Rugby League Today: NFL tribute to Rob Burrow, “Wakefield, you got no fans!” & BBC history

James Gordon
Rob Burrow

What’s catching our eye in rugby league today.

Rob Burrow tribute

Rob Burrow was a guest at the NFL game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins at the weekend.

And he was subject to a fantastic tribute, with some of his best moments in a Leeds shirt shown on the big screen to the fans in attendance.

Burrow is a big NFL fan and was invited to the SuperBowl last year.

“You got no fans!”

The infamous Wealdstone Raider has got involved in helping to promote the Grant Millington and Wakefield All Stars match this Wednesday.

The star viral football fan was joined by Gareth Ellis and Steve Snitch for the skit.

The match at the Mobile Rocket Stadium is the latest in a long line of superb fundraisers by the Rugby League All Stars team.

Media headaches

Not sure whether the media departments across clubs have been on a long Mad Monday.

In England’s announcement of their squad for the France game, two player names were spelled incorrectly (Reece “Lynne” and Mikolaj “Oledszki”)

Now on Monday morning, the usually unflappable Leeds announced the signing of David Fusitu’a with a lingering image of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at the end of an otherwise exciting video.

https://twitter.com/leedsrhinos/status/1449978551084539907

And on Sunday Leigh – who had been wrestling with their email marketing software all week – announced to their Facebook followers the new signing of Chris Green, despite having already announced him a few days previously.

Embrace history on the BBC

There is quite an achievement for rugby league this weekend, when BBC TV broadcasts both internationals between England and France live.

It will be the first time an England women’s international has been shown live on terrestrial TV (BBC2, midday).

And it’s part of a double header with the men’s game, which will be on BBC1 at 2.30pm, in Perpignan.

For all the criticisms of the international game and broadcast coverage, this is something that all rugby league fans should be shouting from the rooftops.

Welcome change for Warrington

Warrington are set to welcome Daryl Powell as their new head coach imminently, and star half-back Gareth Widdop says they will benefit from a change.

Widdop told the Warrington Guardian: “He’s obviously a very, very good coach and I think a little bit of change might be good for the boys.”

Supporting the international game

On the subject of supporting the international game, good to see new Leeds half-back Aidan Sezer show his support for rugby league in Turkey.

The European Championship D was being held in Bodrum over the weekend.

Sezer’s father is Turkish.

Birthdays

Hull full-back Jake Connor turns 27 today (October 18).

Also celebrating: Warrington prop Rob Mulhern (27); France international full-back Morgan Escare (30); former man of the people Anthony Gelling (31); ex-Wigan winger Brett Dallas (47); former Widnes centre Andrew Emelio (40).

Trivia

Jamaica will have played more internationals in England in 2021 than England when they take on Scotland at Featherstone on Sunday.

Features Aidan Sezer