Player Profile

Donald George Vines was not only famous as an international rugby league player. Whilst he was with his final club, Wakefield Trinity, he also turned to professional wrestling. However he didn't go under any nickname - he fought proudly under "Don Vines" and fought visiting wrestlers from around the world. His rugby league career saw him represent Wales twice and Great Britain three times as well as play for Other Nationalities. Starting in rugby union in his native Newbridge, he also played for the Welsh Association of Boys' Clubs, then at centre for Welsh Youth against Welsh Secondary Schools. That was in 1950 and there followed three years in the Army and after that a period with the Newbridge RU club, still at centre threequarter. A brief break and then resumption with Newbridge, this time as a forward, but after three more months Don turned professional with Oldham Rugby League Club in 1956. There he played 70 times, scoring four tries and helped them win the Lancashire Cup in 1957. In 1958, he moved to Wakefield for the first time, playing there for two years with an almost identical record to Oldham, 71 games and four tries, helping Wakefield to win the Challenge Cup at Wembley in 1960 as they beat Hull FC. He was a Cup winner again a year later, but not with Trinity. He spent the 1960-61 season at St Helens and played in their win over Wigan at Wembley, the last of his 38 appearances for that club. He rejoined Trinity and made 114 more appearances before retiring. In his second spell with the club, he was again a Challenge Cup winner, playing in their win over Wigan at Wembley in 1963. He was a Yorkshire Cup winner with them in 1961 as well as they beat Leeds in the final. He turned to coaching, going to Oxford with Les Gant in the 1970's to help the newly formed Oxford University Rugby League Club and later had a spell with Doncaster. He died in Wakefield on September 17, 1989 aged 57.