Stuart Spruce

Stuart Spruce
Personal information
Born 3 January 1971
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 15 st 2 lb (96 kg)
Playing information
Position Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1989–96 Widnes
1996–01 Bradford Bulls
2001–02 Widnes Vikings
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1992–00 England 3 1 0 0 4
1993–96 Great Britain 6 0 0 0 0

Stuart Spruce (3 January 1971) was a Fullback for Widnes/Widnes Vikings, and from 1996 to 2001 the Bradford Bulls.

Playing career

Widnes

Stuart Spruce made his debut for Widnes during the 1989-90 season, under coach Doug Laughton. When regular fullback Alan Tait quit for Leeds, Spruce became the permanent fullback.

Bradford Bulls

Spruce played for Bradford Bulls at fullback in the 1999 Super League Grand Final which was lost to St Helens RLFC. He played for Bradford until the week before the 2001 Rugby League Challenge Cup final. He became known as a good defensive player and an excellent offense. James Lowes, who played with him throughout his time with Bradford, paid this tribute: "Stuart has been one of the best fullbacks of his generation. He is a great talker on the field and a devastating runner."

International honours

Spruce won caps for England while at Widnes in 1992 against Wales, while at Bradford Bulls in 2000 against Russia (sub), and Fiji,[1] and won caps for Great Britain while at Widnes in 1993 against France, and while at Bradford in 1996 against Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand (3 matches).[2]

Retirement

Stuart was at the forefront of the Bulls' success for five years before injury forced his retirement. However, his remarkable resilience saw him make a Super League comeback for his hometown club Widnes when they won promotion and joined the competition in 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.

External links