The Black and Whites look set to be part of a special occasion in January
Steve McNamara will begin work at Hull FC shortly(Image: SW Pix)
Hull FC will be the opponents when Ryan Hall pulls his boots on for the final time as a rugby league player, it has been confirmed.
Super League, Leeds Rhinos and England legend Hall announced his retirement from the sport this morning with the 38-year-old hanging up his boots after a 20-year career.
Hall made 540 appearances over the course of his career and 381 of those came in the colours of Leeds, where he scored 257 tries.
He also scored 62 tries in 106 games for Hull KR during his career, with the winger sitting second in the Super League’s list of all-time top try scorers.
Hall also made 40 outings for England and he is still the nation’s top try scorer having touched down 39 times for his country.
However, he has now brought the curtain down on his career, barring one last run out, which will come in pre-season against the Black and Whites at Headingley, he has confirmed.
To mark his storied career, Hall has been granted a three-month testimonial which will culminate in a testimonial game in January. That match will double up as a pre-season friendly for both Leeds and Hull but Hall will be involved in some way, too.
A date hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but it seems likely to be either the weekend of the 23rd or the 30th.
“I’m really honoured to have been granted a three-month testimonial which starts in December,” he added.
“I’ve got a couple of events along the way and we’ll get them released when they happen but it’s really honouring for me to be able to be granted that.
“I do have a testimonial game lined up when we’ll be playing Hull FC in January.
“I’m not 100 per cent certain on that date yet. I will feature in that game but it won’t be massive amounts because it’s a stepping stone to get the players ready for round one of Super League.”
The game is Hull’s first to be confirmed in pre-season and it could well be Steve McNamara’s first chance to see senior group in action before the season gets underway.