The Death was announced today of Wilf Rosenberg who passed away aged 84 in Israel.

A Springbok international, Wilf was a magnificent player who switched codes to join Leeds in 1959 and scored 73 tries in 81 appearances, before he moved to play for us for two seasons from 1961-62. He touched down 42 times in 86 appearances for the FC before returning to South Africa in 1964.


My first real hero, in a dark time when the great Hull team of the 50's had all but melted away as a lad aged 11 I watched him score two tries on his debut at the Boulevard against Bramley (a game in which Clive Sullivan scored a hat trick on the other wing on his debut as a trialist) he was for his size one of the most courageous and brave players I have ever seen.

Wilf was mobile with the ball lightening fast but perhaps his most memorable feature was the fact that whether he was being pursued or not he would always take off on one leg about three yards out and perform the most spectacular of diving finishes anyone had ever seen. The acrobatics of modern wingers at the corner flag were unseen back then except when Wilf was scoring. In the encircling gloom of winter Saturday afternoons A knot of cameramen would crouch with flash bulbs ready to try and capture him flying horizontal to the ground about three foot in the air as he dived into the corner as the flash bulbs popped to give Arthur Keegan another tough conversion to attempt!

A Dentist by profession with a practice in Leeds he was also one of the first players to wear a gumshield in the game but as he regularly ran 80 and 90 yards to score hugging the touch line as he went, what a player he was and what a legend those dives made him.

I have carried his name on my replica shirts and used it to write about the team he played for over many years. His death is a real watershed for me and its a sad day for Rugby League and for Hull FC.

R.I.P. Wilf Rosenberg.

Great tribute. Yes a real legend of the game.

A sad day indeed A hero of mine and what a game that was when Wilf and Sully first turned out Great memories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBbT3ikpInU

A sad day indeed A hero of mine and what a game that was when Wilf and Sully first turned out Great memories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBbT3ikpInU

I saw him play in his debut season at an age when you don't know what greatness is (aged 9) but you quickly pick up from the fans around you that he was summat special along with the flash on the other wing.My dad saying put the ....... thing down was ill informed stupidity,RIP Wilf

norbellini wrote:A sad day indeed A hero of mine and what a game that was when Wilf and Sully first turned out Great memories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBbT3ikpInU When you watch that second try for Leeds against St Helens the expression lightnig fast is certainly not an understatement.

norbellini wrote:A sad day indeed A hero of mine and what a game that was when Wilf and Sully first turned out Great memories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBbT3ikpInU When you watch that second try for Leeds against St Helens the expression lightnig fast is certainly not an understatement.

Its a bloody sad day isnt it, our hero gone Its hit me quite bit you know .I was recalling his partnership with dick gemmell and didnt know until just today he had passed away i must have missed that. I met Gemmell around Lidl a few years ago , At first he was quite evasive but when i mentioned Wilf he warmed a little His words "Aye and he could have scored a lot more if he had listened to me" Well at least we got to see some class larkers

Well done Pete. Lovely tribute. Another FC Great gone to play his rugby in the Sky.

I write this with a massive lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.

I was in the threepenny stand when Wilf ran onto the field making his debut.
To see the guy I had admired for a number of years in black and white shirt was something special.
I have seen many great wingers over the past 71 years but none will compare to the great Wilf Rosenberg.

RIP.

As a young teenager I had just stared to follow Leeds before Rosenberg was signed so I saw most of his games for the Loiners and many of his fine tries.

I used to collect the photos in the green sports papers that were published on the Saturday evening of the days matches and many of these were of Wilf flying over the covering tackler to score. Unbelievable.

I was gutted when he signed for Hull but I still wanted to see him score.

One of the all time great wingers

RIP Wilf

Many years ago I read that he was originally a centre but he was so fast the wingers couldn't keep up with him so he became a winger himself.