1980–81 Rugby Football League season

1980–81 Rugby Football League season
LeagueSlalom Lager Championship
DurationAugust 1980- May 1981
TeamsFirst Division: 16
Second Division: 15
First Division
ChampionsBradford Northern (2nd title)
Premiership winnersHull Kingston Rovers
Man of Steel Award Ken Kelly
Top point-scorer Steve Hesford (310)
Top try-scorer Terry Richardson (28)
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Second Division
Relegated to Second Division
Second Division
ChampionsYork
Runners-upWigan
Top try-scorer John Crossley Jr. (35)
Joined leagueFulham

The 1980–81 Rugby Football League season was the 86th season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August 1980 until May 1981 for the Slalom Lager Championship.

Season summary

  • York won the Sexond Division, finishing ahead of Wigan who competed outside the top flight for the first time. Fulham joined the competition in Division Two, being promoted in their first season.

First Division

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PP Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Bradford Northern (C) 30 20 1 9 447 345 129.6 41 Qualification for Premiership first round
2 Warrington 30 19 1 10 459 330 139.1 39
3 Hull Kingston Rovers 30 18 2 10 509 408 124.8 38
4 Wakefield Trinity 30 18 2 10 544 454 119.8 38
5 Castleford 30 18 2 10 526 459 114.6 38
6 Widnes 30 16 2 12 428 356 120.2 34
7 Hull 30 17 0 13 442 450 98.2 34
8 St Helens 30 15 1 14 465 370 125.7 31
9 Leigh 30 14 1 15 416 414 100.5 29
10 Leeds 30 14 0 16 388 468 82.9 28
11 Barrow 30 13 0 17 405 498 81.3 26
12 Featherstone Rovers 30 12 0 18 467 446 104.7 24
13 Halifax (R) 30 11 0 19 385 450 85.6 22 Relegated to Second Division
14 Salford (R) 30 10 1 19 473 583 81.1 21
15 Workington Town (R) 30 9 3 18 335 457 73.3 21
16 Oldham (R) 30 7 2 21 362 563 64.3 16
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded)
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Second Division

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PP Pts Promotion
1 York (C, P) 28 23 0 5 649 331 196.1 46 Promoted to First Division
2 Wigan (P) 28 20 3 5 597 293 203.8 43
3 Fulham (P) 28 20 0 8 447 237 188.6 40
4 Whitehaven (P) 28 19 1 8 409 250 163.6 39
5 Huddersfield 28 18 1 9 429 310 138.4 37
6 Swinton 28 17 2 9 440 302 145.7 36
7 Keighley 28 14 1 13 445 501 88.8 29
8 Hunslet 28 13 1 14 447 430 104.0 27
9 Bramley 28 13 1 14 433 431 100.5 27
10 Rochdale Hornets 28 13 0 15 406 418 97.1 26
11 Batley 28 12 0 16 328 405 81.0 24
12 Dewsbury 28 11 1 16 346 364 95.1 23
13 Doncaster 28 5 0 23 250 562 44.5 10
14 Blackpool Borough 28 4 1 23 212 419 50.6 9
15 Huyton 28 2 0 26 211 796 26.5 4
Source: [2]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded)
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Premiership

Main article: 1980–81 Rugby League Premiership
16 May 1981
Hull Kingston Rovers 11 – 7 Hull F.C.
Tries: Hogan, Hartley, Smith
Goals: Hubbard
 [3]
 Tries: Crane
Goals: Woods (2)
Headingley, Leeds
Attendance: 29,448
Referee: John Holdsworth (Leeds)
Player of the Match: Len Casey

Statistics

The following are the top points scorers in all competitions in the 1980–81 season.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ "Championship 1980/81". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Second Division 1980/81". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  3. ^ Fletcher & Howes (1981), p. 194.
  4. ^ Fletcher & Howes (1981), p. 125.

Sources

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