John Whiteley

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Full Name
John William Whiteley
Born
Thursday, 20th November, 1930
Died
Sunday, 13th February, 2022 (Aged 91 years and 85 days)

Awards & Accolades

English Hall Of Fame
2018

Playing Career Statistics

All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.

To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.

Competitions

Competition   App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
European Championship 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
World Cup 3 - -   - - 2 1 0 66.67% List
Tour Matches Great Britain 17 10 -   - 30 15 2 0 88.24% List
Test Series 8 2 -   - - 6 2 0 75.00% List
The Ashes 5 2 -   - 12 4 1 0 80.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
England 1953 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
Great Britain 1957-62 15 2 -   - 6 9 5 1 60.00% List
Overall1953-1962 16 2 0   0 6 10 5 1 62.50% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Rest Of The World 1957 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List

World Cup Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Great Britain 1957, 1960 3 - -   - - 2 1 0 66.67% List

Your Say

  • Ian Glover
    07/06/2011

    John Whiteley was the most able loose or second row RL forward that I have seen. His handling was beyond brilliance. He had the pace of a very fast centre or fast winger and the creativity of a world class stand-off,. and incredible fitness and work rate, and phenomenal qualities of generalship and leadership on and off the pitch. He could make the most complicated and thoughtful and exhausting play look simple and easy. He was a complete gentleman who made nasty opponents look stupid by running rings round them with much superior skill and speed, while never saying a bad word about them, and indeed teaching and encouraging them.to improve their abilities. Yet he was quietly tough as well. No-ne dreamed of calling him a pushover or big softy. His running was a delight to watch, original, stylish, combining the mazy and the direct very unprediictably. He gave former fans of his a yardstick to judge all other forwards by. I believed for 40 years after watching him that rugby league was a game of great intellectuality, delicacy, artistry and beauty - which in his capable hads it was!

  • Anonymous
    10/01/2017

    John Whiteley was the very best of some very good loose forwards in the 50/60s. He always brought the best out of team mates and was a great captain.
    Where today in world rugby would you find two forwards in the same pack that scored over a hundred tries each? Whiteley and Bill Drake

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Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson, Greg Fiveash