Craig Kopczak
Wales international rugby league footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Craig Kopczak (born 20 December 1986) is a former Wales international rugby league footballer who most recently as a prop for Oldham RLFC in the RFL Championship.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Craig Kopczak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 December 1986 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 17 st 0 lb (108 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 28 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League, and on loan from Bradford at Halifax in 2008's National League One. Kopczak has also played for the Huddersfield Giants, Wakefield Trinity and the Salford Red Devils in the Super League.[2][3]
Background
Playing career
Bradford
Kopczak made his Bradford début in 2006. He spent at period in 2008 on loan at Halifax,[5] and later established himself as an important first-team player for Bradford. He scored his first try for the club against St Helens in 2008, and scored his first career hat-trick against Wakefield Trinity.[6]
Huddersfield
Kopczak signed a three-year deal[7] with Huddersfield after he left the Bradford club.[8] He played for the club for three years and was a member of the team that won the League Leaders' Shield in 2013.[9]
Salford
Kopczak joined Salford ahead of the 2016 Super League season.[10][11]
Wakefield Trinity
Kopczak joined Wakefield Trinity in October 2018 on a one-year deal[12] for the 2019 Super League season, after Salford accepted a transfer fee from the West Yorkshire club. He signed a contract extension in March 2019,[13] remaining at the club until the end of the 2020 Super League season.
Featherstone Rovers
On 5 December 2020, it was announced that he would join Featherstone Rovers in the RFL Championship for the 2021 season.[14] On 28 May 2022, he played for Featherstone in their 2022 RFL 1895 Cup final loss against Leigh.[15]
Oldham RLFC
On 23 October 2023, he joined Oldham RLFC for the 2024 season on a two-year deal.[16] Oldham were crowned RFL League One champions in 2024 and automatically promoted to the RFL Championship.[17]
On 31 March 2025, Kopczak announced that he was retiring from Rugby League with immediate effect.[18]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Apps | Tries | Goals | D/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Bradford Bulls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2011 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2012 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sub-total: | 123 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 | |
| 2008 | Halifax R.L.F.C. (loan) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Huddersfield Giants | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2014 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 89 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2016 | Salford Red Devils | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 2017 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| 2018 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 84 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | |
| 2019 | Wakefield Trinity | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 2021 | Featherstone Rovers | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2022 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2023 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sub-total: | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 | |
| 2024 | Oldham RLFC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 392 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 172 | |
Wales
Although born in England, Craig represents Wales at international level due to his heritage. He made his Wales début in 2007, and scored his first Wales try in a match against England in 2009.[19][20]
He featured for Wales in the 2011 Four Nations. He was Wales player of the tournament during the Four Nations, whilst also winning Bradford's Player of the Year 2011.
He captained Wales[21] in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and 2015 European Cup. He captained the team again in the following year's 2017 World Cup qualifiers.
Craig retired from International Rugby League in 2018.[22]