1983–84 Rugby Football League season
Introduction The '''1983–84 Rugby Football League season''' was the 89th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August, 1983 until May, 1984 for the Slalom Lager Championship.The Second Division was increased to 18 clubs with the introduction of Kent Invicta, who played their home fixtures at Maidstone, this season.
Rule changes End of possession:* A "handover" was introduced after the sixth tackle, replacing the scrum that had previously been formed at that point. The team receiving possession would now play-the-ball to carry on play. * Scrum rules were changed which meant the non offending side had head and ball advantage, effectively making the scrum a non contest.Value of a try:* The number of points a team scored from a try increased from three to four. The aim of this change was to "incentivise scoring tries" over kicking penalty goals, which were worth two points, because the tries were more entertaining.Temporary suspension:* The 10-minute "sin bin" was introduced.
Season summary In September 1983, the ban on international transfers between England and Australia was lifted. This resulted in a big influx of Australian players being signed by clubs on short-term contracts, most notably Test stand-off and future Australia captain Wally Lewis, who signed for Wakefield Trinity.Slalom Lager League Champions: Hull Kingston RoversHull Kingston Rovers finished on top of the First Division table to claim their fifth championship, and also the Rugby League Premiership competition, this was the first occasion the 'Championship / Premiership Double' had been achieved.State Express Challenge Cup Winners: Widnes (19-6 v Wigan)John Player Special Trophy Winners: Leeds (18-10 v Widnes). During the competition, Danny Wilson of Swinton scored a record 5 drop goals in the tie against Hunslet on 6 Nov 1983.Slalom Lager Premiership Trophy Winners: Hull Kingston Rovers (18-10 v Castleford)Barrow (from Cumbria) beat Widnes 12–8 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Hull F.C. beat Castleford 13–2 to win the Yorkshire County Cup===1983/84 Queensland Tour===At the end of the 1983 seasons in Qld and NSW, the Queensland team also toured Papua New Guinea and England. Their tour of Great Britain saw them play three matches. The first against Hull Kingston Rovers resulted in an 8–6 loss, though the Wally Lewis-led Maroons then easily won their remaining matches against Wigan (40–2) and Leeds (58–2)
League Tables ===Championship==='''Final Standings'''TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 Hull Kingston Rovers302226795421+374'''46'''2 Hull302217831401+430'''45'''3 Warrington301929622528+94'''40'''4 Castleford301839686438+248'''39'''5 Widnes3019110656457+199'''39'''6 St. Helens3018111649507+142'''37'''7 Bradford Northern3017211519379+140'''36'''8 Leeds3015312553514+39'''33'''9 Wigan3016014533465+68'''32'''10 Oldham3015213544480+64'''32'''11 Leigh3014016623599+24'''28'''12 Featherstone Rovers3011217464562-98'''24'''13Fulham309120401694-293'''19'''14 Wakefield Trinity307023415780-365'''14'''15 Salford305025352787-435'''10'''16 Whitehaven303027325956-631'''6'''===Second Division==='''Club''''''P''''''W''''''D''''''L''''''PF''''''PA''''''Pts'''1Barrow3432021126332642Workington Town342428714504503Hunslet3424010900597484Halifax342329722539485Blackpool Borough3420311615466436Swinton3421013764437427York3419213743570408Bramley3416216584545349Kent Invicta34170175957003410Huddersfield34153166005453311Cardiff City Blue Dragons34151187107173112Rochdale Hornets34133185516672913Batley34130214777382614Dewsbury34120225266982415Carlisle34120225397802416Huyton3492234317602017Keighley3473244257281718Doncaster34213138410835  Champions  Play-offs  Promoted  Relegated
Challenge Cup The 1983-84 State Express Challenge Cup was won by Widnes after defeating Wigan 19-6 in the final.The Final was played at Wembley before a crowd of 80,116.
League Cup
Premiership
References
Sources * 1983-84 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com