Yiend was also a cricketer, who represented Durham for one season before the club joined the Minor Counties Championship.
[4] Yiend was first selected to play international rugby for England in the country's first encounter with an overseas touring team; The New Zealand Natives.
During the 1890–91 season, Yiend was approached by William Percy Carpmael to join his newly formed invitational tourists, the Barbarians.
Yiend missed the opening game of the 1893 Championship, but was back in the team to face Ireland in a narrow win.
On 19 October 1895 Yiend became the first internationally capped player to play for Leicester Tigers when he made his début at Welford Road against Guy's Hospital.