Trot The Egg In

This weeks #Rugbystory is Warrington born & bred who played his Jnr rugby at Woolston Rovers & Latchford Albion. His journey playing halted as he left school but his story continued when he volunteered with Warrington Wolves Foundation. He helped the scholarship, academy & reserves before becoming the Analyst he is now. He would go onto be Warrington Wolves Analyst with the reserves & first team only for a change in coach brought a change in staff. Wigan Warriors then became his club & he loves working with the staff & players there, he sees this as the ultimate club. Whilst at Wigan he also helped out England RL & loved his time under Shaun Wane that included a home world cup. Doesn't get much better than that. Now head of analysis & loving his job Ladies & Gents Mr Jack Phillips.

This weeks #Rugbystory was born in Basingstoke but made in the north east. Beginning his sporting story with the round ball & the Newcastle United academy he found rugby in high school & loved it. Growing into the game with Westoe through the age groups, he soon arrived at senior rugby & Leeds academy it was. Repping his county & country whilst honing his skillset there. After a few games in the prem He had a spell in Australia but returned home to resume his career with Newcastle Falcons. He also battled for Ealing, Bedford Tigers, London Welsh, Doncaster Knights, Tynedale & Birmingham Moseley. Ladies & Gents Mr Oliver Stedman

This weeks #Rugbystory is a Widnes lad who is taking Union by storm after a successful spell in league yet only after starting out playing football. Thankfully he got the bug for Rugby at school and league is where it began. He was part of a successful year group at Wade Deacon high school and managed to play for his hometown club Widnes Vikings through their pathway system. He would go onto to feature for Rochdale Hornets & Whitehaven before a brief stint back playing football at the Parklands. A friend talked him into giving Union a go with Preston Grasshoppers & he's not looked back, now breaking into playing for Lancashire. Ladies & Gents it's Mr Sam Freeman.

This weeks #Rugbystory is Australia born South Africa raised, growing up playing Rugby Union barefooted. Coming through the ranks woth hos school he managed to play for Western Province which is where he was then scouted. Castleford Tigers brought him to England where he had already represented SARL. He would go onto play for Oldham, Doncaster, Widnes, Halifax, Huddersfield, Racing 92 & rep'd Scotland. He also wore the colours of Old Brodleians, Halifax RUFC & Halifax vandals to name a few. Now enjoying his time with Widnes Masters RL ladies & Gents Mr Jamie Bloem.

This weeks #Rugbystory is that of proud Welshman who just loves his Rugby. No shock there but he did grow up playing his Jnr rugby for Treharris RFC & moved to Penartha RFC. He had a decision to make between Celtic Crusaders or Dragons RFC & he chose RL & the Crusaders. He represented Wales RL while with Crusader but it wasn't long until he made a big move & that came with Wigan Warriors. He had a few loan moves but knew he needed to leave to play regularly & went on trail to the Ospreys but decided to stick with RL despite an offer from them. Swinton was where he signed & he loved it. Everything about Swinton resonated with him, honesty, hard work, underdogs & ambition. Some special years spent with the club got him a move to Widnes. It's was somewhat unfinished business after a short spell with them earlier in his career. He was a mainstay and fans favourite here. He played in world cups & represented Wales with passion everytime he pulled the jersey on. Now retired from RL he plays when he can with Blackburn Rugby & returns to the code where it all began. Ladies & Gents my pleasure to introduce Mr Rhodri Lloyd.

This weeks #Rugbystory is St Helens through & through, supporting St helens from birth. He's grew up at Knowsley Road & transitioned to the brew dog & everything inbetween. Witnessed some of the best teams the country has ever seen that had some special players wearing proper jerseys. He's rode that RL rollercoaster with his club & seem boys become legends. Throughout it all his loyalty has never wavered & he's created a podcast to share his love of the club & game it's called In That Number & he's involved with Two yorkshire for a Saint. Ladies & Gents Mr Gaz Haigh.

This weeks #Rugbystory is Manchester born & initially starts with Broughton Park RUFC, managing to play rep rugby for Lancashire whilst playing age grade stuff. He made his rugby breakthrough in RL though through student RL initially, earning international recognition with England Students. This caught the attention of Swinton Lions & he became a fans favourite with great performances & prolific try scoring winning him individual awards. On the back of his form for Swinton, Wales RL managed to hear about his eligibility & before he knows it he earns his first cap. His next move comes & it is his current club Widnes Vikings. With his standards still sky high no wonder he's become a regular & Fans favourite here too. Ladies & Gents Mr Mike Butt.

This weeks #Rugbystory is that of a St Helens lad who began his story at Portico Vine. A brief stint in football occurred before finding his club Thatto Heath, St Helens Crusaders to us oldies. He did train with pilks but politically thay wasn't ever going to be. He managed to play rep rugby throughout with town, region & international honours which he holds in high regards. He signed with Sts & was offered a trial at Sale but Thatto became home. He's been versatile within a very successful team & continues to love the game. Ladies & Gents Mr Sean Leicester.

This weeks chat is all about Widnes Masters RL & the story behind the concept. We learn a little bit about the founder Gary Hughes, team member Jake Webster & how the Widnes Master RL was born. It's a great natter about what it takes to create a team & environment that people want to be a part of. It hasn't always gone Gary's way but he's worked hard for things to click into place. An interesting chat about the behind the scenes rather than just a gameday.

This weeks #Rugbystory is that of a real gent & family man born & raised in Widnes. His jnr clubs were Widnes Tigers & Widnes RUFC where he managed to represent Merseyside, Lancashire & North of England. Salford seen something they liked & snapped him up almost immediately after his game for the North of England. Doing an apprenticeship, he tried to establish himself as a regular first teamer at salford & live the RL dream. He also had a run out at Birchfield with his beloved older brother. He would go onto coach his sons at Widnes RUFC & now one of his grandsons at the same club all whilst being a major cog with the other volunteers in making the wids the place it is. Ladies & Gents Mr David Griffiths.

No #Rugbystory this week but their is a cringey 10-15 #Movember video from myself on the reasons why I believe & take part in #Movember I mention a charity that is related to the sport that's been & is a massive part of my life in Rugby & they are called Looseheadz. Check out the great work they're doing & the ways you can reach out if you need an avenue to seek help.

This weeks #Rugbystory is Widnes through & through from watching them at wembley to wanting to don the famous white shirt. He played in some very good sides & was plying his trade as a loose forward. His opportunity to play for his hometown club didn't quite materialise but he still loved the game & contributed to Widnes RL throughout. Beginning in the role of scout, he was present at a lot of community rugby games. He progressed to development manager & now currently commercial manager. Widnes RLFC wouldn't be the same without him. Ladies & Gents Mr Dave Rolt

This weeks #Rugbystory is a Widnesian born & bred who loves a challenge. Growing up thriving in contact sport he took part in Rugby & Boxing. Starting out with Lunts Heath Lions (Now HFH) he played for a couple of years before boxing became the prominent sport. Despite this rugby came calling him back & he excelled in both codes managing to play rep rugby throughout for Lancs in Union & internationally in League & signing for Widnes Vikings all whilst battling a serious illness. He was a big part of arguably the best junior team Widnes RUFC has ever seen, winning silverware almost every year. In his adult life he's taken part in Rugby of both codes, Combat sports & American Football just craving that competition. A great lad & family man Ladies & Gents Mr Alan Carr.

This weeks #Rugbystory is an East Hull born Wigan Warriors fan. Getting introduced to Jnr Rugby League at Humber Social Club was the start of a great playing career but he didn't know that at the time. He moved to Embassy RL at 16 after playing area & Yorkshire rep rugby. Starting as a Hull Kr scholar, he found his first step to that dream of his only for the rivals to come & nab him. He went through the system at Hull FC becoming a key component there during two stints. He signed for Wakefield Trinity & absolutely loved it despite being out of his comfort zone & unfortunately being involved in thr "Million Pound Game". He finished his career with fulfillment & joy at York Knights. Ladies & Gents Mr Danny Washbrook

This weeks #Rugbystory is a Welsh Capped Widnesian who began his story with HFH. He went through the age groups for Widnes Vikings & Wales until he was on the verge of a deal with Widnes & it fell through last minute. He went back to grassroots rugby with HFH whilst flirting with the idea if playing for Widnes RUFC. He battled injuries for a while but seized an opportunity at Salford Red Devils & played SL rugby in extremely difficult circumstances. He is currently plying his trade for Preston Grasshoppers, Ladies & Gents Mr Billy Glover.

This weeks #Rugbystory is that of a Bradford born Wigan Warriors fan. His story begins with Queensbury Rugby followed by a spell playing football before returning to Rugby League at 15. He played rep rugby through the age groups & progressed through the ranks at hometown clubs Bradford Bulls from scholarship to first team. He played in big games & win trophies at Bradford which opened the door to a move, which was to Rugby Union & Gloucester. Injury hampered his time there but nevertheless he enjoyed it. This opened a door to a return to League & it was his club Wigan Warriors. His career also includes Harlequins RL (London Broncos), Dewsbury & Jamaica. Ladies & Gents Mr Karl Pryce.

This weeks #Rugbystory is a fella known well throughout both codes of our great sport. Oldham born, bred & proud he began at Oldham St Anne's but only after having to decide between Oldham athletic & rugby. He was soon spotted by Wigan and was playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Throught his playing & coaching career he's been involved with Dukenfield, Oldham, Leigh, Castleford, England RU, Ireland RU, Toulon, Bath, Leicester, Saracens Warrington & British Irish lions tour name a few. Ladies & Gents Mr Mike Ford.

Kicking off Series 11 of #Rugbystory is a Dewsbury Moor Jnr who is having a fine career. Signed as a Bradford Bulls scholar, he was "too small" so went back & enjoyed his rugby with his grassroots team. He then found his way to Leeds Rhinos that included a loan move to Featherstone Rovers. A move to Batley then materialised before a longer term move to Halifax. He returned to Batley & he's really found a home here, becoming a firm fans favourite & one of the first names on the teamsheet. Ladies & Gents Mr Dane Manning.

A small insight into my life & rugby leading up to an enforced retirement & the birth of Trot The Egg In.

A castleford fan & frequent terrace attendee, the dream was to wear that shirt in the first team. That wasn’t to be but the story that unfolded was nothing short of amazing. Playing for Leeds & Halifax led him to being a part of two unreal dynasty’s at Bradford then St Helens. Now coaching the future stars of this country. Some story.