The Leeds Rhinos Miscellany E-Book

Phil Caplan

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 190

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

The Leeds Rhinos Miscellany - a book like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legends. If you want to know the record crowd for a home game, the record appearance holder or longest-serving player, look no further; this is the book you've been waiting for. From record try-scorers to record defeats - it's all here. Full of humour, quotes, anecdotes and more.

Leseprobe

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Phil Daly at the Rhinos for his support of the project, and Ros, life’s proof-reader.

Dedication

For JH and HJ – one an inspiration on the field, the other the finest of company off it.

First published 2010

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2017

© Phil Caplan, 2010

The right of Phil Caplan to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 8386 0

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

FOREWORD

I am in an almost unique position having played for and now fortunate enough to be involved in the running of what is one of the biggest and best known club sides in world rugby.

Headingley Carnegie Stadium has always been something and somewhere special whether as a player – and it has certainly inspired the opposition on numerous occasions – or just to be able to have the resonant surroundings as a work environment.

Of course, in the modern, summer era, the club and the game have changed dramatically. Most of my meetings now take place in the vibrant, community-accessed Carnegie Café in the recently built stand of the same name, for example.

The partnership with Leeds Met Carnegie to provide such a facility illustrates just how far the sport has altered and moved forward. Leeds have always been a progressive club and their current, unprecedented success on the field is the result of a lot of hard work by a number of dedicated people in all areas, not just on the field where it is the most visible and important. We are proud to be building a legacy – it is a real kudos for the city, especially when wearing the mantle of World Champions – and we are very aware of the history at Headingley Carnegie and our place within it.

Anything that commemorates the names, deeds, records and trivia surrounding the name is to be welcomed and this captivating collection by the Rhinos Heritage Officer Phil Caplan will hopefully fascinate, delight and raise the odd eyebrow for the committed fan and curious spectator alike.

It is only by having a context of what has gone on in the past that we can make sense of the present and build for the future. My only disappointment is that my endeavours on the famous field were not sufficiently noteworthy to merit an entry! Mind you, I am one of the few players to have played in both a Leeds/Bradford derby for the Loiners, as was, and the Wigan/St Helens equivalent, when I went for one game on loan at Central Park.

Now there’s a fact.

Gary Hetherington, 2010

THREE-PEAT

There could be no more appropriate time to fête the deeds of the Rhinos and reflect upon the facts, figures and trivia that surround one of the great names and venues in world sport. An unprecedented third consecutive Super League Grand Final victory in the 2009 decider confirmed this current generation’s right to be regarded as the greatest Leeds team of all time, as they shattered and set a host of records at Old Trafford. Most ‘greatest ever’ evaluations are retrospective; a renaissance cannot be created, but there can be no doubt that the five years from 2004, which have included four championship titles – one more than the previous 114 years put together – along with two World Club Challenge victories, a brace of League Leaders’ Shields, a Challenge Cup final and a further Grand Final appearance represents a sustained period of continued excellence that is unparalleled in the distinctive blue and amber. In a salary-capped sport, to take out the top prize three times running is as astonishing as it is remarkable. The only club to better the feat is the all-conquering Wigan outfits of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s but, being full-time and highly capitalised to everyone else’s part-time status, theirs was not a level playing field. Excluding them for that reason, since the Northern Union, as was, was formed during the breakaway in 1895, no club has won three Championships in a row, such is the magnitude of the Rhinos’ achievement. Perhaps equally as importantly for a club that has prided itself on the style with which it plays, the 2009 vintage were the leading points scorers in the competition, made the most clean breaks and had the top try-scorer who was ten ahead of his nearest rival in domestic competition. Leeds fans, who in the past had been something of apologists as followers of an underachieving, heavily resourced club with a crushing weight of expectation, experienced a genuine feeling of pride in excellence because of the calibre of the players wearing the shirt in this professional era. Ultimate victory was achieved without sacrificing inherent integrity and honesty and with the core values of genuine mateship, strength in unity, family and a respect of history to the fore.

RHINOS 2009 GRAND FINAL RECORDS

· First side to win three consecutive Grand Finals

· Kevin Sinfield first player to captain four Grand Final-winning sides

· Lee Smith first player to score tries in three consecutive Grand Finals. Even more meritoriously, they are all from different positions, wing in 2007, full-back 2008 and centre 2009

· Lee Smith shares with team-mate Danny McGuire and Bradford’s Michael Withers the most career tries in Grand Finals with four, Smith in three games, McGuire four and Withers six

· Kevin Sinfield extends his records for Grand Final career goals to 18, including one drop goal, and points tally to 35 in five appearances

· Rob Burrow becomes first player to drop a goal in two Grand Finals

· Jamie Peacock becomes the first player to own enough Grand Final rings to have to use two hands to put them on, winning his sixth

· Kevin Sinfield becomes the first Leeds player to have won the Harry Sunderland Trophy for man of the match in the Championship decider (2009) and the Lance Todd Trophy for the best individual performance in a Challenge Cup final (2005)

ICON OF A GENERATION 1 – KEVIN SINFIELD

A virtuoso performance in the 2009 Grand Final, which saw him emphatically voted man of the match, reconfirmed that skipper Kevin Sinfield is the heartbeat of the greatest ever Leeds side. His prowess as he commanded the Old Trafford turf was summed up by three different kicks that changed the complexion of the game and further underlined a modern rugby intelligence that is almost without parallel in the British game. When his side were under the cosh in the opening quarter and St Helens looked like taking decisive hold, he pinned them back with a glorious 40/20 which changed the momentum of the contest. Having drawn level by the break, his restart to the second half found touch to not only set up immediate field position but to further sow the seeds of doubt in the increasingly fragile Saints mentality.

From the scrum that resulted, he dropped the goal that put Leeds ahead and further ratcheted up the pressure to sap the resolve of their doughty opponents. It was typical Sinfield, masterly at the right moment. Even that, though, paled by comparison to one of the tackles of any season as he tracked back from seemingly nowhere to nail Kyle Eastmond in the corner in the ultimate game-turning moment. His tackling stats are invariably astonishing, although that side of his game is often undervalued by the watching critics. In each of the three consecutive title-winning seasons he has topped the Leeds count and in 2007 and 2008 was more than 120 ahead of his nearest team-mate. What he proved again, extending his record as the finest Leeds captain in history when he picked up the Championship trophy for the fourth time in 2009, was that he is incomparable as a leader. Quietly assertive, his drive, determination, ambition and constant pursuit of excellence make him the ultimate man to follow and he has come to represent the best of the modern professional sportsman both within the dressing room and as an ambassador for the club and the code. On the pitch, when the final whistle went to signal the completion of the quest to land the Super League XIV title, the realisation that his side had become the first to win three consecutive Grand Finals began to sink in and he showed the human emotion of what that achievement meant. It was not about winning one game, but put the unstinting efforts of three years into relief. The tear in his eye said everything about the meticulous preparation, togetherness and sacrifice he and his players had put in, not just for that eighty minutes but day in, day out without fuss or deserved acclaim and recognition. With all that going through his mind, allied to the joy of winning, he then had to make a speech before collecting the trophy and joining his team-mates, live to those in the ground and the watching millions throughout the world. Measured and articulate, his last sentence dedicated the win to John Holmes, Leeds’ greatest ever servant who had passed away the week before. To have the presence of mind to do that, which meant a tremendous amount to so many associated with the club, was not only further indication of his compassion but said so much about the spirit and ethos he has inculcated within the current group.

A student of history as well as a graduate in sports science, he is the epitome and essence of what it should mean to be a professional sportsman. Oldham-born, despite being only 29, he has already had a testimonial at the club he joined on scholarship as a 12-year-old and one to whom he has said he is committed for life. He was earmarked as a leader from his early days skippering successful Academy sides with his perception and composure immediately evident. In 2004 he became the first Leeds skipper to lift the title for 32 years and the following March the first to see his men crowned World Club Champions. During Super League XII, he became the first Leeds player in history – and second in Super League – to play and score in every match during a season, a total of 36 games and 306 points. That consecutive run was extended to 63 matches in all competitions, 52 of them Super League games, and was only ended when he played for England in France. In all, he posted 570 points during that time, the sequence both a club and competition record. He made his first team debut as a 16-year-old and was appointed skipper in 2003 at the age of 22. By the end of the 2009 campaign he stood second in the club’s all-time points scoring list having kicked his 1,000th goal that year and passed the 2,000 points barrier – fittingly during the 2008 Grand Final – and is closing in on Lewis Jones’ records in both categories which looked unsurpassable. Although a member of the squad that won the 1999 Challenge Cup, scoring two tries at Widnes in the quarter-final, he did not play at Wembley. In a competition that has seen him miss out twice since in finals, he won the Lance Todd Trophy at Cardiff in 2005 in a beaten side. He made his representative debut for England in the 2000 World Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Russia, and has won 14 Great Britain caps. Player of the Year in 2005 and again in 2009, he has been selected for the mythical Super League ‘Dream Team’ on four occasions and made over 300 starts for the club. Named as the ‘International Loose Forward of the Year’ at the 2009 Rugby League International Federation Awards, he gained further recognition worldwide when making the Golden Boot short list.

CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORIES IN A WORD

1961 – REALISATION

· Leeds finally win their first title after waiting 70 years

1969 – BRUTAL

· It’s war as the Loiners summon up one last attack to beat local rivals Castleford

1972 – RETRIBUTION

· Saints win the cup but a week later a young Leeds side gain instant revenge

2004 – EXHILARATION

· After a wait of 32 years a new generation of Rhinos finally experience being top dogs

2007 – BREATHTAKING

· St Helens are ripped apart in glorious, emphatic style

2008 – DEFIANT

· Thrashed by Saints in the play-offs, the Rhinos turn the tables to down the overwhelming favourites

2009 – FULFILLMENT

· The closest-knit of groups make history with a third consecutive Grand Final win

THEY CAME TO HEADINGLEY BY CAR

A bunch of Loiners who had their own transport:

Phil Ford

John Riley

John Bentley

Oliver Morris

Fred Pickup

Mickey Vann

David Healey

Maurice Lucas

Steve Morris

Chev Walker

Ernie & Ossie Deysel

FIVE HUNDRED UP!

Centre Keith Senior passed an astonishing landmark when Leeds faced Hull at the KC Stadium in July 2009. Super League’s record appearance maker and try-scorer took the field for the 500th time, the 33-year-old former Great Britain international becoming the first player in the modern era to reach the milestone. He led the side out and celebrated in suitable style, scoring the 230th try of his distinguished career in a 43–30 triumph. A member of the Sheffield side that ran out for the opening match of the summer era in Paris, scoring a try in defeat, he was part of the Eagles side that memorably and sensationally beat Wigan at Wembley in 1998 before moving to Leeds the following season, ostensibly as a replacement for Brad Godden.

Since then he has played on the biggest stages but felt the pressure of this special personal achievement. ‘It was the first time I’ve felt a bit anxious about going into a game,’ he said afterwards. ‘It had been hyped up quite a bit, but it’s something that I’m very proud that I’ve finally achieved.’ Ironically, he also made his 300th appearance for Leeds against Hull, scoring twice against them at the end of May. As well as being virtually indestructible, he is the perfect winger’s centre as he again illustrated in 2009 when he moved from the right – where he had formed a sensational partnership with Scott Donald – to the left, which saw Ryan Hall head the try charts thanks in part to the imperious service he received from the man on his inside. Paying tribute to his amazing appearance record, Rhinos coach Brian McClennan commented, ‘To get 500 games in the professional era is a tremendous achievement and there’s more to come. It’s a really good effort and our whole team is really proud to be involved in such an historic occasion.’

EXPANDING HORIZONS

Since the advent of Super League, Leeds have played in five foreign countries and visited two others for pre-season training. In 2001, they made their first of three visits to Jacksonville, Florida, to prepare for the Super League campaign, winning the Sunshine State Challenge at Alltel Stadium. In a semi-final which saw Brett Mullins, Tonie Carroll and Robbie Mears make their debuts, they beat Gary Mercer’s Halifax 18–10 – for whom Jamie Thackray scored a try. The Rhinos went on to dispose of Huddersfield 28–0 in the final later the same day.

The following year, the Rhinos reverted to their natural habitat when visiting South Africa but it was Widnes who sent a warning to the other Super League clubs with a 22–10 victory. The teams met at the Herman Immelman Stadium in Johannesburg in a clash screened live on local television. It was the Vikings who adjusted best to the altitude, heat and second-half downpour to secure a win in front of more than 1,000 fans.

The blue and amber travellers were back in America in 2008 when a hugely profiled game, attended by South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe and his celebrity entourage, attracted a capacity 12,500 fans to the Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida. Despite heavy rain, Leeds beat the Rabbitohs 26–24 in a distinct game of two halves to pick up the Australia Day Challenge Trophy. Leeds led 26–0 at the break having given their top liners a run out and held on with predominantly young squad members in the ranks in the second half; skipper Kevin Sinfield having been withdrawn from the fray at the interval to fly home for the birth of his second child.

In 2009, a young Leeds outfit this time came from behind to defeat promoted Salford 12–10 at the same venue to successfully end the Rhinos Florida Stampede. Despite trailing 10–0 early on, a side shorn of most of their star names – Jamie Peacock having flown home early this time to witness the arrival of his daughter – posted late scores to keep their unbeaten American record going.

Overseas training camps were also staged in Lanzarote in 2004 and Dublin three years later, both as precursors to the club winning the title, but there was no match played at the end of them.

Competitively, Leeds have appeared five times in Wales, losing in two Challenge Cup finals but winning three league fixtures, twice in Scotland where again the cup was an Achilles heel but a regular season fixture not so, and seven times in France, which have all been Super League fixtures, one an ‘on the road game’ against London to help test the market for the arrival of Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.

Leeds Rhinos on their passport travels

USA – Pre-season, P 4 W 4

2001 – Halifax 18–10, Huddersfield 28–0

2008 – South Sydney 26–24

2009 – Salford 12–10

SOUTH AFRICA – Pre-season, P 1 L 1

2002 – Widnes 10–22

SCOTLAND – P 2 W 1 L 1

2000 – Challenge Cup final – Bradford 18–24

2009 – Murrayfield Magic – Catalans 36–16

WALES – P 5 W 3 L 2

2003 – Challenge Cup final – Bradford 20–22

2005 – Challenge Cup final – Hull 24–25

2007 – Millennium Magic – Bradford 42–38

2008 – Millennium Magic – Bradford 40–26

2009 – Super League – Celtic Crusaders 68–0

FRANCE – Super League, P7 W 4 L 3

1996 – Paris St Germain 40–14

1997 – Paris St Germain 28–18

2005 – London Broncos 24–32 (in Perpignan)

2006 – Catalans 58–10

2007 – Catalans 22–30

2008 – Catalans 37–24

2009 – Catalans 30–32

Total record with suitcase in tow – P 19 W 12 L 7

SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME

Although the average attendance at Headingley Carnegie watching the Rhinos in 2009 dropped slightly – in part due to a combination of the recession, having two less well supported sides new to the competition and a reduction in the number of travelling fans – a notable landmark was achieved as the two and a half millionth paying customer passed through the electronic turnstiles since the switch to summer in 1996. Allowing for the fact that the opening season was a fallow one with uncertainties over the viability of the side on the field and club off it, that represents an astonishing fanbase that allowed the Rhinos to be regarded as the best supported of either code in the oval ball game in the later years of the noughties. The biggest number of fans to attend was in 2005 when not far short of half a million ventured into Leeds 6 on match night, with the highest average two seasons later when there was one less home match on the calendar. The number of season ticket holders is currently greater than the average attendance in 1996 and the overall increase from the Super League I to XIV has been 85 per cent. In 2007, a crowd of 19,226 for the mid-September clash with Wakefield Wildcats saw the Rhinos post their highest average attendance since the Second World War.

Year

Home Games

Ave. Attendance

Total

1996

11

8,581

94,391

1997

11

11,005

121,055

1998

11

12,150

133,650

1999

15

13,465

201,975

2000

14

12,635

176,890

2001

14

12,907

180,698

2002

14

12,197

170,758

2003

14

12,849

179, 886

2004

14

16,028

224,392

2005

14

17,011

238,154

2006

14

14,125

197,750

2007

13

17,516

227,708

2008

13

17,043

221,559

2009

13

15,774

205,062

TOTAL

185

13,806

2,573,928

THEY PLAYED HERE TWICE

Historically, Leeds had a reputation for never re-signing players, no matter how many realised what they were missing once it was too late. The greatest exception to that unwritten rule was Kiwi Gary Mercer, an all-action desperado who began as a rampaging winger, moved to centre and ended up as one of the hardest-working back-rowers in the sport. He initially came to Headingley under Doug Laughton’s stewardship in August 1992 and then returned to answer a call for help at the end of the 2001 season, as injuries mounted.

During his first spell at the club he appeared in Challenge Cup finals in 1994 and 1995 and two years later, under compatriot Dean Bell, was appointed skipper. In six and a half seasons at the club he made 164 appearances scoring 43 tries, his longest spell in the British game after initially coming over to play for Bradford and having stints with Halifax, Warrington and Castleford. He made his second debut at Castleford on Saturday 18 August 2001 after returning from Warrington, the club from which he had initially joined Leeds. In the international arena, he represented New Zealand on 21 occasions, scoring four tries, including touring three times.

Dean Bell also played for Leeds in two different guises, although they could not have been more of a contrast. As a youngster, fresh from touring with the Maoris and a season at fledgling Carlisle, he moved to Headingley for the 1983/4 campaign, scoring a try on his debut – a memorable home defeat of then Champions Hull K.R. in the second round of the John Player Cup – and went on to pick up a winners’ medal in that competition. He was set to return the following season after a spell at Eastern Suburbs but elected to follow his mentor Graham Lowe to Wigan instead, with Leeds’ blessing. In 1995, having become an integral part of Wigan’s exceptional trophy-winning side and led Auckland into the NRL, he returned to Headingley supposedly as an assistant to head coach Doug Laughton. He inherited the job when Laughton left unexpectedly and, in his second season, the first of Super League which saw the club in desperate shape off the field, he was forced to don the boots in an effort to stave off the distinct possibility of relegation. In a home match, billed as a ‘four-pointer’ against fellow strugglers Paris St Germain, he made a one-off return, scoring a vital try to secure a crucial win.

THEY SAID IT

‘I’m hoping to look up a few of my old mates when we play at Leeds. I’d particularly like to see John Holmes, I think I helped make him look a good player!’

Tongue-in-cheek comment from then London Broncos coach Tony Currie on his return to Headingley

PLAYER-COACHES