RFL Chief Executive Ralph Rimmer pays tribute to the St Helens record-breaker, and looks ahead to a significant week for the international game...
Sunday afternoon will provide a double reason for Rugby League celebration – from St Helens to Cross Keys.
At 3pm in St Helens, James Roby is set to make his 455th Super League appearance – which would break the competition record set by the great Kevin Sinfield OBE with Leeds Rhinos, between 1997 and 2015.
What a phenomenal achievement, and one which I know will be recognised well beyond the St Helens supporters who have witnessed James’s outstanding club career since his debut in 2004.
James Roby personifies so many of the qualities which make Rugby League special. His toughness and durability are truly remarkable – given his work-rate, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest he must have made more than 20,000 tackles during his career, the vast majority low down around the legs.
He has combined that courage with outstanding skill, supplying countless accurate passes from acting half, kicking with intelligence and precision, and scoring more than 100 tries.
But he’s done it all with a minimum of fuss, the ultimate understated hometown hero – and a one-club man, like Kevin Sinfield before him.
James also gave stalwart service to his country, winning seven Great Britain caps and 31 for England – including a key role in the 2017 World Cup campaign – before his representative retirement last year.
So I’m sure he would join me in sending best wishes to the three England teams who will play four Mid-Season Internationals over the next week – starting with England Women against Wales in Cross Keys on Sunday at 1pm.
We are now only four months away from the Rugby League World Cup which we’ve been anticipating for so long – with that anticipation given an extra year to build following the postponement to 2022.
The clock is ticking down towards the three opening fixtures – for our England Men against Samoa at St James’s Park in Newcastle on October 15; at Headingley against Brazil for England Women on November 1; and two days later on November 3, for England Wheelchair against Australia at the Copper Box in London’s Olympic Park.
That makes these Mid-Season Internationals doubly important – for the coaches and players as they continue their preparations, but also as a chance for our fans to show their support for our England teams.
Shaun Wane’s team have an extra incentive as they again face the Combined Nations All Stars, after last year’s defeat. On that evidence, it will be a fiercely competitive and compelling match, with a couple of extra ingredients for 2022 – Shaun’s former Wigan team-mate Ellery Hanley coaching the All Stars, and a weekend free of Betfred Super League fixtures.
Congratulations and thanks again to the Super League clubs for recognising the importance of this fixture in our World Cup year – and also to Sky Sports, for their live and exclusive coverage of all three Mid-Season Internationals.
Sky will break new ground on Sunday June 19 in Manchester when they cover International Wheelchair Rugby League for the first time, following on from their brilliant coverage of the Betfred Wheelchair Super League Grand Final last autumn.
Tom Coyd’s England team have the toughest possible opposition in France, the reigning world champions – and on the evidence of the two-Test series I was privileged to witness in Medway last autumn, it should be ferocious.
But it’s our England Women captained by Emily Rudge who kick things off in Wales this Sunday, before they also face France on Saturday week in the double header at Warrington.
That will make it four Tests inside two years for our England team, which is significant progress after they had gone eight years since their last home international in the northern hemisphere, during the 2013 World Cup.
The England players have already shown inspirational commitment to maintain their training schedule over the last two years despite the challenges of Covid-19.
We are hugely grateful to The National Lottery, who are title sponsors for the Mid-Season International, and whose support has been so important in allowing the Women’s and Girls’ game to bounce back more strongly than ever after Covid – and we must also acknowledge in that context the continued and valued support of Sport England.
Sky Sports’ coverage of all three England teams next weekend means our England Women will have earned unprecedented levels of broadcast exposure even before the World Cup this autumn.
We’re also delighted that The Sportsman will be showing this weekend’s Test in Wales, as they continue their superb support of the Women’s game.
The double header at Warrington promises to be a real celebration, with invited guests from the Betfred Women’s Super League, the Physical Disability and Learning Disability Super Leagues, and from Tonga as the All Stars match is focused on raising funds to help the relief efforts following the volcano and tsunami earlier this year.
I hope supporters of all clubs will take the opportunity of a weekend free of league fixtures to get behind our England teams – just as all will celebrate James Roby’s achievement this Sunday.
