ONE of Rugby League’s great occasions takes place at Wembley on Saturday.
I’m not, in this instance, referring to the Betfred Challenge Cup final, or to the Women’s Challenge Cup decider, or to the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup final, superb events as they will undoubtedly be.
I’m talking, rather, about the Steven Mullaney Memorial Boys’ Year 7 Inspiresport Champions Schools final, the great schoolboys’ match which has been played under that very important banner since 1987 and which had already taken place as an excellent curtain-raiser for the previous decade and more.
This year’s finalists are Rainford, of St Helens, and Sirius Academy, of Hull, and readers will learn elsewhere in this issue that excitement is already at fever pitch in both schools.
You can’t blame the children (or the teachers, for that matter). Wembley will be a wonderful experience for each and every one of the participants and I’ll be there (thanks, I have to say, to hardworking Rugby Football League staff such as Bronwen Jones, who always pulls out all the stops to get me to my press seat ahead of the 10.00am kick-off) to enjoy the action.
I will also be watching out for Steven’s parents, Terry and Denise, and their daughter Lauren, who have ensured that the game has been played in Steven’s memory for almost four decades, after his tragic death in a road accident in the year following his try-scoring exploits in the 1986 curtain-raiser – highlighted by his wonderful try (and by his exuberant celebrations) in Wakefield Schools’ win over St Helens.
While the day itself will be very special, of course, the build-up is also very important for any great occasion.
That’s definitely the case with the Steven Mullaney game and it was so, so gratifying to learn, late last week, that two old boys of rare high standing are getting behind their schools ahead of the match.
St Helens, Great Britain and England ace Jonny Lomax actually played for Rainford in a National Schools final back in 2005 against, I believe, a Castleford schools side who had none other than Joe Westerman in their ranks, and Jonny had no hesitation in passing on to the current cohort the benefit of his experience.
I can only imagine the beneficial effect he will have on those youngsters – my advice to readers is to keep a note of the 2025 side and see if any can emulate Lomax over the next couple of decades.
There’s a somewhat similar tale to be told in Hull where Mikey Lewis, a former student at Sirius Academy, has been very keen to pass on nuggets of Rugby League experience amassed in what, as with Lomax, is certainly a glittering career.
I was very moved to learn of the input of Lewis and Lomax (both scrum-halves of course, although that is purely and very much incidental) and, for me, it illustrates yet again how grounded are our Rugby League players.
I know there are folk who believe that our star figures should perhaps be less accessible, more distant even, perhaps to ram home the message that they are, well, stars.
I do understand that mode of thought, I really do. But I think I like it better the way it is. Lewis and Lomax exemplify what steers me towards Rugby League and, if I’m still around, I hope to be able to pen something similar ahead of the 2045 final.
There are certainly several snippets, from both schools, which I’d like to think will still be in my memory bank two decades hence (although, having been knocked out quite a lot during my playing days – which was just how it was, I’ve no complaints, I assure you – perhaps not).
One is how Rainford and the St Helens side who will be playing in the Women’s Challenge Cup final against Wigan Warriors are leaving the Totally Wicked Stadium together on Friday. A really nice touch.
And another nice touch is that Saddleworth Rangers’ girls’ squad, comprising players aged ten to 16, will be leading out St Helens and Wigan prior to the Women’s showdown.
As long-serving Rangers secretary Peter Townsend rightly says: “We hope the experience will motivate them to be walking on the Wembley turf as players in years to come.”
Another nice touch is that Rachel Gay (sister of former Hull FC and Castleford fullback Richard, and daughter of Roy Gay, who played for Hull KR in the sixties) was interviewed, with the Sirius Academy players, on Radio Humberside ahead of their semi-final, which ended as a last-gasp win over St Peter’s.
Gay, crucially, has built a successful team which contains several players new to the sport who have joined local clubs.
Sirius’ director of rugby, now with a decade of service behind her, has also been quick to pay tribute to Les Holland Coaches, Youngs Foods and Sapphire Signs for their sponsorships.
In passing, what a grand referee Les was, one of the best I came across in fact when I was involved in running an amateur Rugby League side.
I’ve not seen Les for some time but I imagine he might well have some pertinent thoughts on the lack of grassroots rugby at this time of the year, when fixtures in many leagues are put ‘on hold’ because of the Easter, May and Whitsuntide holidays.
I’ve written, recently, about my chagrin over those barren (for Rugby League) weekends. However, the very weekend when everyone really should be sitting back – or rather be in the Wembley seats – we have full, or at least fullish, programmes in too many competitions for my liking. Bizarre isn’t the word.
Finally, I was very saddened to learn of the death of former Leeds and Keighley centre Derek Hallas, who passed away on May 12 at the age of, I believe, 89.
Derek, like me, was a Hunslet lad, but I had to forgive him for eventually fetching up on the ‘wrong’ side of the river, at Headingley, after I got to know him very well when I was working on ‘Headingley Heroes’.
The book chronicled the exploits of the fine Leeds teams of the sixties and seventies, not least the side who became the first Loiners outfit to win the title. That was in 1961, of course, and Derek was a key member, scoring two tries in the 25-10 Championship Final win over Warrington at Odsal.
Derek was the secretary of the Leeds Ex-Players’ Association and was a huge help to me, willingly providing details of player contacts and offering a host of invaluable insights.
He was a fine man and will be sadly missed. My belated condolences are extended to his family, friends and to all at the Leeds club.