Champions Wakefield Trinity Top point-scorer(s) Bev Risman 332 Start date 1967 | League Leaders Leeds Top try-scorer(s) Roger Millward 38 Champion Wakefield Trinity | |
People also search for 1968–69 Northern Rugby Football League season | ||
The 1967–68 Rugby Football League season was the 73rd season of rugby league football.
Contents
Season summary
Leeds had ended the regular season as league leaders for the second successive season. Wakefield Trinity won their second Championship, the second in successive seasons, when they beat Hull Kingston Rovers 17-10 in the Championship Final. Gary Cooper was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man-of-the-match.
The Challenge Cup winners were Leeds who beat Wakefield Trinity 11-10 in the final.
The BBC2 Floodlit Trophy winners were Castleford who beat Leigh 8-5 in the final.
Clive Sullivan of Hull set a club record of 7-tries scored in a match against Doncaster on 15 April 1968.
Warrington won the Lancashire League, and Leeds won the Yorkshire League. St. Helens beat Warrington 2–2 (replay 13–10) to win the Lancashire Cup, and Hull Kingston Rovers beat Hull 8–7 to win the Yorkshire Cup.
Challenge Cup
Leeds beat Wakefield 11-10 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 87,100. This was Leeds’ ninth Cup Final win in eleven Final appearances. The Leeds winning team coached by Roy Francis was; Bev Risman, Alan Smith, Syd Hynes, Bernard Watson, John Atkinson, Mick Shoebottom, Barry Seabourne, Mick Clark (c), Tony Crosby, Ken Eyre, Bill Ramsey, Albert Eyre, Ray Batten subs: John Langley, Mick Joyce.
Dubbed the "Watersplash Final", this match was remembered for the atrocious pitch conditions caused by a torrential downpour that left many large puddles on the playing surface. The conditions contributed to a nail biting finale. Leeds had taken an 11-7 lead with a minute to go, but Wakefield scored a try next to the posts from the kick-off. Don Fox had only to convert to win the Final, but pushed it wide of the posts.
Operational rules
The playing of matches on Sundays was sanctioned for the first time in December 1967. This change was made to avoid competition from association football clubs.