What's the best game you've been to?

[Adelaide Tiger]

Most Cas supporters would say the shellacking of Wigan in the Regal Trophy Final of 1994.

But for me, the most memorable Cas match was against our bogey team, St Helen’s in 2002.  After 15 minutes or so Saints were 18-0 up with Scully running riot.  However, instead of the expected hammering, Cas got back in the game and ended up winning 38-22.

 

[Dunbar]

12 minutes ago, JonM said:

In terms of atmosphere, for me as a Widnes fan, beating Australia in 1978. As a small child, I watched the whole game from pitchside over the boundary wall, as the crowd had spilled over from the terraces. Far more people in the ground than the official attendance. Must've been incredibly intimidating for the visitors playing in such conditions. 

Obviously Widnes beating Wigan at Naughton Park to win the league in 1989, and Widnes beating Canberra at Old Trafford.

In terms of an epic struggle, hard to see past Wigan vs Manly in 1987 as mentioned above. Also GB's 8-4 win against Australia at Wembley in the first test in 1994 after Shaun Edwards was sent off.

My greatest memory from playing was probably not objectively a great game. We played a cup game in snowy, icy conditions at Runcorn and won by one try to nil, but it was one of those games where the whole team seemed to rise to the occasion and tackle their hearts out. Out of hundreds of games, it's the one that really sticks in my mind.

My favourite non Wigan or international game was when Widnes defeated Canberra in the 1989 World Club Challenge.

[Rioman]

Wakefield Trinity v Australia in 1990.  Not a game of silky skilled flowing rugby league but plenty of excitement, some decent tries (Andy Mason), loads of biff, plenty of red and yellow cards, Bobby Fulton's verbal set to with Harry Gration after the match, all played in monsoon conditions.

[MattSantos]

Fev v Leeds in semi final at Elland Road was my first time going to pub for a big game beforehand. I think it was 95 so we were 14..

England v New Zealand semi final when we lost in last minute was an incredible game.

The best bar none, was another semi final - Eng v Tonga in New Zealand. It'll have to go some to beat that! 

 

Edited March 27 by MattSantos

[Sports Prophet]

I invited my future brother in-law to join me at the 2008 CC Final. Being from Central Europe he had little appreciation of live rugby. We were both in High Wycombe and we went to a couple of Wasps games. They were still a force at this stage and regularly filling Adams Park. I promised him we would go get a game of RL. 

That opportunity arrived to take him to Wembley for a big turnout for Saints v Hull CC Final. Wikipedia tells me there were  over 80,000 there that day (how far are we from those days now just 15 years on). Great game and everything to play for when Hull came within a converted try of equalising Saints with 5 minutes to spare. The place was buzzing and what a great game it was. The best game and experience I’ve had watching RL in Europe.

After it finished, I triumphantly asked him, “so which one do you think is better then?” I mean how could anything at Adams Park have come close to such a spectacle and such a crowd. 

At the time, I didn’t realise what a toff he was. Son of a staunch capitalist who suffered through communist oppression, my brother in-law grew up a bit of a white collar snob. It says it all when he supports Slavia instead of Sparta. 

Knowing the history of the two codes which I taught him and the blue/white collar aspects of the two codes, he answered “ohhh, I think I prefer Rugby Union. I think the fans are not as crazy and the game is more strategic”.

I told him to “get farked” and he should consider himself lucky I would still give him a lift home.

We’ve mended the bridge since, but it’s hard to overcome such snobbery  

Edited March 27 by Sports Prophet

[daz39]

There's 2 in equlity for me:

1995 Challenge cup 5th round Keighley 0-30 Huddersfield, at the height of 'Cougarmania' and the Hudddersfield/Keighley rivalry we were drawn away at Cougar park where the home side hadn't lost at home for something like 15 months,(we'd actually smashed high flying Halifax at home in the previous round) the ground was rampacked, a capacity crowd of 5,700 and we absolutely battered them, they didn't lay a glove on us all afternoon, we were actually in disbelief on the terraces as no one had come close to giving Keighley a beating like this for ages, that game and cup run ( we lost to Oldham in the QF) was, for me, the start of our awakening.

2006 Challenge Cup semi final, Leeds 12 -30 Huddersfield, Leeds with their superstars were hot favourites, it was going to be a routine win for the rampant Rhinos surely? Nope, we had 17 warriors on that field who dismantled the superstar Leeds team with ease to take us to our 1st cup final since 1962, probably the finest team performance i'v ever seen.

There's been some other great wins too but those 2 simply for the magnitude and margins of the wins will take some beating.

Edited March 27 by daz39

[Keep The Faith]

15 minutes ago, daz39 said:

There's 2 in equlity for me:

1995 Challenge cup 5th round Keighley 0-30 Huddersfield, at the height of 'Cougarmania' and the Hudddersfield/Keighley rivalry we were drawn away at Cougar park where the home side hadn't lost at home for something like 15 months,(we'd actually smashed high flying Halifax at home in the previous round) the ground was rampacked, a capacity crowd of 5,700 and we absolutely battered them, they didn't lay a glove on us all afternoon, we were actually in disbelief on the terraces as no one had come close to giving Keighley a beating like this for ages, that game and cup run ( we lost to Oldham in the QF) was, for me, the start of our awakening.

2006 Challenge Cup semi final, Leeds 12 -30 Huddersfield, Leeds with their superstars were hot favourites, it was going to be a routine win for the rampant Rhinos surely? Nope, we had 17 warriors on that field who dismantled the superstar Leeds team with ease to take us to our 1st cup final since 1962, probably the finest team performance i'v ever seen.

There's been some other great wins too but those 2 simply for the magnitude and margins of the wins will take some beating.

Easy few 

30 years ago today keighley 6-22 Batley in the second division either side that won had the better chance of promotion but we’d been hammered by them the previous encounters, Brendan Hill along with Jimmy Irvine went toe to toe both ended up been sent off but Glen Tomlinson was the best player on the park 

Huddersfield 15-14 Batley 1994/95 season 

another game I remember we nearly won at the death as we played with 10 men at one stage of the game Tomlinson along with mark Cass and chris McWilliams were brilliant 

simon Wilson kick went under the bar from the far touchline side 

batley 22-22 St Helens regal trophy 

bobbie Goulding broke many peoples hearts that day in the mud at the mount Chris McWilliams ran the saints pack all over the park 

keighley 22-26 Batley 

the top teams clashed at keighley again early season we beat them with 12 men following a head high tackle at the time, their first loss of the season, we gained a win over the rivals over 4,000 there again 

 

Only 3 teams won at keighley in 1994/95 season Batley, Huddersfield and which other club?

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

2 minutes ago, Keep The Faith said:

Only 3 teams won at keighley in 1994/95 season Batley, Huddersfield and which other club?

Keighley??...

[Dave T]

Could end up a long list here, but my shortlist:

1 - @Spidey has already called it, but the 2008 WC Final was unbelievable. Great stadium, city, atmosphere and a brilliant match with the Aussies losing the final in their own backyard. Brilliant stuff!

2 - 1994 - GB v Aus at Wembley. That JD try, Edwards getting sent off, over 50k at Wembley, great day out, superb memories.

3 - As a Wire fan, have been lucky with those Wembley wins, so could pick any of them over the last 15 years, but that 2nd win, when we hammered Leeds was a personal highlight. A special mention has to go to the semi final in 2009 when we beat Wigan, looked like being an easy one and ended up tense!

[JonM]

3 minutes ago, Keep The Faith said:

Only 3 teams won at keighley in 1994/95 season Batley, Huddersfield and which other club?

Looks like two other clubs, both currently in SL, both within the space of 4 days.

[Cumbrian Fanatic]

1 hour ago, MattSantos said:

The best bar none, was another semi final - Eng v Tonga in New Zealand. It'll have to go some to beat that! 

 

A mate of mine was at that game and says it was like no other game he's ever been to, or likely to go to

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

5 hours ago, Ovenden Grunt said:

1980 Halifax v Wakefield in't Challenge Cup. No tries as Fax won 7-3 with Jonny Blair's tactical kicking and four drop goals too much for Wakefield in front of a 12,800 crowd. I've never before or since experienced an atmosphere like that day anywhere. Brilliant! ️

Remember that well.  Fax were 2nd division iirc   Wakefield had been on a decent run of form with Graham Idle captaining the side whilst Topliss had been out injured.  Topliss got his place back and I think he set the scene with the 1st drop goal.  Maurice Bamford stood on the touchline rousing his side throughout the game.  Games like that do stick, win or lose.

[Fevrover]

1983 Cup final v Hull.

Fev v Cas in cup 2012.

1985 Cup final Hull v Wigan.

[roversspud]

1976 Challenge Cup Quarter Final Fev v Leeds at POR. Fev won at a canter by 33-7 and it was by far the best rugby I've seen and against a decent Leeds team at that.

[Wigan Riversider]

Never been able to decide between:

* Wigan v Manly 1987

* Wigan v Saints Wembley 1989

* GB v Australia 1992 WC Final

* Leeds v Bradford 2003 CC Final

Therefore I will have to sit on the fence!! APOLOGIES.

[north yorks trinity]

I think early positive experiences stay with us so I'm thinking:

Halifax v St Helens at a packed old Wembley

Wakefield beating Wigan in our second game back in the top flight in 1988

Wakefield v Australia 1990 (lost 18-36 but what an atmosphere and what a brutal battle)

A bit more recently, for intensity and atmosphere, the 2013 world cup semi England v NZ must be up there, just a massive shame about the ending giving a level of disappointment probably only matched by the 1990 2nd test GB v Aus at Old Trafford

[Sports Prophet]

For something different, my favourite international was Malta v Norway sometime around 2009 or 10 I think.

A quick search for the date found an unmistakable short video of the game.

The crowd were eager with lots of energy, music, flares and I think the romance of experiencing that game when almost every RL enthusiast did not, has always remained with me.

 

[phiggins]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

2 - 1994 - GB v Aus at Wembley. That JD try, Edwards getting sent off, over 50k at Wembley, great day out, superb memories.

 

I've found myself thinking about this game when reading various threads about attendances and in particular, the Challenge cup. If this game was played now, you'd see all sorts of comments about the number of empty seats and how we shouldn't be playing at Wembley. 30 years on, nobody mentions the attendance, just the sending off and the Davies try. 

Was my first ever trip to Wembley, so personally a memorable one for me as well.

[north yorks trinity]

I posted first then read the thread back, which reminded me of many other games I could have included. But then the thread asks for the best game I've been to, not a selection of the best 10 or so!

So, my criteria are that it needs to have been close, my team needs to have won, preferably against the odds and the that the win means something historically. For that reason, I haven't gone for the 1994 first test as losing the series tarnishes the result (though only slightly)! I could have gone for the whole of the 2003 series v Aus; three losses but should have won 1 or 2 and could have won all 3, but we didn't and that's more than one game anyway.

I came close to picking Wakefield v Sheffield Yorkshire cup final as the only time I've seen us lift a trophy (missed the 1998 play off final) making us the reigning Yorkshire cup champs. Can't actually remember if it was a good game but I know I enjoyed it

However after much thought I've gone for the 1998 Sheffield v Wigan cup final, Cliff Richard and all, as the most enduringly enjoyable and memorable afternoon of rugby league. (Sorry Wigan fans; I used to hate Wigan with a passion but am more or less over that now and did cheer for you against Penrith a few weeks ago!!!)

[Trojan]

4 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

2023 Challenge Cup Final for obvious reasons

Fev 40-60 Sheffield for sheer ridiculousness

Joey Johns’ debut for Warrington was a tremendous occasion to attend as a neutral

The 2019 playoff game between Leigh and Fev.  Probably the best game I've ever seen, a credit to both sides and the Championship

[sam4731]

2019 GF. Probably wasn't even that good a game but I started supporting Saints in 2015 just after our last SL win, so 4 years with no major final finally culminated with a CC final against Warrington which we lost. So to be at OT under the lights and watch us finally win was just incredible.

[The Phantom Horseman]

5 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

 

Fev 40-60 Sheffield for sheer ridiculousness

 

That was a ridiculously weird month all round from a Fev POV.

As you say, in early April 2012 they shipped 60 points at home to Sheffield, including four interception tries for the Eagles.

4 weeks later, they again conceded 60 points at home to Halifax, losing 12-60.

Between those 2 games, they beat Castleford 23-16 in one of the club's finest-ever victories, and 2 weeks later were leading Wigan at half time, both in the Challenge Cup.

 

Edited March 27 by The Phantom Horseman

[daz39]

4 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

Easy few 

30 years ago today keighley 6-22 Batley in the second division either side that won had the better chance of promotion but we’d been hammered by them the previous encounters, Brendan Hill along with Jimmy Irvine went toe to toe both ended up been sent off but Glen Tomlinson was the best player on the park 

Huddersfield 15-14 Batley 1994/95 season 

another game I remember we nearly won at the death as we played with 10 men at one stage of the game Tomlinson along with mark Cass and chris McWilliams were brilliant 

simon Wilson kick went under the bar from the far touchline side 

batley 22-22 St Helens regal trophy 

bobbie Goulding broke many peoples hearts that day in the mud at the mount Chris McWilliams ran the saints pack all over the park 

keighley 22-26 Batley 

the top teams clashed at keighley again early season we beat them with 12 men following a head high tackle at the time, their first loss of the season, we gained a win over the rivals over 4,000 there again 

 

Only 3 teams won at keighley in 1994/95 season Batley, Huddersfield and which other club?

I'd hazard a guess at either London or Bramley?

[graveyard johnny]

Leeds V St helens last Friday night - the car broke down on the way there so I went to the pub instead

[ATLANTISMAN]

1/Vegas Baby both matches 

2/ Broncos v Raiders 1997

3/ GBv France April 1990

4/ Ile Sur Tet v Lescure May 2023

5/ Peckham v Ealing London Cup Final 1981 (I think) wasn't selected :(((((((

Edited March 27 by ATLANTISMAN