Warrington Wolves coach Tony Smith has revealed that former England footballer Stuart Pearce will give his side a pre-Wembley pep talk ahead of this weekend’s Challenge Cup final.
Pearce is a notorious rugby league fan and is a big Warrington Wolves supporter, and Smith said that in the 24 hours leading up to the showdown with Hull FC, he will “have the floor” to motivate the squad.
Pearce provided some famous Wembley moments throughout his career, most notably when he played for England at Euro 96, scoring in their penalty shootout victory against Spain.
“He’s one of our biggest fans,” said Smith. “He really is hooked on it. In his phone conversations or text messages, he asks how ‘we’ did or gives his opinion on how ‘we’ did.
“He’ll have the floor on Friday, he’ll have an opportunity to speak maybe of some of his experiences at Wembley or his career. When he comes to games, sometimes he pops in the changing room, the players know he’s a supporter.”It’s a great honour for somebody like him to come and present the jerseys for us. We’re delighted. It’s a big occasion for our players and it’s great for our sport to have someone such as Stuart involved.”
