1977–78 Challenge Cup
{{short description|Rugby league competition}}
{{Infobox Rugby football league challenge cup
|title = 1977–78 Challenge Cup
|league =
|logo =
|pixels =
|duration = 5 Rounds
|no_of_teams = 32
|highest_attendance = 96,000
|lowest_attendance =
|avg_attendance =
|TV = BBC
|biggest_home_win =
|biggest_away_win =
|season = 1977–78
|season_champs = {{leagueicon|Leeds|16px}} Leeds
|season_champ_name = Winners
|second_place = {{leagueicon|St Helens|16px}} St. Helens
|MVP = {{leagueicon|St Helens|16px}} George Nicholls
|MVP_link = Lance Todd Trophy
|top_scorer =
|prevseason_link = 1976–77 Challenge Cup
|prevseason_year = 1976–77
|nextseason_link = 1978–79 Challenge Cup
|nextseason_year = 1978–79
}}
The 1977–78 Challenge Cup was the 77th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup.
The final was contested by Leeds and St. Helens at Wembley.
Leeds beat St. Helens on Saturday 13 May 1978 in front of a crowd of 96,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 |title=RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour |access-date=2009-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403144113/http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 |archive-date=2009-04-03 |url-status=dead }}
The winner of the Lance Todd Trophy was Saints forward, George Nicholls.{{cite book |title=Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-1996 |author1=Raymond Fletcher |author2=David Howes|year=1995|publisher=Headline Book Publishing |location=London |isbn=0-7472-7817-2|page=199 }}
This was Leeds’ eleventh Cup final win in fifteen appearances and their second in successive years.{{cite web|url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 |title=RFL Challenge Cup Roll of Honour |access-date=2009-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403144113/http://www.therfl.co.uk/challengecup/page.php?areaid=65 |archive-date=2009-04-03 |url-status=dead }}
{{Clear}}
First round
The first round consisted of all 30 professional rugby league clubs, plus two amateur teams, Dewsbury Celtic and Pilkington Recs.
The match between Leeds and Halifax was televised by the BBC, and became infamous for a stray dog which invaded the pitch several times during the match.{{cite web |title=The Joy of Six: animals in sport |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/oct/07/joy-of-six-animals-sport |website=The Guardian |access-date=7 May 2023 |date=7 October 2011}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Date
!width=250| Team one !width=250| Team two !width=100| Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | Leeds | Halifax | 25-5 |
| 24 Feb | St Helens | Huyton | 36-8 |
| 24 Feb | Salford | Bramley | 9-7 |
| 25 Feb | York | Warrington | 10-16 |
| 26 Feb | Blackpool | Huddersfield | 7-9 |
| 26 Feb | Bradford Northern | Barrow | 21-13 |
| 26 Feb | Dewsbury Celtic | Wigan | 5-15 |
| 26 Feb | Dewsbury | New Hunslet | 13-22 |
| 26 Feb | Hull FC | Hull Kingston Rovers | 9-7 |
| 26 Feb | Leigh | Featherstone Rovers | 14-23 |
| 26 Feb | Oldham | Doncaster | 21-7 |
| 26 Feb | Pilkington Recs | Castleford | 22-23 |
| 26 Feb | Swinton | Batley | 13-0 |
| 26 Feb | Whitehaven | Wakefield Trinity | 13-21 |
| 26 Feb | Widnes | Rochdale Hornets | 15-8 |
| 26 Feb | Workington Town | Keighley | 16-5 |
Second round
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Date
!width=250| Team one !width=250| Team two !width=100| Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar | Wigan | Bradford Northern | 10-22 |
| 12 Mar | Featherstone Rovers | New Hunslet | 23-7 |
| 12 Mar | Huddersfield | Salford | 13-3 |
| 12 Mar | Hull FC | Widnes | 8-20 |
| 12 Mar | Oldham | St Helens | 11-26 |
| 12 Mar | Wakefield Trinity | Leeds | 6-28 |
| 12 Mar | Warrington | Swinton | 29-4 |
| 12 Mar | Workington Town | Castleford | 8-8 |
| 14 Mar - replay | Castleford | Workington Town | 8-8 |
| 16 Mar - 2nd replay | Workington Town | Castleford | 13-20 |
Quarter-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Date
!width=250| Team one !width=250| Team two !width=100| Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar | Featherstone Rovers | Castleford | 25-15 |
| 19 Mar | Leeds | Bradford Northern | 16-8 |
| 19 Mar | St Helens | Huddersfield | 31-5 |
| 19 Mar | Warrington | Widnes | 6-0 |
Semi-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Date
!width=250| Team one !width=250| Team two !width=100| Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr | Leeds | Featherstone Rovers | 14-9 |
| 08 Apr | St Helens | Warrington | 12-8 |
Final
{{Rugbyleaguebox
|date = 13 May 1978
|time =
|team1 = Leeds
|score = 14 – 12
|team2 = St Helens
|points1 = Try: Atkinson, Smith, Cookson
Goal: Oulton
Drop goal: Ward (2), Holmes
|points2 = Try: Liptrot, Francis
Goal: Pimblett (3)
|attendance = 96,000
|referee = Billy Thompson (Huddersfield){{cite news|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Paul|title=Leeds saved by courage|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=15 May 1978|page=15}}
|manofmatch = George Nicholls{{cite news|last1=Henry|first1=Reg|title=Leeds land knockout in Wembley classic|website=The Times|location=London|page=8|date=15 May 1978}}
|report = [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge-cup-1977/final/leeds-vs-st-helens/summary.html Report]
}}
| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="50%"| {| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | |||
| width="25"| | width="25"| | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| FB | 1 | Willie Oulton | |
| RW | 2 | David Smith | |
| RC | 3 | Neil Hague | |
| LC | 4 | Les Dyl | |
| LW | 5 | John Atkinson | |
| SO | 6 | John Holmes | |
| SH | 7 | John Sanderson | {{suboff|60}} |
| PR | 8 | Mick Harrison | {{suboff|66}} |
| HK | 9 | David Ward (c) | |
| PR | 10 | Steve Pitchford | |
| SR | 11 | Graham Eccles | |
| SR | 12 | Phil Cookson | |
| LF | 13 | Mick Crane | |
| colspan=3|Substitutions: | |||
| IC | 14 | Kevin Dick | {{subon|60}} |
| IC | 15 | Roy Dickinson | {{subon|66}} |
| colspan=3|Coach: | |||
| colspan="4"| Syd Hynes |
|valign="top" width="50%"|
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | ||
| width="25"| | width="25"| | |
|---|---|---|
| FB | 1 | Geoff Pimblett (c) |
| RW | 2 | Les Jones |
| RC | 3 | Derek Noonan |
| LC | 4 | Peter Glynn |
| LW | 5 | Roy Mathias |
| SO | 6 | Bill Francis |
| SH | 7 | Ken Gwilliam |
| PR | 8 | Dave Chisnall |
| HK | 9 | Graham Liptrot |
| PR | 10 | Mel James |
| SR | 11 | George Nicholls |
| SR | 12 | Eddie Cunningham |
| LF | 13 | Harry Pinner |
| colspan=3|Substitutions: | ||
| IC | 14 | Alan Ashton |
| IC | 15 | Tony Karalius |
| colspan=3|Coach: | ||
| colspan="4"| Eric Ashton |
|}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.thechallengecup.com/ Challenge Cup official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122043124/http://www.thechallengecup.com/ |date=2014-01-22 }}
- [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge-cup-1977-78/results.html Challenge Cup 1977/78 results] at Rugby League Project
{{Leeds - 1978 Challenge Cup Final Winners}}
{{Challenge Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Challenge Cup}}