Since the creation of Super League, there has been a whole host of second-rowers that have impressed for their respective teams; whether because of their defending or attacking ability, second-rowers play a key role on the edges and are the link between the forward pack and the three-quarters. Here are five that have impressed the most over the 22-year period.
Chris Joynt
Although Chris Joynt made his debut for St Helens in 1992 - four years before Super League came into being - he still played eight years for the Saints in the summer game. In his 12 years at the Lancashire club - the only side he played for in his career - Joynt registered 383 appearances, scoring 121 tries.
After his breakthrough in 1992, Joynt went on to captain the Saints team from 1997 until 2003 when Paul Sculthorpe took over the role.
Throughout his time at Saints, Joynt was renowned for his physical approach and stern defence, becoming one of the most formidable back-rowers around the turn of the century. Joynt won four Challenge Cups and three Super League titles - and also received the Harry Sunderland Trophy for a man-of-the-match performance in the 2000 Grand Final. Of course, Joynt earned national honours, playing for Great Britain 21 times and England and Ireland four times each.
The moment most will probably remember him for is the infamous ‘Wide to West’ try in the 2000 Super League play-offs.
With Bradford leading by the narrowest of margins - 10-11 - Saints shipped the ball wide where winger Dwayne West was lurking. Sky Sports’ commentator Eddie Hemmings repeated the phrase as the ball was played out to West. West subsequently beat two men and passed to Joynt inside him who charged home after the hooter had already gone.
Gareth Ellis
Born in Castleford, Gareth Ellis began his career at Wakefield. Making his debut aged 18, Ellis grew into one of the most imposing forwards in the Super League game. At Trinity, Ellis scored 26 tries in 114 matches over a period of five years and impressed so much that he earned a deal at Leeds Rhinos ahead of the 2005 season.
Whilst at the Rhinos, Ellis took his game to the next level, playing a vital role in Leeds' Grand Final wins in 2007 and 2008 and the club's World Club Challenge successes in 2005 and 2008. Ellis racked up 121 appearances for the Rhinos, scoring 27 tries.
Ellis' success on the rugby field with Leeds earned him international suitors and, in February 2008, the powerful forward signed a deal with NRL side Wests Tigers to commence in 2009. He became such a hit with the Tigers that he was named Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons - the only Wests player to ever earn this accolade - prompting Ellis to be called the club's best-ever overseas player.
Ellis returned to Super League once more in 2013, this time with Hull FC.
Until his retirement at the end of the 2017 season, Ellis was instrumental in FC's back-to-back Challenge Cup successes in 2016 and 2017. International-quality Ellis won 17 caps for Great Britain and 16 for England. A dedicated, hard-hitting and fiery second-rower, Ellis had a glittering career, earning the respect of both teammates and rivals alike for how hard and honest he played the game.
Ali Lauitiiti
After starring in the NRL for New Zealand Warriors, Ali Lauitiiti made the move to West Yorkshire - and more specifically - the Leeds Rhinos ahead of the 2004 season. Over a period of seven years, Lauitiiti appeared 196 times for Leeds, scoring 63 tries - a quite remarkable figure for a forward.
At Leeds, Lauitiiti developed into an immense, ball-handling second-rower at Leeds and became one of the most feared and powerful forwards in the game. It was no surprise therefore that Lauitiiti was at the heart of the Leeds side that won two League Leaders' Shields, two World Club Challenges and five Super League titles.
Even after departing Leeds for Wakefield Trinity in 2012 at the age of 33, the 6ft2, 115kg monster still racked up another four seasons in Super League, playing at a consistently high level as he had done throughout his career. Whilst at Wakefield, Lauitiiti registered registered 20 tries in 94 appearances before moving back to New Zealand Warriors at the end of 2015. At his boyhood club however, Lauitiiti played just one season before retiring in 2016.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Lauitiiti represented the Kiwis 19 times between 2000 and 2006, before switching his allegiance to Samoa in 2007 for whom he played four times.
Lee Gilmour
Though Lee Gilmour played some of his career at centre, it was at second-row where he excelled the most. Despite hailing from Dewsbury, Gilmour began his career at Wigan in 1997. Gilmour was at the Warriors until the end of 2001 - he left having scored 24 tries in 108 games and with a Super League winners' medal under his belt. Bradford was Gilmour's next destination; though he was only back in West Yorkshire for three seasons, the rangy forward still played in 126 games for the Bulls and scored 20 tries, becoming a prominent figure in Bradford's treble-winning season in 2003 - though he did not play in that year's Grand Final.
Gilmour returned to the Lancashire side of the Pennines ahead of the 2004 season, this time with St Helens where he played the best rugby of his career. Gilmour settled immediately and, in six seasons with the Saints, established himself as one of the greatest back-rowers in the game. He scored 45 tries in 146 appearances and was part of the St Helens side that won the 2006 domestic treble. For the Saints, Gilmour won one Grand Final, one World Club Challenge and four Challenge Cups. Even when GIlmour moved away from St Helens at the end of 2009, his Super League career was far from over.
Huddersfield was Gilmour's next destination and in two years with the West Yorkshire side, he scored 19 tries in 81 appearances.
From Huddersfield, Gilmour went to Castleford ahead of the 2013 season where he played 13 times, but failed to score a try. By now, it was evident that GIlmour's career was winding down and a final season as a Rugby League player came in a Wakefield Trinity shirt in 2014. On-loan from the Tigers, the then 36-year-old registered two tries in 13 appearances. The second-rower finally retired at the end of 2014.
Gilmour impressed so much for various clubs that he earned representative honours. From 1999 to 2006, Gilmour appeared 15 times in a Great Britain shirt and three times in a Scotland shirt for the 2000 World Cup. A lanky, almost cumbersome-looking second-rower, Gilmour was an incredible ball-handler and line-runner on his day.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan
Jamie Jones-Buchanan - or "JJB" - has played all of his career so far with boyhood club Leeds Rhinos. Since making his Super League debut all the way back in 1999, Jones-Buchanan has notched up nearly 400 appearances, scoring 76 tries. He has been a key figure in Leeds' Super League dominance in the past decade, winning eight titles with the club as well as three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups. For Great Britain, JJB has played once, but for England he has made 14 appearances, scoring three tries.
Though far from flashy, JJB has developed into a formidable, physical second-rower over the course of his 19 years at Leeds and is still going at the ripe-old age of 36 - and has shown no intention of retiring yet either.
A consistent workhorse, Jones-Buchanan is the type of player that teammates love to have on their side - he does the hard stuff and the little things that very few see. Yet, this is the stuff that wins teams matches and Leeds have definitely benefitted from having him in their side for the past two decades.
