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Les Boyd (born 17 November 1956) is an Australian former
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 1970s and 1980s. He played representative football for the Australian national side in international matches as well as the New South Wales side in the
State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...
. Boyd played club football in both Australia and England and his usual position was in the .


Biography

Born in
Nyngan, New South Wales Nyngan () is a town in the centre of New South Wales, Australia, in the Bogan Shire local government area within the Orana Region of central New South Wales. At the 2016 census, Nyngan had a population of 1,988 people. Nyngan is situated on the ...
on 17 November 1956, Boyd later attended Nyngan High School. Whilst there he played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1972 under his future Western Suburbs coach Roy Masters.


Professional playing career

From 1976 to 1984 Boyd played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Western Suburbs Magpies, then the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
. He was selected to go on the
1978 Kangaroo tour The 1978 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France comprised the Australia national rugby league team's fourteenth tour of Great Britain and ninth tour of France, and took place from September to December 1978. Coached by Frank Stanton and captai ...
and his hard running saw him emerge as one of the star forwards on the tour, culminating with him forcing his way into the test team for the final two
Ashes Ashes may refer to: * Ash, the solid remnants of fires. Media and entertainment Art * ''Ashes'' (Munch), an 1894 painting by Edvard Munch Film * ''The Ashes'' (film), a 1965 Polish film by director Andrzej Wajda * ''Ashes'' (1922 film), ...
tests against
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
. Boyd made his test début for the Kangaroos when selected on the bench for the second Ashes test at
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
's
Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes motorcycle speedway, speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the Association football, footbal ...
. In 1980, he successfully sued Mirror Newspapers Ltd for publishing an article that stated he was 'fat, slow and predictable'. During the 1982 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Boyd was selected to play for the Kangaroos at second-row forward in both Test matches against the Kiwis. Later that year, Boyd made his second
Kangaroo Tour Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours t ...
when he was part of the undefeated 1982 Kangaroos side who became known as " The Invincibles". Despite normally being a second row forward, he played all three tests against Great Britain in the front row, scoring a try in the first test at
Boothferry Park Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Hull, England, which was home to Hull City A.F.C. from 1946 until 2002, when they moved to the KC Stadium. In later years, financial constraints forced Hull City to allow Kwik Save and Iceland superma ...
in
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
. The hard running forward was sent off in the first half of the second test at
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
in
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...
by French referee Julian Rascagneres for kicking Lions
John Dalgreen John Dalgreen (birth registered third ¼ 1955) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Halifax (two spells), Warrin ...
. In fairness to Rascagneres, he had called a penalty against Boyd for a flop in the tackle and was looking back down field. This caused him to miss Dalgreen (who was on his back on the ground) lashing out at Boyd with his boot, kicking him in the shin as television replays clearly showed (the English-based touch judge also missed Dalgreen's kick, or ignored it, and only reported Boyd's retaliation).
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
commentator
Ray French Raymond James French, MBE (born 23 December 1939) is an English former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. French played at international level in both codes. He won four caps for England in rugby union ...
called Boyd's retaliation a "vicious kick", though it appeared he had also missed Dalgreen's action. Boyd's send-off didn't affect the Kangaroos though. Leading 15–4 at the time, they powered on to win the match 27-6 and along with it, retaining the Ashes they had held since the 1978 Kangaroo tour and keeping their record of not having lost a series in England since the 1959–60 Kangaroo tour. Boyd's volatile nature while on the field (which was in total contrast to his quiet off-field nature) also saw him sent to the sin-bin at the start of the second half of the third and last Ashes series test at
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
after a fight which had broken out at the end of the first half. Boyd then reverted to his usual second row for the first test against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in
Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...
before again playing in the front row in the second test, the last match on the tour. While playing for
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in the opening game of the
1983 State of Origin series The 1983 State of Origin series was the second time the annual three-game series between the New South Wales and Queensland rugby league teams was played entirely under "state of origin" selection rules. After the Australian team had swept all b ...
at
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
's Lang Park, Boyd broke the jaw of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
forward
Darryl Brohman Darryl Gregory Brohman (born 22 June 1956), also known by the nickname of "The Big Marn", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s, now best known as a commentat ...
with his elbow (rumours at the time stated that had Brohman's jaw not been broken, he was in line to make his test début for Australia in the 1983 test series against
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
starting three days later. He would never again get that opportunity). Referee
Barry Gomersall Barry Seymour Gomersall (1945–2007) was an Australian rugby league referee. Gomersall refereed six rugby league internationals and nine State of Origin series matches. Nicknamed "the Grasshopper", Gomersall was known for his thin legs inside ...
did not send Boyd off and only gave Queensland a penalty. Boyd was not cited by the
NSWRL The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
over the incident and the following day was actually selected in the Australian team for the New Zealand test but was forced to step down when Charlie Gibson, the Secretary of Brohman's club team Penrith, officially cited him. Many, including NSW coach
Ted Glossop Ted Glossop (1934 – 31 December 1998) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Playing career He played for the St. George Dragons for eight seasons between 1950 and 1958 and played 115 games for the club scoring 17 tries. He ...
who appeared at the judiciary on Boyd's behalf, believe he was unfairly dealt with by the judiciary headed by lawyer Jim Comans who suspended the Manly forward for 12 months. At the time Comans was on a campaign to clean up the violence in rugby league and many felt that Boyd had been used as something of a poster boy for the campaign, with the punishment far outweighing the crime. Brohman later instigated legal action against Boyd over the incident, with the matter being settled out of court. During that same game, Boyd also targeted his Manly-Warringah teammate and Queensland back rower
Paul Vautin Paul Vautin (born 21 July 1959) nicknamed Fatty, is an Australian football commentator and formerly a professional rugby league footballer, captain and coach. He has provided commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league since joi ...
. Close to half time, Boyd was tackled by Vautin who was penalised for not letting him up to play the ball. Boyd pushed Vautin who responded by throwing a punch which Boyd returned in kind. Things looked likely to escalate until Maroons replacement front rower Dave Brown (another Manly player), stepped in and hit Boyd, effectively calming things down. Ironically Brown (briefly) won the spot in the Australian test team that was widely tipped to be Brohman's. In 1984 while playing for Manly, Boyd was again suspended, this time for a record-equalling 15 months for eye-gouging of
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
hooker Billy Johnstone. The suspension effectively ended Boyd's playing career in Australia.


England

Boyd played out the rest of his career in England with
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
( Heritage No. 855). He played , i.e. number 11, (replaced by interchange/ substitute
Kevin Tamati Kevin Ronald Tamati (born 21 September 1953) is a New Zealand former rugby league representative player and coach. He played at representative level for New Zealand, New Zealand Māori, Auckland, Central Districts and Wellington, and professio ...
) in
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
's 8–34 defeat by
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
in the
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the 1985–86 season at
Knowsley Road Knowsley Road in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hoste ...
, St. Helens, on Sunday 13 October 1985. He was
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
winning the
Harry Sunderland Trophy The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Troph ...
in Warrington's 38–10 victory over Halifax in the Premiership Final during the 1985–86 season at Elland Road,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
on Sunday 18 May 1986. Boyd played left-, i.e. number 8, in
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
's 4–18 defeat by
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
in the 1986–87 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1986–87 season at
Burnden Park Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup Final replay, it was the scene in 1946 of one of the greatest disasters in English footba ...
,
Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
on Saturday 10 January 1987.


Post-playing

In 2000 Boyd was awarded the
Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. Further honours came in September 2004 when he was named at in the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century. Boyd currently works as a rep in the
Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
region of south western New South Wales for
Lion Nathan Lion is an alcoholic beverage company that operates in Australia and New Zealand, and a subsidiary of Japanese beverage conglomerate Kirin. It produces and markets a range of beer and cider in Australia, and wine in New Zealand and the Unite ...
.


References


External links


Les Boyd at yesterdayshero.com.auLes Boyd at nrlstats.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Les 1956 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian rugby league players City New South Wales rugby league team players Country New South Wales rugby league team players Manly Warringah Sea Eagles captains Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Nyngan, New South Wales Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Warrington Wolves players Western Suburbs Magpies players