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Denis Betts

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Pro RL coach and former GB & England international rugby league footballer

Denis Betts
Personal information
Full nameDenis Charles Betts
Born (1969-09-14) 14 September 1969 (age 55)
Salford, Lancashire, England
Playing information
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight15 st 0 lb (95 kg)
PositionSecond row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1986–95 Wigan
1995–97 Auckland Warriors 42 11 0 0 44
1998–01 Wigan Warriors 116 34 1 138
Total 158 45 1 0 182
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1990–99 Great Britain 32 8 0 0 32
1991 Lancashire 1 0 0 0 0
1995 England 4 1 0 0 4
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2004–05 Wigan Warriors
2010–18 Widnes Vikings 203 76 5 122 37
2022 Newcastle Thunder 1 1 0 0 100
2024– Wigan Warriors Women 0 0 0 0
Total 204 77 5 122 38
Source:

Denis Charles Betts (born 14 September 1969) is an English rugby league coach and former player. He is the head-coach of Wigan Warriors Women and a former assistant coach of the England national team.

A second-row, Betts played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s for the Wigan Warriors, with whom he won numerous titles, and for the Auckland Warriors. He won four caps for England and 32 for Great Britain, setting a record for a forward. He played in two Rugby League World Cups, in 1989-92 and 1995, including playing in the finals of both.

Early life

Betts was born on 14 September 1969 in Salford, Lancashire and attended Clarendon High School. He has a younger brother, Darren Betts – also a talented rugby and footballer who played for Salford in the 1990s. Betts was himself a former Manchester United youth team player.

Betts signed for Wigan from Leigh Miners ARL (also known as Leigh Rangers) on 14 October 1986.

Playing career

Betts was a part of the hugely successful Wigan team of the 1980s, and 90's, his own medal haul including six Championships, seven Rugby League Challenge Cups, three Premierships, four John Player/Regal Trophies, and two Lancashire Cups. He also received the Lance Todd Trophy (1991) and the coveted Man of Steel Award (1995). He featured in three World Club Challenge matches for Wigan, winning two, against Penrith Panthers in 1991 and Brisbane Broncos in 1994.

In 1995, at the height of the Super League War he signed a lucrative deal with the Auckland Warriors, one of the new clubs, coached by former Wigan coach John Monie.

Later that year Betts became the first player to win both England and Great Britain caps while not playing in the English leagues. With former Wigan team-mate Shaun Edwards ruled out by injury, Betts captained England from the second row in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley Stadium, but Australia won the match 16–8 and retained the World Cup. Betts' selection as captain of England meant he was the first player given the honour while not playing in the English leagues.

During the 1996 Auckland Warriors season Betts captained the club. He was selected as vice captain for the 1996 Great Britain Lions tour of Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand, playing in all Tests against host nations at second-row. The 1997 season was Betts' last with the Auckland Warriors as he returned to England to continue playing for Wigan.

Betts returned to play in the 1998 Wigan Warriors season in Europe's Super League competition, and played in the side which lost the 1998 Challenge Cup Final to Sheffield Eagles. He missed Wigan's 1998 Super League Grand Final victory that year through injury. Betts scored Wigan's opening try in the last game at Central Park, and their first try at the JJB Stadium.

At the end of 1999's Super League IV, Betts was selected to play for Great Britain in the 1999 Tri-Nations tournament in both of their matches against New Zealand and Australia.

Betts played for Wigan in their 2000 Super League Grand Final loss to St. Helens, and their 2001 Grand Final loss to the Bradford Bulls. He was persuaded to retire from playing at the age of 32, to help Wigan get under the salary cap.

In total, Betts made 32 appearances for Great Britain, the joint highest ever for a forward, and toured three times, in 1990, 1992 and 1996. He also captained England in the 1995 World Cup final, which they lost to Australia at Wembley in front of 66,540 fans.

Coaching career

At the end of 2001, Betts moved into coaching as Under-18s coach at the Wigan Warriors, and progressed to under-21s, which he led to victory in the 2003 U21 Grand Final. In July 2003, Stuart Raper was sacked as the Wigan Warriors coach, and he was replaced by Mike Gregory. Gregory then appointed Betts as his assistant. the Wigan Warriors' results improved and they went on reach the Grand Final, only to lose to Bradford Bulls. The following season, the Wigan Warriors reached another final, losing this time to St. Helens in the Challenge Cup Final. Betts then took temporary charge in May 2004 when Gregory stepped down due to illness. He held the position for a year before he was moved sideways by the club to make way for the appointment of new head coach Ian Millward, who had left St. Helens just two weeks earlier and was recruited for his experience. Betts continued to work under Millward until the end of the 2005's Super League X but left in November after refusing to take a post as coach of the academy Under-21 team.

In January 2006 he took up a post as skills and development coach with Guinness Premiership rugby union club Gloucester, a position which he left during June 2010, despite having another year on his contract. Speaking about his time at Gloucester, he said "It's a really passionate place and I hope they can get the success they deserve. I really enjoyed the place, especially the match-day atmosphere and the Shed."

While at Gloucester, Betts emerged as a surprise contender for the vacant England coaching job, which he applied for in March 2010, ultimately losing out to Bradford Bulls' Steve McNamara.

In November 2010, Betts was appointed coach of Championship club; the Widnes Vikings. In May 2011, he was reappointed to manage the Widnes Vikings into the Super League in 2012.

Betts was appointed assistant coach to Wayne Bennett with England in April 2016. England finished third in the 2016 Four Nations, and were runners-up in the 2017 World Cup.

In May 2018 the Widnes Vikings terminated Betts' contract with immediate effect. Due to the Widnes Vikings poor run with winning only three games out of twelve.

References

  1. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. "Playing the ball with Denis Betts". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 March 2004. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  3. "Wigan Rugby League - Coaching Register". CherryAndWhite. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. "Player Summary: Denis Betts". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  6. "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  7. "Leigh Miners Rangers – About Us". Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  8. "Wigan blow as Betts off". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  9. "WiganWarriorsFans.com - Index page". Wiganwarriorsfans.com.
  10. Malin, Ian (11 January 2006). "Rugby union: Gloucester gamble on Betts to help continue revival". The Guardian. London.
  11. "Coach Betts departs Gloucester". BBC News. 21 June 2010.
  12. "Gloucester Rugby's former skills coach Denis Betts hails the soul of Kingsholm". This is Gloucestershire. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  13. "Betts in frame for England job". Sportinglife. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  14. Wilson, Andy (10 November 2010). "Denis Betts returns as head coach of Widnes". The Guardian. London.
  15. "Denis Betts to lead Widnes Vikings in Super League". The Guardian. London. 10 May 2011.
  16. "Widnes part company with coach Betts". BBC Sport.

External links

Wigan Warriors squads
Wigan squad – 1988–89 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1989–90 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1990–91 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1991 World Club Challenge winners
Wigan squad – 1991–92 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1992–93 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1993–94 Challenge Cup Final winners
Wigan squad – 1994 World Club Challenge winners
Wigan squad – 1994–95 Challenge Cup Final winners
England squad – 1995 Rugby League World Cup finalists
United Kingdom Great Britain squad – 1990 Tour
United Kingdom Great Britain squad – 1992 Tour
United Kingdom Great Britain squad – 1996 Tour
Coaching positions
Newcastle Thunder coaches
Gateshead Thunder
Newcastle Thunder
Widnes Vikings coaches
Wigan Warriors coaches
1995 World Cup – Team of the Tournament
Man of Steel Award
Lance Todd Trophy winners
Super League Dream Team – 2000
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