The Leeds Rhinos academy stars who conquered Australia: see how many you recognise

Twenty years ago Leeds Rhinos players starred for England academy on an historic tour to Australia and New Zealand.

Leeds’ John Gallagher was among the try scorers - and Lee Smith on target with the boot - as England’s under-18s beat Australian Schoolboys on the Aussies’ own turf for the first time with a 33-24 victory in Sydney. England shared the spoils with the Junior Kiwis, winning the first Test 22-20 before losing the other 22-12.

Rhinos players included in the tour party gathered at Headingley in July, 2004, for a group picture, taken by the YEP’s Mark Bickerdike. They went on to have varying degrees of success in their professional careers, but who do you recognise? From left to right:

John Gallagher. Primarily a half-back or hooker, Gallagher didn’t make a Super League appearance, but played for Batley Bulldogs from 2005-2010 and was also capped once by Ireland.

Ashley Gibson. The centre scored 22 points on his Rhinos debut - from a hat-trick of tries and five goals - in a big win at Leigh in 2005. After touching down 43 tries in 87 games for Leeds, he had spells in Super League with Salford Red Devils, Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity and also featured for Bradford Bulls and Newcastle Thunder before retiring in 2021.

Lee Smith. The outside-back is a three-time Super League champion, having played and scored in Rhinos’ 2007 (wing), 2008 (man of the match at full-back) and 2009 (centre) Grand Final victories. He made 135 Super League appearances for Leeds from 2005-2012, also had spells with Wakefield Trinity, Leigh and Bradford Bulls and was capped by England, as well as three different stints in rugby union.

Carl Ablett. A modern-day Rhinos legend, the centre/second-rower holds the record for most Grand Final appearances - seven- without defeat. He played 275 times for Leeds in Super League from 2004-2018, also winning Challenge Cup, Super League leaders and World Club Challenge honours.

Jason Golden. A back-rower, Golden didn’t play a senior game for Leeds, but made his Super League debut with Wakefield Trinity in 2007. He also played with Harlequins RL/London Broncos and York City Knights.

Danny Williams. The winger scored seven tries in 15 Super League games for Rhinos from 2006-2008. He also played for Castleford Tigers, Hull FC, Salford Red Devils and Bradford Bulls and in rugby union with Newcastle Falcons. He was capped twice by England.

Luke Stenchion. Stanchion, a winger, played his entire career outside the top-flight, featuring for Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Oldham, York City Knights and Hunslet.

Scott Murrell. Son of former Leeds star Bryan Murrell, Scott - a half-back - made one substitute appearance for Leeds in Super League in 2005, having debuted on loan for London Broncos the previous year. He went on to have long spells with Hull KR and Halifax and is now an assistant-coach at Castleford Tigers.

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