RAY FRENCH (December 23, 1939 – July 26, 2025)
DUAL-code international, highly-respected broadcaster on both television and radio, teacher, writer and after-dinner speaker… well-known and popular Ray French really was a man of many parts and talents.
A proud son of St Helens, those with only a fleeting interest in Rugby League will likely have recognised his distinctive sing-song voice – and rich vocabulary – through his commentaries for the BBC in an era when the game remained a central part of the channel’s plentiful weekend sports output on the small screen.
Among many matches, French commentated on every Challenge Cup final from 1982 to 2008, telling the stories of Featherstone Rovers’ against-the-odds win over Hull FC, Wigan’s eight straight triumphs, Sheffield Eagles’ toppling of the Cherry and Whites and seven successes for his hometown team.
The uncompromising second rower with a strong work ethic and high-kneed running style had played, and shone, in one for Saints – in 1965-66, when Wigan were beaten 21-2 at Wembley.
That was a week before Halifax were seen off 35-12 in the Championship Final at Station Road, Swinton, with a combined gate of more than 129,000 watching the two showpiece matches.
Coached by Joe Coan and captained by star halfback Alex Murphy, Saints that season also finished top of the table, by two points from Swinton, and won the Lancashire League.
It was their second successive League Leaders’ Trophy and the second in a run of three straight county crowns, while in 1963-64, the second of two seasons in which the single-league format was dropped in favour of two divisions, good friends French and Murphy and Co won the Western Division Championship, defeating Swinton 10-7 in the decider at Central Park, Wigan.
Either side of winning the title, Saints were beaten in the Championship Finals of 1964-65 (15-7 by Halifax at Station Road) and 1966-67 (21-9 by Wakefield Trinity in a replay at Swinton after a 7-7 draw at Headingley, Leeds), with French featuring in each of those games.
They won the Lancashire Cup four years in a row during his time at the club, and French played in three of the finals, the 25-9 win over Swinton at Wigan in 1961-62, 15-4 victory against Leigh at Swinton in 1963-64 and 12-4 triumph over Swinton at Wigan in 1964-65.
He succeeded Leigh-bound Murphy as skipper in 1966-67, the last of his six full seasons at Knowsley Road, where he arrived from St Helens Rugby Union Club in the 1961 close-season, when he was 21 and planning a career in teaching, ‘turning’ professional for a £5,000 fee.
Earlier that year, French had played in each of England’s matches in the then-Five Nations Championship, a 6-3 defeat by Wales at Cardiff Arms Park, 11-8 loss to Ireland at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 5-5 draw with France at Twickenham and 6-0 win over Scotland back in London, attracting the interest of a string of Rugby League clubs, with Leeds and Oldham also especially keen.
He featured three times for Lancashire while with Saints, for whom he made 207 appearances, but didn’t get international recognition in Rugby League until after he had joined Widnes in the early stages of the 1967-68 campaign, with stand-off Frank Myler going the other way as part of the deal.
Widnes, where he was also to become captain and for whom he made 123 appearances across four seasons, wanted French for his experience and to mentor a string of young prospects.
And in 1968, Great Britain came calling. He featured in wins over France at the Parc des Princes in Paris and Odsal, Bradford before being named in Colin Hutton’s squad to travel to Australia and New Zealand for a tour that included that year’s World Cup.
French played in the 25-10 loss to Australia and 38-14 win over New Zealand, both at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as the Lions finished third in a four-team tournament won by the Kangaroos.
He combined playing Rugby League with teaching, in both Widnes and at Cowley Grammar School (now International College) in St Helens, where he had been a pupil before gaining an honours degree in English Latin and Russian, and also a diploma in education, at the University of Leeds.
French started working at BBC Radio Merseyside in 1975 and became a BBC TV summariser in 1979. In 1981, he replaced Eddie Waring as lead Rugby League commentator.
‘My Kind of Rugby’, published in 1978, was the first of a number of books, and he wrote regular newspaper columns.
A tireless advocate for Rugby League who gave many hours to supporting charities and the game at all levels, French was made an MBE in 2011, three years after being given a place on the Rugby Football League’s Roll of Honour.
He had been living with dementia before his death at 85.
He leaves a wife Helen, and two children, Susan and Gary, the latter enjoying a rugby union career with Bath and a succession of other leading clubs.
At the time of writing, details of Ray’s funeral had not been released.