After 89 games in the red, black and gold of Hull RUFC, Keane Naylor has decided to retire from the game. During his hugely successful time at Chants Ave, Naylor crossed for 43 tries and bizarrely (more on that later) one conversion. The winger would have been another addition to the club’s Centurion board, but for an Achilles injury that sidelined him for the best part of a year. Reflecting on his time at the club, Naylor explains why he made the toughest decision of his playing career.
“It’s a very hard decision to stop playing rugby when it has been your life for the past 20 years,” Naylor said.
“But to retire healthy and happy is the most important thing.
“My aim when joining the club was to enjoy rugby, and originally to play with some lads that I hadn’t played with since before going off to university.
“For me, playing national rugby was a goal I was happy with playing for the club.
“But the bonus of winning multiple league titles and then playing for the county was a bonus.
“Personally I will miss enjoying a pint with my team-mates after the game, whether you have won or lost you can get together and be proud to have just put your body on the line for your mates.
“This is something that can’t be replicated.
“The one memory that comes to mind is winning the away derby on the Christmas of the league-winning 2022 season.
“The derby hadn’t been played in years due to the teams being in different leagues, so there was a lot on the line- emotions were high.
“Both teams battled for the full 80 mins, and we scored a perfectly executed set piece try in the backs that sealed the win.
“I can run that moment through in my mind as if it was yesterday.
“That game put us to the top of the league, and then we managed to stay there for the remainder of the season to then go on and win it.”
Naylor holds the record for most tries scored in a game, crossing seven times in a rout over Kendal during the 2018/19 season remains a club record. And it’s hard to see it being broken anytime soon. It’s a record Naylor is keen to hold on to for as long as possible.
“I would like to think that it would be very difficult to beat,” Naylor said.
“Hopefully the league is way too competitive for a team not to leak eight tries in a game, never mind from one person.
“Me and Mike Adlard often joke about him being close by scoring six tries, but he got taken off shortly after his sixth, which was great for my record!
“I fear that day he would have gone on to break it if not.
“I remember two things about that game, firstly I could have scored eight.
“But someone didn’t give me a two-on-one with the full-back (naming no names).
“Secondly, I remember sharing celebrations of achieving a club record on the same day with Simon Humberstone, who kicked 12 conversions that day. Good day for the club.”
So what about that conversion?
“This is something I don’t remember.
“It was either at the very start of joining the club, or it is wrong.
“I have thought this for years when looking at the England rugby statistics.”
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