Richard de la Riviere

Wow what a game. That was fantastic! So many good performances on both sides, particularly in the second half. Saints took too long to get going and can have no complaints. Carrie Roberts is immense.

They’ve also got them in tenth place in an 8-team comp!

Sky cameras are at Wigan and Leeds for the men’s games, so does anyone know if there’ll be any highlights of the two women’s games?

Rhiannon is brilliant, no arguments there! Really looking forward to watching Kelsey this year in her new role.

Ha don’t worry, I didn’t think you were being snarky, RBK! fwiw, I think Saints are probably still the best team, marginally ahead of York with Leeds very slightly behind them. But they are all capable of sweeping the board if a bit of luck goes their way. I think Saints have the best quartet of props and probably the best back row. In terms of 6, 7 & 9, they trail Leeds & York, but they also have a playmaking loose forward in Jodie which the other teams don’t have. There’s little between the three teams when it comes to outside backs. I like York’s backline the best probably, with Partington and Roberts great additions. But even when Saints had such a weak backline, they beat Leeds and York to win the cup. And in the women’s game, with the Wembley factor, the challenge cup is the big one. Home advantage should see York win on Sunday even without Peach, but the cup semi is too close to call with any confidence. It could come down to the availability of players like Elisa Akpa & Lucie Sams, two great props who aren’t with their clubs yet.

Maybe you’ve got a point. I think York will sneak it on Sunday but Saints will win the semi-final.

Saints will have a much better backline this year. Last season it looked a bit inexperienced and a couple were out of position. The return of Burke and Woosey plus the signing of Salihi will make a big difference. Their forwards and playmakers are as good as Leeds and York.

Great decision

Thirty years ago today was the last ever 0-0 draw in the professional game as Whitehaven played Workington at home. The game had been restaged, having been postponed two days earlier. Dean Marwood missed a couple of penalty shots and Haven still complain a try was wrongly disallowed in the final moments. I wasn’t at this unfortunately. I’d set off to the original game on Boxing Day and turned round when Radio Cumbria announced the postponement. But on the 28th, I had tickets for Liverpool v Wimbledon which turned out to be a dreadful game. I can still remember ringing my mate from Lime Street Station to get the Town score and not quite believing him that it had ended 0-0!

How do you think that team would get on against Australia and NZ u18s?

You have to take any opportunity!

Unbelievable stuff. Nathan Collins is just sensational. Declan Roberts is similarly skilled but also showed superb game management. He’s also interviewed along with his dad in my new Wigan book

Thanks mate. Hope you enjoy it!

Hi all! I’ll be at Waterstones in Wigan on Thursday between 5.30 & 6.30pm, talking about and signing copies of the book, just in case you’re passing!

How did Roche play?

Thanks for the order mate. I hope you enjoy it. I might look at your idea one day as I’ve interviewed quite a few Cumbrian greats including the two you mention. But if the Wigan book sells well, I’ll probably do another Super League club next.

Thanks mate. I really enjoyed doing that. Hopefully have a few more coming up.

Hi Harry, the book is a compilation of interviews I’ve done over the years: roughly a third have previously been published exactly as they are in the book, about a third have been updated and a third (16 to be precise) are brand new. These tend to be the longest ones. Terry Newton’s is from 2005. I’ve updated it with his story from that point onwards, which includes me quoting his biographer, Phil Wilkinson, who told me some great stories about him. Bill Ashurst is the other interviewee who is no longer with us. His interview was from 2018 and was part of the Rugby League Heroes series in League Express. Interviews with those overseas were done on the phone (or video call with Graeme West). I had the idea of putting them into a book about a year ago. LPL agreed to publish it at the end of the 2022, and that’s when I started to track down the 16 new players.

Here are the interviewees: Joe Lydon, Green Vigo, Kelvin Skerrett, Henderson Gill, Sam Tomkins, Colin Clarke, Nicky Kiss, Phil Clarke, Brett Kenny, Ray Ashby. Terry Newton, Danny Sculthorpe, Liam Farrell, Graeme West, Martin Hall, Bill Francis, Denis Betts, George Fairbairn, Terry O'Connor, John Burke. Kris Radlinski, Graham Lowe, Martin Offiah, Doug Laughton, Jason Robinson, Colin Tyrer, Phil Roberts, Declan Roberts, Andy Platt, Gemma Walsh. Frano Botica, Frank Parr, Gene Miles, Shaun Wane, Gary Connolly, Dean Bell, Thomas Leuluai, Martin Dermott, John Gray, Andy Gregory. Mick Cassidy, Sean O'Loughlin, Shaun Edwards, Brian Noble, Steve Hampson, Tony Stephens, John Monie, Henry Paul, Bill Ashurst & Ellery Hanley. The interviews take into account their entire rugby league careers. They vary in size. The smaller ones are roughly the size of a full page in League Express. The book is A4 and 208 pages. There's a lot of reading! Every interview is designed with photos.

The St Helens and ex-England forward Chantelle Crowl has been selected to play for Canada, the country of her birth, in a Tri-Nations next month with the USA & Jamaica. As she will have to pay for her own flights (she receives no money, not even expenses, for playing rugby), she has set up a fundraising page to help with the cost of her flights. If you can contribute a few quid, it would be massively appreciated. https://www.gofundme.com/f/tour-to-jamaica?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=social&utm_source=messenger

The St Helens and ex-England forward Chantelle Crowl has been selected to play for Canada, the country of her birth, in a Tri-Nations next month with the USA & Jamaica. As she will have to pay for her own flights (she receives no money, not even expenses, for playing rugby), she has set up a fundraising page to help with the cost of her flights. If you can contribute a few quid, it would be massively appreciated. https://www.gofundme.com/f/tour-to-jamaica?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=social&utm_source=messenger

Thanks for flagging this up. The Brierley podcast was great. McDermott is an odd bloke and Brierley’s story didn’t surprise me one bit. But, for balance, I’m listening to the one McDermott did with them in 2020, and it’s pretty interesting too. I like Will Perry. Never come across him, but he’s a good interviewer.

Fair enough if you don’t support Wigan, but the interviews cover the players’ entire careers, so Joe Lydon, for example, talks about playing for Widnes, Great Britain & Eastern Suburbs as well as for Wigan.

Congratulations to York. I think they’ll go in and win the GF now. Leeds don’t have enough this season, so I’d expect a Saints v York GF which the Valkyrie will shade.