1945–46 Northern Rugby Football League season
Introduction The '''1945–46 Rugby Football League season''' was the 51st season of rugby league football.
Season summary Wigan won their fifth Championship when they defeated Huddersfield 13-4 in the play-off final. They had also finished the regular season as the league leaders.The Challenge Cup Winners were  Wakefield Trinity who defeated Wigan 13-12 in the final.Bramley, Broughton Rangers, Hull Kingston Rovers, Liverpool Stanley, Rochdale Hornets, Salford, Swinton, Warrington and Widnes returned following the Second World War. Workington Town also entered a team for the first time.Jim Sullivan of Wigan ended his career this season as the all-time record scorer of goals with 2,867.Wigan won the Lancashire League, and Wakefield Trinity won the Yorkshire League. Widnes beat Wigan 7–3 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Bradford Northern beat Wakefield Trinity 5–2 to win the Yorkshire County Cup.
Championship TeamPldWDLPts1Wigan362925582Huddersfield362718553Wakefield Trinity3626010524Bradford Northern362439515Barrow3622410486Dewsbury3623013467Hunslet3621411468Salford3623013469Batley36214114610Warrington36213124511Castleford36220144412Widnes36193144113Featherstone Rovers36191163914Halifax36190173815Oldham36180183616Broughton Rangers36163173517Hull36162183418Hull Kingston Rovers36153183319Workington Town36150213020St. Helens36131222721Swinton3695222322Keighley3692252023Leeds3691261924Rochdale Hornets3691261925Bramley3690271826Liverpool Stanley3652291227York3641319===Play-offs===The Championship Play-off Final was played at Manchester City Football Club on Sat 18 May. Wigan's scorers were:Tries: Ashcroft 2, Cunliffe. Goals: Nordgren 2.
Challenge Cup The final returned to Wembley following the end of the Second World War. Wakefield Trinity beat Wigan 13-12 in front of a crowd of 54,730.This was Wakefield Trinity’s second Challenge Cup Final win in three final appearances. Their centre, Billy Stott was awarded the inaugural Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.
European Championship The tri-nation tournament was played between November 1945 and March 1946 as single round robin games between England, France and Wales. This was the fifth Rugby League European Championship, and was won by '''England''' on points average. '''Match Details''' Date  Venue  Home team  Score  Away team  24 November 1945  ''Swansea''  Wales  '''11 - 3'''  England  23 February 1946  ''Swinton''  England  '''16 - 6'''  France 24 March 1946 ''Bordeaux''  France  '''19 - 7'''  Wales
Sources *  1945–46 Rugby Football League season at wigan.rlfans.com*  The Challenge Cup at The Rugby Football League website
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