and in 1889 Leeds St Johns became known as the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletics Co Ltd or Leeds City FC for short (at that time Rugby was known as Rugby football, not to be confused with football which was a distinct sport) Leeds won their first victory in the 1902 Yorkshire League final, winning their first Challenge Cup in 1909. In the 1905-06 season, however, the popularity of Rugby League fell in Leeds when the Leeds team were relegated to the second division. During the pre-second world war years the team worked their way back up and in 1921 they won the Yorkshire Cup for the first time, going on to maintain their victory for an admirable seven seasons, a title which they have now won seventeen times to date. That same year Leeds were also involved in a record transfer, when they bought Harold Buck for a staggering £1000, which marked the rise in the profile of Rugby League and the beginning of a new era for the Leeds team. After having a series of local and regional wins, Leeds became a dominant force in national rugby during the sixties and seventies.

In 1961 the team, then nicknamed ‘’the Loiners’’, had their most significant win to date when they won the Rugby League Championship by 25-10 in a final against Warrington at Bradford. They had a second Championship triumph in 1968 in the famous ‘’watersplash final’’ against Wakefield Trinity, winning the game 11-10 on a rain-sodden pitch. The following year they made a decade hat trick by winning the trophy against Castleford, coached by Joe Warham who also coached them through their first Championship victory. A series of high profile wins during the seventies, including another Championship title, was ended in 1978 when Leeds won the Challenge Cup against St Helens. Following their two decades of dominance, Leeds won very few significant matches during the eighties, and to make matters worse, their poor performance on the pitch was matched by serious financial difficulties within the club. After threats made to sell Headingley stadium, and a close shave with relegation, the team managed to turn their luck around and began a rise to dominance once again.

In 1996 Leeds were re-named the Leeds Rhinos and two years later the team reached the final of what was by then known as the Super League, their first championship final in two decades. Despite being beaten 10-4 by Wigan, the team put up a good match and it was clear that the Rhinos were back on their feet. In 1997, after buying Lestyn Harris for a record-breaking £350,000, the Rhinos won the Challenge Cup in a momentous 52-16 victory against London. In 2003 Tony Smith became the head coach for the Rhinos and a year later Leeds were back in the Super League final. The match was one of the biggest selling games in history and, after a tense eighty minutes, Leeds fans were rewarded with a 16-8 victory for the Rhinos against the Bradford Bulls. The following year the team were victorious again, but this time on an international level, when they beat Australia 39-32 in the World Cup Challenge.

Following two bleak seasons in 2005 and 2006 where the Rhinos failed to win the Challenge Cup or the Super League, the team got back on track in 2007. With New Zealand centre Clinton Toopi and full back Brent Wood on side, the Rhinos had a strong team and, after a series of excellent victories throughout the season, the Rhinos won the Super League once again, beating St Helens 33-6 in a magnificent final watched by more than 71,000 spectators. Significant titles During their lifespan of more than a century, Leeds Rhinos have won numerous titles including every domestic honour possible.

Their victories include: The Yorkshire Cup: 1921-22, 1928-29, 1930-31, 1932-33, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38, 1958-59, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1988-89 The Yorkshire League: 1901-02, 1927-28, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1936-37, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1960-61, 1

966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70 Regal Trophy: 1972-73, 1983-84 The History Of Rugby League The History Of Rugby League Wigan Warriors RLFC A Brief History Of The History Of Rugby League 1400-1800: Many different types of football - rugby league’s ancestors - are played throughout Britain.

Unlike modern soccer, most football games allowed handling the ball. There are records of football games being played in future league strongholds such as Hull, Huddersfield, Rochdale, Whitehaven, Workington and York. 1823 - William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, allegedly picked up the ball and invented rugby. But there is no evidence to support this myth - even the 1895 Inquiry, which immortalised Ellis found no proof. Running with the ball became common in 1830s at Rugby School and Rugby School football became popular throughout the UK in the 1850s and 1860s. 1864 - The first rugby clubs formed in Leeds and Huddersfield, followed by Hull (1865), York (1868), followed by hundreds more in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire in the 1870s and 1880s. 1876 - Yorkshire Cup competition started for Yorkshire rugby clubs. Soon it attracts bigger crowds than the FA Cup Final. 1886 - Concerned at the growing dominance of the largely working-class northern clubs, the Rugby Football Union introduces strict amateur rules.

1893 - Yorkshire clubs propose allowing players to be paid six shillings ‘broken-time’payments when they miss work due to matches. RFU vote down proposal. Widespread suspensions of northern clubs and players begin. 1895 - Threatened with expulsion from the RFU if they cannot prove their amateurism, 21 leading Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs meet at the George Hotel, Huddersfield on 29 August 1895. They vote unanimously to form the Northern Rugby Football Union (NU) and allow broken-time payments. 1896 - Manningham of Bradford win first NU Championship. 1897 - To make the game more exciting, the NU abolishes the line-out and reduces value of all goals to two points. Tries worth three points. Batley beat St Helens in first Challenge Cup final. 1904 - First international match: England (3) Other Nationalities (9) at Wigan. 1906 - Modern rugby league is born when the number of players is reduced from fifteen to thirteen a side. Rucks and mauls after a tackle replaced by the play-the-ball. 1907 - Rugby league spreads to Australia and New Zealand.

First New Zealand side, organised by A.H. Baskerville, tours Britain. 1908 - First Australian Kangaroo tourists visit Britain. Hunslet win ‘All Four Cups’a grand slam of all competitions. 1910 - First British tour to Australia and New Zealand. 1914 - Huddersfield’s Albert Rosenfeld scores a record 80 tries in one season. British tourists defeat Australia 14-6 to win Ashes in final test, finishing with only ten men in what becomes known as ‘Rorke’s Drift’Test match. 1915 - Huddersfield, known as ‘The Team of all The Talents’, win all four cups, led by Harold Wagstaff. GLORY DAYS 1921 - Harold Buck becomes the game’s first £1,000 transfer when he moves from Hunslet to Leeds. Featherstone Rovers become a professional team. 1922 - Northern Union changes its name to the Rugby Football League. 1926 - Castleford join the RFL. 1927 - First radio broadcast of Challenge Cup final by the BBC. 1928 - Swinton win all four cups.

1929 - First Challenge Cup Final to be played at Wembley - Wigan defeat Dewsbury 13-2 in front of 41,500. 1930 - Unprecedented fourth test match played between Britain and Australia at Rochdale after third test is drawn 0-0. Britain win the test 3-0 to take the Ashes. 1932 - First rugby league match under floodlights: Leeds v Wigan at White City in London. 1933 - First rugby league club in London: London Highfield. 1934 - Rugby league established in France by Jean Galia, former rugby union international and champion boxer. By 1939 the French league has 225 clubs and the national side beats England and Wales to take the European championship. 1943 - A Northern Command army rugby league side defeats a Northern Command union side 18-11 at Headingley playing rugby union rules. The following year a Combined Services RL side beats a Combined Services union side 15-10 at Bradford. These are the only RL v RU matches played until 1996.

1946 - Lance Todd trophy first presented to Challenge Cup final man of the match. Wakefield’s Billy Stott is first winner. Lance Todd, killed in a car accident in 1942, was a 1907 NZ tourist who managed Salford from 1928-40. 1946 - Workington join the League, followed by Whitehaven in 1948. 1948 - First televised RL match, Wigan versus Bradford cup final, broadcast to the Midlands. 1949 - Challenge Cup Final tickets sold-out for first time. 95,050 see Bradford beat Halifax. First Southern Amateur Rugby League formed. 1954 - 102,569 pay to see Warrington defeat Halifax 8-4 in Challenge Cup final replay at Odsal, Bradford, but thousands more get in for free. 1954 - First Rugby League World Cup staged in France. Great Britain beat France16-12 in final at Parc des Princes, Paris. 1958 - Great Britain defeat Australia 25-18 in the second test match at Brisbane with only eight fit players on the pitch.

Captain Alan Prescott plays for 77 minutes with a broken arm and match becomes known as ‘Prescott’s Match’. 1964 - Substitutes allowed for the first time, but only for players injured before half-time. 1966 - Four tackle rule introduced, increased to six in 1972. 1967 - Professional Rugby League matches allowed on Sundays for the first time, although amateurs had played on Sundays since 1956. 1969 - Universities and Colleges Rugby League formed after student pioneers fight hard to get Rugby League recognised in higher education. First university game was between Leeds and Liverpool in 1968. 1970 - Great Britain win the Ashes in Australia after winning the final two test matches. 1972 - Timekeepers and sirens introduced for first time. 1973 - Two divisions introduced permanently into Rugby League. The British Amateur Rugby League Association is formed in Huddersfield. 1974 - Drop goal reduced from two points to one point. Modern Times 1981 - First Oxford versus Cambridge University match. 1982 - Australian tourists win all tour games for first time and become known as 'The Invincibles'.

1983 - Try increased to four points, sin-bin introduced and handover after sixth tackle, instead of a scrum, begins. 1986 - Old Trafford hosts rugby league for the first time when over 50,000 see Australia overcome Great Britain 38-16. 1987 - Wigan defeat Manly 8-2 for unofficial World Club Championship. In 1989 Widnes beat Canberra 30-18 in first official Championship. 1988 - Rugby League Hall of Fame inaugurated. Nine players inducted in first year. 1990 - Russia takes up Rugby League. Blood-bin introduced. 1992 - Record 73,631 at Wembley see Australia defeat Great Britain 10-6 in the World Cup final. Martin Offiah leaves Widnes for Wigan in a world record £440,000 transfer. 1993 - USA defeats Canada 54-14 in its first Rugby League international match. 1995 - Wigan win the Challenge Cup for a record eighth consecutive time. They also win the league title for a record seventh consecutive time.

Super League 1996 - First season of Super League, following 1995 RFL decision to switch to summer and sign a lucrative contract with BSkyB. St Helens win the inaugural Super League title. 1997 - Bradford Bulls win Super League with London Broncos finishing runners-up. 1998 - Grand Final and play-offs introduced into Super League. Wigan Warriors defeat Leeds Rhinos 10-6 in first Grand Final. 1999 - Leeds Rhinos defeat London Broncos 52-16 in last Challenge Cup Final at Wembley. St Helens defeat Bradford Bulls 8-6 in Grand Final in front of more than 50,000 at Old Trafford. 2000 - Bradford Bulls defeat Leeds Rhinos 24-18 in the Challenge Cup, played for the first time in Scotland at Murrayfield. St Helens win the Super League Grand Final 29-16 over Wigan Warriors. Australia win the World Cup final 40-12 over New Zealand at Old Trafford after a record sixteen nations enter the tournament.

2001 - St Helens take the Challenge Cup final 13-6 over the Bulls, which is held at Twickenham, Rugby Union’s ‘HQ’, for the first time ever. Over 60,000 people see Bradford Bulls defeat Wigan Warriors 37-6 in the Super League Grand Final. Australia take the Ashes, winning the final two test matches at Bolton and Wigan despite losing to Great Britain 20-12 in the first test at Huddersfield. 2002 - Bradford Bulls take the World Club Championship after defeating Australian champions Newcastle Knights 41-26. Wigan Warriors win Challenge Cup Final at Murrayfield, overcoming St Helens 21-12. St Helens snatch a last minute Grand Final win over the Bulls to lift the Super League trophy 19-18 before 61,138 people, the highest crowd at a championship final for 42 years.

Great Britain lift the inaugural Baskerville Trophy after the Test series against New Zealand is tied and in signposts for the future, Russia defeated the United States 54-10 in front of over 25,000 spectators in Moscow, and Lebanon beat France 36-6 in Tripoli. 2003 - Bradford Bulls became the first club to win the Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Final in the same season. They defeated Leeds Rhinos in front of 71,212 fans at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff and Wigan Warriors in the Grand Final before a record, sell-out crowd of 65,537 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Great Britain were narrowly defeated in all three sell-out Test matches by Australia. 2004 - Super League IX smashed the average weekly attendance record with figures of 8,570, generated by an aggregate attendance of 1,439,851 supporters. St Helens defeated Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in front of a sell-out 73,734 crowd, while Leeds Rhinos were crowned Super League Champions defeating Bradford Bulls in front of another sell-out crowd at the Grand Final.

Copyright © 2003 - 2015 Napit.co.uk Rugby League - Sport | Welcome to Yorkshire Share this page Rugby League in Yorkshire Rugby league is Yorkshire born and bred and has developed into one of the most popular and passionate spectator and participation sports in Britain, since the classic northern breakaway from the Rugby Football Union in Huddersfield in 1895. Tough and physically demanding, League is woven into the cultural identity of many Yorkshire communities, but it's also an exciting sport that looks forward, not back, and its popularity is growing season on season. The sport enjoys fantastic TV coverage on both Sky and the BBC, where audiences have reached 25 million viewers. But everyone can enjoy it live here in Yorkshire. Yorkshire has seven clubs in the county playing top class rugby league: Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Hull KR, Wakefield Wildcats and Leeds Rhinos, meaning that half the teams currently competing in the Super League are from Yorkshire. Leeds and Bradford have been two of the most successful teams since Super League kicked off in 1996. Rugby League has an excellent reputation as a family game with several generations often attending games together.

Children are kept entertained at the various grounds by the teams' mascots as well as specially planned activities aimed at keeping the younger fans happy. If you're an absolute beginner to the game the rules are easier to pick up than you would think and, once you have got to grips with the basics, working out exactly what's going on is all part of the fun. With 13 players a side, and up to 12 changes allowed per side, things move pretty fast! Home games generally kick off around 8pm on Friday or 3pm on Sundays, for a fast and furious start or finish to the weekend! Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls have been a revelation in the Super League, having enjoyed stunning success including a clean sweep of all the major rugby league honours in 2003, with Super League, the Challenge Cup and the World Club Championship among the spoils. The Bulls also scooped the Super League in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005, the Challenge Cup in 2000 and 2003, and the World Club Challenge in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Bradford Bulls have not been at the top of their form in the last season or two, but are still a massive presence and among the biggest draws in the game. They have a knack of producing great talent, such as current young British superstar Sam Burgess, who recently made a big money move to Australia, and England captain Jamie Peacock, now with the Rhinos. Bradford Bulls' home, the Provident Stadium (formerly Odsal Stadium), is a multi-sport venue just south of Bradford city centre, which has been their home ground since 1934, and in 1954 saw one of the largest attendances for a rugby game of all time, at over 102,000. Castleford Tigers Founder Super League members, Castleford Tigers; enjoy lots of nicknames, and even more success! The club known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers' or 'Classy Cas', were also known as 'The Glassblowers', traditionally the trade of many supporters. But they're not just a pretty name! The Tigers, famous for their attractive and stylish rugby, have won the prestigious Challenge Cup four times, the Yorkshire Cup five times, and twice been crowned National League Champions.

Castleford's top rivalry is against neighbouring Wakefield Wildcats, although they also enjoy fierce competition with Leeds Rhinos, Hull KR and Bradford Bulls, not to mention St Helens from across the border in Lancashire! The Tigers' home since 1927 has been the appropriately named 'Jungle' on Wheldon Road, a short walk from the town centre, although 'Cas' will soon be found at a new state-of-the-art community sports complex currently in development but due to be ready for new season. Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants play their home games at the John Smith's Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C. The Giants finished 1st in the 2013 league winning the league leaders shield, however they were knocked out in the first round of the play offs. Huddersfield is also 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 teams. With a trophy haul of 7 Championships and 6 Challenge Cups they are historically one of the most successful clubs in Rugby League.

Hull FC Hull FC may have the most unexpected history of all Yorkshire's rugby league clubs, having been originally formed by a group of ex-public schoolboys from York in 1865. Today Hull FC's biggest rivals are the city's other professional team, Hull Kingston Rovers, and their stunning head-to-head encounters play to full houses and make for one of the most passionate fixtures in rugby league. In 2005 Hull FC reached their most recent high with a last-minute try to grab a glorious one-point victory against mighty Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. They also reached a Wembley final in 2008. Hull FC can truly claim to be one of oldest clubs in rugby league, playing at one of the most modern venues, the Kingston Communications Stadium they have shared with the high-flying footballing counterparts Hull City since January 2003. Hull Kingston Rovers One of the truly iconic clubs of rugby league, it's not long since Hull Kingston Rovers could lay justifiable claim to be the sport's most famous name. Now 'Hull KR' is right back in the big time.

In 2005 the club won the Northern Rail Cup before being crowned National League Champions in 2006 and storming back to join the elite once again, where many will feel they rightfully belong. Taking the field in their instantly recognisable white shirts with red bands, 'The Robins' have had a number of grounds in their time but are now well established in their compact 10,000-seater Craven Park Stadium, just off Preston Rd in East Hull. Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos were the 2011 and 2012 Champions playing in the Stobart Super League Competition (formally Engage). As Leeds' only professional rugby league team, the Rhinos have enjoyed success over recent years having won 6 Championships since 2004 and winning the World Club Challenge at their home ground in 2012. The Club boasts several international players including Kevin Sinfield, Ryan Hall and Jamie Jones-Buchanan and call Headingley Carnegie Stadium, on the outskirts of Leeds, their home. Rhinos' massive rivals are local Bradford Bulls, and with Castleford, Huddersfield and Wakefield other West Yorkshire opponents, local derbies are never far away.

Leeds Rhinos are the rugby league aristocrats, combining big name signings, with home-produced talent and are supported by one of rugby league's most enduringly popular mascots, Ronnie the Rhino. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, one of the oldest names in rugby league, were originally formed by the members of a church, and enjoy nothing more than the chance to bring local rivals, the Castleford Tigers, to their knees! Five times Challenge Cup winners and twice champions in the distant past, dubbed by passionate fans simply 'Wakey', 'Trinity', or the 'Wildcats', they have remained among the sport's Super League elite since promotion from National League competition in 1999, and in 2009 enjoyed their best ever season, including entry to the end of season play-offs. Wakefield Trinity has been at its Belle Vue stadium since 1879, and the 11,000 capacity venue can be easily accessed by bus, train or car. Rugby League Competitions Stobart Super League Super League is Europe's premier professional rugby league club competition, sponsored by Stobart.

It comprises fourteen top teams, thirteen English (7 Yorkshire) and one French, though due to the growing popularity of the spectacle, games have also been played in Scotland and Spain. Super League teams battle it out from February to October, culminating in a play-off series and a sensational end of season Grand Final in front of 70,000-plus spectators. The Tetley's Challenge Cup The Tetley's Challenge Cup, rugby league's historic and prestigious international club competition, is the only knock-out tournament of its kind to include teams from all levels of the sport. It culminates in a showpiece final at Wembley Stadium. Teams come from as far as Russia and France to compete for the honour of being there. Rugby League World Cup 2013 In 2013 England was host to the RLWC with fixtures being played across the Yorkshire teams' grounds and beyond. England performed heroically, reaching the semi-finals against New Zealand at Wembley and looking like victory was within their grasp before a dying seconds try and conversion from their antipodean rivals snatched a win. It just goes to show that with rugby league, apart from great action, you never know what to expect!

Rugby league: How the RFL is building its future Rugby league: How the RFL is building its future > Rugby league: How the RFL is building its future Rugby league: How the RFL is building its future August 26, 2015 Posted on August 26, 2015 in Repucom weekly As Leeds celebrate their record 50-0 victory against Hull Kingston Rovers in the 2015 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup at Wembley, the RFL (Rugby Football League) announced that the BBC will continue to televise the event ensuring the game’s most historic competition remains free-to-air until 2020. The Challenge Cup, staged since 1897, is the RFL’s premier knockout tournament and forms one of three key strands for the sport’s governing body, alongside the First Utility Super League and England internationals. Infographic: The business of rugby league in the UK Click on the image below to see the complete infographic.

Rugby league has its roots in the north of England – the 11 English teams playing in the Super League are all northern-based clubs (the 12th club is French side Catalan Dragons) – but the annual fan pilgrimage to London for the Challenge Cup final has become part of the sport’s fabric. “We can’t underestimate its importance or value, whether it’s from a history, tradition, equity or character point of view,” says Chris Rawlings, the RFL’s Commercial Director, of the Challenge Cup. This year’s final has an extra hint of heritage about it: Saturday’s game will take place 120 years to the day since the Northern Rugby Football Union, a breakaway from the Rugby Football Union (RFU), was founded in 1895 in the northern UK town of Huddersfield. Rawlings and his senior RFL colleagues are nonetheless seeking to marry the sport’s heritage – not to mention its appeal as action-packed, family-oriented entertainment – with the modern commercial, analysis-driven approach required by any forward-looking rights-holder or governing body.

As part of the RFL’s overall commercial growth strategy, Repucom has spent this season working with the organisation, providing a host of expertise and insight – from realising the potential of the sport’s media footprint to delivering research to better understand the rugby league fan of 2015. That is now translating into greater commercial returns and opportunities for not only the RFL itself, but established Super League giants like the Rhinos and reigning Super League champions St. Helens and clubs throughout the top-tier. Challenge Cup final between Leeds Rhinos and Hull Kingston Rovers Club focus “We were determined to do a better job of making the clubs our customers,” explains Rawlings. “We’re appointed by them, and in doing that we’ve been creating commercial forums on a regular basis – I think we’ve put 11 deals direct into the clubs this year that we haven’t taken centrally, so we’ve generated revenue for them – and just for them. Secondly, with the help of Repucom, we’ve been able to provide them with a service that up until now they’ve never had; we’ve created a platform where they can see in monthly real-time what they’re doing with their partners.

“The power of the evidence and the robustness by which it’s collected by Repucom, and the quality with which it’s communicated, so that it’s understandable, is really important for us. In the short term it’s already proven itself.” Formed in 1996, the 12-team Super League, now known officially as the First Utility Super League, is the highest level of professional rugby league in the UK. The launch coincided with a game-changing switch from a winter to summer schedule. The Grand Final, the one-off game which concludes the season and crowns the champions, was introduced two years later and has become established on the calendar each October at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. In the centre Centrally, the Super League is in the second year of a title sponsorship agreement with gas and electricity supplier First Utility, a deal described by Rawlings as a “big result for the game”. He adds: “The give and the get is very clear.” “Over the last 18 months they’ve grown from 250,000 customers to north of a million so we’ve partnered with a growing business that’s price proposition driven.

We’ve learnt a lot from them in terms of how you work online and how you speak to customers directly through phones and tablets – that’s been really powerful. We’ve been able to realty support them on brand awareness and all those kind of things. The ability to attract a business like that, a top five in its sector nationally, was a good sign that the game was in a good place even 18 months ago.” Since then, the RFL has introduced a new play-off structure; the top eight in the Super League are now playing in the inaugural Super 8s, while the teams lying 9th to 12th are playing teams ranked 1st to 4th in the Championship. A dramatic series of play-offs to conclude the season are virtually guaranteed. The changes not only add the peril and drama of relegation and promotion to a league which was previously franchise-based, but ensure that something is riding on almost every minute of action in every game during the regular season, with all the additional commercial opportunity and media attention that brings.

Commercial relationships are flourishing, with the RFL’s Kingstone Press cider partnership providing a textbook growth model – after a toe-in-the-water agreement to sponsor the second-tier Championship, the company has now stepped up to become an official Super League partner and secured deals with 63 clubs in the rugby league pyramid for stadium pouring rights. “The new structure combines the Championship and Super League, and there’s a natural link with League One [the sport’s third tier],” explains Blake Solly, the General Manager of Super League. “Kingstone Press enjoyed their time in the sport as a Championship sponsor, could see the opportunities a new structure presented, where they could have a piece of the sport from grassroots and community, right through to semi-professional and Super League. They’ve probably trebled or quadrupled their investment in the sport over the last three years because of the new structure.” Securing the future The RFL’s ability to make these format changes – in another tweak, the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup winners will now qualify for next year’s expanded World Club Challenge, which pits the best English clubs against their counterparts from Australia’s National Rugby League – is in no small part a result of the strength and longevity of its domestic Super League broadcast agreement with Sky Sports.

That partnership was most recently extended in early 2014 and will now run until at least 2021. The bulk of the Challenge Cup, meanwhile, sits on the free-to-air BBC, exposing larger audiences to the game. “Sky have done such a great job with us and when you know those contracts are done, you can have a really good go at thinking about what the art of the possible is from a commercial point of view,” Rawlings points out. “We’re definitely, game-wide, looking at everything with a 2021 view and the reason we can afford to do that is because we’ve got such a great relationship with our broadcast partner domestically.” Solly and Rawlings are keen to demonstrate that the perception of the rugby league fan – a northern man from a working class town – is outdated. “Changing perceptions is a key goal,” Solly confirms. “It’s a hugely important part of what we’re trying to do over the next three years with the Super League strategy. But it’s difficult to do that unless you know who your customers are.

People can have that perception, and the only way we can break that down is with facts.” According to Repucom’s research, of the 7.5 million rugby league fans in the UK, some 65 per cent are male and the largest proportion – nearly a fifth – hail from London, following by the North West and South East. Sky Sports’ figures, meanwhile, show that around half its average audience for live Super League games watch from south of Birmingham. “We are different to what people perceive,” Solly adds. “What we have to do better now and do more of is communicate that in the marketplace. The huge opportunity we’ve got in terms of the perception of our fan base is nobody realises how family-oriented we are and how big a percentage of our audience are women. Consistently, across Sky and BBC platforms we have more women than any other big sport. “With the research we’ve been able to do, with the insight we’ve got we can now start communicating that better and start making better business decisions ourselves.” Share this article: BBC - Leeds - voices2005 - Loiners of the world unite! You are in: Leeds > voices2005 > Loiners of the world unite!

Leeds: still the tops! Loiners of the world unite! Natives of Leeds are known as Loiners and there are several theories as to the origin of the term but nobody can be certain where the word comes from. Here are three competing theories. - Loiner could derive from the name Loidis (in use by the eighth century for the district around modern-day Leeds). - Another explanation says that in the 19th century there were many yards and closes around Briggate whose back entrances were known as Low Ins or Loins, hence Loiner. - Yet a third theory is that there were a number of lanes in the Briggate area pronounced loins in the local accent. People who gathered in these loins to gossip were therefore called Loiners. As well as meaning a citizen of Leeds, the word was used as a nickname applied to Leeds RLFC before the Super League team became the modern Rhinos. Following on from the old Loidis name the settlement on the banks of the Aire changed its spelling gradually to Ledes or Leedes and currently, of course, Leeds. Ledes was mentioned in the famous survey, the Domesday Book, in 1086.

Other local areas named included, Halton, Sacroft, Hedingleia, Bramleia, Beestone and Hunslet. The first centre of Leeds was a cluster of buildings near the parish church of St Peter in Kirkgate. In the early 1200s a new town was founded west of the parish church towards the corn mills around the river crossing. Its main thoroughfare was a new road, Briggate (meaning the road leading to the bridge). Almost a thousand years later Briggate remains the street at the centre of the city. last updated: 22/08/05 Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens classic ties - BBC Sport BBC Sport Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens classic ties By Matt Newsum From the section Rugby League Share this page Tetley's Challenge Cup fifth round: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens Venue: 14:30 BST Coverage: Live on BBC One and the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Radio Merseyside. There is something special about matches between Leeds and St Helens - and their shared history goes back long before the razzmatazz of the modern Super League era.

Titles, finals and last-four ties have all been settled in head-to-head encounters between two of the sport's most successful clubs. Here, ahead of Saturday's fifth-round tie between the pair, BBC Sport remembers four of their classic Challenge Cup meetings. Challenge Cup final - May 1972: St Helens 16-13 Leeds Lance Todd Trophy winner Kel Coslett lifts the Challenge Cup aloft in 1972 St Helens lifted their first Challenge Cup since 1966 in a thriller at Wembley, pipping Leeds to the trophy a week before the Championship final in which the fortunes were reversed. Saints, captained and inspired by Welsh rugby union convert Kel Coslett, made a flying start to the game with Graham Rees's try inside 35 seconds and, once Les Jones had also crossed, had opened up a 12-6 lead at half-time. Jim Challinor's side survived a Loiners fightback after the break to clinch the cup, with Coslett collecting the Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match.

Kel Coslett told BBC Sport: "It was a good win, we were underdogs because we had a few injuries and we were a bit nervous, but we were lucky enough to score in the first minute. Leeds went to clear their line but we cleared the kick down and scored a try. "It was a big thing and a big day for me because I had missed the 1966 final through injury and in those days you didn't go to Wembley too many times in your career. It was a big boost for me coming into rugby league. It was the icing on the cake. "As captain I was looking after the team, there was a young lad, Ken Kelly, who had only played a few games but it was a tremendous occasion. If you can't enjoy playing against a Leeds or a Wigan you shouldn't be playing the game. I always enjoyed it. "I had people from Wales backing me up and wanting us to do well.

To me personally, coming in from Wales, it was a great feeling to be in a side with so many good players in it." Challenge Cup final - May 1978: Leeds 14-12 St Helens Media playback is not supported on this device Classic Rugby League: Challenge Cup Final 1978 Widely recognised as one of the most enthralling Challenge Cup finals of all time, the meeting of two sides whom between them had featured in seven of the last 10 Premiership finals lived up to the expectations. Saints, Premiership champions in the previous two seasons, took on a Leeds side that were bidding to retain the cup they won against Widnes the previous season in a classic before 96,000 fans. Graham Liptrot went over inside four minutes to put the Saints ahead after Harry Pinner's bomb was spilled by Willie Oulton and John Atkinson, and within 13 minutes it was 10-0 as Bill Francis dummied and stepped his way over after Liptrot won a scrum against the head.

Leeds fought back as John Atkinson got them on the board when he worked his way over in the left corner after Les Dyl fizzed a pass wide, but Geoff Pimblett kicked a goal just before the half-time hooter to give Saints a 12-5 lead. The game was to turn on its head after the break. Loiners captain David Ward slotted a drop goal tonarrow the gap, David Smith touched down on the right and when Phil Cookson crashed over for a third score the team in blue and amber were level. Drop goals from John Holmes, a Leeds legend who passed away in 2009, and Ward again were enough to hand the cup to Syd Hynes's side. Challenge Cup semi-final - April 2003: Leeds Rhinos 33-26 St Helens Danny McGuire celebrates his matchwinning try for the Rhinos Danny McGuire has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy a distinguished career with the Leeds Rhinos, but one game as much as any served to highlight the talent of the former East Leeds amateur - and that was the 2003 Challenge Cup semi-final success at Huddersfield. The game was a modern classic.

Leeds were 18-6 up thanks to tries from winger Mark Calderwood and current Bradford boss Francis Cummins after Darren Smith had scored for Saints. But an uncharacteristically misfired drop-out from Kevin Sinfield gave Ian Millward's side the chance to strike back through Paul Newlove and reduce the deficit to six points. Penalties from Paul Sculthorpe and a Sean Long try for the Saints, cancelled out by Sinfield's penalty, had the scores level, before the Red Vee looked to have booked their place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium through Smith's converted try. McGuire however, sent on off the bench, was instrumental with a last-gasp score to bring the Rhinos level and once extra-time was well under way, the half-back showed the predatory instincts that have brought him 234 tries in the Blue and Amber to dart over for the match-winning points. Danny McGuire told BBC Sport: "I was still finding my feet in the first team having come through the academy system, it was only my second full year with the team, and it was the first game that put me out there, got people to see how and what I could do.

It was a great platform with the game being on the BBC and a semi-final.

Leeds v Saints in the cup 2010 (Semi-Final) Leeds 32 St Helens 28 2009 (Round 4) Leeds 18 St Helens 22 2008 (Semi-Final) Leeds 16 St Helens 26 2004 (Round 5) St Helens 24 Leeds 14 2003 (Semi-Final) Leeds 33 St Helens 26 2002 (Semi-Final) Leeds 16 St Helens 42 2001 (Semi-Final) Leeds 22 St Helens 27 2000 (Round 5) Leeds 26 St Helens 20 1999 (Round 5) Leeds 24 St Helens 16 1994 (Semi-Final) Leeds 20 St Helens 8 1992 (Round 2) Leeds 12 St Helens 32 1983 (Round 2) Leeds 13 St Helens 23 197

8 (Final) Leeds 14 St Helens 12 1977 (Semi-Final) Leeds 7 St Helens 2 1972 (Final) Leeds 13 St Helens 16 1971 (Round 2) Leeds 4 St Helens 0 1930 (Round 2) Leeds 5 St Helens 18 1911 (Round 2) St Helens 6 Leeds 11 "Even Leeds fans didn't know much about me and it thrust me into the limelight, and it took us to a Challenge Cup final.

"I remember being on the bench for quite a bit of the game until about 50 minutes and nerves played a big part as I bided my time. I'm not a great watcher but any player would rather be out there in the mix. "Saints had a really good team, great players like Paul Sculthorpe, Sean Long and Kieron Cunningham who could be pretty intimidating to a young player. But I think once you're out there it doesn't matter. "The atmosphere was really good at Huddersfield, and I don't think it's been quite as full or good as it was in 2003 since. "The try in extra-time was a really good team try, it was nail-biting, we made a break in the middle and I put myself in the position and it was the try I enjoyed the most. "I still put that game up there, as it hasn't been a great competition for me, all my memories are semi-finals really.

"It's definitely my most memorable Challenge Cup moment." Challenge Cup semi-final - July 2008: St Helens 26-16 Leeds Rhinos St Helens went in search of a Super League and Challenge Cup double in 2008, and although they lost at the final hurdle to the Leeds Rhinos in the Grand Final, they eliminated the Headingley club en route to a Wembley Cup success. Huddersfield's baking hot stadium was the venue and under the blistering sun some equally blistering football was played, with Daniel Anderson's Saints emerging victorious. Injury pre-match to Kiwi Test full-back Brent Webb was a huge blow for the Rhinos, as were mid-game injuries to Rob Burrow and Clinton Toopi, but the Rhinos still played their part in an absorbing game. Chris Flannery was first on the board for Saints after the enigmatic Sean Long had burst the line, and after Kevin Sinfield banged a penalty over to add two for Leeds, Long's lateral run and pass freed Leon Pryce to dance through to the whitewash.

Jon Wilkin went over after work by Francis Meli and Lee Gilmour on the left-hand side with Saints running riot, but the Rhinos showed resolve to force their way back into the match. Firstly, Ali Lauititi burrowed over from dummy half, and Aussie winger Scott Donald crossed to again cut the gap. But Saints - with Wembley in their sights - stamped their authority on the match through Bryn Hargreaves's close-range finish. Kylie Leuluai powered over the line for Brian McClennan's Rhinos near the end to keep the tension up, but Saints held out and retained the Cup with victory against Hull FC in the final a month later. Jon Wilkin told BBC Sport: "In any sport, when you've got two teams that are battling it out to be top of their profession, the games are always hotly contested. They're always games that mean something to the competition. "With regard to that 2008 game, the one thing I remember most about it was how intense it was and how high quality it was. It was a really hot day.

"The highest quality games you're involved in are the ones with the least amount of rest and the ball was barely out of play, it was an endurance thing. Every game I've played for Saints against Leeds, with the exception of one or two, has been of the highest quality." Share this page

Question: Historically which Rugby League Super League side were known as 'The Loiners'?
Answer: LEEDS