Chris Joynt
Encyclopedia
Chris M. Joynt is an English former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative , and /, he played his club football with St. Helens, with whom he won numerous titles, as well as Oldham and a stint in Australia with the Newcastle Knights.
Joynt began his career at Oldham
before moving on to play for St Helens in 1992. He took over as captain of the club in 1997, and held the position until 2003. He lifted many trophies throughout a glittering Knowsley Road
career, including consecutive Super League championships in 1999 and 2000. He is probably best remembered as the scorer of the now legendary 'Wide to West' try in the Super League Final Eliminator in 2000, which won the match for Saints. He won the Harry Sunderland Trophy
in the subsequent Grand Final
.
In the 1997 post season, Joynt was selected to play for Great Britain
at second-row forward in all three matches of the Super League Test series
against Australia.
In 2002, Joynt was at the centre of controversy when he seemingly performed a 'voluntary tackle' with seconds remaining in the 2002 Super League Grand Final
. St Helens had just kicked a drop-goal to take a one point lead in the match, and the penalty from the voluntary tackle would have given Bradford Bulls
a chance to kick at goal and win the match. However, the referee dismissed wild protests from the Bradford players and the final hooter went, with St Helens winning 19-18.
Joynt relinquished captaincy of St Helens to Paul Sculthorpe
at the end of 2003, and retired from the game following the 2004 season.
Chris Joynt is a Great Britain
international with 27 caps. Joynt also represented England
at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
. Joynt went on to represent Ireland
at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
. Joynt has also represented Lancashire in the Origin Series.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative , and /, he played his club football with St. Helens, with whom he won numerous titles, as well as Oldham and a stint in Australia with the Newcastle Knights.
Joynt began his career at Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
before moving on to play for St Helens in 1992. He took over as captain of the club in 1997, and held the position until 2003. He lifted many trophies throughout a glittering Knowsley Road
Knowsley Road
Knowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RLFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool FC Reserves...
career, including consecutive Super League championships in 1999 and 2000. He is probably best remembered as the scorer of the now legendary 'Wide to West' try in the Super League Final Eliminator in 2000, which won the match for Saints. He won the Harry Sunderland Trophy
Harry Sunderland Trophy
The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in the Super League Grand Final by the Rugby League Writers' Association. It is named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom...
in the subsequent Grand Final
2000 Super League Grand Final
The 2000 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 14 October 2000, at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. The game was played between St Helens and Wigan Warriors. Wigan wore blue for the encounter and St Helens wore their traditional red and white. The match was refereed by Russell Smith of...
.
In the 1997 post season, Joynt was selected to play for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
at second-row forward in all three matches of the Super League Test series
Super League Test series
The Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
against Australia.
In 2002, Joynt was at the centre of controversy when he seemingly performed a 'voluntary tackle' with seconds remaining in the 2002 Super League Grand Final
2002 Super League Grand Final
The 2002 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 19 October 2002, at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. The game was played between St Helens and Bradford Bulls.Referee: Russell Smith Attendance: 61,138...
. St Helens had just kicked a drop-goal to take a one point lead in the match, and the penalty from the voluntary tackle would have given Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
a chance to kick at goal and win the match. However, the referee dismissed wild protests from the Bradford players and the final hooter went, with St Helens winning 19-18.
Joynt relinquished captaincy of St Helens to Paul Sculthorpe
Paul Sculthorpe
Paul Sculthorpe , is an English retired rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative /, and /, he played club football for St. Helens, with whom he won a total of four Grand Finals, three Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges...
at the end of 2003, and retired from the game following the 2004 season.
Chris Joynt is a Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
international with 27 caps. Joynt also represented England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
1995 Rugby League World Cup
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
. Joynt went on to represent Ireland
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
2000 Rugby League World Cup
The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
. Joynt has also represented Lancashire in the Origin Series.