Leeds Tykes

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Leeds Tykes
Full name Leeds Tykes Rugby Union Football Club
Emblem White Rose of York
Colours Blue, white and yellow
Founded 1991
Sport Rugby union
League National Division One
Ground Headingley Carnegie Stadium
Official website www.leedsrugby.com

Leeds Tykes is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, that currently competes in National Division One, the second-highest level of the sport in England.

A "Tyke" is a traditional Yorkshire character rugged, hardworking and with great pride in their roots.

Contents

[edit] History

Headingley has a tradition of rugby which started back in 1877. After several youngsters became interested in rugby after watching Leeds St. Johns, later to become Leeds Rhinos rugby league team. Their first game was in November against the Saints second team. In 1889, Headingley was disbanded when Leeds St. Johns moved into the area, built Headingley Stadium and dropped the St. Johns from their name. However, Headingley bounced back and found fixtures outside Yorkshire, in 1901 their fixture list including a game against the famous Blackheath club.

Roundhay were formed in 1924 and moved to their grounds at Chandos Park in the 1930s. Forty internationals have played for one team or the other perhaps the best known being Peter Winterbottom, Ian McGeechan and Chris Rea who played for Headingley. Brian Moore played for Roundhay before his move down to Nottingham and his selection for England.

Leeds RUFC was founded in 1991 after the merger of Roundhay and Headingley and played their first match on 1st September 1992 against Hull Ionians. Since 1996 they have played at Leeds Rhinos' Headingley stadium and Phil Davies became their player-coach. In their first season they finished eighth in the old twelve team fourth division. They were renamed Leeds Tykes in 1998 when Leeds Rugby Ltd was formed, merging the Rhinos and Tykes under one umbrella. Since then they have climbed through the ranks and joined the Premiership in 2001.

They survived their first season after the National League One champions were denied entry into the Premiership in 2002. The next season Leeds finished fifth in the table and made their Heineken Cup debut in December 2003. In their four seasons in the Zurich Premiership they finished an average ninth and had reached a couple of domestic cup semi-finals. In 2005 they were mid table by early November but at the turn of the year following injuries to key players they were bottom of the Zurich Premiership and some way adrift of their rivals. Despite the threat of relegation they somehow made it to their first ever Powergen Cup final. They faced Bath who were top of the table and had never been beaten in a cup final. Leeds recorded a shock 20-12 win to claim their first ever trophy. Following the cup win they went on to win five straight games and avoided the drop by finishing eighth.

Phil Davies relinquished control of some coaching duties to concentrate on his role as Director of Rugby in 2005 following another poor start to the season which saw the Tykes lose all eight games in three different competitions. This led to, on 12th January 2006, former Rugby League international Daryl Powell being promoted from the back room staff to First Team coach . Formerly the head coach of rugby league club Leeds Rhinos, he was promoted from his previous title as the Tykes' offensive coach.

Unfortunately Leeds were relegated after Newcastle beat Sale. However they will receive a £1.5Million 'Parachute Payment' and are tipped to be back next year, should they keep the bulk of the squad. Following relegation Justin Marshall was transfer listed by request, and Leeds legend Mike Shelley announced retirement.

At the end of April 2006 Phil Davies resigned as Director Of Football to be replaced by academy coach Stuart Lancaster.

[edit] Current Squad

  • Colin Noon
  • Michael Cusack
  • Mike MacDonald
  • Tom McGee
  • James Isaacson
  • Rob Rawlinson
  • James Parkes
  • Stuart Hooper (Captain)
  • Pablo Bouza
  • Kearnan Myall
  • Jon Dunbar
  • Mark Lock
  • Martin Schustermann
  • Richard Bryan
  • Sam Stitcher
  • Rhys Oakley
  • Darren Edwards
  • Jacob Rauluni
  • Ian Humphreys
  • Johnny Hepworth
  • Chris Jones
  • Rob Vickerman
  • Anitaleia 'Andy' Tuilagi
  • Lee Blackett
  • John Holtby
  • Tom Biggs
  • Richard Welding
  • Leigh Hinton
  • Tom Rock
  • Andy Rock
  • Mike Aspinall
  • Danny Paul
  • Phil Nilsen
  • Simon Worrall
  • Richard Vasey
  • Andy Boyde
  • Max Lewis

[edit] Internationals

[edit] Other players

  • Sam Stitcher (England under 16 and under 19 teams)
  • Rob Vickerman (England under 21]] and under 19]] teams)

[edit] Former players

[edit] Club honours

[edit] External links

v·d·e
Rugby union in England
Federation: Rugby Football Union
National teams: England • England Saxons • England Sevens • British and Irish Lions
International Competitions: Rugby World Cup • Six Nations Championship • Heineken Cup • European Challenge Cup • European Shield • Churchill Cup • Rugby World Cup Sevens • IRB Sevens World Series • London Sevens
Domestic Competitions: Guinness Premiership • EDF Energy Cup
Guinness Premiership teams: Bath • Bristol • Gloucester • Harlequins • Leicester Tigers • London Irish • Newcastle Falcons • Northampton Saints • Sale Sharks • Saracens • London Wasps • Worcester Warriors
National Division One teams: Bedford • Cornish Pirates • Coventry • Doncaster • Exeter Chiefs • Leeds Tykes • London Welsh • Moseley • Newbury • Nottingham • Otley • Pertemps Bees • Plymouth Albion • Rotherham • Sedgley Park • Waterloo
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