Roger Millward

Roger Millward
Personal information
Nickname Roger The Dodger
Born 16 September 1947[1]
Castleford, Yorkshire, England
Playing information
Height 5 ft 4 in (162 cm)
Weight 10 st 12 lb (69 kg)
Position Wing, Stand-off/Five-eighth, Scrum-half/Halfback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1964–66 Castleford 40 16 35 0 118
1966–80 Hull KR 413 207 597 10 1825
1976 Cronulla-Sutherland 14 1 17 0 37
Total 467 224 649 10 1980
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1966–79 Great Britain 47 47
1966–80 England
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1980–91 Hull KR
1991–92 Halifax
Total 0 0 0 0
Source: NRL Stats

Roger Millward MBE (born 16 September 1947 in Castleford, West Yorkshire) is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the mid to late 20th century. A goal-kicking Stand-off/Five-eighth, he gained a high level of prominence in the sport in England by playing for Hull KR and Castleford, as well as representing Great Britain. Millward was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.[2]

Millward was awarded the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1983.[1]

Domestic career

Millward began his professional career in September 1964, signing for his home town club Castleford Tigers. He made his debut on 3 October 1964 against Dewsbury and won his first domestic honours in 1965 with Castleford picking up the Floodlit Trophy. Millward played in the position of Stand-off/Five-eighth and, due to the importance of such a position in rugby league, and due to the fact there were many more experienced players in the Castleford side at that time (such as Alan Hardisty and Keith Hepworth) Millward found it hard to break into the first team for any length of time. Millward played in Castleford's 1964–65 Yorkshire League victory.[3] Despite his lack of game experience, the International selectors were interested in Millward and picked him to play for the Great Britain national team in March 1966 against France at the age of 18 and one of Great Britain's youngest players.

On 8 August 1966 Millward was transferred from Castleford to Hull KR for a fee of £6,000, (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £185,900 in 2013)[4] and made his debut for the Robin's at Hunslet on 15 August 1966 and helped the club win the Yorkshire Cup and retain it in the 1967 season.

In the 1968 season Millward finished as the top try scorer for Hull KR with a total of 38 tries in that season, picking up the supporters' player of the year award. Due to his good form he was awarded a call up to the Great Britain squad for the 1968 World Cup which Britain lost to Australia.

In 1969 at the age of 21 Millward was given the captaincy of Hull Kingston Rovers and was also voted the supporters' player of the year for the second time as well as being honoured with the title of Rugby League Players No 6 "Player of the Year".

In the mid-1970s Hull KR had become a dominant force in the world of rugby league thanks in part to Millward's playmaking abilities. Although Hull KR were now one of the top clubs in British rugby league the major awards eluded Millward during his career at the Robins with just two more Yorkshire Cup winner's medals (1971–72, 1974–75) and a runner's up medal (1975–76) along with two more supporters' player of the year awards (1974–75, 1975–76). In Millward's testimonial year he managed to set a new record for Hull KR with the most tries scored in a season, scoring 160 tries in total.

In the 1976 close season Millward decided to go and play for an Australian club, Cronulla-Sutherland. Millward made 14 appearances during his time in Sydney and scored one try as well as kicking 17 points for the then struggling club before returning to Hull.

In 1977 Millward was named as player/coach of Hull KR after the unfortunate death of the club's former manager Harry Poole. In the same season Millward guided his side to a BBC2 Floodlit Trophy and was again voted the supporters' player of the year. This then started a period of total domination for Hull KR.

In the 1978-79 season Hull KR were crowned Division One Champions (the first since 1925). In the 1979-80 season Millward and his Hull KR side made it to Wembley to play cross-city rivals Hull in the Challenge Cup final. Hull KR won the game 10-5 and, despite a breaking his jaw midway through the first half, Millward continued and was awarded the trophy at the end of the game.[5]

Millward retired from rugby league a year after the historic challenge cup victory whilst playing for Hull KR's A Team against a Batley A Team. This was Millward's return to action after sustaining a broken jaw in the Challenge Cup final victory but he was hit by a Batley player and sustained another broken jaw, his fourth in ten months. It was his last game.

International career

By 1969, Millward had established himself as a full Great Britain international after his debut at 18 years of age playing Stand-off/Five-eighth, in the 4-8 defeat by France at Central Park, Wigan on 5 March 1966,[3] he went on to make 47 appearances for his country, including 29 Tests. Millward went on tour with Great Britain a total of five times and also toured with the England National Team on one occasion, captaining in both World Cup tournaments.

Millward’s international career was important as he was an integral member of Great Britain’s last Ashes winning Tour to Australia in 1970 and the last time any series was won against the Australians.

Millward played in the 1967 Test Series against the Kangaroo tourists in England and the 1968 World Cup, both campaigns being unsuccessful. However, his finest hour as an international came in the Great Britain touring party of 1970. He was overlooked in favour of former Castleford club mate Alan Hardisty for the 1st Test against the Australians. The Great Britain team was heavily beaten 37-15 and wholesale changes were made for the 2nd Test. Millward was drafted into the side, where he gave a superb match winning performance scoring 20 points (2 tries, 7 goals) in a 28-7 win to square the series. This equalled the match points record for an individual against the Australians, which had previously been set by Lewis Jones.

The 3rd Test decider was also successful and the Ashes regained. The 21-17 final score did not reflect Great Britain’s superiority as they scored 5 tries to 1, but were heavily penalised by the referee. Again, Millward rose to the occasion: with approximately 5 minutes to go he scored the match and series winning try on the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The try resulted from a thrust through the middle by the second rows, first by Jimmy Thompson and then a bust by Doug Laughton, who then delivered a brilliant pass to Millward in space; Millward took the pass at pace and in turn then outstripped the opposition defence in an arcing run of over 40-yards to score. He also kicked 3 goals in the game.

Thereafter, Millward played with distinction for Great Britain in various internationals against the other nations, but a winning series against the Australians proved elusive.

During the 1978 Kangaroo tour Millward captained Great Britain from stand-off half back in all three Test matches of the Ashes series which Australia won 2-1.

Testimonial match

Roger Millward's Testimonial match at Hull Kingston Rovers took place in 1977.

Coaching

After retiring, Millward stayed on the coaching staff at Hull KR throughout the 80's and early 90's and guided his team to another Challenge Cup final and the Yorkshire Cup final in the 1980-81 season, losing both matches but they did manage a Premiership trophy. Millward coached Hull KR to the final of the John Player Trophy which they lost and second in the Division One Championship. Millward was later awarded an MBE by the Queen for services to rugby league and sport in Great Britain.

During the 1983-84 season Hull KR dominated the scene with Millward's leadership, winning the League Championship as well as the Premiership to be the first team to complete the double and were rightfully crowned the 'Rugby League Team of the Year'. The 1984-85 season was almost as historic with victories in the John Player Trophy final and being crowned Division One Champions for the fifth time, but lost out on the Premiership final.

In 1984-85 Millward coached his side to the last major final of his tenure. The club were victorious in the Yorkshire Cup final but were defeated in the John Player Trophy and Challenge Cup finals which consequently saw the end of Hull KR's domination of English rugby league. Millward left the club after its relegation to Division Two. By 2009 Hull K.R. had revived its fortunes, riding high in 4th place in the Super League, and regularly fills the new Craven Park and the Roger Millward Stand.

In 1991 Roger, took the coaching job at Halifax, but was only there 17 months before resigning.

Private life

Millward now lives with his wife Carol in Kippax, near Leeds and is employed as a Premises Manager by Royds Specialist Language College, near Rothwell Sports Centre. Despite removing all ties from rugby league after leaving the Robins he still attends rugby league matches, mainly those involving his home town club Castleford.

In 2007 Roger had an operation to remove a cancerous growth in the jaw.[6]

Legacy

Millward made 406 appearances for Hull KR in total, with 207 tries, over 600 goals and a grand total of 1,825 points making him the third highest points scorer in Hull KR's history. Millward holds the club's record of 207 tries (which beat the previous record set in the 1920s by winger Gilbert Austin by nearly 50 tries) and has also scored a total of eleven hat tricks for Hull KR, with one for Castleford and two for Great Britain as well as kicking more than ten goals per match.

Honoured by Arriva Yorkshire

Arriva Yorkshire honoured 13 rugby league footballers on Thursday 20 August 2009, at a ceremony at The Jungle, the home of the Castleford Tigers. A fleet of new buses were named after the 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team'. Members of the public nominated the best ever rugby league footballers to have played in West Yorkshire, supported by local rugby league journalists; James Deighton from BBC Leeds, and Tim Butcher, editor of Rugby League World. The 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team' is; Trevor Foster MBE, Neil Fox MBE, Albert Goldthorpe, Alan Hardisty, Stan Kielty, Lewis Jones, Roger Millward MBE, Malcolm Reilly, Garry Schofield, Keith Senior, David Topliss, Dave Valentine, and Adrian Vowles.[7]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Phil Wilkinson. "Legend Q&A". Rugby League Week (Sydney, NSW: PBLMedia) (20 June 2007): pgs 22–23.
  2. ↑ "Rugby League Hall of Fame - Roger Millward". RLHallofFame.org.uk. 25 October 2007.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Statistics at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk". thecastlefordtigers.co.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Measuring Worth - Relative Value of UK Pounds". Measuring Worth. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. ↑ news.bbc.co.uk (27 February 2004). "Cup heroes: Roger Millward". BBC Sport (UK: BBC). Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Where Now?". Era of the Biff. 24 January 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
  7. ↑ "Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team". Arriva Yorkshire. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.

External links