2004 Rugby League National Leagues
| 2004 National League | |
|---|---|
| League | National Leagues |
| National League One | |
| Champions | Leigh Centurions |
| League leaders | Leigh Centurions |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from National League One | Leigh Centurions |
| Relegated to National League Two | Keighley Cougars |
| National League Two | |
| Champions | Barrow Raiders |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from National League Two | Barrow Raiders |
| National League Three | |
| Champions | Coventry Bears |
| League leaders | Coventry Bears |
The 2004 National Leagues (known as the LHF Healthplan National Leagues due to sponsorship)[1] are the second, third and fourth divisions of rugby league in the UK.
National League One
[edit]National League One was won by Leigh Centurions, and won promotion to the Super League after defeating runners-up Whitehaven in the play-off final. Keighley Cougars were relegated to National League Two.
Table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Leigh Centurions (P) | 18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 686 | 407 | +279 | 28 | Semi-final |
| 2 |  Whitehaven | 18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 552 | 312 | +240 | 28 | |
| 3 |  Hull Kingston Rovers | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 466 | 428 | +38 | 20 | Elimination Semi-final |
| 4 |  Oldham | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 482 | 503 | −21 | 20 | |
| 5 |  Featherstone Rovers | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 500 | 491 | +9 | 19 | |
| 6 |  Doncaster Dragons | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 468 | 502 | −34 | 19 | |
| 7 |  Batley Bulldogs | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 503 | 534 | −31 | 16 | |
| 8 |  Rochdale Hornets | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 472 | 587 | −115 | 15 | |
| 9 |  Halifax | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 426 | 482 | −56 | 14 | Qualification for National League Two Playoff Final |
| 10 |  Keighley Cougars (R) | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 366 | 708 | −342 | 2 | Relegated to National League Two |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Play-offs
[edit]| Elimination play-offs | Qualifying/Elimination semifinal | Elimination final | Grand Final2 | |||||||||||||||
| Leigh Sports Village | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Leigh | 30 | Leigh | 32 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Whitehaven | 16 | Recreation Ground | Whitehaven | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Craven Park | ||||||||||||||||||
| Whitehaven | 30 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Hull KR | 63 | ||||||||||||||||
| Craven Park | Featherstone | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Doncaster | 22 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hull KR | 18 | |||||||||||||||||
| Whitebank | ||||||||||||||||||
| Featherstone | 19 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Oldham | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Featherstone | 33 | ||||||||||||||||
Grand Final
[edit]10 October 2004 |
| Leigh Centurions | 32 – 16 | Whitehaven |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Cooper (2), Turley, Martyn Goals: Turley (6) Drop goals: Turley (2), Martyn, Rowley | [2] | Tries: Wilson (2), Calvert Goals: Nanyn (2) |
National League Two
[edit]National League Two was won by Barrow Raiders, and were automatically promoted to National League One. York City Knights reached the play-off final, but lost to Halifax, who retained their National League One status.
Table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barrow Raiders (P) | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 521 | 346 | +175 | 29 | Promoted to National League One |
| 2 |  York City Knights | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 630 | 308 | +322 | 26 | Semi-final |
| 3 |  Sheffield Eagles | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 569 | 340 | +229 | 24 | Elimination Semi-final |
| 4 |  Swinton Lions | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 547 | 460 | +87 | 24 | |
| 5 |  Workington Town | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 597 | 479 | +118 | 20 | |
| 6 |  Hunslet Hawks | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 475 | 394 | +81 | 20 | |
| 7 |  Chorley Lynx | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 460 | 522 | −62 | 16 | |
| 8 |  London Skolars | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 361 | 583 | −222 | 7 | |
| 9 |  Dewsbury Rams | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 284 | 595 | −311 | 7 | |
| 10 |  Gateshead Thunder | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 298 | 715 | −417 | 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(P) Promoted
National League Three
[edit]National League Three expanded to a 14-team league, but there was still no automatic promotion and relegation with National League Two. The league was won by Coventry Bears, who also went on to win the play-offs.
Table
[edit]| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | Pts for | Pts agst | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry Bears | 20 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 831 | 385 | 34 | Play-offs |
| 2 | Bradford Dudley Hill | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 942 | 317 | 32 | |
| 3 | Woolston Rovers (Warrington) | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 764 | 232 | 31 | |
| 4 | Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 631 | 334 | 27 | |
| 5 | Bramley Buffaloes | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 592 | 368 | 27 | |
| 6 | Hemel Stags | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 721 | 424 | 26 | |
| 7 | St Albans Centurions | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 724 | 406 | 26 | |
| 8 | Birmingham Bulldogs | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 620 | 624 | 20 | |
| 9 | Underbank Rangers | 20 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 671 | 519 | 19 | |
| 10 | South London Storm | 20 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 496 | 510 | 18 | |
| 11 | Manchester Knights | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 467 | 625 | 10 | |
| 12 | Carlisle Centurions | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 290 | 498 | 6 | |
| 13 | Gateshead Storm | 20 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 290 | 1041 | 4 | |
| 14 | Essex Eels | 20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 186 | 1492 | 2 |
Play-offs
[edit]Week 1
[edit]Bradford Dudley Hill 13–30 St Albans Centurions
Coventry Bears 32–26 Birmingham Bulldogs
Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 38–6 Bramley Buffaloes
Woolston Rovers (Warrington) 36–32 Hemel Stags
Week 2
[edit]Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 26–40 Bradford Dudley Hill
St Albans Centurions 18–26 Bramley Buffaloes
Week 3
[edit]Coventry Bears 32–18 Bramley Buffaloes
Woolston Rovers (Warrington) 32–18 Bradford Dudley Hill
Grand Final
[edit]Coventry Bears 48–24 Woolston Rovers (Warrington)
References
[edit]- ^ http://rleague.com/news/New-sponsor-for-National-League_101602/National[permanent dead link]
- ^ Wilson, Andy (11 October 2004). "Turley's record takes Leigh up". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Rugby League RKC". Retrieved 20 February 2024.