John Holmes (rugby player)

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John Holmes (born March 21, 1952 in Headingley , † September 26, 2009 in Leeds ) was a British rugby league player. He is the record player for the Leeds Rhinos and became world champion with Great Britain in 1972 .

Life

Holmes went to school first in Burley , then in Kirkstall . As a rugby league player, he won his first trophy with the Kirkstall Boys while still at school. At the Leeds Rhinos he made his debut in 1968 in the game against Hunslet RLFC , where he was able to achieve 23 points. By the end of his career in 1989, he played 625 games for the Rhinos and scored 1,554 points. With them he won the Premiership twice (1975 and 1979), twice the Challenge Cup (1978 and 1979), seven times the Yorkshire Cup (1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980 and 1981) and twice the League Cup (1973 and 1984). The Lance Todd Trophy was denied to him. Many claim that he would have got them in the 1978 Challenge Cup Final if the votes had not been cast 10 minutes before the end of the game.

Internationally, Holmes appeared 20 times for the British and seven times for the English rugby league team . In 1972 he became the youngest player in Great Britain to win the Rugby League World Cup , where he was also the top scorer. In 1975 and 1977 he failed once with England and once with Great Britain in the final. In 1989 he ended his professional career. Most recently, he trained the Rhinos reserve as a player- coach . Since Rugby League was only recognized as a full-time employment after his retirement , he worked full-time as a printer .

In June 2009, Holmes was diagnosed with end-stage kidney cancer after doctors suspected sciatica for 18 months . They prophesied that he would die within the next two days. Contrary to the prophecy, he only lost the battle against cancer on September 26, 2009. In the meantime he was even able to marry a second time.

Posthumous honors

The Leeds Rhinos brought out a limited edition jersey that read “JOHN HOLMES. 625 APPEARANCES. 22 YEAR CAREER 1968–1990. ”. On July 16, 2010, the Rhinos wore the jersey in the game against the Huddersfield Giants . A part of the money that was generated from the sale of the jersey was donated to good causes as part of the national cancer education. In 2017 he was one of the first to be inducted into the Rhinos' Hall of Fame .

family

Holmes was born the third of four siblings. His first wife Jenny and younger sister Barbara died of cancer . His second wife, Linda, was also diagnosed with cancer. His older brother Philip played rugby league with the Leeds Rhinos, Batley Bulldogs and Blackpool Borough .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jennifer Bell: York couple John and Linda Holmes bring wedding forward as groom finds he is terminally ill with cancer. In: The Press . August 26, 2009, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  2. ↑ John Holmes: Leeds Rugby League legend. In: BBC . July 7, 2010, accessed October 31, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Legendary Quartet join inaugural Leeds Rugby League Hall of Fame. Leeds Rhinos , May 11, 2017, accessed October 31, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Holmes, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British rugby player
DATE OF BIRTH March 21, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Headingley , UK
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 2009
Place of death Leeds , UK