Garry Schofield leads tributes to ex-Leeds Rhinos and Hunslet great Bill Ramsey

The Leeds and Hunslet clubs were left stunned by news of Ramsey’s sudden death, aged 76, on Monday.

“I am gutted, absolutely devastated,” said Schofield who rates Ramsey among the best forwards to have played rugby league in any era.

“If you wanted it easy, he could do it easy; if you wanted it tough, he could do it tough.

“But also he could defend, he could run out wide and he could score tries.

“He had ball skills and an offloading game and he was a proper, proper rugby league player - as well as a true gent off the field.”

Ramsey, a second-row and later prop, was capped eight times by Great Britain from 1965-74.

He signed for his local club, Hunslet, in October, 1959 and made his debut in a home game against Batley in April, 1962.

His 127 appearances for the Parksiders included the 1965 Challenge Cup loss to Wigan in one of the classic Wembley finals.

He was transferred to Leeds for a £10,000 fee in 1967, playing in their Challenge Cup winning side the following year and collecting a Championship medal in 1969.

After 197 games for Leeds - including defeats at Wembley in 1971 and 1972 - he moved to Bradford Northern in 1974.

He then had a spell with Hull before joining Widnes and playing against Leeds in the 1977 Wembley showpiece.

After retiring as a player he coached New Hunslet from August, 1978 to December, 1979.

Schofield was playing junior rugby for Hunslet Parkside when he first met Ramsey.

“He used to do a lot of presentations around the schools and that sort of thing,” Schofield said.

“Around this area [south Leeds] he is an absolute legend.”

Ramsey was a member of Hunslet’s hall of fame and the last survivor of a formidable Wembley pack that also comprised Dennis Hartley, Bernard Prior, Ken Eyre, Geoff Gunney and Fred Ward.

Stand-off Brian Gabbitas and wingers Barry Lee and John Griffiths are the only remaining members of Hunslet’s Challenge Cup final 13.

Hunslet chairman Ken Sykes was at the club during Ramsey’s spell as coach.

He said: “Prior to Bill coming in I had been languishing in the ‘A’ team.

“I had not been getting much in the way of first team games, but when Bill came in I was straight into the first team and played every game that first season.”

New Hunslet were promoted in 1978-79 after finishing second in Division Two behind Hull, who won all their 26 games.

“I liked Bill,” Sykes added. “He was a great player, his record stands as good as anybody’s in terms of his achievements.

“He was a regular at the ex-Parkside players’ reunions and whenever I saw Bill he was still a big fella, he had a lot of stature and he was very fit. It is very sad and a bit of a shock.

“We will miss him.”

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