Leeds Rhinos rookie Tom Nicholson-Watton reveals delight at debut, football background and hopes for 2024

The 20-year-old prop made his first Betfred Super League appearance as a substitute in the final game of last season, when Rhinos beat Castleford Tigers 46-0 at AMT Headingley. And in another boost, he was the only home-grown youngster promoted into the top-30 when squad numbers for 2024 were announced earlier this month.

“It was really rewarding after the year I had in the reserves last season and playing at Keighley,” Rhinos’ new number 30 said of a whirlwind few months. “It was a massive achievement for me to make my debut, I loved it. I really enjoy playing for the club and playing rugby. Making my debut against Cas at Headingley in front of 15,000 fans - and in a big win as well - was massive for me and my family.”

The loan spell laid a platform for Nicholson-Watton to get his first taste of the elite competition and he described his time with Keighley as a “massive learning curve”. He added: “I really enjoyed it. In the reserves you’re mostly playing against academy kids, so it was really good, playing against men. It helped me massively.”

A former Guiseley Rangers and Stanningley junior, Nicholson-Watton wasn’t officially a member of the full-time squad last term, but featured in the 2022 Boxing Day game against Wakefield Trinity and trained regularly with the first team.

He was a travelling reserve for Rhinos’ 61-0 drubbing at Catalans Dragons the week before the Castleford game and recalled: “I was a reserve and I did my time at Keighley, then I got a text from [Rhinos’ general manager] Matt Cook saying ‘we’re going to recall you and you’re going to come with us to France this week’.

“I was gobsmacked and it evolved from that the next week against Cas. Tom Holroyd and Cameron Smith dropped out [because of injury] and me and Alfie [Edgell] got the call up to make our debut.”

The aim now is to “push for a couple of first team games this season for Leeds”. He revealed: “I’m going to do a bit on loan as well, to help develop my game even more, so when it comes to the call up again, I am ready to go. I am only a young middle, so I think two or three games is a big achievement for me next year.

“For me, it is just about developing my rugby and getting better. We have got a lot of experienced players and being around them, learning different things off them, you don’t realise the development you can get from just watching the guys train. I trained full-time all last year and I feel more confident as part of the group. Being in the full-time environment for a second year is only going to help me.”

This year’s experience with Keighley and Leeds could be the start of a career in rugby league, but Nicholson-Watton hasn’t taken a conventional route to the professional ranks. A Rhinos fan who still travels as a supporter to virtually all away matches, he explained: “I was multi-sporty as a kid. I did everything. I did a bit of cricket, I played football for Burnley and Bradford City under-nines and Leeds City Boys for a while, but then I picked rugby.”