There are some players in the community game who never really leave, even when they say they’ve left. Danny Rowse is one of them.
Eighteen months after hanging up the boots on the back of England Community Lions’ historic 2–0 Test success in Western Australia, Rowse has found himself back in Hunslet ARLFC colours. And if you ask him, it didn’t take long for everything to feel familiar again.
“On Saturday I didn’t feel like I’d ever left, if I’m honest.”
That’s Rowse. Straight to the point. Just rugby league.
His return wasn’t part of any masterplan. In fact, he was drifting away from the sport while coaching at Lock Lane, a spell he doesn’t sugar coat:
“It wasn’t going too well… (there was) a bit of a commitment issue, and I was just a bit fed up. I’d sort of fallen out of love with game, coaching.”
But rugby league has a habit of pulling you back in, especially when Jamie Fields is involved. Having spent a big chunk of their playing careers as team mates it is clear that Jamie still has a big pull.
“Fieldsy had been onto me for a couple of months saying, ‘Do you fancy it back down here?’”
Rowse eventually agreed to return, but only to help out with coaching.
That lasted about a week.
“First week I went down… I got roped into putting boots back on and yeah, I actually loved it.”
It was a classic community rugby league story. You go down to help out, and suddenly you’re back organising sets and field kicking.
Although Rowse hasn’t played for 18 months, he kept himself ticking over, but as he rightly says:
“Game fitness is totally different to running a 5k.”
The nerves were there. The doubts were there. But once the whistle went, instinct took over.
“As soon as I got into the swing of it, yeah, (it was) like I’d never been away.”
Hunslet kept a clean sheet. Rowse was influential. And thanks to a team sheet mix up, he even got credited with seven goals he didn’t kick.
“Someone phoned me saying, ‘First game back and you’re knocking seven goals over.’ I was like, I’m sure I don’t look like Harry Shackleton… but I’ll take it if that’s what it says.”
If you know community rugby league, or report on it, you know that’s one of the perils every single week of the season!
Rowse’s return is part of a wider revival at Hunslet ARLFC. Familiar faces are returning. Standards are lifting. The place feels alive again and they trail Waterhead by just a point, sitting third on the league ladder.
Recent returnees include Jack and Craig McShane, back after their professional spells with Dewsbury, and they have now been joined by Moris Kamano, who Rowse was quick to mention:
“There’s another guy who’s come back — (prop) Moris Kamano.”
Suddenly, Hunslet’s squad looks deeper, more experienced, and more balanced.
“It’s looking healthy again… I didn’t know if it was sort of dying off… but it’s coming together.”
And Rowse isn’t just playing. He’s helping shape the attack after a chat with Jamie Fields.
"So Jamie spoke to me about the attack not looking as slick or where he wanted it to be and obviously we've played together for a fair amount of years and we sort of bounce off each other where he's coaching the forwards and the props and he wants me just to take over a bit of the attack and jump in." He said.
It feels like a natural fit.
Rowse has lived through successful Hunslet sides, including that 100% season in 2018. He knows what makes them tick.
“Once you’re on that roll, it’s really hard to stop.”
“If your spine’s the same week in, week out… the attitude doesn’t drop.”
He points to West Hull as the modern example - minimal rotation, maximum cohesion.
And he’s looking for that consistency to remain part of Hunslet ARLFC's DNA.
“(We just will) try to get a bit of consistency… we’ve been there before… consistency was key.”
It’s simple rugby league logic. It’s also spot on.
Ultimately, Rowse’s return wasn’t about medals or milestones. It was about rediscovering something he’d lost.
“You do miss it… you go to work, you’ve got a stressed life at home… it’s a bit of relief.”
“As a coach you try to put wrongs right, but you’re not actually doing it… it’s easier done as a player.”
On Saturday, he found that feeling again at Wigan St Judes. Hunslet found their organiser again.
Danny Rowse didn’t just return, he has reconnected, while Hunslet, with the band back together, suddenly look like a club with a bit of momentum.
NCRL Fixtures:
31st July
National Conference - Cumbria:
Seaton Rangers v Distington 7:00 PM
1st August
National Leagues
Premier Division
York Acorn v Wath Brow Hornets 2:30 PM
National Conference - Cumbria:
Dalton v Hindpool Tigers 2:30 PM
National Conference - North West:
Clock Face Miners v Saddleworth Rangers 2:30 PM
National Conference - Yorkshire A:
Mirfield Spartans v King Cross Park 2:30 PM
Keighley Albion v Moldgreen 2:30 PM
National Conference - Yorkshire B:
Milford v Hull Dockers 2:30 PM
National Conference - South:
North Herts Crusaders v Wests Warriors 2:30 PM
Bristol All Golds v Eastern Rhinos 2:30 PM
BARLA National Cup:
Leigh Miners Rangers v Orrell St James 2:30 PM
Ince Rose Bridge v Skirlaugh 2:30 PM
Crosfields v West Hull 2:30 PM
