Joe Batchelor

Joe Batchelor (born 28 October 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for St Helens in the Super League and England at international level.

Joe Batchelor

Personal information
Full name	Joe Batchelor
Born	(1994-10-28) 28 October 1994 (age 30) Wakefield, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	15 st 6 lb (98 kg)
Playing information
Position	Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2016 Coventry Bears 11 4 0 0 16 2017–18 York City Knights 48 38 0 0 152 2019– St Helens 87 21 0 0 84 2019(loan) → York City Knights 11 8 0 0 32 2019(loan) → Leigh Centurions 6 0 0 0 0 Total 163 71 0 0 284 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2022 England 1 1 0 0 4
Source: [1][2] As of 6 August 2024

He has played for the Coventry Bears and the York City Knights in League 1. Batchelor has spent time on loan from Saints at York and the Leigh Centurions in the Betfred Championship.

Background

Born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, Batchelor played junior rugby league with Dewsbury Celtic.^[3]

He is the brother of James Batchelor who plays for Hull KR in the Super League.

Playing career

Early career

Batchelor started his career as an academy player at Sheffield Eagles. In 2015, he spent a year in Australia, where he played for Bathurst St Patrick's in the Group 10 Rugby League competition.^[4] He returned to the Eagles in 2016, but the club's reserve team was discontinued shortly afterwards.^[5] After contacting Coventry Bears coach Tom Tsang, he agreed to join the club, and made his professional debut in May 2016 against Doncaster.^[6]

York City Knights

In December 2016, York City Knights announced that they had signed Batchelor.^[7] He debuted for the club in a Challenge Cup match against Egremont Rangers, scoring a try in a 48–8 win.^[8] He scored 15 tries in 21 appearances in his first season at the club, and was named as the York Press Player of the Year for 2017.^[9] Despite attracting interest from other clubs, he agreed to sign a new contract with York for the following season.^[10] In the 2018 season, he was the club's top try scorer with 23 tries in 27 games, helping the club win promotion to the Championship.^[11]

St Helens

In May 2018, Batchelor agreed to join Super League side St Helens, signing a three-year contract with the club ahead of the 2019 season.^[12] During his first season at the club, he returned to York City Knights on loan.^[13] The initial one-month loan was extended for the whole season,^[14] but Saints exercised the option to recall him. He made his Super League debut for St Helens against Hull in April 2019.^[15] Later in the season, he also played for Leigh Centurions on a dual registration deal. Batchelor's first team opportunities at St Helens were limited, and he made only eight appearances during his first two seasons at the club.^[5]

His breakthrough came in the 2021 season, becoming a regular starter in the second-row for the club following the departures of Zeb Taia and Dom Peyroux.^[16] On 17 July 2021, he played for St Helens in their 26–12 win against Castleford Tigers in the 2021 Challenge Cup Final.^[17] In August 2021, Batchelor extended his contract with Saints until the end of the 2023 season.^[15] On 9 October 2021, he played for St Helens in their 12–10 victory over Catalans Dragons in the 2021 Super League Grand Final.^[18] On 24 September 2022, Batchelor played for St Helens in their 2022 Super League Grand Final victory over Leeds Rhinos,^[19] and was rewarded with a further contract extension until 2025.^[20] He played 15 games for St Helens in the 2023 Super League season as the club finished third on the table.^[21] Batchelor played 17 matches for St Helens in the 2024 Super League season which saw the club finish sixth on the table. Batchelor played in St Helens golden point extra-time playoff loss against Warrington.^[22]

England

Batchelor was one of five St Helens players selected by England in the squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.^[23]

References

1. RLP
2. "Player Summary: Joe Batchelor". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
3. "Joe Batchelor & Dougie Foster - England Selection". Pitch Hero. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
4. Whitelaw, Anya (1 October 2022). "Former St Pat's lock Joe Batchelor is set to represent England on the world stage". Western Advocate. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
5. "Batchelor faces make or break year". Total Rugby League. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
6. "Coventry Bears 20 Doncaster RL 32: Improving Bears give Donny a real scare". Coventry Telegraph. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
7. "Bruiser back in the ranks: Halifax packman Adam Robinson signs for York City Knights". York Press. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
8. "Challenge Cup reaction: York City Knights boss hails improvement - and discipline - in the face of Egremont fouls and feistiness". York Press. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
9. "Knights Player of the Year final standings". York Press. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
10. "Second-row star Joe Batchelor rejects rivals to agree new deal with York City Knights". York Press. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
11. "Former Knights man Batchelor called up to England". York Press. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
12. "Saints attract Batchelor". The Rugby Football League. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
13. "Joe Batchelor returns to York City Knights on month loan". York Press. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
14. "St Helens' Joe Batchelor extends loan spell at York City Knights". York Press. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
15. "Joe Batchelor agrees new St Helens deal". The Rugby Football League. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
16. "Catalans Dragons v St Helens – Patient Joe Batchelor rewarded for adhering to strong work ethic". Yorkshire Post. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
17. "How St Helens players have celebrated their first Challenge Cup win in 13 years". www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
18. "Super League Grand Final: Catalans Dragons 10-12 St Helens: Saints win three in a row". BBC Sport.
19. Bower, Aaron (24 September 2022). "St Helens sink Leeds to win record fourth consecutive Grand Final". The Observer.
20. "Joe Batchelor: St Helens and England forward signs new three-year contract". BBC Sport. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
21. "Paul Wellens Q&A: Saints review of year and a look to 2024". www.sthelensstar.co.uk. 14 October 2023.
22. "'Soul destroying': Warrington eliminate St Helens in golden drop goal thriller". www.theguardian.com.
23. "Joe Batchelor one of five St Helens players in England World Cup squad". Liverpool World. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

External links

• St Helens profile
• Saints Heritage Society profile
• SL profile
• England profile