David Ward (Rugby League)
Encyclopedia
David J. Ward is an English
former rugby league
footballer and coach. A hooker, he played for and managed Leeds RLFC
. Possibly the greatest moment of his playing career was his performance during the 1978 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium
against St Helens, where he gave a commanding performance marshalling the Leeds
team, and kicked two late drop-goals to complete what was then a record comeback. He won a total of 12 Great Britain
caps and, in 1977, won the inaugural Man of Steel Award.
One of the more notable signings of his coaching career was when Ward brought John Gallagher
to Leeds
, converting the player from rugby union
, but Ward was ultimately unsuccessful at Leeds, despite being in charge of one of only two full-time squads in the league at the time. He later went on to coach lower-league Batley
.
Ward currently runs Birstall
Squash Club, and has done for many years. His son Danny
is a rugby league player, with one Great Britain cap; he signed for Harlequins Rugby League in 2008. Ward also runs Birstall Victoria Rugby Club which had seen little success until May 2011 when the Under 12's team were the first Birstall team to lift the Continuation cup beating York Acorn 40-4. Ward watched the match from the players bar, when the match was over he said one word: "awesome".David is also well known locally for his impersonation of the legendary singer Frank Sinatra.
es, David Ward played Hooker, i.e. number 9 in Great Britain
’s 7-8 defeat to France
in the friendly
at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo
, Venice
on 31 July 1982.
at Leeds
took place in 1982.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer and coach. A hooker, he played for and managed Leeds RLFC
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
. Possibly the greatest moment of his playing career was his performance during the 1978 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
against St Helens, where he gave a commanding performance marshalling the Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
team, and kicked two late drop-goals to complete what was then a record comeback. He won a total of 12 Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
caps and, in 1977, won the inaugural Man of Steel Award.
One of the more notable signings of his coaching career was when Ward brought John Gallagher
John Anthony Gallagher
John Anthony Gallagher is a former rugby union All Black. He was born in London.Gallagher was one of the first of a succession of All Blacks to switch codes to rugby league....
to Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, converting the player from rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, but Ward was ultimately unsuccessful at Leeds, despite being in charge of one of only two full-time squads in the league at the time. He later went on to coach lower-league Batley
Batley Bulldogs
Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895...
.
Ward currently runs Birstall
Birstall, West Yorkshire
Birstall is a large village in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England and situated roughly 6 miles south-west of Leeds. It features a quaint triangular Victorian marketplace, which replaced an earlier market on High Street in the Georgian area of the village further up the hill...
Squash Club, and has done for many years. His son Danny
Danny Ward
For the footballer currently playing for Huddersfield Town, see Danny Ward Danny Ward is an English professional rugby league footballer for Harlequins RL in Europe's Super League. His usual position is as at Prop-forward...
is a rugby league player, with one Great Britain cap; he signed for Harlequins Rugby League in 2008. Ward also runs Birstall Victoria Rugby Club which had seen little success until May 2011 when the Under 12's team were the first Birstall team to lift the Continuation cup beating York Acorn 40-4. Ward watched the match from the players bar, when the match was over he said one word: "awesome".David is also well known locally for his impersonation of the legendary singer Frank Sinatra.
International honours
In addition to the above Test MatchTest match (rugby league)
A Test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation.The definition of a Test match differs from that of an international match...
es, David Ward played Hooker, i.e. number 9 in Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
’s 7-8 defeat to France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
in the friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo
Stadio Pierluigi Penzo
Stadio Pierluigi Penzo is a multi-use stadium in Venice, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of F.B.C. Unione Venezia. The stadium holds 10,500 people and is located on the island Sant'Elena. It is the only ground in Italy's top flights to which...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
on 31 July 1982.
Testimonial match
David Ward's Testimonial matchTestimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
at Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
took place in 1982.