Leeds Rhinos mourn former winger David Rose - ex-Scotland rugby union, Huddersfield and Great Britain star dies aged 89

Rose, a winger, scored 13 tries in 18 games for Leeds after joining them from Huddersfield in 1954.

He was expected to have a long and successful career at the club, but never fully recovered from a broken leg suffered in his first game following Great Britain’s triumph over France in the inaugural World Cup final.

Born in Jedburgh, Rose played rugby union for Jed Thistle and Jed Forest before making his Scotland debut, against France, in 1951.

Having scored three tries in seven international appearances, six of them defeats, he switched codes to join Huddersfield in 1953 and moved to Leeds the following year.

With George Broughton and Drew Turnbull injured and Gordon Brown called up for World Cup duty, Rose was signed to strengthen Leeds’ back division, but - after he has been named as a reserve for the tournament in France - he was drafted into the Great Britain squad, playing and scoring in all four games, including the final.

Rose had earlier made his Leeds debut in a 13-6 home loss to St Helens on October 9, 1954 and scored his first try when Barrow were beaten 13-3 at Headingley a week later. He and Brown returned to the Loiners’ side in front of an 18,000 Headingley crowd when Saints were the visitors on November 20.

Rose was among the try scorers in a 21-10 defeat, but suffered a fractured leg in the final minutes which ended his season.

He ran in 11 more touchdowns the following season, including one in Leeds’ opening fixture away to Leigh, but was clearly hampered by the after effects of his injury and retired on medical advice after the start of the 1956-57 campaign.

In 2013 Rose presented the Scotland team with their jerseys ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand at Headingley.

The previous year he helped unveil a plaque at the George Hotel, in Huddersfield, to mark the birthplace of rugby league.

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