Sean Long facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Sean Bernard Long | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 September 1976 Wigan, Greater Manchester, England |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 13 st 5 lb (85 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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Rugby league
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| Position | Scrum-half, Stand-off | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union
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Coaching information
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As of 13 July 2025
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Sean Bernard Long (born 24 September 1976), also known as "Longy", is a former professional rugby league player from England. He is currently the head coach of Oldham RLFC in the RFL Championship.
Sean Long played rugby league in the 1990s and 2000s. He represented both England and Great Britain. Many people consider him one of the best British players of his time.
He started his career with the Wigan Warriors. He also played for the Widnes Vikings and Hull FC. However, he is most famous for his time with St Helens in the Super League. With St Helens, he won four Super League championships and five Challenge Cups. He also received many individual awards, including the Man of Steel award and three Lance Todd Trophies.
After his playing career, Sean Long became a coach. He has coached teams like Featherstone Rovers and is now with Oldham RLFC.
Contents
Early Life and School
Sean Long went to St Joseph's Catholic Comprehensive School in Horwich when he was 11. He stayed there until he was 13. He then moved to the Deanery High School in Wigan. He made this move because St Joseph's only played football, and he wanted to play rugby.
Playing Career: Rugby League
Domestic Teams
Starting Out
Sean Long began his rugby league journey with the Wigan Warriors. He joined them from his local amateur team, Wigan St Judes. His first senior game was in 1994. However, a serious knee injury kept him from playing for 18 months.
He was not getting enough chances to play for Wigan's main team. The club was also concerned about some of his actions off the field. Because of this, he was traded to Widnes Vikings in April 1997. Widnes was a team in the First Division at the time.
He played his first game for Widnes against Keighley Cougars. He played nine games for Widnes during his two months there. Even though Widnes was struggling, Sean Long's skills caught the eye of other teams. St Helens signed him in June 1997 for £80,000.
Time with St Helens
Sean Long played his first game for St Helens against Cronulla Sharks in the 1997 World Club Championship. At the end of that season, he played in the 1997 Premiership final for St Helens. However, they lost to his old team, Wigan.
In 1999, Long played for St Helens in their 1999 Super League Grand Final win. They beat Bradford Bulls in that game. He came off the bench and kicked two goals.
Sean Long set new scoring records for St Helens in the Super League. He scored 284 points in 1999 and then 352 points in 2000.
After winning the 1999 Championship, St Helens played against the Melbourne Storm in the 2000 World Club Challenge. Long played as scrum half and kicked a goal, but St Helens lost. He also played scrum half for St Helens in their 2000 Super League Grand Final win over Wigan Warriors. He kicked four goals in that game and was named Man of Steel in 2000.
As champions of Super League V, St Helens played against the Brisbane Broncos in the 2001 World Club Challenge. Long played scrum half, scoring a try, three goals, and a field goal in St Helens' victory.
Long played scrum half for St Helens in their 2002 Super League Grand Final win. They beat the Bradford Bulls. He scored a try, a goal, and the winning drop goal in that match.
After winning Super League VI, St Helens played the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 World Club Challenge. Long played as stand-off, but St Helens lost 38–0.
In 2004, Sean Long was suspended for three months for breaking some rules.
By 2005, Long had scored 2,000 points for St Helens. During the 2005 Super League X season, he broke his cheekbone. This happened during a challenge by Wigan Warriors' Terry Newton. Newton received a 12-match ban for the incident.
Long played scrum half for St Helens in their 2006 Challenge Cup Final victory. They beat Huddersfield Giants. He won the Lance Todd Trophy for the third time, which is a record. This award is given to the best player in a Challenge Cup final. St Helens also reached the 2006 Super League Grand final against Hull FC. Long played scrum half in St Helens' 26–4 win.
As the 2006 Super League champions, St Helens played the Brisbane Broncos in the 2007 World Club Challenge. Long was the captain and played scrum half in their 18–14 victory. In 2007, St Helens won almost every honor except the Super League title. They lost to Leeds in the Grand Final at Old Trafford. Sean Long had a special game called a testimonial match for St Helens against Leigh in 2007. Many former St Helens players came back to play, and St Helens won 40–10.
He played in the Super League XIII Grand Final where St Helens lost to Leeds.
He also played in the 2009 Super League Grand Final where St Helens lost to the Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford.
Moving to Hull FC
On 1 June 2009, it was announced that Sean Long signed a two-year contract with Hull F.C.. He joined them for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, leaving St Helens after 12 years. In 2009, he also released a book about his life. Long kicked his 1,000th goal for St Helens on 22 February 2009. This happened in a game against Huddersfield.
Sean Long announced that he was retiring from playing rugby league on 10 August 2011.
International Games
In 1997, Sean Long was chosen to play for Great Britain. He came off the bench in two matches against Australia.
In 2004, Long was suspended for three months for his part in a rule-breaking incident. Despite this, he was chosen for the Great Britain team to play in the 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against Australia, he played scrum half in Great Britain's 44–4 loss.
After the 2006 season, Long was selected for Great Britain in the 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations. Long played in the first game between Great Britain and Australia. Great Britain won that game 23–12, which was their first win in Sydney in 18 years. However, on 13 November 2006, Long returned home from the Tri-Nations tour for personal reasons.
Long officially retired from international football in April 2007. He wanted to focus on his club career with St Helens.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Sean Long started coaching.
Salford
He began as an assistant coach with Salford.
Samoa
In 2013, Sean Long became an assistant coach for the Samoa team for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He continued this role in 2014 when Samoa played in the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations. Sean Long was also an assistant coach for Samoa in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
St Helens
In November 2014, Long left Salford. He became the assistant coach at St. Helens. This happened after his former teammate Keiron Cunningham was named head coach for 2015.
Harlequin FC (Rugby Union)
After leaving St Helens, he was an assistant coach for Harlequin FC, a rugby union team.
Leeds Rhinos
On 26 October 2020, Long was confirmed as the Assistant Coach at Leeds. This marked his return to rugby league coaching.
France
On 29 March 2021, Long was named as an assistant coach for the France team. He helped them prepare for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, while also working with Leeds Rhinos.
Featherstone Rovers
On 5 October 2022, Long was appointed as the new head coach of RFL Championship team Featherstone. On 7 August 2023, Featherstone ended his time as head coach. The club was eight points clear at the top of the league when this decision was made.
Oldham RLFC
On 25 October 2023, he was appointed head coach of Oldham RLFC on a three-year deal. Longy won his first league title as a coach for Oldham in the 2024 RFL League One Season.
