I’m sure most people would agree that we have seen a remarkable few days in the life of the nation, with the tributes to Her Majesty for the 70 years of her reign.
The celebrations lasted four full days and will surely live long in the memory.
But that isn’t the only record that we should all take note of and pay tribute to.
On Saturday at the Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse, St Helens captain James Roby played his 454th Super League game, drawing level with former Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield as having played more Super League games than any other player.
This Sunday, when Saints play Hull Kingston Rovers at the Totally Wicked Stadium, assuming that he is selected, he will move into outright first place in the table of Super League appearances. It will be his 455th Super League game.
I hope that St Helens, Super League, RFL, the Mayor of St Helens, the Minister for Sport, the media and the St Helens supporters can make something very big indeed of James’ achievement.
As a nation we have just been celebrating something quite remarkable – a platinum jubilee that none of us will ever see the like of again.
And on Sunday we will, as Rugby League supporters, also be able to witness something we may never see again.
James will play his 455th game and will take the outright lead in total Super League appearances, taking over the mantle from another Rugby League icon.
Just as with the Platinum Jubilee, I would be very surprised if any of us ever saw anything like that again.
The top ten current appearance makers are as follows: Kevin Sinfield 454, James Roby 454, Andy Lynch 452, Paul Wellens 439, Jamie Peacock 438, Leon Pryce 432, Ben Westwood 430, Rob Burrow 429, Danny Tickle 419, Keith Senior 413.
It’s worth noting that every other player in that list is retired, so will never challenge James Roby’s record.
Of all the current Super League players, the one who has played the second most number of Super League games is Roby’s fellow St Helens star Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, whose 392 games after Saturday’s game in Toulouse puts him in 15th place overall, while being 63 games behind his club skipper.
In any sport Roby’s achievement should be a time for celebration.
And I would very much hope that St Helens can persuade Kevin Sinfield to the Totally Wicked Stadium to welcome James onto the pitch and to metaphorically hand over the mantle.
It would be wonderful to see those two great players together as one breaks the other’s record.
Sinfield is currently the defence coach at the Leicester Tigers, who he has helped take to the top of the Gallagher Premiership at the end of the regular season.
In that competition the play-offs begin this weekend and both games are on Saturday.
In theory that should mean that Sinfield would be able to attend the St Helens game the following day.
I sincerely hope that someone in our game has been charged with the task of inviting him to be a special guest at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Sunday.
Sports Autobiography of the Year
Rob Burrow has won another much deserved award.
His book has been adjudged the Autobiography of the Year at the Sports Book Awards, which was held recently at the Oval cricket stadium.
Although I wasn’t even aware of the ceremony, I came across an account of it in an unusual source – from sports journalist Roger Alton, writing in The Spectator political magazine.
I can do no better than to quote what Roger wrote.
“What a privilege the other night to see Rob Burrow, the Rugby League legend, win Autobiography of the Year at the Sports Book Awards at the Oval. Burrow is one of the most successful players in the history of League, although only 5ft 5in and less than 11 stone in a sport populated by big men battering each other. Now he is confined to a wheelchair, ravaged by motor neurone disease, yet radiating huge warmth with a permanent wide smile. He was greeted with a long standing ovation, and made a moving speech using an eye-activated computer device with his own voice.
“Sportspeople do not have to be the best of us, but it can be overwhelming when they are. And to see a man, once the embodiment of health and fitness, so reduced but still so warm and human was deeply humbling. As a player, Burrow’s agility, speed, strength and courage made him an icon of the sport, representing Leeds, England and Great Britain. He needed all that courage after he was diagnosed in 2019 at the age of 37. His book, Too Many Reasons to Live, is totally devoid of self-pity, and if you can read it without a tear in your eye you are made of stronger stuff than me.”
It isn’t often that Rugby League players are mentioned in political magazines such as The Spectator or New Statesman, but I was delighted to see what Roger Alton wrote and I thought it deserved a Rugby League audience.
Widening the Rugby League community
Community Integrated Care is one of the UK’s biggest and most successful social care charities. It is proudly the Official Social Care Partner of the RFL, Super League and the Rugby League World Cup 2021.
It partnered with the sport in 2019 to help lead the creation of the Community Integrated Care Learning Disability Super League. This world-first Programme enables people who have learning disabilities and autism to play a specially adapted version of Rugby League for the clubs that they love, in a non-competitive and inclusive environment.
LDRL has generated some very positive publicity in recent weeks and it’s good to see that there was a recent gathering for coaches from 17 clubs that run LDRL teams to share best practice under the guidance of Community Integrated Care’s Autism Specialist Practitioner, Denise Kennedy, to help coaches understand how better to connect with and empower the independence of their players.
The day was attended by coaches of Barrow Raiders, Castleford Tigers, Featherstone Rovers, Halifax Panthers, Hull FC, Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Centurions, Newcastle Thunder, Salford Red Devils, Sheffield Eagles, St Helens, Wakefield Trinity, Warrington Wolves, Widnes Vikings, Wigan Warriors, and York City Knights.
Craig Thomason, Partnerships and Communities Manager at Community Integrated Care, says: “We take our role as Rugby League’s Official Social Care Partner and collaborators in the Learning Disability Super League very seriously. We are committed to sharing our skills and resources to support the LDSL to get better every year and to develop the talents within Rugby League. By doing so, we can continually improve the impact that our charity and this sport has on people’s lives.
“This training day was truly inspirational. Through bringing together quality training, innovative technologies, and the lived-experience and insight of players, along with the passion and knowledge of every coach in the room, coaches left the day filled with new ideas and enthusiasm for the season ahead. We’d like to thank the RFL and every participating foundation for their support in developing the best programme possible.”
It’s great to see our sport breaking down barriers in this way.
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.
