UK Top Teams : 1961-1970

This is part of a series where top results are scored and tallied up. The Championship is the top 4 teams, scored 6-3-2-1. Then the Premiership again top 4, 6-4-2- 2. Challenge Cup finalists, 4-2. Lancashire & Yorkshire Cups, BBC Floodlit Trophy finalists, 3-1. The BBC Trophy was from 1966-1970 and there was no Premiership held for 1963 & 1964.

422 points were divvied up in total. The most points any side could achieve was 213, but what a boring situation if anyone managed to do that. As it is there was a clear winner: St Helens. It's best year was 1966, when it won the Championship, Premiership, Challenge Cup and second in the BBC Trophy. It only missed out in the Lancashire Cup. Saints collected points every year, the only side to do so.

Wakefield came in second, just ahead of fellow Yorkshire club Leeds. Wigan came in fourth and Castleford fifth. The chart below shows the list of twenty teams who took something in the decade.

Summary: Back in the early 60's the game very different. There was unlimited tackle, which meant that  team could keep the ball indefinitely as long as they didn't make a mistake. A side could slow the game down if they wanted to. The defensive line was much closer too that the ten metres today.

It was a tough game back then, a war of attrition mostly. The game today is insanely hectic by comparison. More action is what people want. That's what rugby league delivers in spades.

For the next in the series, simply click here.

Rk	Team / Year	Tot	70	69	68	67	66	65	64	63	62	61
1	St Helens RFC	86	8	9	6	5	19	13	5	6	3	12
2	Wakefield Trinity	52			12	8	1	6		6	16	3
3	Leeds Rhinos	51	10	15	12	6		1			1	6
4	Wigan Warriors	45	5	5	2	3	7	9	3	3	8
5	Castleford Tigers	39	11	12	3	5	3	4		1
6	Hull KR	25	2		9	8	2		3	1
6	Swinton Lions	25	3			1	3	1	6	7	1	3
8	Huddersfield Giants	19									10	9
9	Featherstone Rov	14	1			7			2		4
10	Halifax RLFC	13					4	6	3
11	Hull FC	11	3		1							7
12	Widnes Vikings	8							6	2
12	Hunslet RLFC	8					1	3		3		1
14	Salford Red Devils	7		5								2
15	Leigh Centurions	6	4		1				1
16	Warrington Wolves	4			1		3
17	Bradford Bulls	3					3
17	Barrow Raiders	3				3
19	Oldham Roughyeds	2		1		1
20	Rochdale Hornets	1					1
	Total	422	47	47	47	47	47	43	29	29	43	43