Syd Hynes remembered: the Leeds Rhinos great who made unwanted Wembley history

Hynes achieved notoriety at Wembley in 1971 when he became the first player to be sent-off in a Challenge Cup final, referee Billy Thompson ordering Hynes into an early bath following an alleged foul on Leigh scrum-half Alex Murphy.

Both men dined out on their set-to in the following years, Hynes insisting Murphy dived while the Leigh man was equally adamant he had been knocked cold. To this day, Leeds fans who were at the game swear Murphy winked at them as he was taken to the changing rooms on a stretcher. Leeds went on to lose the game in one of the competition’s biggest shocks, but defeat in a final was rare for Hynes who later became a master of the big occasion as Leeds’ player-coach and then team boss.

During his time at the helm, from 1975 to 1981, Hynes guided the Loiners to seven finals and they won every one, including back-to-back Wembley triumphs in 1977 and 1978.

As player-coach he switched from centre to scrum-half, to combat Roger Millward and masterminded a 15-11 Yorkshire Cup final victory against Hull KR in 1975. Leeds retained the trophy the following year and, after Hynes had hung up his boots during the 1976-77 season, they were Premiership Trophy champions in 1978-79 and won the Yorkshire Cup again in each of the following two seasons.

The latter was his final silverware, Leeds defying poor league form to beat hot favourites Hull KR 8-7 at Huddersfield. By that stage, Leeds’ great side of the 1970s was breaking up and Hynes resigned in April, 1981.

Born on July 31, 1944, Hynes played for Hunslet Juniors and the Leeds NALGO rugby union team before requesting a trial with the Loiners in 1964. He was signed after just four games for the second-string ‘A’ team and made his debut against Wakefield Trinity at Belle Vue on April 19,1965.

Initially recruited as a scrum-half, he made his name as a centre in one of Leeds’ golden eras, in the late 1960s and early 70s. Leeds finished as league leaders five times during Hynes’ playing career and he collected winner’s medals in the Challenge Cup (1968), Championship (1969), Premiership (1975), BBC 2 Floodlit Trophy (1970-71 season), JP Trophy (1972-73 season) and Yorkshire Cup (1969, 1970, 1972 and 1973). His final game was a JP Trophy tie against Castleford at Headingley on November 20, 1976, when he was among the try scorers in a 20-14 defeat.

He played 366 games for Leeds, all but 11 in the starting side and scored 158 tries, 156 goals and 32 drop goals, for a total of 843 points. He earned representative honours for Yorkshire, England and Great Britain and - in possibly the highlight of his playing career - was a try scorer in the third Test on the 1970 tour Down Under to help the Lions regain the Ashes, something they haven’t achieved since.

Hynes remained a Leeds fan throughout his life, despite settling in Australia. He was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2019 and was a regular visitor to Headingley for past player reunions.