Leeds Rhinos’ Tom Briscoe described his testimonial match against Hull FC as a “special day.”
The Featherstone-born winger has made over 300 appearances combined for these two teams as well as 15 for the England national team.
He spent five years at Hull between 2008 and 2013 before becoming a Rhinos player where he has remained ever since.
Briscoe received a standing ovation from just about everyone when he first stepped onto the field inside Headingley Stadium.
Briscoe was happy with how the occasion turned out and was also delighted with how his team performed on the afternoon – as they continue to prepare for the 2022 Betfred Super League season.
He said: “It was a special day.
“The atmosphere were great and it was great to get the performance and the win.
“We knew that this was going to be our strongest team in terms of line-up against a tough Hull side who were going to come to play and be physical with us.
“We put in a performance. Our style was a bit scratchy but other than that, we responded well and managed to put in a good performance and we got a good scoreline in the end.”
Briscoe was also thrilled to score a try and a couple of conversions on his big day.
The 32-year-old is no stranger to scoring tries at a competitive level with 176 at club-level throughout his career as well as 11 for England.
He also holds the joint record for most tries (6) in Challenge Cup finals.
He added: “Obviously, I have scored a number of tries over the years but that was special to get one over in my testimonial game.
“To be involved in a performance like that for our first real hit out of pre-season, it was great.
“It was a bit of a surprise when Rhyse said he would take the kick. It was a bit of pressure but they were nice and easy kicks thankfully.
“I was able to stand up to the occasion today.”