Rhinos in again to land prized England prospect
AMBITIOUS LEEDS Rhinos have recruited a second England Roses player for their inaugural Vitality Superleague campaign from February.
Fresh from the news that they have landed England’s record appearance maker Jade Clarke, the Rhinos have gone to the other end of the experience spectrum with the signing of 22- year- old Vicki Oyesola.
The defender, who last week was named in Jess Thirlby’s England Vitality Roses squad for the three- Test tour to New Zealand this month, joins the Rhinos on a one- year deal from Loughborough Lightning.
Oyesola said: “This is an exciting opportunity to be building with a brand new team, with great staff and players. Joining a club at the start gives us the ability to grow together and we have the opportunity to build our own culture.
“When I spoke to ( performance director and head coach) Dan Ryan, he spoke about creating a team that is strong and diverse, bringing in players from different areas with different experiences and building and developing the players individually as well as the team as a whole, which is something I really bought into.
“I am looking forward to building strong partnerships within the team and my ambition is that we become a competitive side who push for a top- four position.”
Ryan said: “Vicki is an absolute powerhouse of an athlete and one of the most exciting young defensive talents in the country.
“She’s such a ferocious competitor, never takes a backwards step and I just love the ferocity and intensity that she brings to the court every single time.
“Her attacking style of defence is uncompromising and her ability to wear down her an opponent and come up with the ball when it matters the most, is so impressive.
“She is another big signing for us and is definitely going to be a huge asset to our defensive unit. I can’t wait to see her flying for intercepts and charging down court next season.”
Oyesola made her Roses debut in 2017 against Scotland and has been capped a further three times for her country. She has played for Saracens Mavericks and Loughborough Lightning, with whome she won the competition’s young player of the year award.