Rugby League Trivia
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60 free Rugby League trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This rugby league trivia quiz is dedicated to the 13-a-side code. It starts with the basics — how many players, what a try is worth, the six-tackle rule, the play-the-ball — and the origin story of the 1895 meeting at the George Hotel in Huddersfield over broken-time payments. From there it goes international: the 1954 World Cup in France, the Kangaroos' twelve titles, Great Britain's Lions, the Ashes and the Baskerville Shield. Then come the competitions and legends: State of Origin from Lang Park in 1980 to Queensland's eight straight, the Super League war and the birth of the NRL, Wigan's eight Challenge Cups in a row, St Helens' four-peat, the Immortals, Wally Lewis, Andrew Johns, Ellery Hanley, Johnathan Thurston, Kevin Sinfield, the Storm's salary cap scandal, Catalans at Wembley and Toronto Wolfpack. About a third are easy for any fan; the rest are for people who know their Lance Todd from their Dally M. For the union code, see our general rugby page. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia's rugby league articles and the sources they cite, and each explanation adds one more thing worth knowing.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many players does each rugby league team have on the field?
13
The Northern Union cut teams from 15 to 13 a side in 1906, dropping two forwards to open up play.
Q 02Rugby league was born in 1895 in which town, when clubs broke away from the Rugby Football Union?
Huddersfield
Huddersfield hosted the breakaway meeting of 29 August 1895 at which Yorkshire and Lancashire clubs formed the Northern Rugby Football Union, the body that became rugby league.
Q 03What was the central issue behind the 1895 split from rugby union?
Payments to players for lost wages
Payments to players for lost wages, known as 'broken time' money for missing Saturday shifts, were the sticking point; the RFU insisted on strict amateurism and refused them.
Q 04At which West Yorkshire establishment was the Northern Rugby Football Union founded on 29 August 1895?
The George Hotel
The George Hotel, a Victorian coaching inn beside the town's railway station, hosted the 1895 breakaway meeting; Stockport negotiated its membership by telephone.
Q 05How many points is a try worth in rugby league?
4
A try has been worth 4 points since 1983, when it was raised from three to reward attacking play; a conversion or penalty goal adds two.
Q 06How many points does a drop goal (field goal) score in rugby league?
1
A drop goal is worth 1 point, the smallest score in the game; it can be kicked from the hand at any time and decides many golden-point finishes.
Q 07How many tackles does a team get in possession before it must hand the ball over?
6
The limit is 6 tackles: the four-tackle rule arrived in 1966, was extended to 6 in the early 1970s, and since 1983 the ball is handed over rather than scrummed.
Q 08What did the Northern Union replace the ruck with in 1906?
The play-the-ball
The play-the-ball replaced the ruck in 1906: the tackled player stands, drops the ball and heels it back to a team-mate to restart play.
Q 09Which four positions are known as a rugby league team's 'spine'?
Fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker
Fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker form the spine: the four playmakers who handle the ball most and organise the attack.
Q 10Which jersey number does a rugby league hooker traditionally wear?
9
The hooker wears 9 in rugby league, packing in the middle of the front row and feeding the ball from dummy half; in rugby union the hooker wears 2.
Q 11The first Rugby League World Cup, the first of either rugby code, was held in which country in 1954?
France
France hosted the 1954 tournament, the first World Cup in either rugby code, after French officials had pushed for one since the 1930s; the final was played at Parc des Princes.
Q 12The Rugby League World Cup trophy is named after which French administrator?
Paul Barrière
Paul Barrière, president of the French federation from 1947 to 1955, drove the creation of the inaugural World Cup, and the trophy carries his name.
Q 13How many Rugby League World Cups had Australia won by the end of 2022?
12
Australia's 12 titles by the end of 2022 stretched from 1957 to the delayed 2021 tournament, whose final they won 30-10.
Q 21Which consecutive Origin series title did the Maroons claim in 2013?
8th
The 8th straight series win completed a run from 2006 to 2013 under coach Mal Meninga, the longest streak in Origin's first four decades.
Q 22Super League began in which year, replacing the winter championship with a summer season?
1996
Super League kicked off in March 1996 with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation bankrolling the switch to summer; Paris Saint-Germain were among the twelve founding clubs.
Q 23The Super League Grand Final is traditionally staged at which stadium?
Old Trafford
The winners go on to face the NRL champions in the World Club Challenge.
Q 14Which nation became only the third to win the World Cup, in 2008?
New Zealand
Great Britain had won in 1954, 1960 and 1972; every other title has gone to Australia.
Q 15What is the Australian national rugby league team's nickname?
The Kangaroos
The Kangaroos took their name on Australia's first rugby league tour of Great Britain in 1908-09; the Wallabies are the union side and the Socceroos play football.
Q 16In which three years did Great Britain's Lions win the Rugby League World Cup?
1954, 1960 and 1972
Great Britain's titles came in 1954, 1960 and 1972; since 1995 the RFL has entered separate home-nations teams, so the Lions never won again.
Q 17Great Britain contested which trophy against the Kiwis?
The Baskerville Shield
The Baskerville Shield, named for Albert Baskerville, organiser of the Kiwis' pioneering 1907 'All Golds' tour, was first contested by Great Britain in 2002.
Q 18The State of Origin series is played between New South Wales and which state?
Queensland
Queensland's Maroons meet the New South Wales Blues in a three-game series each year; players qualify for the state where they played their junior football, not their club's state.
Q 19The first State of Origin match was played in 1980 at which ground?
Lang Park, Brisbane
Lang Park, Brisbane drew 33,210 to the experimental match of 8 July 1980, staged after two poorly supported interstate games; the Maroons won 20-10.
Q 20Which Maroons legend, nicknamed 'The King', captained 30 of his 31 State of Origin games?
Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis, named an Immortal in 1999, gives his name to the Wally Lewis Medal awarded to State of Origin's player of the series.
Q 24The NRL was formed in 1998 as a peace deal ending which conflict?
The Super League war
The Super League war saw News Corporation's Super League and the ARL run rival competitions in 1997; the NRL merger of 1998 ended it.
Q 25Which hymn is traditionally sung before the Challenge Cup final?
Abide with Me
'Abide with Me' is sung before every Challenge Cup final, a tradition shared with the FA Cup final, where the hymn was first sung in 1927.
Q 26The first Challenge Cup final at Wembley, in 1929, was won by which club?
Wigan
They beat Dewsbury 13–2 in front of 41,500, with Jim Sullivan kicking the first points after three minutes.
Q 27Which club won four straight NRL premierships from 2021 to 2024?
Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers won four straight Grand Finals from 2021 to 2024 under coach Ivan Cleary, with his son Nathan the halfback in each.
Q 28What are Wigan's traditional playing colours?
Cherry and white
Cherry and white are Wigan's colours, giving the club its 'Cherry and Whites' nickname; the hooped shirt is worn by both the rugby league club and its supporters' groups.
Q 29Which club won four consecutive Super League titles from 2019 to 2022?
St Helens
St Helens won the Grand Final every year from 2019 to 2022, the first four-in-a-row of the Super League era, under coaches Justin Holbrook and Kristian Woolf.
Q 30A record crowd of 102,569 watched a Challenge Cup final replay in 1954 at which ground?
Odsal Stadium, Bradford
Odsal Stadium, Bradford, a vast bowl built in a former quarry, held the 102,569 crowd for Warrington's replay win over Halifax, a rugby record that stood for 45 years.