Leeds Rhinos prop makes England World Cup pledge and targets leadership role for new season
Prop Tom Holroyd hopes to impress whoever’s the new England coach this year, by doing his job to the highest standard for Leeds Rhinos.
“It is definitely a target,” Holroyd said of the global tournament which begins in October. But he stressed: “It is on me, how hard I work for it and what I put in to make myself a better player. When a World Cup comes you want to be around it, no matter who you are, but it’s first and foremost about being the best I can be. Whatever comes off the back off of that has got to be good.”
Holroyd has one England cap to his name, against France three years ago. He was included in the training squad ahead of last year’s Ashes, but didn’t make the cut for the Test series. “I didn’t play, so it’s about getting back in the gym and working hard,” he stressed. “I am definitely not just happy being in the training squad, I want to be playing.”
Holroyd will wear Rhinos’ iconic number 10 jersey this year, forming an all-English partnership with number eight Mikoplaj Oledzki. It’s his second crack at the shirt after an ill-fated spell in 2024.
“I feel great, excited about the season to come,” Holroyd added. “Brad [Arthur, Rhinos’ coach] has put the trust in me and I’ve got to reward that and put in some decent performances. It doesn’t really change anything from my perspective, I am still a team-first player and the short probably means more to my family than me at the moment because I have got to back it up.”
Holroyd stormed back to form last year, making 20 appearances - all but one of them off the bench. That came after two concussions restricted him to only six games the previous season. His only injury layoff in 2025 came in the middle of the season when he suffered fractured wrist, but he stressed the new campaign begins with a clean slate.
“I just try to take each season as it comes now and do everything I can to stay on the pitch and when I am out there really cherish it,” he said. “Every opportunity I get to play for Leeds Rhinos is a privilege so I am just dealing with it one game at a time.”
Holroyd, who made his debut in 2018, will turn 25 next week. He is already one of Rhinos’ longest-serving players and reckons it’s time to step up into a leadership role. He insisted: “I just do me, really “I play how I play and put my all in every game. I think the lads know that, when I take to the field you know what you’re going to get from me. But from a playing perspective I want to be one of the leaders, one of the lads teammates look at and think he’s going to put us on the front foot.”
As for Rhinos’ prospects this year, Holroyd noted: “We’re all a year more experienced and gelled together, there’s a good vibe around the place and a good bond and we all back each other. It is definitely exciting.”