Union convert tipped for bright Leeds Rhinos future following stunning solo try
Oscar Brown (ball in hand) in action for Leeds Rhinos during Brad Singleton's testimonial in January 2026 - Image credit: Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos believe rugby union convert Oscar Brown may have a bright future in the game, and his moment of individual brilliance in Sunday’s pre-season clash with Castleford Tigers showed why.
Teenager Brown featured in Brad Singleton’s testimonial match at The Jungle, and lit up a low-key afternoon between two Super League clubs which involved more youth than experience with a stunning solo try early on in the second half.
Taking the ball inside his own half in the left channel, he cut inside and set off on a barraging sprint downfield, powering through the middle of the park to score a try worthy of winning a game at any level.
As it turned out, a Castleford side with a sprinkling of first-team talent in their ranks ended up 26-10 winners on the day: but that try from Brown was the moment of the match and underlined the qualities which have already made him a standout in the Rhinos’ youth ranks.
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‘He’s a great kid who works hard and wants to get better, so he’s one to watch. It’s exciting to be a part of his journey’
Brown is still very early into his rugby league education having switched codes at the back end of the 2024 season when he joined Leeds from Harrogate Rugby.
He featured in just a handful of games that year, with last season marking his first full campaign in rugby league.
Transition Coach Chev Walker was the man in charge of the Rhinos‘ side for Sunday’s pre-season outing at Cas, and believes centre Brown’s potential is still an unknown quantity.
Speaking to the media post-match, Walker said: “He’s really consistent with that stuff, he did it over and over again for the under-18s last year.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete, and his rugby league age is still really young. We don’t know how high his ceiling is.
“He’s a great kid who works hard and wants to get better, so he’s one to watch. It’s exciting to be a part of his journey.”
Brown was identified by the club’s talent ID staff while playing union, and scored a hatful of tries for Leeds’ youngsters last season, but his exposure to the 13-a-side code remains limited.
Walker explained: “This was probably his 15th game of rugby league in total.
“He’s learning rapidly, and being in and around the first-team environment is fast-tracking him. But we just need to be patient with him.
“He’s a great kid to coach, he retains things and picks things up really quickly. The more he plays, the better he’ll get.
“He has first-team potential, like the rest of them. He’s got the resilience to be able to dig in, and he knows he’s going to make mistakes, but he’s okay with that. He’ll keep improving.”
