{{Short description|British rugby league championship}} {{Infobox rugby football league season | title = RFL Division One | league = Rugby Football League Division One | logo = | pixels = | caption = | duration = 20 Rounds | no_of_teams = 11 | highest_attendance = | lowest_attendance = | attendance = | TV = | season2 = 1996 Season | season_champs2 = {{leagueicon|Salford City Reds|16}} '''Salford Reds''' | season_champ_name2 = Divisional Premiership winners | league_leaders2 = {{leagueicon|Salford City Reds|16}} Salford Reds | league_leaders_name2= Champions | MVP2 = {{leagueicon|Salford City Reds|16}} Cliff Eccles | MVP_link2 = Tom Bergin Trophy | prevseason_link = 1995–96 Rugby Football League season | prevseason_year = 1995-96 | nextseason_link = 1997 RFL Division One | nextseason_year = 1997 }} The '''1996 Division One Championship''' season was the second tier of British rugby league during the 1996 season, and was also the first season of rugby league to be played in the summer.<ref name="had3">{{cite web |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/rugbys-pounds-87m-deal-gives-murdoch-transfer-veto-1526582.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/rugbys-pounds-87m-deal-gives-murdoch-transfer-veto-1526582.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work= The Independent |title=Rugby's pounds 87m deal gives Murdoch transfer veto |author=Dave Hadfield |date=1995-12-20 |accessdate=2009-05-06}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The competition featured all eleven teams from the 1995–96 Rugby Football League season.
==Championship== The league was won by Salford Reds for a second successive season, winning promotion to the Super League. The club also won the Divisional Premiership final against Keighley Cougars, with Cliff Eccles winning the Tom Bergin Trophy.
Rochdale Hornets and Batley Bulldogs were both relegated to Division Two.
===League table=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- !width=20 abbr="Position" | !width=175 |Team !width=20 abbr="Played" |Pld !width=20 abbr="Won" |W !width=20 abbr="Drawn" |D !width=20 abbr="Lost" |L !width=20 abbr="Points for" |PF !width=20 abbr="Points against" |PA !width=20 abbr="Points" |Pts |- style="background:#FFD700;" |1||style="text-align:left;"|Salford Reds |20||18||0||2||733||298||'''36''' |- |2||style="text-align:left;"|Keighley Cougars |20||14||2||4||558||333||'''30''' |- |3||style="text-align:left;"|Hull Sharks |20||14||0||6||565||392||'''28''' |- |4||style="text-align:left;"|Featherstone Rovers |20||12||2||6||557||371||'''26''' |- |5||style="text-align:left;"|Huddersfield |20||12||0||8||557||308||'''24''' |- |6||style="text-align:left;"|Wakefield Trinity |20||10||1||9||485||455||'''21''' |- |7||style="text-align:left;"|Widnes |20||9||1||10||413||447||'''19''' |- |8||style="text-align:left;"|Dewsbury |20||6||1||13||264||618||'''13''' |- |9||style="text-align:left;"|Whitehaven |20||5||1||14||328||546||'''11''' |- style="background:#ff7777;color:white" |10||style="text-align:left;"|Rochdale Hornets |20||2||2||16||348||602||'''6''' |- style="background:#ff7777;color:white" |11||style="text-align:left;"|Batley |20||2||2||16||230||668||'''6''' |- |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" |bgcolor="#FFD700"|'''Champions''' |style="background: #ff7777;color:white"|Relegated |}
==Premiership== {{mainarticle|1996 Rugby League Divisional Premiership}} {{rugbyleaguebox | date = 8 September 1996 | time = | team1 = Salford Reds | score = 19 – 6 | report = | team2 = Keighley Cougars | points1 = '''Try:''' Naylor, Blakeley<br />'''Goal:''' Blakeley (3)<br />'''Drop goal:''' Blakeley | points2 = '''Try:''' Cantillon<br />'''Goal:''' Irving | stadium = Old Trafford, Manchester | attendance= | referee = Stuart Cummings | manofmatch= Cliff Eccles }}
==Statistics== The following are the top points scorers in Division One during the 1996 season. Statistics are for league matches only.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fletcher|first1=Raymond|last2=Howes|first2=David|title=Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997|date=27 March 1997 |publisher=Headline|location=London|isbn=978-0-7472-7764-4|pages=184–5}}</ref> {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} '''Most tries''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |- ! Player ! Team ! Tries |- | Jason Critchley || Keighley Cougars || 21 |- | Nathan McAvoy || Salford Reds || 16 |- | Darren Rogers || Salford Reds || 16 |- | Brad Davis || Wakefield Trinity || 15 |- | Dean Hanger || Huddersfield Giants || 15 |- | Eddie Rombo || Featherstone Rovers || 15 |- | Fata Sini || Salford Reds || 15 |- | Andrew King || Keighley Cougars || 14 |- | Martin Pearson || Featherstone Rovers || 14 |- | Nick Pinkney || Keighley Cougars || 14 |- | Tevita Vaikona || Hull Sharks || 14 |} {{col-2}} '''Most goals''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:centre;" |- ! Player ! Team ! Goals |- | Steve Blakeley || Salford Reds || 84 |- | Martin Pearson || Featherstone Rovers || 81 |- | Mark Hewitt || Hull Sharks || 67 |- | Brad Davis || Wakefield Trinity || 62 |- | Christian Tyrer || Widnes || 54 |- | Keith Dixon || Keighley Cougars || 46 |- | Barry Eaton || Dewsbury || 42 |- | Craig Booth || Rochdale Hornets || 26 |- | Steve Booth || Huddersfield Giants || 26 |- | Greg Austin || Huddersfield Giants || 25 |} {{col-end}}
'''Most points''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:centre;" |- ! Player ! Team ! Tries ! Goals ! DGs ! Points |- | Martin Pearson || Featherstone Rovers || 14 || 81 || 1 || 219 |- | Steve Blakeley || Salford Reds || 9 || 84 || 0 || 204 |- | Brad Davis || Wakefield Trinity || 15 || 62 || 3 || 187 |- | Mark Hewitt || Hull Sharks || 1 || 67 || 0 || 138 |- | Christian Tyrer || Widnes || 6 || 54 || 3 || 135 |- | Keith Dixon || Keighley Cougars || 5 || 46 || 0 || 112 |- | Barry Eaton || Dewsbury || 2 || 42 || 1 || 93 |- | Greg Austin || Huddersfield Giants || 10 || 25 || 0 || 90 |- | Jason Critchley || Keighley Cougars || 21 || 0 || 0 || 84 |- | Fata Sini || Salford Reds || 15 || 10 || 0 || 80 |}
==See also== *Super League war *1996 Challenge Cup
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Cite web | url=http://www.rlhalloffame.org.uk/1996.htm | title=Season 1996 | publisher=Virtual Rugby League Hall of Fame | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121151606/http://www.rlhalloffame.org.uk/1996.htm | archivedate=21 November 2008}} *[http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=147 1996 season at wigan.rlfans.com]
{{1996 in rugby league}}
Category:Rugby Football League Championship RFL Division One