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
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
| 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
| 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
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
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
| 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
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
| 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
Week 1
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
Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks 26–40 Bradford Dudley Hill
St Albans Centurions 18–26 Bramley Buffaloes
Week 3
Coventry Bears 32–18 Bramley Buffaloes
Woolston Rovers (Warrington) 32–18 Bradford Dudley Hill
Grand Final
Coventry Bears 48–24 Woolston Rovers (Warrington)
References
- ^ 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.