Regal Trophy

2025-10-24T12:00:42Z

82.133.39.116: I changed 81 to 80 because it was inaccurate

{{Short description|Knock-out competition for British rugby league football clubs between 1971 and 1996}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox rugby league football competition
| name = Regal Trophy
| current_season =
| logo =
| pixels =
| formerly = Player's No.6 Trophy |formerly2 = John Player Trophy |formerly3 = John Player Special Trophy
| founded = [[1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season|1971]]
| folded = [[1995–96 Rugby Football League season|1996]]
| replaced =
| teams =
| country = {{GBR}} | country2 = {{FRA}}
| gov_body = [[Rugby Football League|RFL]]
| championtag = Last winners
| champion = [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| season = [[1995–96 Rugby Football League season|1996]]
| most_champs = [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| count = 8
| website =
| TV =
| qualification =
| related_comps =
}}
The '''Regal Trophy''' was an annual knock-out competition for British [[rugby league|rugby league football]] clubs. Organised by the [[Rugby Football League]] (RFL), the competition was open to all professional clubs in the [[British rugby league system]], but amateur teams and French clubs also took part at various points during its existence.

First held in [[1971–72 League Cup (rugby league)|1971–72]], the tournament was initially played over five rounds. A preliminary round was added in [[1981–82 League Cup (rugby league)|1981–82]] to accommodate the increasing number of professional teams in the sport. The fixtures were normally played during the early part of the season, with the final usually taking place at a [[neutral venue]] in January. The tournament was regarded as less prestigious than the RFL's primary cup competition, the [[Challenge Cup]], and was discontinued when rugby league became a summer sport in 1996.

During its existence, the competition was always referred to by its sponsorship name. The initial sponsors were the tobacco manufacturer [[John Player & Sons]] with [[Regal (cigarette)|Regal]] taking over in 1989 until the competition's end. Over the years, the competition was known as the '''Player's No.6 Trophy''' (1971–77), the '''John Player Trophy''' (1977–83) and the '''John Player Special Trophy''' (1983–89), before finally becoming the '''Regal Trophy''' in 1989.

==History==
The competition was introduced in 1971 as the Player's No.6 Trophy, with sponsors [[John Player & Sons]] announcing an £11,000 prize fund for the inaugural season.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mather |first1=Harold |title=New prizes for clubs and players |work=The Guardian |date=19 May 1971 |location=London |page=21 |id={{ProQuest|185500934}}}}</ref> The competition was open to all professional [[Rugby Football League]] clubs, with a small number of amateur clubs taking part in most seasons.

In [[1977–78 Player's No.6 Trophy|1977–78]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]]-based [[West Hull A.R.L.F.C.|Cawoods]] defeated [[Halifax Panthers|Halifax]] 9–8 in the first round of the competition, the first time an amateur team had defeated professional opposition in any competition since 1909.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cawoods Make History By Enjoying Themselves |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19771024/012/0012 |work=Hull Daily Mail |date=24 October 1977 |page=12 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 1989, a new sponsorship deal was made with [[Imperial Tobacco]], and the competition was rebranded as the Regal Trophy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Paul |title=Cashing in with a Regal deal |work=The Guardian |date=3 February 1989 |location=London |page=18 |id={{ProQuest|186885505}}}}</ref>

In 1992, several French clubs entered the competition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rugby League: Allez Wigan |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-allez-wigan-1554617.html |website=The Independent |access-date=29 July 2023 |date=29 September 1992}}</ref> This marked the first time that French teams had participated in a British rugby league competition, and clubs would later also be accepted into the [[Challenge Cup]] and domestic leagues.<ref>{{cite web |title=French clubs keen to return to Challenge Cup |url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/french-clubs-keen-to-return-to-challenge-cup |website=Love Rugby League |access-date=29 July 2023 |date=20 November 2019}}</ref>

Following the introduction of the [[Super League]] in 1996, the Regal Trophy faced an uncertain future,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hadfield |first1=Dave |title=Tries to be given trial by television |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tries-to-be-given-trial-by-television-1325590.html |website=The Independent |access-date=25 April 2023 |date=24 January 1996}}</ref> and was ultimately abandoned. The [[BBC]] could no longer fit the competition into its TV schedule due to the switch to playing rugby league in the summer, and Regal were unwilling to continue sponsoring the tournament without television coverage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Chris |title=RL chiefs unveil expansion plans |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000901/19960514/015/0015 |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |date=14 May 1996 |page=15 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==List of finals==
{| class="wikitable"
! Season
! Winners
! Score
! Runner-up
! Venue
! Attendance
! Date
|-
| colspan="7" | '''''Player's No.6 Trophy'''''
|-
| [[1971–72 Player's No.6 Trophy|1971–72]]
| [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 22–11
| [[Wakefield Trinity]]
| [[Odsal Stadium|Odsal, Bradford]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 7,975
| Saturday 22 January 1972
|-
| [[1972–73 Player's No.6 Trophy|1972–73]]
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–7
| [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]]
| [[Fartown Ground, Huddersfield]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 10,102
| Saturday 24 March 1973
|-
| [[1973–74 Player's No.6 Trophy|1973–74]]
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 27–16
| [[Rochdale Hornets]]
| [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park, Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 9,347
| Saturday 9 February 1974
|-
| [[1974–75 Player's No.6 Trophy|1974–75]]
| [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 3–2
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| [[Wilderspool Stadium|Wilderspool, Warrington]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 5,935
| Saturday 25 January 1975
|-
| [[1975–76 Player's No.6 Trophy|1975–76]]
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 19–13
| [[Hull F.C.]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 9,035
| Saturday 24 January 1976
|-
| [[1976–77 Player's No.6 Trophy|1976–77]]
| [[Castleford Tigers|Castleford]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 25–15
| [[Blackpool Borough]]
| [[The Willows, Salford]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 4,512
| Saturday 22 January 1977
|-
| [[1977–78 Player's No.6 Trophy|1977–78]]
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 9–4
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| [[Knowsley Road|Knowsley Road, St Helens]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 10,258
| Saturday 28 January 1978
|-
| colspan="7" | '''''John Player Trophy'''''
|-
| [[1978–79 John Player Trophy|1978–79]]
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 16–4
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| [[Knowsley Road|Knowsley Road, St Helens]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 10,743
| Saturday 28 April 1979
|-
| [[1979–80 John Player Trophy|1979–80]]
| [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 6–0
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 9,909
| Saturday 5 January 1980
|-
| [[1980–81 John Player Trophy|1980–81]]
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–5
| [[Barrow Raiders|Barrow]]
| [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park, Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12,820
| Saturday 24 January 1981
|-
| [[1981–82 John Player Trophy|1981–82]]
| [[Hull F.C.]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–4
| [[Hull Kingston Rovers]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 25,165
| Saturday 23 January 1982
|-
| [[1982–83 John Player Trophy|1982–83]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 15–4
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
| [[Elland Road|Elland Road, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 19,553
| Saturday 22 January 1983
|-
| colspan="7" | '''''John Player Special Trophy'''''
|-
| [[1983–84 John Player Special Trophy|1983–84]]
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 18–10
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park, Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 9,510
| Saturday 14 January 1984
|-
| [[1984–85 John Player Special Trophy|1984–85]]
| [[Hull Kingston Rovers]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–0
| [[Hull F.C.]]
| [[Boothferry Park|Boothferry Park, Hull]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 25,326
| Saturday 26 January 1985
|-
| [[1985–86 John Player Special Trophy|1985–86]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 11–8
| [[Hull Kingston Rovers]]
| [[Elland Road|Elland Road, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 17,573
| Saturday 11 January 1986
|-
| [[1986–87 John Player Special Trophy|1986–87]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 18–4
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| [[Burnden Park|Burnden Park, Bolton]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 21,144
| Saturday 10 January 1987
|-
| [[1987–88 John Player Special Trophy|1987–88]]
| [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 15–14
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
| [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park, Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 16,669
| Saturday 9 January 1988
|-
| [[1988–89 John Player Special Trophy|1988–89]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–6
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| [[Burnden Park|Burnden Park, Bolton]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 20,709
| Saturday 7 January 1989
|-
| colspan="7" | '''''Regal Trophy'''''
|-
| [[1989–90 Regal Trophy|1989–90]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 24–12
| [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 17,810
| Saturday 13 January 1990
|-
| [[1990–91 Regal Trophy|1990–91]]
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 12–2
| [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 11,154
| Saturday 12 January 1991
|-
| [[1991–92 Regal Trophy|1991–92]]
| [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 24–0
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]
| [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park, Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 15,070
| Saturday 11 January 1992
|-
| [[1992–93 Regal Trophy|1992–93]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 15–8
| [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]]
| [[Elland Road|Elland Road, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 13,221
| Saturday 23 January 1993
|-
| [[1993–94 Regal Trophy|1993–94]]
| [[Castleford Tigers|Castleford]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 33–2
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley, Leeds]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 15,626
| Saturday 22 January 1994
|-
| [[1994–95 Regal Trophy|1994–95]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 40–10
| [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]]
| [[Galpharm Stadium|McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 19,636
| Saturday 28 January 1995
|-
| [[1995–96 Regal Trophy|1995–96]]
| [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 25–16
| [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
| [[Galpharm Stadium|McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield]]
| style="text-align: center;"| 17,590
| Saturday 13 January 1996
|}

===Wins by club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"
|-
!Rank
!Club
!Wins
!Winning seasons
|-
| 1 || [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] || 8 || 1982–83, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96
|-
| 2 || [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]] || 4 || 1973–74, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1990–91
|-
| 3 || [[Widnes Vikings|Widnes]] || 3 || 1975–76, 1978–79, 1991–92
|-
| rowspan=3 |4= || [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford Northern]] || 2 || 1974–75, 1979–80
|-
| [[Castleford Tigers|Castleford]] || 2 || 1976–77, 1993–94
|-
| [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]] || 2 || 1972–73, 1983–84
|-
| rowspan=4 |5= || [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] || 1 || 1971–72
|-
| [[Hull F.C.]] || 1 || 1981–82
|-
| [[Hull Kingston Rovers]] || 1 || 1984–85
|-
| [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] || 1 || 1987–88
|}

==Media coverage==
The [[BBC]] was the exclusive broadcaster of the competition throughout its history. Matches were broadcast on the BBC's ''[[Grandstand (TV programme)|Grandstand]]'' programme, showing one live match per round. Depending on the TV schedule, only the second-half was shown for some matches in the earlier rounds,<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Programme Index - Grandstand |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1d05b1d6670b46c5beb1f1600a470d46 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023215220/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1d05b1d6670b46c5beb1f1600a470d46 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 October 2014 |website=BBC Genome |date=December 1990 |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref> but from the semi-final onwards, the entire match was usually covered.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Programme Index - Grandstand |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/55808ca441ef447d8db6a33cd8e4bbbc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023172242/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/55808ca441ef447d8db6a33cd8e4bbbc |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 October 2014 |website=BBC Genome |date=29 December 1990 |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/regal-trophy/summary.html|title=Regal Trophy|publisher=Rugby League Project}}

{{British and Irish Rugby League links}}
{{League Cup (rugby league)}}

[[Category:Regal Trophy| ]]
[[Category:Rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1971 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1996 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1971]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1996]]
[[Category:Defunct rugby league competitions]]

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