James Roby makes history for St Helens live on Channel 4

Josh McAllister
James Roby, SWPix

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

St Helens captain James Roby has made history live on Channel 4 by becoming the club’s all-time appearance record holder.

Roby, 37, overtakes Kel Coslett to make his 532nd appearance for the reigning champions. 

The ex-England and Great Britain international made his debut off the bench in 2004 in a 38-20 home win against Widnes.  

Already Super League’s all-time record appearance holder, Roby has won six Grand Finals, four Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges in his career.

He has also been named in the Super League Dream Team five times and was named Man of Steel in 2007. 

Coslett, also the club’s all-time leader for both goals (1,639) and points (3,413), made 531 appearances for the Saints between 1962 and 1976.

Roby was welcomed onto the field by a guard of honour ahead of their kick off with Salford in Super League, live on Channel 4, alongside a great applause from the fans. 

He has announced that he will hang up the boots at the end of the season after completing his record-breaking 20th season. 

“I’m very proud of the occasion and proud that I’ve got to this milestone,” Roby said. 

“There’s been a lot of factors that have contributed to that in terms of being lucky with injuries, lucky to be a part of a great club and with great team-mates around me and my family and my wife and children off the field as well.

“I think for a hometown lad whose dream it was to go on and play for St Helens and then to get the all-time appearance holder is a really proud moment.

“I don’t think it will properly set in until maybe I’ve hung my boots up and I sit back and reflect on my career.”

James Roby, News Images
Photo by Steve Flynn/News Images.

Writing his thoughts for St Helens’ match day programme, chairman Eamonn McManus wrote: “It’s become something of a standard event to congratulate our captain James Roby on breaking yet another record previously considered to be unbreakable.

“Yet this particular record, breaking 532 games for the Saints, is quite mind boggling in its level of achievement. The impossible has happened in James’ incredible twentieth season at the club.

“I’m sure that the first person to congratulate James will be Kel Coslett, who has spent most of his life as Saints’ record appearance maker and was no doubt confident that his legendary record would never be broken.

“Now that it has, I think we can all rest assured that it will never again be broken such is the level of James’ achievement.”

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Super League James Roby