Rest In Peace: Robin #696 - Mike Stephenson

Hull KR are saddened to learn Robin #696, Mike Stephenson, has passed away. The club sends its deepest condolences to Mike’s family and friends at this difficult time.

Mike Stephenson was born in Hull in April 1947 and joined the Robins from St Mary’s Juniors in May 1964. He made his first team debut at scrum-half in a tour game at home to New Zealand on 11th September 1965, and scored his first try for the club in a 14-9 win over Castleford at Craven Park in February 1966.

In all, Mike Stephenson made 238 appearances for Hull KR, including 13 from the bench, scoring 102 tries, with four hat-tricks. At 5’7” tall, Mike was a skilful and elusive player with pace off the mark and a good finisher.

He played scrum-half alongside Millward in the latter’s first game for the club on 15th August 1967 and deputised on 17 occasions during the remainder of the season.

On 1st December 1968, Stephenson made his first appearance on the wing at home to Huddersfield, marking the occasion with a try, and in 33 appearances that season, at half-back and wing, he was the club’s top try-scorer with 18 that season.

In the 1971/72 season, Stephenson made his only cup final appearance – in the 11-7 Yorkshire Cup win over Castleford at Wakefield – and returned to the top of the club’s try-scoring chart with 23 in 31 games.

In the tour game against New Zealand at Craven Park on 8th September 1971, after moving to off-half when Millward was forced off injured, Stephenson wrote his name in history by dropping the first one-point drop goal in British rugby league. The ‘one-pointer’ was not introduced in domestic RL until 1974, but tour games were played under international rules.

Stephenson made his last appearance for the Robins as a late replacement for Millward at scrum-half in a BBC2 Floodlit Trophy semi-final at Salford in November 1974.

A year after his last Hull KR appearance at the age of 28, he moved across the city to the Boulevard, where he played in 21 games, scoring 14 tries.