T'Other Side: Doncaster

 

Head Coach: Richard Horne

Richard Horne is a real rarity in modern rugby league in that he has been a one club man (albeit) with two clubs. If that sounds like double-Dutch then we’ll explain. The only club where he has been head coach is Doncaster where he took over in June 2017, having previously been on the coaching staff at Hull FC. At Doncaster he has master-minded a steady improvement in the club’s fortunes. They narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship, being beaten in the play-off finals in 2021 and 2022 but it was third time lucky in 2023 when they won the final against 18-6 against North Wales Crusaders. Back in the Championship in 2024 he guided them to 8th place and only 3 points short of the play-off positions. A very creditable achievement considering that so many clubs have come up from League One only to be relegated straight back the following year.

His entire club playing career was at Hull FC and encompassed 17 seasons from 1998 until his retirement in 2014. For Hull he played 383 games, mostly as a halfback, and scored 133 tries. We said he only played for one club, and that is true, but he also played matches for Scotland (in the 2000 World Cup), Yorkshire and Great Britain.

Captain: Reece Lyne 

Reece Lyne has taken over as Doncaster captain for 2025, succeeding Sam Smeaton who had been captain for the previous four years.

He made his first grade début at Hull FC in 2010 and moved to Wakefield in 2013 where he remained for 11 seasons. He signed for Doncaster in 2024. He has also played 2 games for England, playing against France in 2018 and 2021.

 

Dual Registration

Doncaster have signed a dual registration agreement with Hull FC for 2025.

 

The Fev Connection

 

Bearing in mind that Doncaster did not become a professional club until 1951, it is rather surprising that there are 136 players we know of who have played for both Fev and Doncaster. As you can see above there are no less than nine players in this year’s Doncaster squad who have been at Rovers. 

 

Craig Hall made his début with Hull FC in 2007. In 2011 he moved the short distance to join Hull KR. He spent 2015 and 2016 at Wakefield and in 2017 he joined Toronto Wolfpack. In 2018 he joined Leigh Centurions and also played games on loan at Hull KR before re-joining them in 2018.

In 2020 he signed for Fev and had 4 seasons here playing 77 games, scoring 28 goals and 1 drop goal for a total of 901 points. In 2021 he achieved 5 hat tricks including a 4 try haul against York and 5 in a match against Sheffield. His 157 goals in 2021 has only ever been bettered for Rovers by Liam Finn (twice), Steve Quinn and Jamie Rooney.

Last year (at the age of 35) he moved to help strengthen Doncaster after their promotion to the Championship and has, so far, appeared for them on 25 occasions, scoring 4 tries and kicking 7 goals and a drop goal.

 

A name that every Fev fan will know is our new chairman and former halfback, Paddy Handley! He signed for Fev from Leeds in 1997 and in 4 seasons played 113 games and 25 tries. In 2001 he joined York (his hometown club) but in mid-season transferred to Doncaster for the remainder of that year and 2002 after which he retired. At Doncaster he played 29 games and scored 6 tries.

There is a big connection between Paddy and Doncaster CEO, Carl Hall, as they played together for Leeds, Fev and Doncaster.

 

Cyril Woolford, mostly a winger but sometimes centre, made his début with Castleford in 1949. After 5 seasons there he joined Doncaster for whom he played 60 games and scored 12 tries. Then, late in the 1955-56 season he transferred to Fev where he stayed until he retired in 1961. At Rovers he made 188 appearances and scored 88 tries (including 3 hat tricks).

In 1958-59 he set a new Fev record for tries in a season with 31 beating the 26 tries scored by Eric Batten in 1952-53. His 31 tries remained the record right up until 1992-93, it was beaten by both Paul Newlove and Owen Simpson.

While at Fev, Cyril Woolford played for Yorkshire and he was a try scorer in the Rovers team that beat Hull in the final of the 1959 Yorkshire Cup.

 

Cyril’s son, Neil, also played for Featherstone.