Congolese professional rugby league footballer
Samy Kibula Full name Samuel Kibula Born (1999-08-07 ) 7 August 1999 (age 25) Kinshasa , DR Congo [ 1] Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Weight 17 st 3 lb (109 kg) Position Prop
As of 31 October 2024
Samy Kibula (born 7 August 1999) is a Congolese professional rugby league player who plays as a prop forward for Batley Bulldogs in the Betfred Championship .
He has previously played for the Wigan Warriors , the Warrington Wolves and the Castleford Tigers in the Super League , and for the Bradford Bulls and the Batley Bulldogs in the RFL Championship . He has spent time on loan at the Swinton Lions , the Dewsbury Rams and Featherstone Rovers in the Championship, and at the London Skolars and Oldham in League 1 .
Background
Kibula was born in Kinshasa , Democratic Republic of the Congo [ 4] to a Congolese father and South African mother.[ 5] Aged 2, his family moved to the United Kingdom , settling in Wigan and later Tyldesley .[ 6]
Growing up, Kibula played junior rugby union for Leigh RUFC and Sale Sharks and rugby league for Leigh Miners Rangers .[ 6] [ 7] He joined the Wigan Warriors youth system, winning two Academy Grand Finals in 2017 and 2018.[ 8]
Playing career
Wigan Warriors
On 12 July 2018, Kibula made his Super League début for the Wigan Warriors against the Huddersfield Giants .[ 9]
Swinton Lions (loan)
Kibula joined the Swinton Lions in the RFL Championship on loan at the start of the 2018 season . On 18 February, he made his professional debut for Swinton against the Batley Bulldogs .[ 10]
In June 2019, Swinton announced the return of Kibula on a month-long loan deal,[ 11] which was later extended until the end of the season.[ 12] He made 11 appearances in his second stint at the club, scoring tries against Bradford and Widnes .[ 2]
London Skolars (DR)
Kibula made two appearances for the London Skolars in League 1 during the 2018 season , through their dual registration agreement with Wigan.[ 2] On 23 June, he scored two tries against the North Wales Crusaders .[ 13]
Dewsbury Rams (loan)
Kibula joined the Dewsbury Rams in the Championship on loan at the start of the 2019 season. He was sent off, but avoided suspension,[ 14] for a "minor" altercation after conceding a try to Swinton .[ 15] He made 12 appearances, scoring tries against Featherstone and Thatto Heath , before departing in June.[ 16]
Warrington Wolves
In September 2019, the Warrington Wolves announced the signing of Kibula on a one-year deal ahead of the 2020 season .[ 8] [ 17] His younger brother Ambrose was already on the club's scholarship system.[ 18] He made his Warrington debut on 30 August against Wakefield Trinity .[ 19]
Newcastle Thunder (loan)
On 20 December 2020, it was announced that Kibula would join the Newcastle Thunder in the Championship on a season-long loan.[ 20] However, in March, he suffered a ruptured Achilles in training, forcing him to miss the entirety of the season.[ 21]
Bradford Bulls
On 4 October 2021, the Bradford Bulls announced the signing of Kibula on a one-year deal for the 2022 Championship season .[ 22] [ 23] In his sole season at the club, he made 14 appearances and scored tries against Dewsbury and Halifax .[ 2]
Dewsbury Rams (loan)
In May 2022, Kibula joined the Dewsbury on a two-week loan deal for his second spell with the Rams.[ 24] [ 25] He made two appearances and scored a try against Featherstone .[ 2]
Batley Bulldogs
On 18 November 2022, it was announced that Kibula had signed for the Batley Bulldogs for the 2023 season.[ 26] [ 27] He featured in Batley's 1895 Cup final defeat against the Halifax Panthers at Wembley .[ 28] He made a total of 19 appearances, his highest tally yet in a first-grade season, and scored three tries against Keighley , Halifax and Barrow .[ 2] Head coach Craig Lingard later said, "last season he really developed at Batley and turned out to be a standout player there."[ 29]
Oldham (loan)
In May 2023, Kibula joined League 1 side Oldham on a one-month loan deal.[ 30] [ 5] He made four appearances for the Roughyeds and scored one try.[ 2]
Castleford Tigers
On 19 October 2023, the Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Kibula.[ 31] He would join on a one-year deal for 2024, with an option for a further year.[ 29] This move would see him return to a full-time environment and follow former coach Craig Lingard , who had been appointed the new head coach at Castleford.[ 32]
Kibula made his Castleford debut on 25 February against the Salford Red Devils in round 2 of the 2024 season .[ 33]
Batley Bulldogs (DR)
Kibula featured for his former club Batley in the 2024 Championship through their dual registration partnership with Castleford.[ 2]
Featherstone Rovers (loan)
On 26 Jul 2024, it was announced that he had signed for Featherstone Rovers in the RFL Championship on season-long loan.[ 34]
Return to Batley Bulldogs
On 31 October 2024, it was announced that Kibula had signed for the Batley Bulldogs in the RFL Championship .[ 35]
Club statistics
As of match played 1 September 2024 [ 2] [ 3]
References
^ The future looks bright for Wigan Warriors despite poor pre-season results
^ a b c d e f g h i RL Record Keepers' Club
^ a b Rugby League Project
^ The future looks bright for Wigan Warriors despite poor pre-season results
^ a b "All about our new man" . Oldham RLFC . 28 May 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023 .
^ a b Bower, Aaron (10 January 2020). "Warrington prop Kibula keen to repay parents after leaving life in DR Congo behind for new start in England" . TotalRL . Retrieved 20 December 2023 .
^ "Ten facts with: Samy Kibula" . Swinton Lions . 20 June 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ a b Turner, Matt (12 September 2019). "Warrington Wolves sign Samy Kibula from Wigan Warriors" . Warrington Guardian . Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "Super League: Huddersfield Giants 20-12 Wigan Warriors" . BBC Sport . 12 July 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "Swinton 28 - 48 Batley - Match Report & Highlights" . Sky Sports . 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "Lions make double signing as one departs" . Swinton Lions . 6 June 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "Swinton extend Kibula loan to end of season" . Swinton Lions . 9 August 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "London Skolars 28-36 North Wales Crusaders" . BBC Sport . 23 June 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ Darbyshire, Drew (30 May 2019). "Championship forward not facing suspension for incident with ball boy" . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ Darbyshire, Drew (31 May 2019). "Dewsbury forward Samy Kibula apologises to ball boy after incident at Swinton" . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ Darbyshire, Drew (7 June 2019). "Swinton make double signing as one leaves the club" . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ Darbyshire, Drew (12 September 2019). "Warrington sign Samy Kibula from Wigan" . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 20 December 2023 .
^ Darbyshire, Drew (9 January 2020). "Samy Kibula dreams of playing alongside his brother for Warrington" . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 17 December 2020 .
^ "Super League: Warrington 36-0 Wakefield" . BBC Sport . 30 August 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2023 .
^ Turner, Matt (20 December 2020). "Newcastle Thunder sign Samy Kibula on loan from Warrington" . Warrington Guardian . Retrieved 26 December 2020 .
^ Shaw, Matthew (16 March 2021). "Warrington Wolves forward ruled out for the season" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 20 December 2023 .
^ Parker, Simon (4 October 2021). "Warrington forward Kibula joins Bradford Bulls for 2022" . The Telegraph & Argus . Retrieved 20 December 2023 .
^ "Samy Kibula eyes promotion after making Championship switch" . Love Rugby League . 5 Oct 2021. Retrieved 12 Oct 2021 .
^ Atkinson, Nathan (13 May 2022). "Bradford allow Kibula to join Dewsbury on loan" . The Telegraph & Argus . Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ "Rams secure Kibula loan" . Dewsbury Rams . 12 May 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ Walker, Callum (18 November 2022). "Ex-Bradford Bulls and Warrington Wolves man joins Championship side" . TotalRL . Retrieved 20 November 2023 .
^ Pattison, Cam (18 November 2022). "Former Wigan Warriors & Warrington Wolves youngster joins Championship side" . Serious About Rugby League . Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ "1895 Cup final: Batley Bulldogs 10-12 Halifax Panthers" . BBC Sport . 13 August 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ a b Darbyshire, Drew (19 October 2023). "Castleford Tigers make another new signing for 2024: 'He could be a really good pick up for us' " . Love Rugby League . Retrieved 15 December 2023 .
^ "Kibula in ahead of crucial period" . Oldham RLFC . 25 May 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ "Kibula is a Tiger" . Castleford Tigers . 19 October 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023 .
^ O'Brien, James (19 October 2023). " 'Could be a really good pick-up': Castleford Tigers land former Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves prop Samy Kibula" . The Yorkshire Post . Retrieved 15 December 2023 .
^ "Super League: Salford Red Devils 26-22 Castleford Tigers - Hosts hold on for first win" . BBC Sport . 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024 .
^ Callum Walker (26 Jul 2024). "Castleford Tigers prop makes season-long loan move" . Total RL .
^ Ben Olawumi (31 Oct 2024). "Ex-Castleford Tigers forward makes Championship move after Super League stint" . Love Rugby League .
External links