Newly-appointed Leeds Rhinos coach Jamie Langley has returned to rugby league after a three-year spell in rugby union, a return that was never in doubt according to Langley who has spoken on the sport being ‘in his blood’.
Langley spent much of his career with Bradford Bulls and was part of the side contesting Grand Finals against his new employers during his playing days.
The 40-year-old coached with London Broncos before making the code switch to Sale Sharks, where he has worked since mid-2021 but a return to league has now occurred.
He joins the club that his Dad, John, represented during the Rhinos glory days in the 1960s and ’70s, something he touched upon when speaking with BBC West Yorkshire Sport about his latest venture.
Asked if he’d discussed the job with his father, Langley said: “I told him when I was going to be having that conversation obviously with Ian and Brad and he was really happy, had a smile on his face. He’s always supported me, where I’ve been, at Bradford and London and various other clubs. He’s always held Leeds close to his heart.
“He played in those great teams in the 60s and 70s and had a lot of success. I was a bit of a Leeds supporter growing up as well so he was chuffed to bits. I saw his name this morning on the heritage board so I took a little picture of that for him and I’ll show him.”
‘Like riding a bike’ – Leeds Rhinos coach on code switch
Credit: Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com
Langley makes the move to Headingley where he’ll be the team’s defensive coach, helping to tighten up a side that conceded almost 500 points in the 2024 season.
Shifting codes will take some adjusting he admitted, stating: “I had a brilliant time in the rugby union, obviously learning a new sport and getting to work with some world-class players and coaches over there as well but I always felt like at some point that I may gravitate back towards league.
“It took a little while to get me grounded again, you’ve got to sort of switch hats. I’ve had three years trying to learn one sport and then flip back over but I guess it’s like riding a bike and things start coming back to you.
However, he maintained that a return to the 13-man code had always been on the cards, claiming that rugby league has been in his blood from childhood.
“Rugby League’s been in my blood since I was a young kid. My dad played here in Leeds, and my mum, Joan, has been chairperson of the local club for 30 years at Normanton Knights. It’s always been part of our family growing up and I knew probably from a really young age that I wanted to carve out a career in professional rugby league.
“I was fortunate enough to do that as a player and then transition into coaching as well, which is the next best thing. So I was never going to lose that love for league.”
