Matt James (rugby league)
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| Full name | Matthew James | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
26 March 1987 Wakefield, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 10 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Second-row, Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 15 July 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matt James (born 26 March 1987) is a Welsh international rugby league footballer who plays as a loose forward, prop or second-row for the Sheffield Eagles in the RFL Championship.
He previously played in Super League for English clubs Harlequins RL, and Bradford Bulls, and in the Co-operative Championship for Barrow.
Background
James was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
Early career
James made great progress after joining Bradford from Eastmoor on the advice of Brian McDermott. He represented the Senior side in his first two seasons whilst still eligible for the Junior Academy. James has played for both England and Yorkshire in his junior career.
Bradford Bulls
James played for Bradford Bulls for three years, between 2006 and 2009.
It was announced in September 2008 that James would be loaned to Halifax for the 2009 season, but returned to Bradford early in February 2009 having played just ten games for 'Fax'.
Harlequins RL
James signed for the London club in 2010, but failed to settle in the capital and was released from his contract after just three games. In March of the same he had his contract with Harlequins RL cancelled by mutual consent after an ineffective spell at the club.[3][4]
Barrow Raiders
After leaving 'Quins' he moved to the Barrow Raiders, spending two seasons with the Cumbrian club. In this spell he played a total of 32 game sin which he scored 7 tries.
Wakefield Trinity
James returned to the Super League to sign for Wakefield in 2012. However, the return did not pan out well, as after playing 5 games at the top the level he was loaned to Halifax for a second time. This time James only made one appearance in his loan spell- a 6-36 win against the Dewsbury Rams. All six games he played in for both sides were substitute appearances.
Featherstone Rovers
In November 2012, James left Wakefield and signed a two-year contract with Featherstone Rovers.[5] The Prop finally found a long-term team again and played a total of 75 games for the Rovers, he scored 16 tries during the cause of these games.
Sheffield Eagles
He commenced playing for Sheffield Eagles in 2016. In his second season with the Eagles, James was announced to be the 2017 season captain for the team. However, the Eagles made little improvement from the following season as they finished the regular season in 7th place of the Championship. But quickly began another push to win the Championship Shield.
International
In 2007 James was given some extra games and made 12 appearances and ended 2007 with a call up to the Wales team for the 2008 World Cup qualifiers. He was named in the Wales squad to face England at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster, prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but had to withdraw through injury.[6]
References
- ↑ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Matt James - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ↑ "Matt James". Love Rugby League.
- ↑ "James cancels contract by mutual consent". Quins. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ↑ "Matt James quits Harlequins to return north". BBC. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ↑ "Wakefield prop Matt James joins Featherstone to replace retired skipper Stuart Dickens". Sky Sports. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ↑ "Crusaders dominate Wales' squad". BBC. 2008-10-03. Retrieved 2008-10-04.