Matt James (rugby league)

Matt James (born 26 March 1987) is a retired Wales international rugby league. He played in the Super League for Harlequins RL and the Bradford Bulls, and in the Co-operative Championship for the Barrow Raiders, Featherstone Rovers and Sheffield Eagles.

Matt James
Personal information
Full nameMatthew James
Born (1987-03-26) 26 March 1987
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight16 st 7 lb (105 kg)
Playing information
PositionProp, Second-row, Loose forward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2006–09 Bradford Bulls 27 0 0 0 0
2009(loan) → Halifax 10 6 0 0 24
2010 Harlequins RL 3 0 0 0 0
2010–11 Barrow Raiders 32 7 0 0 28
2012 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 5 0 0 0 0
2012(loan) → Halifax 1 0 0 0 0
2013–15 Featherstone Rovers 75 16 0 0 64
2016–21 Sheffield Eagles 113 16 0 0 64
Total 266 45 0 0 180
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2007–21 Wales 3 1 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]
As of 19 September 2021

Background

James was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.

Early career

James made great progress after joining Bradford from Eastmoor on the advice of Brian McDermott. He represented the Senior side in his first two seasons whilst still eligible for the Junior Academy. James has played for both England and Yorkshire in his junior career.

James in action for Bradford

Bradford Bulls

James played for Bradford Bulls for three years, between 2006 and 2009.

It was announced in September 2008 that James would be loaned to Halifax for the 2009 season, but returned to Bradford early in February 2009 having played just ten games for 'Fax'.

Harlequins RL

James signed for the London club in 2010, but failed to settle in the capital and was released from his contract after just three games. In March of the same he had his contract with Harlequins RL cancelled by mutual consent after an ineffective spell at the club.[3][4]

Barrow Raiders

After leaving 'Quins' he moved to the Barrow Raiders, spending two seasons with the Cumbrian club. In this spell he played a total of 32 game sin which he scored 7 tries.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

James returned to the Super League to sign for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in 2012. However, the return did not pan out well, as after playing 5 games at the top the level he was loaned to Halifax for a second time. This time James only made one appearance in his loan spell in a 36-6 victory over the Dewsbury Rams. All six games he played in for both sides were substitute appearances.

Featherstone Rovers

In November 2012, James left the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and signed a two-year contract with the Featherstone Rovers.[5] He finally found a long-term team again and played a total of 75 games for the Featherstone Rovers, he scored 16 tries during the course of these games.

Sheffield Eagles

He commenced playing for the Sheffield Eagles in 2016. In his second season with the Eagles, James was announced to be the 2017 season captain for the team. However, the Eagles made little improvement from the following season as they finished the regular season in 7th place. In 2021 it was announced James would retire from the game at the end of the season.[6]


International

In 2007 James was given some extra games and made 12 appearances and ended 2007 with a call up to the Wales team for the 2008 World Cup qualifiers. He was named in the Wales squad to face England at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster, prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but had to withdraw through injury.[7]

References
  1. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Matt James - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. "Matt James". Love Rugby League.
  3. "Matt James quits Harlequins to return north". BBC. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. "Wakefield prop Matt James joins Featherstone to replace retired skipper Stuart Dickens". Sky Sports. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  5. "Matt James announces retirement". Sheffield Eagles. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  6. "Crusaders dominate Wales' squad". BBC. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2008.


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