Leeds Rhinos vs Hull FC

17 | RHINOS VS HULL FC
WILF ROSENBERG
CULT HEROES
No one was more surprised
to sign a professional
contract than former,
renowned Springbok
international winger Wilf
Rosenberg, in fact he was
away on honeymoon when
his father, a rabbi, signed a
record contract in 1959 for
his son who’d never heard
of a place called Leeds.
However, he etched his
name into Headingley
folklore as one of the
glorious band who
brought home the first
Championship title in 1961
at Odsal, playing outside
Derek Hallas. Of all the 73
touchdowns he scored, in
only 81 appearances, the one
that stands out the most is
his 50 metre match winner
in the semi final against
St Helens, set up by a
reverse pass from his great
friend, diving spectacularly
over Austin Rhodes to
live up to his nickname
of the ‘flying dentist’, a
profession he studied and
practised in the city.
Arriving as a centre, his
switch to the wing was
revelatory and he smashed
the Headingley post-war
try scoring records. That
particular Headingley
special, his second of the
game, was to be the last he
scored in blue and amber.
Sustaining a broken jaw
early on the following
season, he was not keen to
regain form in the ‘A’ team
and joined Hull where he
ended his playing days.
He was similarly lauded
by the black and white’s,
scoring 42 times in 86
appearances in his two
seasons at the Boulevard.