Chris Hill (rugby league)

Christopher Andrew Hill (born 3 November 1987) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and England and Great Britain at international level.

Chris Hill
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Andrew Hill[1]
Born (1987-11-03) 3 November 1987[2]
Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Height6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)[2]
Weight17 st 13 lb (114 kg)[2]
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2005–11 Leigh Centurions 160 35 0 0 140
2012–21 Warrington Wolves 296 35 0 0 140
2022– Huddersfield Giants 25 1 0 0 4
Total 481 71 0 0 284
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2012–22 England 34 0 0 0 0
2019 Great Britain 4 0 0 0 0
Source: [3][4]
As of 5 November 2022

He previously played for the Leigh Centurions in the Championship.[3] and Warrington Wolves.

Early career

Hill signed for Leigh from local Wigan amateur club New Springs Lions in 2004, and started his career as a stand-off or loose forward before moving to prop, progressing through Leigh's service area, scholarship and youth ranks before moving into the first team at the Leigh Centurions.

Playing career

Leigh Centurions

He made his first senior appearance for Leigh in the 2005 Super League X season, during a 8–74 defeat by St Helens.

In 2006, Hill won the Northern Rail Cup with Leigh after consolidating his place in the side. He toured Australia with Great Britain Under-18s in this same year.

2011 saw Hill win his second Northern Rail Cup trophy with Leigh, featuring as Halifax were defeated 16-20 at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road Stadium.[5]

Hill accumulated a couple of accolades with Leigh; firstly in reaching 100 appearances for the club, and also being the most recent prop-forward for Leigh to score a hat-trick of tries. After missing only one game in two years, he was made captain of Leigh in 2010.[6]

Warrington Wolves

In 2011, Hill's impressive displays in the Championship saw him earn a three-year deal with Warrington in Super League, which saw him join the Warrington squad in 2012, remaining with Leigh on a dual registration until the end of the 2011 season. In light of this, his then-coach Ian Millward predicted future national caps for Hill, with his nurturing at Warrington.

I am delighted for Chris. As the fans will testify he has developed all season and is ready for Super League. It would not surprise me if in due course he won national recognition.[7]

Hill was selected to start in the 2012 Challenge Cup Final victory over Leeds at Wembley Stadium.[8][9][10][11]

At the end of Hill's first season with Warrington, Hill was named as player of the season, players’ player of the season and won the Vice President's award, thus taking each of the major accolades at the Warrington end of season awards night.[12]

Hill played in the 2012 Super League Grand Final defeat by Leeds at Old Trafford.[13][9] Hill played in the 2013 Super League Grand Final defeat by Wigan at Old Trafford.[14][15][16][17][18]

In 2016, Hill was named club captain of the Warrington outfit. This was a successful year overall for the Warrington club under Hill, as they reached both finals and won their first piece of silverware since 2016, when they won the League Leaders' Shield, the second time in the club's history. Hill was named in the Dream team for the season, and was also the Top Metre Maker of the season. He was rewarded for this amazing season with a contract extension with the club, which will keep him with the Warrington club until at least November 2021. Hill played in the 2016 Challenge Cup Final defeat by Hull F.C. at Wembley Stadium.[19][20]

Hill played in the 2016 Super League Grand Final defeat by Wigan at Old Trafford.[21]

Hill played in the 2018 Challenge Cup Final defeat by the Catalans Dragons at Wembley Stadium.[22] Hill played in the 2018 Super League Grand Final defeat by Wigan at Old Trafford.[23]

Hill leading the Warrington Wolves out at Anfield in 2019

Hill played in the 2019 Challenge Cup Final victory over St. Helens at Wembley Stadium.[24]

Huddersfield

On 10 September 2021, it was reported that he had signed for Huddersfield in the Super League[25] On 14 April 2022, he made his 500th career appearance in a 20–20 draw against Leeds Rhinos.[26] On 28 May 2022, Hill played for Huddersfield in their 2022 Challenge Cup Final loss to Wigan.[27] In round 25 of the 2022 Super League season, Hill was controversially sin binned in Huddersfield's 18-14 loss to Leeds.[28] Hill played 24 games for Huddersfield in the 2023 Super League season as the club finished ninth on the table and missed the playoffs.[29]

Personal life

In 2015, Hill set up a plumbing business, Premier Plumbing.[30] On 12 September 2019 Hill opened a bathroom showroom called Immerse Bathroom Showroom.[31]

International career

Hill made his International début for England in the 2012 Autumn International Series match against Wales in Wrexham.[32]

In October and November 2013, Hill played in all five England matches of the Rugby League World Cup. At the end of the 2014 domestic season, Hill travelled to Australia as part of the England national rugby league team's Four Nations squad.

In the 2015 International period, Hill was selected in Steve McNamara's 24-man squad to take on New Zealand up in England in a test-series.[33] Before the series began England played a test match against France.[34] Hill was part of the team that defeated the 'Les Tricolores'.[35] The following year, Hill was selected in England's 24-man squad for the 2016 Four Nations.

In October 2017, he was selected in the England squad for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[36]

Hill was selected in squad for the 2019 Great Britain Lions tour of the Southern Hemisphere.[37] He made his Great Britain test début in the defeat by Tonga.[38]

Hill was named in the 2021 world cup squad for England. Hill played in every match at the tournament including England's 27-26 semi-final loss to Samoa.[39]

References
  1. "Christopher Andrew Hill". Companies House. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  2. "Player Profile Chris Hill". rugby-league.com/england. The Rugby Football League. 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  3. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. "Player Summary: Chris Hill". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  5. "Northern Rail Match Review". www.northernrail.org. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  6. "rleague.com profile". rleague.com. 6 April 2010. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  7. "Hill agrees Warrington switch". superleague.co.uk. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  8. "Warrington's battered Brett Hodgson recovers to see off Leeds in final". Guardian UK. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  9. "Leeds' Kevin Sinfield stars in Grand Final triumph against Warrington". Guardian. 6 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  10. "Leeds Rhinos 18–35 Warrington Wolves". BBC Sport. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  11. "Warrington Wolves Are Challenge Cup Winners 2012!". Warrington Wolves Official Site. 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  12. "Chris is king of the Hills". warringtonguardian.co.uk. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  13. "Grand Final: Warrington 18-26 Leeds". BBC Sport. 6 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  14. "Super League Grand Final". Super League. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  15. Newsum, Matt (5 October 2013). "Super League Grand Final: Wigan Warriors beat Warrington". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  16. "Super League Grand Final: Warrington v Wigan". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  17. "Warrington Wolves 16 Wigan Warriors 30". Daily Telegraph. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  18. "Wigan see off Warrington in X-rated Grand Final to complete double". Guardian. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  19. "Hull FC's Jamie Shaul's late try takes Challenge Cup away from Warrington". Guardian. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  20. "Challenge Cup final: Hull FC 12-10 Warrington Wolves". BBC. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  21. "Warrington 6-12 Wigan: Super League Grand Final – as it happened!". Guardian. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  22. "Catalans Dragons beat Warrington in Challenge Cup final to make history". Guardian. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  23. "Super League Grand Final 2018: Wigan 12-4 Warrington – as it happened". Guardian. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  24. "St Helens 4-18 Warrington RESULT: Challenge Cup Final as it happened from Wembley". Mirror. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  25. "Chris Hill: Huddersfield sign Warrington's England prop Chris Hill on a two-year deal". BBC Sport. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  26. "Chris Hill's reaction to his 500th appearance and promises "a few more"". Serious About Rugby League. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  27. "Challenge Cup final: Huddersfield Giants 14-16 Wigan Warriors". www.bbc.co.uk.
  28. "'It's a disgrace' - Phil Clarke's fury after controversial Richie Myler incident". www.leeds-live.co.uk.
  29. "Ian Watson explains why Huddersfield Giants underperformed in Super League 2023". www.totalrl.com.
  30. "Warrington Wolves star Chris Hill becomes a plumber". Warrington Guardian. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  31. "Wire star Chris Hill opens his own bathroom showroom near to the town centre".
  32. "Wolves trio help England hammer Wales in Wrexham". Warrington Guardian. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  33. "MCNAMARA NAMES 24-MAN SQUAD FOR 2015 INTERNATIONAL SERIES". englandrl.co.uk. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  34. "England vs France". sportinglife.com. 24 October 2015. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  35. "England demolish France 84-4 in record win". skysports.com. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  36. "England rugby league World Cup squad revealed - and James Roby is back in the fold". Mirror. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  37. "Zak Hardaker shock inclusion in 24-man Great Britain squad for tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea". Telegraph. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  38. "Great Britain left bruised at Tonga party". Times. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  39. "England 26-27 Samoa: Rugby League World Cup semi-final – as it happened". www.theguardian.com.
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