Season 1946/47

17-14 victory over Leeds at Headingley on 24 May.

For large parts of the season the weather was poor or dreary, often pitches were quagmires and the performances of the team overall mirrored the weather.  The season started badly with a serious injury to captain and scrum half Jack Higgins in the Lyon Cup game against Castleford.  Injuries and poor form meant Rovers only had one win before christmas and were rock bottom of the league.  The committee desperate to improve performances made continuous changes in selection and brought in 12 new players while selling 8 players.  In total, some 43 players were used.  One player who left was star winger Albany Longley, sold to Wakefield for a record £750 in January, but was still top try scorer for the season with a paltry 6.  New front row men, Maiden signed from Dewsbury, and Palmer signed from Wakefield, did improve the forwards and contributed to an improvement in results after christmas. Surprisingly, despite winning only 9 games all year, Rovers did beat 4 sides who were challenging for the top 4 – Widnes, Leeds, Huddersfield and Leigh. 

Tragically, young Wakefield winger Frank Townsend died after playing against Rovers in September and a memorial match was played in October.