Gareth Hock
Encyclopedia
Gareth Hock is an English rugby league
player who currently plays for English club Wigan Warriors
in the Super League
competition. His primary position is as a second-row forward.
and Sean O'Loughlin
, at the age of 12.
systems, playing in the Academy U19s during the 2002 season. However, injury forced him to miss much of the latter part of the year. Despite this, he was included in the 2003 first team squad by head coach Stuart Raper. Gareth made his first team debut that season against Doncaster
in the Challenge Cup, scoring two tries after coming on to replace an injured Sean O'Loughlin. He went on to become a first team regular for the rest of the season. Gareth commented later: “Sean O'Loughlin was injured early, which was a lucky break for me,” he said. “It went well, then Faz (Andrew Farrell)
got injured and I got a few starts. I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
He crowned a magnificent season by being named Super League Young Player of the Year. Gareth signed a new one-year contract with Wigan in June 2004.
Gareth has international experience playing in the Great Britain
Academy side that toured Australia in 2001. He was also called up to the England
Academy squad to face the Aussie Schoolboys in December 2002. He played in the first Test, scoring a vital try in England's historic victory. He had achieved amateur representative honours, touring with Great Britain U16s and U18s. He has now been included in the England A squad to face the Australians at Brentford
on 28 October 2003.
Unfortunately Gareth's playing career took a turn for the worst when he picked up a medial ligament injury against the Bradford Bulls
on 25 February 2005. The injury required a full knee reconstruction which kept him side-lined until the end of the 2005 Super League season. Gareth was expected to make his return in the 2006 season but suffered a stress fracture to his shin and had to miss the start of the 2006 season. He was set to make his return from injury on the 14 May 2006 but he required a further operation and is like to miss the entire 2006 Super League season. The 2004 young player of the year, who was tipped to be one of the best second rowers in England, has not played a first team rugby league match in over 2 years.
Gareth made his long awaited return to rugby league in Wigan Warriors
' Rugby League Challenge Cup
match against Salford which Wigan lost 16-4, despite being on the losing team Hock made an impressive return. He featured in the next match which was against local rivals St Helens, he was again impressive and scored a try but Wigan lost 14-28. His impressive return has meant that Hock is likely to be included in the Great Britain test squad to take on New Zealand
only a month after returning from a 2 year injury.
In September 2008 he was named in the England training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man England squad.
He has been named in the England
team to face Wales
at the Keepmoat Stadium prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
On 10 May 2011, Gareth Hock signed a new contract with the Wigan Warriors until 2015, beginning once his 2 year doping ban has ended on 23 June.
following tests on an 'A' sample of urine
taken during a match between Wigan and Salford City Reds
. A second 'B' sample also returned a positive result for benzoylecgonine
, the main metabolite of cocaine. In August 2009, it was confirmed that Hock would face a two-year ban from rugby league as he did not appeal against the mandatory ban.
He made a high profile return against Huddersfield Giants
in a 2011 Super League game.
On 4 September 2011 in a game against Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Hock appeared to gouge the eye of an opposition player and then went on to throw two punches as the player got to his feet. The referee placed this incident on report, and after being found guilty of this offence by the RFL, he was handed a four match ban, with another one match ban for punching, ending his 2011 season
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player who currently plays for English club Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
in the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
competition. His primary position is as a second-row forward.
Early Years
Wigan born Gareth Charnock, changed his name to Gareth Hock after his parents married when he was 9. Under his new name, Gareth went on to make a big impact in the rugby league world. Wigan signed Gareth, along with future first teamers Luke RobinsonLuke Robinson
Luke Robinson is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League...
and Sean O'Loughlin
Sean O'Loughlin
Sean O'Loughlin is an English professional rugby league footballer who captains the Wigan Warriors of Europe's Super League. A Great Britain and England international representative , and /, he has played his entire career to date with Wigan, with whom he won the 2010 Super League XV...
, at the age of 12.
Playing career
He worked his way up through Wigan's scholarship and AcademyWigan Warriors Youth Development
Wigan Warriors Youth Development is the youth system of the Rugby League Football club Wigan Warriors. It is one of the most famous and successful youth system for rugby league and has produced some of the best players in both rugby league and rugby union. The Wigan Warriors Youth Development...
systems, playing in the Academy U19s during the 2002 season. However, injury forced him to miss much of the latter part of the year. Despite this, he was included in the 2003 first team squad by head coach Stuart Raper. Gareth made his first team debut that season against Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
in the Challenge Cup, scoring two tries after coming on to replace an injured Sean O'Loughlin. He went on to become a first team regular for the rest of the season. Gareth commented later: “Sean O'Loughlin was injured early, which was a lucky break for me,” he said. “It went well, then Faz (Andrew Farrell)
Andrew Farrell
Andrew D. 'Andy' Farrell OBE is an English former professional dual-code rugby footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A goal-kicking forward in rugby league, he captained the Great Britain team and his club, Wigan, with whom he won several championships and Challenge Cup titles as well as a range of...
got injured and I got a few starts. I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
He crowned a magnificent season by being named Super League Young Player of the Year. Gareth signed a new one-year contract with Wigan in June 2004.
Gareth has international experience playing in the Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
Academy side that toured Australia in 2001. He was also called up to the England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
Academy squad to face the Aussie Schoolboys in December 2002. He played in the first Test, scoring a vital try in England's historic victory. He had achieved amateur representative honours, touring with Great Britain U16s and U18s. He has now been included in the England A squad to face the Australians at Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
on 28 October 2003.
Unfortunately Gareth's playing career took a turn for the worst when he picked up a medial ligament injury against the Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
on 25 February 2005. The injury required a full knee reconstruction which kept him side-lined until the end of the 2005 Super League season. Gareth was expected to make his return in the 2006 season but suffered a stress fracture to his shin and had to miss the start of the 2006 season. He was set to make his return from injury on the 14 May 2006 but he required a further operation and is like to miss the entire 2006 Super League season. The 2004 young player of the year, who was tipped to be one of the best second rowers in England, has not played a first team rugby league match in over 2 years.
Gareth made his long awaited return to rugby league in Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
' Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
match against Salford which Wigan lost 16-4, despite being on the losing team Hock made an impressive return. He featured in the next match which was against local rivals St Helens, he was again impressive and scored a try but Wigan lost 14-28. His impressive return has meant that Hock is likely to be included in the Great Britain test squad to take on New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
only a month after returning from a 2 year injury.
In September 2008 he was named in the England training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man England squad.
He has been named in the England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
team to face Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
at the Keepmoat Stadium prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
On 10 May 2011, Gareth Hock signed a new contract with the Wigan Warriors until 2015, beginning once his 2 year doping ban has ended on 23 June.
Controversy
It was reported in June 2009 that Gareth tested positive for cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
following tests on an 'A' sample of urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
taken during a match between Wigan and Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
. A second 'B' sample also returned a positive result for benzoylecgonine
Benzoylecgonine
Benzoylecgonine is a topical analgesic and the main metabolite of cocaine.-History:Benzoylecgonine is used as the main pharmaceutical ingredient in the prescription drug Esterom, a topical solution used for the relief of muscle pain....
, the main metabolite of cocaine. In August 2009, it was confirmed that Hock would face a two-year ban from rugby league as he did not appeal against the mandatory ban.
He made a high profile return against Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in a 2011 Super League game.
On 4 September 2011 in a game against Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Hock appeared to gouge the eye of an opposition player and then went on to throw two punches as the player got to his feet. The referee placed this incident on report, and after being found guilty of this offence by the RFL, he was handed a four match ban, with another one match ban for punching, ending his 2011 season
External links
- Gareth Hock Wigan Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org