Ex-Leeds rugby league prospect who rejected Warrington Wolves deal gets England union World Championship call
A West Yorkshire teenager - who played rugby league in Leeds and had a spell at Warrington Wolves - has been selected for England at the World Rugby under-20 Championship in Italy.
Hooker Alfie Longstaff - from Lofthouse, between Leeds and Wakefield - is part of a 30-player squad named by England, who are the trophy holders. The 19-year-old played rugby league for Oulton Raiders and Castleford-based Lock Lane and spent two years on Warrington’s scholarship, where his brother Ben Longstaff now plays. He turned down a contract offer from them to focus on studies at Woodhouse Grove School and his union career.
He is on a three-year contract at Sale Sharks and made his Premiership debut last month as a replacement against Bristol Bears at Salford Community Stadium. He has also gained experience in National One for Sale FC this year and with Preston in National Two.
Longstaff represented England at under-18 and under-19 level and played in warm-up games ahead of this summer’s tournament, but is yet to win his first cap. England kick off their campaign against Scotland in Verona on Sunday, June 29. They play South Africa in Rovigo the following Friday before completing their pool games when they face Australia at Verona five days later.
Longstaff began playing rugby with Rocky’s Giants, at Oulton, from the ages of three to six and for Raiders’ under-sevens to under-13s. He was an under-12s league, Continuation Cup and Leeds and District Cup champion with Oulton and then won a National Cup, Yorkshire Cup and Yorkshire Junior League treble with Lock Lane under-14s, as well as the Castleford and District competition.
Regarded as one of the country’s brightest prospects in his position, in union he won Yorkshire Cup titles with Rodillian Academy and for Sandal under-15 and was with Yorkshire Academy before joining Sale Sharks.