Leeds Rhinos give trial to ex-rugby union forward, before immediately loaning him out

Plenty of rugby players cross codes with some of the very best or recent times including Sonny Bill Williams, Jason Robinson and Brad Thorn with those three examples moving from league to union, however Leeds Rhinos have brought in a union convert on trial.

That’s according to the Yorkshire Evening Post who report that Huw Worthington has been handed a trial by the Rhinos, having previously trialled with Huddersfield and scored against the Rhinos in a reserve game.

Plenty of even the most die hard Rhinos fans would have been unaware of Worthington’s deal with Leeds, with seemingly the first notice of it coming on Friday evening when Wides Vikings announced they had made a loan move for him.

The Vikings sit seventh in the Championship in an incredibly packed out race for the playoffs with just five points separating fifth placed Bradford and ninth placed York.

Currently the Vikings, who dismissed John Kear earlier in the year, are just one point out of the playoffs and they face bottom of the table Newcastle this afternoon.

A win would jump them into the playoffs and it seems Worthington will be availabke from their next fixture which comes against York, a week after the Challenge Cup Final.

The Vikings are pleased to announce the loan signing of Huw Worthington, Prop Forward, from Leeds Rhinos on loan until the end of the season.

Worthington, 28, has just signed for the Rhinos.

He is 6'1' and 111kg and will add more size to the Vikings!

Welcome Huw!#WidnesRL

— Widnes Vikings (@WidnesRL) August 4, 2023

The club tweeted: “The Vikings are pleased to announce the loan signing of Huw Worthington, Prop Forward, from Leeds Rhinos on loan until the end of the season.

“Worthington, 28, has just signed for the Rhinos. He is 6’1′ and 111kg and will add more size to the Vikings! Welcome Huw!”

How many games he’ll play for Rhinos is unclear but the Yorkshire Evening Post have reported that he’ll split time between the Vikings and then the Rhinos reserves.

Worthington formerly played for Bedford Blues as a lock forward having been born in Wales, before moving to Richmond FC and now trialling with the Rhinos.

He has appeared 21 times for Richmond per their club website.