James Roby’s St Helens return confirmed as club icon answers emergency SOS
James Roby receives a guard of honour after his last home appearance for St Helens in 2023
Club icon James Roby has returned to St Helens, linking up with the backroom team to provide guidance and support to interim head coach Eamon O’Carroll.
Roby, of course, enjoyed an illustrious playing career with boyhood club Saints – winning a plethora of major honours which included six Super League titles and the World Club Challenge on two occasions.
Earning individual accolades aplenty along the way, including seven inclusions in the Super League Dream Team and the Man of Steel award, the 40-year-old is considered among the greatest British players of the summer era.
After hanging up his boots in 2023, he remained with Saints in a wide-ranging role which saw him work closely with the first-team alongside the club’s youth performance programme.
At the end of last season, with head coach Paul Wellens also vacating his role, Roby departed following more than 20 years of service to the club. But now, the legendary hooker is back amongst it at the BrewDog Stadium.
‘There’s no negative to bringing someone of the calibre of James Roby back in to give everyone a lift’
36-time England international Roby, who also has seven caps for Great Britain on his CV, was seen in the coaching box on Thursday night as Saints were beaten 32-18 at home by Hull FC.
Post-match, interim head coach O’Caroll – who is now three games into his stint at the helm – explained: “When I knew I was going to be stepping into this role, he was one of the first people I picked the phone up to.
“I’ve known him for 18 months and enjoyed working with him last year.
“We’re quite similar in terms of our personalities and what we value, and there’s no negative to bringing someone of the calibre of James Roby back in to give everyone a lift.”
Roby and O’Carroll played against one another on 11 occasions from 2006 to 2015, but the pair got to know one another well following O’Caroll’s arrival at Saints as an assistant coach ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Set to take up a role in rugby union with Scarlets come the start of next year, O’Carroll served as an assistant at Saints under both Wellens and Paul Rowley before assuming the role of interim head coach.
Providing an insight into Roby’s new role, the Saints boss detailed: “I’ve asked Robes to come in, shadow me and almost give me some feedback on whether my messages are landing… have I done the right thing? Things like that.
“I trust Robes, and for what a great man he is, ultimately he will tell you the truth because he cares about this club.
“He’s been a great addition.”
