IT’S not often that I’m reduced to tears by the news of someone’s death, but the news of John Kear’s passing, when I first heard it last Monday morning, was a horrible surprise.

We didn’t hear the news until we had recorded last week’s League Express Podcast early in the morning. Subsequently we amended the start of the Podcast to pay our own respects to John and anyone who watched it would probably realise how shocked we were.

It was ironic that he was a regular guest on the podcast and I had contemplated inviting him onto the show last Monday.

On reflection, however, I decided that after a busy weekend in London for the Challenge Cup Final he would probably welcome a lie-in on Monday morning back with his family. Of course I couldn’t have imagined what was about to happen.

He appeared on the podcast on numerous occasions and he never needed a second invitation for a chance to talk about the game. He never turned us down.

And the audience would often double when he was involved, such was the respect in which he was held.

His achievements in Rugby League are well known, but the key thing about John was how much he loved the game and how he was able to communicate that feeling to an audience, whether on TV, the radio or on a podcast.

He was an unfailingly positive person.

The only time I ever saw him down was when he was unlucky enough to be the coach of the merged Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants in 2000.

I went to see them play at Halifax on the last Friday of June that year and they were hammered 66-2, with John looking devastated after the game and remarking that it was the worst performance he had ever been involved with.

Integrating two disparate sets of players together proved impossible, even for him.

But apart from that episode his career was full of achievement and excitement and it was always a pleasure to meet him and talk with him.

He had a unique ability to make people feel good about themselves.

If he had been a politician instead of a sportsman I’m sure he would have persuaded all of us that we were lucky enough to be living in a wonderful country.

We will all miss him greatly and I would like to send my personal condolences to his family and to his many friends.

The game did him proud

The outpouring of love and affection for John Kear at every Rugby League ground at the weekend made it clear just how much he was loved and respected in the game as a whole.

One key element was the contribution of John’s great friend Dave Woods, who spoke about John last Thursday night at Headingley before the Rhinos’ clash with St Helens and who featured in the Sky video coverage of John’s career.

And of course Castleford and Wakefield Trinity brought in many of the players who had played with or been coached by John to talk about his impact on them, not just as players but as human beings.

As someone remarked to me, we don’t yet have the details of his funeral, as far as I’m aware, but it will have to be a hell of a large church to fit everyone in who will want to be there for him.

Good news for Wakefield

One of John’s great friends is Wakefield owner Matthew Ellis, who hasn’t known him for as long as many of us, but had forged a great bond with John at Trinity, where John acted as the MCee for Wakefield home games in the hospitality lounge.

Matt spoke very movingly of John when the news was released last week.

I imagine it put a big of a dampener on what had been some very good news for the Ellis family, who have done a remarkable job in developing their business DIY Kitchens over the last 30 years.

Last week it was revealed that the business will be sold to Howdens, a major company that is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

It’s reported that the family will receive £292.5 million in cash and a further £97.5 million in Howden shares, equivalent to 12.7 million new shares in the company.

I’m sure that the Trinity supporters will be hoping that Matt will now be able to spend even more time restoring the club to its former glories as it continues onwards and upwards.

At one time Trinity was run by a committee, most of whose members had very limited resources.

What has been obvious at Wakefield since Matt took over the club has been that he has been very effective at applying his entrepreneurial skills to generating greater support and therefore greater income for Trinity.

And while doing that, he comes across as an ordinary supporter, a fan at heart, but a very smart one.

It was a lucky day for Wakefield when he walked through the door.

Paris in June

It was good to see Super League return to Paris on Saturday, when Wigan were far too good for the Catalans Dragons.

Nonetheless, there was a healthy crowd for the game, which was preceded by the French Super XIII Championship Final.

That game, between Pia and Carcassonne, was a far more exciting game, going to golden point, with Théo Fages kicking the field-goal that won the match for Pia.

It looks to me to be a good combination, linking a Super League game to a major final in the French capital.

I sincerely hope Saturday’s event wasn’t a one-off.

The only thing that I wasn’t too keen on was the fact that neither side looked recognisable, given the strips they were wearing.

Wigan’s colours are cherry and white, while the Catalans play in blood and gold (sang et or in French).

You wouldn’t have guessed that from watching the game, although Wigan had clearly been successful in selling lots of those pink shirts.

But I still wish our clubs paid more attention to their official colours.