Leon Pryce
Encyclopedia
Leon Pryce is an English professional rugby league
footballer of Jamaican descent for the St. Helens club of Super League
. A Great Britain and England
international representative backline player, he previously played for Bradford Bulls
with whom he had Challenge Cup
and Super League Championship success.
Pryce comes from a family of rugby league players; he is the older brother of Wigan Warriors
player Karl Pryce
, his father and uncle both played the sport at a high level. His cousin Steve has coached in Jamaica
and he is also the cousin of Featherstone Rovers
player Waine Pryce
.
schools side. Pryce came through the academy ranks at the Bradford Bulls
, after the club signed him from amateur side Queensbury in Bradford
. He went on to feature in five Super League Grand Final
s for the Bulls, in 1999
, 2001
, 2002
, 2003
and 2005
; the latter of which he gained the Harry Sunderland Award for a Man of the Match
performance. He was on the winning side in three of these finals- against Leeds Rhinos
and Wigan Warriors
twice, losing against future club St. Helens twice.
Pryce's versatile brand of football has enabled him to be used as a utility at Bradford when not needed at his usual post, on the wing. His quick pace and unpredictability made him a success at Bradford.
against France
in 1999, and has also represented his home county of Yorkshire
.
He was named in the disastrous England squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
..
Pryce won his first trophy with St Helens in August 2006, defeating Huddersfield Giants
in the Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham Stadium
. He went on that year to win the 2006 Super League Grand Final
in a 26-4 success over Hull.
He went on to win the Challenge Cup again in 2007
when Saints beat Catalans Dragons
30-8 at Wembley Stadium
. He was a joint winner of the Lance Todd Trophy
along with Paul Wellens
.
In 2007, Pryce was voted rugby league's dirtiest player by RL Weekly readers.
His success at the club continued as he helped Saints to a 26-18 win over Hull in the 2008 Challenge Cup Final
.
He was named in the Super League Dream Team
for the 2008
season.
He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final defeat to the Leeds Rhinos
.
He also played in the 2009 Grand Final defeat to Leeds.
, team of the Super League XII
for the season 2012.
's testicles. He was later found guilty of the incident and banned for three matches.
He was again found guilty of a similar misconduct, against Bradford forward Andy Lynch on 22 February 2008. However, he escaped a possible eight-match ban as the disciplinary panel ruled the contact "minimal".
and appeared in court on charges of assault and violence following an alleged incident at Reardon's estranged wife's house in Queensbury, Bradford. They were charged with using violence to gain entry and common assault. The charge of using violence to gain entry against both defendants was dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence. In March 2009, having been found guilty of common assault, the pair were given a 12-week suspended sentence.
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 Jamaican descent for the St. Helens club of Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. A Great Britain and 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...
international representative backline player, he previously played for 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....
with whom he had Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
and Super League Championship success.
Pryce comes from a family of rugby league players; he is the older brother of Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
player Karl Pryce
Karl Pryce
Karl Pryce is an English rugby league player who currently plays for Wigan in the Super League competition. His position of choice is on the wing. Pryce previously played rugby league with the Bradford Bulls until 2006...
, his father and uncle both played the sport at a high level. His cousin Steve has coached in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and he is also the cousin of Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
player Waine Pryce
Waine Pryce
Waine Pryce is an English rugby league player of Jamaican descent His primary position is winger....
.
Bradford Bulls
At age 16, Pryce captained the EnglandEngland 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...
schools side. Pryce came through the academy ranks at the 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....
, after the club signed him from amateur side Queensbury in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. He went on to feature in five Super League Grand Final
Super League Grand Final
The Super League Grand Final is the championship-deciding game of the Super League rugby league football competition...
s for the Bulls, in 1999
1999 Super League Grand Final
The 1999 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 9 October 1999, at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. The game was played between St Helens and Bradford Bulls.-Route to final:Regular Season Final Standings-Bradford Bulls:...
, 2001
2001 Super League Grand Final
The 2001 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 13 October 2001, at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Wigan Warriors.Referee: Stuart Cummings Attendance: 60,164...
, 2002
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...
, 2003
2003 Super League Grand Final
The 2003 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 18 October 2003, at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. The game was played between Bradford Bulls and Wigan Warriors.Referee: Karl Kirkpatrick Attendance: 65,537...
and 2005
2005 Super League Grand Final
The 2005 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 15 October 2005, at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. The game was played between Bradford Bulls, who finished 3rd in the league after the 28 weekly rounds, and Leeds Rhinos, who finished second after the weekly rounds.-Route to final:Regular...
; the latter of which he gained the Harry Sunderland Award for a Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
performance. He was on the winning side in three of these finals- against Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
twice, losing against future club St. Helens twice.
Pryce's versatile brand of football has enabled him to be used as a utility at Bradford when not needed at his usual post, on the wing. His quick pace and unpredictability made him a success at Bradford.
England
He made his full debut for EnglandEngland 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...
against France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
in 1999, and has also represented his home county of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
He was named in the disastrous England squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
..
St Helens
In 2006, Pryce joined St. Helens, after Bradford Bulls did not renew his contract in 2005. One of the key issues in the decision was that he would start at stand off, a position Pryce has long coveted.Pryce won his first trophy with St Helens in August 2006, defeating Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in the Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. He went on that year to win the 2006 Super League Grand Final
2006 Super League Grand Final
The 2006 Super League Grand Final was the conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League XI. Held on Saturday, 14 October at Manchester's Old Trafford ground, the game was played between St Helens, who finished top of the league after the 28 weekly rounds, and Hull, who finished second...
in a 26-4 success over Hull.
He went on to win the Challenge Cup again in 2007
2007 Challenge Cup Final
The 2007 Carnegie Challenge Cup featured teams from across Europe including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. The final was played by the holders St Helens and Catalans Dragons at the new Wembley Stadium on the 25 August 2007. The Dragons were the first French club ever to take part in...
when Saints beat Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
30-8 at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. He was a joint winner of the Lance Todd Trophy
Lance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...
along with Paul Wellens
Paul Wellens
Paul Simon Wellens is an English multi-award–winning rugby league footballer. Wellens plays for St. Helens in the European Super League. Wellens is a Great Britain and England international...
.
In 2007, Pryce was voted rugby league's dirtiest player by RL Weekly readers.
His success at the club continued as he helped Saints to a 26-18 win over Hull in the 2008 Challenge Cup Final
2008 Challenge Cup Final
The 2008 Challenge Cup Final was the final game of the 2008 Challenge Cup, also known as The Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons. The match was contested by two Super League teams: the defending champions St. Helens and Hull....
.
He was named in the Super League Dream Team
Super League Dream Team
The Super League Dream Team is an award given each season to the players deemed to have been the best in their position in the Super League by a panel of journalists and broadcasters....
for the 2008
Super League XIII
Engage Super League XIII was the official name, due to sponsorship, for the 2008 Super League season by Engage Mutual. Twelve teams competed for the Minor Premiership over 27 rounds after which, the top 6 finishing teams entered the play-offs where they competed for a place in the Grand Final and...
season.
He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final defeat to the Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
.
He also played in the 2009 Grand Final defeat to Leeds.
Catalans Dragons
He joins the Catalans DragonsCatalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
, team of the Super League XII
Super League XII
Engage Super League XII is the official name for the year 2007's Super League season in the sport of rugby league.The 2007 season kicked off on the weekend of 2 February 2007 at the Galpharm Stadium. For the first time, the league had a staggered start due to the World Club Challenge between St...
for the season 2012.
"Squeezing" controversy
In July 2007, Pryce was accused of squeezing Sam BurgessSam Burgess
Sam Burgess is an English professional rugby league footballer for the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the National Rugby League...
's testicles. He was later found guilty of the incident and banned for three matches.
He was again found guilty of a similar misconduct, against Bradford forward Andy Lynch on 22 February 2008. However, he escaped a possible eight-match ban as the disciplinary panel ruled the contact "minimal".
2003
Pryce escaped a custodial sentence for unlawful wounding, after assaulting a Bradford man. He received 120 hours community service.2009
In 2008 Pryce was charged along with Stuart ReardonStuart Reardon
Stuart Reardon is an English professional rugby league footballer who is currently playing for AS Carcassonne in the French Elite One Championship. He plays as a fullback, wing or centre...
and appeared in court on charges of assault and violence following an alleged incident at Reardon's estranged wife's house in Queensbury, Bradford. They were charged with using violence to gain entry and common assault. The charge of using violence to gain entry against both defendants was dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence. In March 2009, having been found guilty of common assault, the pair were given a 12-week suspended sentence.