Rising star Ruby Walker has vowed to do justice to her ‘special’ Leeds Rhinos squad number.
The teenager, who played for the Dewsbury Moor community club before joining Leeds’ youth system, made her first-team debut last August and scored three tries and six goals in four appearances in 2024. She only started once, but Caitlin Casey’s departure to the Saints presented an opportunity, and Walker was promoted to the number seven shirt in preseason.
That is an iconic number at Leeds, and the scrum-half admitted: “I am extremely honored and thrilled. I believe it is one of the best numbers to be given in a Leeds club, and I want to work hard and prove why I have been granted it.”
Casey was one of many veteran players that left the Rhinos in the last year, and rather than signing players from other clubs, Leeds replaced the majority of them with players from their own academy. A similar philosophy was successful for the men’s squad two decades ago, and Walker is optimistic about the women’s next generation.
“The Leeds talent pathway is growing a lot and there’s a lot of really good players coming through,” she added. “A couple of us got together this year, and it has helped a lot, not just us, but everyone. We operate well since we are so familiar with one other.”
The Rhinos will meet York Valkyrie at York Community Stadium on Sunday (3pm), 15 days after losing 44-14 to Wigan Warriors in a Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup semi-final. Leeds began their Super League season with a 20-20 draw at St Helens, the 2024 table-toppers, last Saturday.
York have won back-to-back Grand Finals, although they fell narrowly to Saints in the Cup final before losing 40-6 to Wigan in the league opener. Warriors are clearly emerging as the team to beat this season, but Walker believes Leeds can have a significant say in the title fight.
“I am really confident in the girls,” she insisted. “We showed how we can play and what we are capable of last week, and we will carry that into the York game. It will be a difficult game, but I believe we will be alright if we maintain our energy and work together as we have in the past.
With a patched-up team, the Rhinos dominated the majority of the encounter against the Saints, leading 10-0 and 20-10. Though they couldn’t quite hold on for a win, Walker believes last week’s performance boosted morale following the Cup semi-final defeat.
“We were all very disappointed from the Wigan game with how we performed,” she told me. “We could have done much better, but we stuck together, and last week we had a lot of energy in both attack and defense. Although we did not win, we demonstrated our capabilities.”
Bella Sykes, Evie Cousins, and Connie Boyd might all return for the Rhinos on Sunday after injuries, but Grace Short has entered the injured list.
Leeds Rhinos ladies (at York Valkyrie): from Stead, Cousins, Nuttall, Howard, Walker, Sykes, Bennett, Northrop, Lacey, Murray, Dainton, Bruce, Donnelly, Glynn, Greening, Whitehead, Field, Frain, Boyd, Blakey, and Bryer.
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