Steve Rule

Stephen "Steve" Rule (born 5 June 1952) is an English-born former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and current rugby union coach. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for English Universities Rugby Union and Cheshire Rugby Football Union, and at club level for Loughborough Students RUFC and Sale, as a fly-half, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for Salford and St. Helens, as a fullback, and coached representative level rugby union (RU) for Cheshire Rugby Football Union, and at club level for Sale, Lymm RFC, New Brighton and Macclesfield RUFC.^[1][2]

Steve Rule

Personal information
Full name	Stephen Rule
Born	(1952-06-05) 5 June 1952 (age 73) Bebington, England
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Fly-half
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P ≤1973–73 Loughborough Students RUFC 1973–78 Sale Total 0 0 0 0 0 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P ≤1973–73 English Universities ≥1973–≤78 Cheshire
Rugby league
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1978–83 Salford 117 23 384 11 848 1983–84 St. Helens 40 4 49 0 118 Total 157 27 433 11 966 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1981 Wales 1 2 4
Coaching information
Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2000– Cheshire 1989–92 Sale 1997–00 Lymm RFC 2000–02 New Brighton 2002–06 Macclesfield RUFC
Source: [1]

Background

Steve Rule was born in Bebington, Cheshire, England.

Playing career

International honours

Steve Rule won a cap for Wales (RL) while at Salford in 1981, qualifying through his grandparents who were born in Aberdare.^[1]

Rugby union achievements

Steve Rule won the Universities Athletic Union, Old Belvedere, Bridgend and Glasgow Rugby sevens tournaments with Loughborough Students RUFC in 1973, and represented England in the Bermuda Classic Tournament in 1989.

Career records

Until extended to 14-goals by Steve Blakeley in 2003, Steve Rule jointly held Salford's "Most goals in a game" record with 13-goals scored against Doncaster on 4 September 1981, with Gus Risman and David Watkins.

Coaching career

In 1991, Rule returned to Sale as a coach. At the time, anyone who had played rugby league professionally were normally banned from any involvement in rugby union, but Rule became one of the first English players to be re-instated by the Rugby Football Union.^[3] He also went on to coach at Lymm RU,^[4] New Brighton,^[5] and Macclesfield.^[6]

In 2011, he returned to Lymm as director of rugby.^[7]

Outside of rugby

Steve Rule retired from playing rugby in 1985 following a neck injury, and currently works as Head of the Pupil Referral Service at Wigan Council.