 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Denis Charles Betts[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-09-14)14 September 1969 (age 56) Salford, Lancashire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 0 lb (95 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denis Charles Betts (born 14 September 1969) is an Englishrugby league coach and former rugby league footballer. He is the head-coach ofWigan Warriors Women and a former assistant coach of theEngland national team.
Asecond-row, Betts played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s for theWigan Warriors, with whom he won numerous titles, and for theAuckland Warriors. He won four caps for England and 32 forGreat Britain, setting a record for a forward. He played in twoRugby League World Cups, in1989-92 and1995, including playing in the finals of both.
Betts was born on 14 September 1969 inSalford, Lancashire and attended Clarendon High School. He has a younger brother, Darren Betts – also a talented rugby and footballer who played forSalford in the 1990s. Betts was himself a formerManchester United youth team player.
Betts signed for Wigan from Leigh Miners[7] ARL (also known as Leigh Rangers) on 14 October 1986.
Betts was a part of the hugely successful Wigan team of the 1980s, and 90's, his own medal haul including sixChampionships, seven Rugby LeagueChallenge Cups, threePremierships, fourJohn Player/Regal Trophies, and twoLancashire Cups. He also received theLance Todd Trophy (1991) and the covetedMan of Steel Award (1995). He featured in threeWorld Club Challenge matches for Wigan, winning two, againstPenrith Panthers in 1991 andBrisbane Broncos in 1994.[citation needed]
In 1995, at the height of theSuper League War he signed a lucrative deal with theAuckland Warriors, one of the new clubs, coached by former Wigan coach John Monie.
Later that year Betts became the first player to win bothEngland andGreat Britain caps while not playing in the English leagues. With former Wigan team-mateShaun Edwards ruled out by injury, Betts captained England from the second row in the1995 Rugby League World Cup final atWembley Stadium, butAustralia won the match 16–8 and retained theWorld Cup. Betts' selection as captain of England meant he was the first player given the honour while not playing in the English leagues.[citation needed]
During the1996 Auckland Warriors season Betts captained the club. He was selected as vice captain for the1996 Great Britain Lions tour of Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand, playing in all Tests against host nations atsecond-row. The1997 season was Betts' last with the Auckland Warriors as he returned to England to continue playing for Wigan.
Betts returned to play in the1998 Wigan Warriors season in Europe'sSuper League competition, and played in the side which lost the1998 Challenge Cup Final toSheffield Eagles. He missed Wigan's1998 Super League Grand Final victory that year through injury. Betts scored Wigan's opening try in the last game atCentral Park, and their first try at theJJB Stadium.
At the end of 1999'sSuper League IV, Betts was selected to play for Great Britain in the1999 Tri-Nations tournament in both of their matches against New Zealand and Australia.
Betts played for Wigan in their2000 Super League Grand Final loss toSt. Helens, and their2001 Grand Final loss to theBradford Bulls. He was persuaded to retire from playing at the age of 32, to help Wigan get under the salary cap.[8]
In total, Betts made 32 appearances for Great Britain, the joint highest ever for a forward, and toured three times, in1990,1992 and1996. He also captained England in the1995World Cup final, which they lost to Australia at Wembley in front of 66,540 fans.
At the end of 2001, Betts moved into coaching as Under-18s coach at the Wigan Warriors, and progressed to under-21s, which he led to victory in the 2003 U21 Grand Final.[9] In July 2003,Stuart Raper was sacked as the Wigan Warriors coach, and he was replaced byMike Gregory. Gregory then appointed Betts as his assistant. the Wigan Warriors' results improved and they went on reach the Grand Final, only to lose toBradford Bulls. The following season, the Wigan Warriors reached another final, losing this time toSt. Helens in theChallenge Cup Final. Betts then took temporary charge in May 2004 when Gregory stepped down due to illness. He held the position for a year before he was moved sideways by the club to make way for the appointment of new head coachIan Millward, who had leftSt. Helens just two weeks earlier and was recruited for his experience. Betts continued to work under Millward until the end of the 2005'sSuper League X but left in November after refusing to take a post as coach of the academy Under-21 team.[10]
In January 2006 he took up a post as skills and development coach withGuinness Premiershiprugby union clubGloucester, a position which he left during June 2010,[11] despite having another year on his contract. Speaking about his time at Gloucester, he said"It's a really passionate place and I hope they can get the success they deserve. I really enjoyed the place, especially the match-day atmosphere and the Shed."[12]
While at Gloucester, Betts emerged as a surprise contender for the vacant England coaching job,[13] which he applied for in March 2010, ultimately losing out toBradford Bulls'Steve McNamara.
In November 2010, Betts was appointed coach ofChampionship club; the Widnes Vikings.[14] In May 2011, he was reappointed to manage the Widnes Vikings into the Super League in 2012.[15]
Betts was appointed assistant coach toWayne Bennett with England in April 2016. England finished third in the2016 Four Nations, and were runners-up in the2017 World Cup.
In May 2018 the Widnes Vikings terminated Betts' contract with immediate effect. Due to the Widnes Vikings poor run with winning only three games out of twelve.[16]
In October 2023, Betts was announced as head coach ofWigan Warriors Women[17] In his first season, he wore his first peice of silverware as head coach and Wigan's first since 2018 after winning theRFL Women's Nines competition,[18] a trophy the club retained the following year.[19]
Betts first major trophy as head coach came at Wembley in 2025 following Wigan's victory in the2025 Women's Challenge Cup final.[20] Betts's team also performed well in the league that season which saw him named named Women's Super League Coach of the Year in 2025,[21] after completing thetreble with Wigan.[22][23]
