Steve Nash (born 7 April 1949) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s. A Great Britain and England national representative and scrum-half,[2] he played his club rugby for Featherstone Rovers, winning a Challenge Cup title with them and being one of the inaugural inductees into the club's hall of fame. He also played for the Salford club and at representative level for Yorkshire. Nash later coached the Mansfield Marksman club for a season in 1989.[6]
Playing career
Featherstone Rovers
Born in Featherstone, Nash made his début for his hometown rugby league club Featherstone Rovers on 11 March 1967 against Halifax. He played as a stand-off during his first few games for the club, but later switched to scrum-half, deputising for first-choice Carl Dooler. When Dooler was transferred following a dispute with the club, Nash established himself a regular place in the first team.[7]
In June 1978, he was named in the inaugural Open Rugby World XIII.
Nash was granted a Testimonial match at Salford, which took place in August 1984 against his former club Featherstone Rovers.[8] Nash announced his retirement shortly afterwards,[9] but was persuaded to resume playing a year later, and finished his career with Rochdale Hornets.[10]
Representative career
In March 1971, while playing for Featherstone, Nash won his first cap for Great Britain against France.[11] He was selected for the 1972 World Cup, and played in the final against Australia which was drawn 10–10, enabling Great Britain to claim the Cup. During the 1973 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, Nash was selected to play for Great Britain at scrum half back in the first two AshesTest matches against Australia.
He continued to represent Great Britain while at Salford, and narrowly missed out on a second World Cup victory in the 1977 Final which was lost to Australia 12–13.
In the first Test against Bob Fulton's Australia at Central Park, Wigan, in October 1978 Britain lost 15–9 and Nash and his opposite number, Tommy Raudonikis, were sent off for fighting early in the second half. During the 1978 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, Nash continued to play at half back in all three Ashes Test matches. Nash continued to represent England in 1978 against France, and Wales, and in 1981 against Wales (2 matches),[4] For the 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France Nash was recalled to the Great Britain team as captain for the first Test against Australia at Hull in 1982. Australia won 40–4. Steve Nash also played scrum-half in Great Britain's 7–8 defeat by France in the friendly at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Venice on Saturday 31 July 1982.[5]
Post-playing
In 1989 Nash coached the Mansfield Marksman. In 2016 he became one of the ten founding inductees into the Featherstone Rovers Hall of Fame.[12]
^Platt, Darrell (1991). A History of Salford Rugby League Club. Salford Rugby League Club.
^ ab"England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
