Former Castleford Tigers captain and one-time England international, Sam Wood, has expressed his delight on moving to Super League hopefuls York Knights, after his move was confirmed earlier this week.
Wood, who spent the last two seasons at the Tigers, was let go from his contract a year early to “pursue other opportunities”, and left after making 40 appearances, scoring eight tries.
The former Huddersfield and Hull KR man fell out of favour with Director of Rugby Chris Chester, who stuck to his word and had no issue with releasing players still under contract if their performances weren’t up to the required standard.
The 28-year-old has now signed a two-year contract at the Knights, and admitted that this was the perfect club for him, regardless of what division they are in next year. York will have to wait until Friday to see what division they will be in, when the RFL announce the 13th and 14th teams to take part in the expanded Super League competition for 2026.
Speaking to BBC Radio York this week, Wood can’t wait to get started at the club, and revealed that whist it was a decision that came to fruition quite quickly, he knows that this is the place for him.
He said: “An opportunity came up and I spoke to Clint and I spoke to the guys at York and it was a real exciting opportunity for myself and a fresh start and something I really wanted to do.”
Wood also revealed that the stability of the club and where it’s going was a major part of signing, whilst a few familiar faces from his past also aided him in the decision to put pen to paper.
” They’ve got a really good owner in Clint, and a really good person, which speaks volumes of the club. There’s a few guys there that I’m quite familiar with, like Paul McShane and Chris Thorman in the coaching set-up. They couldn’t speak highly enough of how it’s run and just the day-to-day running and how people are around the place was the biggest selling point for me. Having a young family and wanting those to enjoy as many years as possible watching me play rugby is a massive bonus.”
He later added: “…When you change teams, there’s a chance to prove people wrong and show them why you’re still a starting player and still a Super League player. It’s just a really good opportunity and I’m thankful that I get to do it for York and hopefully for many years to come.”
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