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Andy Lynch (rugby league)

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Andy Lynch
Personal information
Full nameAndrew John Lynch[1]
Born (1979-10-20) 20 October 1979 (age 46)
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Playing information
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight16 st 1 lb (102 kg) [2]
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–04 Castleford Tigers 137 15 0 0 60
2005–11 Bradford Bulls 204 46 0 0 184
2012–13 Hull F.C. 59 3 0 0 12
2014–17 Castleford Tigers 92 2 0 0 8
Total 492 66 0 0 264
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2002–03 England 'A' 7 2 0 0 8
2003 Yorkshire 1 0 0 0 0
2004–05 England 5 0 0 0 0
2007 Great Britain 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [3][4]

Andrew John Lynch (born 20 October 1979) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop forward in the Super League in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He represented England and Great Britain at international level.

Lynch began his career with the Castleford Tigers, where he had joined the academy aged 15. He made his professional debut in 1999 and progressed into a key first-team player, featuring in the 2003 Super League Dream Team. Following Castleford's relegation in 2004, Lynch signed for the Bradford Bulls. There, he won the 2005 Super League title, featured in the 2006 World Club Challenge victory and served as club captain from 2010. Having made over 200 appearances for Bradford, Lynch joined Hull F.C. in 2012 and was appointed captain. He spent two seasons at Hull before returning to the Castleford Tigers in 2014, where he played in the 2014 Challenge Cup final and won the 2017 League Leaders Shield. Throughout his career, Lynch recorded 452 Super League appearances, the second-highest total in competition history at the time of his retirement.[5][6][7]

Playing career

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Castleford Tigers

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Lynch played junior rugby league with Kippax Welfare before turning professional with the Castleford Tigers,[8] making his first team debut in 1999. Lynch was named in the England 'A' squad for their match against New Zealand, and for the South Seas tour at the end of the 2002's Super League VII, and the following year was part of the squad that won the European Nations Cup.[9]

In 2003, he was selected in the Super League Dream Team. In the same year Lynch was also awarded the Tigers Player of the Year award. During his time at Castleford, Lynch was also selected for England, and played as a substitute in Yorkshire's 56-6 victory over Lancashire at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on 2 July 2003.[10]

Bradford Bulls

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Lynch playing for the Bradford Bulls

Lynch signed for the Bradford Bulls in 2004, following Castleford's relegation from the Super League. As 2005 Super League champions, Bradford faced National Rugby League premiers Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Lynch played as a prop forward in the Bulls' 30-10 victory. In 2006, he won several club awards for his performances, including Supporters' Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, BISA Player of the Year and Best Forward of the Year.

Lynch was named in Great Britain's stand-by squad for the 2006 Tri Nations,[11] although he did not feature in the tournament.

In June 2007, Lynch was again called up to the Great Britain squad for the test match against France.[12]

Lynch also played for Northern Union side against the All Golds in October 2007.

He was forced to rule himself out contention for the England training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup through injury.[13]

Hull FC

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Lynch signed for Hull F.C. on a two-year deal in September 2011 for a "significant six figure" fee.[14] Lynch was named FC captain for the 2012 season on 19 January.[15]

Return to Castleford Tigers

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Lynch returned to Castleford in 2014 and played a major part in their season, including an appearance in the 2014 Challenge Cup Final defeat by the Leeds Rhinos at Wembley Stadium.[16]

In June 2017, Lynch announced he would be retiring at the end of the season.[17] He won the League Leaders' Shield with Castleford, but was not included in the squad for the 2017 Grand Final against Leeds Rhinos. He finished his career with a total of 452 Super League appearances – two games fewer than the record set by Kevin Sinfield.[18]

Statistics

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Club career

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YearClubAppsPtsTGFG
1999Castleford Tigers9----
2000Castleford Tigers20123--
2001Castleford Tigers19----
2002Castleford Tigers2782--
2003Castleford Tigers26287--
2004Castleford Tigers26123--
2005Bradford Bulls29246--
2006Bradford Bulls30369--
2007Bradford Bulls26246--
2008Bradford Bulls29205--
2009Bradford Bulls25205--
2010Bradford Bulls27246--
2011Bradford Bulls29369--
2012Hull F.C.30123--
2013Hull F.C.29----
2014Castleford Tigers3151--

International career

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YearTeamMatchesTriesGoalsField GoalsPoints
2002England England 'A'3000
2003England England 'A'42008
2004England England1000
2007 Great Britain1000

Personal life

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In 2017, Lynch joined former teammate Danny Orr as a coach at the Elite Rugby Academy.[17]

References

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  1. ↑ "Andrew John Lynch". Companies House. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Castleford Tigers 1st Team Andy Lynch". Official Castleford Tigers web site. Castleford Tigers Rugby League Football Club Ltd. 2015. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "Player Summary: Andy Lynch". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers' Club. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Darbyshire, Drew (6 October 2017). "A tribute to Andy Lynch – A brilliant 18-year career". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Veteran Castleford prop Andy Lynch announces his retirement". Sky Sports. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  7. ↑ Bower, Aaron (10 June 2017). "Castleford's Andy Lynch joins Super League 500 club and sets sights on silverware". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Castleford Tigers trio pitched in on 'Give Back Day'". Wakefield Express. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Parker handed England captaincy". BBC Sport. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Statistics at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk". 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Six new faces in Britain Tri-Nations squad". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Eight new faces in Lions squad". BBC. 12 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "Deacon pulls out of England squad". BBC. 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  14. ↑ "Hull FC sign Andy Lynch from Bradford Bulls". BBC. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "HULL FC: Lynch honoured to captain Black and Whites | This is Hull and East Riding". Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Leeds lift Challenge Cup after Ryan Hall's double stuns Castleford". Guardian. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  17. 1 2 "Lynch sets retirement date". The Rugby Football League. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  18. ↑ Craven, Dave (6 October 2017). "Grand Final omission brings curtain down early on shining example Andy Lynch". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
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