Leeds Rhinos Grand Final-winning hero does it again for surprise club 10 years on from treble triumph
The man who scored Leeds Rhinos’ Grand Final-winning try a decade ago has done it again, with a surprise club.
Substitute forward Josh Walters’ touchdown at Old Trafford levelled the scores against Wigan Warriors in the 2015 Super League title-decider, setting up Kevin Sinfield’s conversion which sealed an epic 22-20 victory on the greatest night in the club’s history. Rhinos’ first win against Wigan in a major final completed a domestic clean sweep of trophies after they had earlier won the Challenge Cup and league leaders’ shield.
Now Walters has repeated the title-winning feat, in slightly less glamorous circumstances and created history in the process. The 30-year-old scored the golden-point try which won the Scottish Rugby League Championship Grand Final for Glasgow-based West End Warriors against defending champions Edinburgh Eagles at Penicuik Rugby Club.
The sides were locked at 30-30 after 80 minutes, sending the final into sudden-death extra-time and Walters was the hero when he picked up a loose ball and raced over from 50 metres to seal a 34-30 triumph and the title. The victory in their debut season earned Warriors a place in the 2026 Betfred Challenge Cup and Walters is the first player to win Grand Finals in England and Scotland.
Walters played 61 times for Rhinos from 2014-2018 and also had dual-registration/loan spells with Hunslet and Featherstone Rovers. He spent the 2019 season at Rovers and then had two years with London Broncos before dropping out of the professional game. Now a personal trainer and performance coach, he also played rugby union for Yorkshire Carnegie and Richmond.