Francis Stephenson (born ) is an English former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, and was the Operations Director at the
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, betw ...
.
He retired from playing during the 2007 close season, after playing in the
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...
promotion season in
National League One.
On signing in late 2005 Rovers made what they called a sensational swoop when the signed Stephenson from
London Broncos
The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England.
The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...
a Super League star & club captain Yorkshire man Francis Stephenson put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Hull Kingston Rovers. Francis nicknamed the colonel is a natural leader and has a presence on the pitch in the way he works with the team and in the changing rooms too.
Francis played his early rugby at
Dewsbury Moor
Dewsbury Moor is a district of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies to the west of the Dewsbury town centre. The population is around 5,650. Crime rates are higher than the national avera ...
, and impressed enough to represent England schools in 1992. His most memorable career moment came at
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
(
Heritage № 1058), when he scored the match-winning try in the 1998 NFP Grand Final, a try that ultimately took
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
into Super League.
Francis enjoyed two exceptional seasons in Super League, which resulted in selection for the England World Cup squad in 2000. A transfer to
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League.
Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...
on the back of these fine performances followed but his period at the JJB was hindered by injury problems.
A move to
London Broncos
The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England.
The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...
came in 2002 and Stephenson soon established himself as a prominent member of the Broncos pack.
Soon after retiring he took up the role of general manager at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, following the departure of the previous Chief Executive.
Within months of this appointment, he was also instated as Team Manager of the England U18s team on their 2008 tour of Australia.
First Division Grand Final appearances
Francis Stephenson played left-, i.e. number 8, and scored the match winning
try
Try or TRY may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio
* ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs
* "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987)
* "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014)
* "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004)
* " Try (Ju ...
in
Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
's 24–22 victory over
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship (rugby league), Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rover ...
in the 1998
First Division Grand Final at
McAlpine Stadium MacAlpine, McAlpine, MacAlpin or McAlpin is a Scottish surname. It may refer to:
People
* The Scottish House of Alpin
* Its claimed descendants, the Siol Alpin and/or Clan McAlpin(e)
* Kenneth MacAlpin, founder of said dynasty
* His brother and ...
,
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
on 26 September 1998.
[Hoole, Les (2004). ''Wakefield Trinity RLFC – FIFTY GREAT GAMES''. Breedon Books. ]
Financial Crisis at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
In 2000, at the height of a financial crisis at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, the contracts of all players aged over 24 were terminated during September 2000. The players affected were;
Andy Fisher,
Bobbie Goulding
Robert Dennis "Bobbie" Goulding (born 4 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Bobbie Dazzler", is an English former professional rugby league footballer, and coach, who played in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in t ...
,
Warren Jowitt,
Tony Kemp (player-coach),
Steve McNamara
Steve McNamara (born 18 September 1971) is an English professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League and a former professional player. He is a former coach of England, and a Gr ...
,
Francis Maloney,
Martin Masella,
Steve Prescott
Stephen Prescott (26 December 1973 – 9 November 2013) was a professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s and 2000s.
Prescott made his début for St Helens in 1993, and soon established himself as the club's first choi ...
,
Bright Sodje
Bright Ojamohare Sodje (born 21 April 1966) is a retired dual-code rugby player, who played for rugby league clubs; the Wakefield Trinity (Wildcats), Hull Kingston Rovers, and the Sheffield Eagles in England as well as rugby union for Wakefie ...
, Francis Stephenson, and
Glen Tomlinson.
Genealogical Information
Francis Stephenson is the son of the
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed in the 1980s and 1990s;
Nigel Stephenson
Nigel Stephenson (born 12 October 1950), also known by the nicknames of "Nij", and "Stivvy", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at re ...
, but he is not a relative of
Nigel Stephenson
Nigel Stephenson (born 12 October 1950), also known by the nicknames of "Nij", and "Stivvy", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at re ...
's fellow
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
1973 Rugby Football League Championship winner, the
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed in the 1970s, and rugby league commentator;
Mike "Stevo" Stephenson.
References
External links
Profile at hullkrforum.com*(archived by web.archive.org
Wigan snap up prop StephensonThree Charities benefit from Rugby League Tri athletes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Francis
1976 births
Living people
England national rugby league team players
English rugby league coaches
English rugby league players
Hull Kingston Rovers players
London Broncos players
Rugby league players from Dewsbury
Rugby league props
Wakefield Trinity players
Wigan Warriors players