Leeds Rhinos ace Rob Lui reveals connection to former Headingley star

Lui’s partner Taleah is a niece of former Australia Test prop ‘Slamming’ Sam Backo who had a spell as a Leeds player in the 1980s.

Taleah plays for Warrington Wolves who were set to make their Betfred Women’s Super League debut this year before coronavirus put the competition on hold.

She had considered joining Rhinos, the Women’s Super League champions, but the idea was dropped when the family decided not to move to Leeds.

Son Matthias has autism and the couple decided not to take him out of the school he attends in the Manchester area.

“Her uncle used to play at Headingley - big Sam Backo - so she has got family ties to Leeds,” Lui - who joined Rhinos from Salford in June last year - said of Talleah.

“If we moved to Leeds she would have played with Leeds, but I wanted Matthias to stay at his school, I didn’t want to take him out of his routine.”

That means long journeys to and from Kirkstall now training has resumed.

“I am still travelling, but I don’t mind it,” Lui said. “At the moment I am travelling by myself.

“When the lockdown’s over and I can travel with other people we’ll do it, but for now I’m just going to training, getting prepared for our games and taking it day by day.

“It is a bit different from what we are used to, but it is good to be back and to see everyone and to just talk about life and footy with all the boys.

“We’ve just worked on basics again - pass, catch and tackle, taking it back to keeping it simple.”

Backo, who played six Tests for Australia and at club level with Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos, made 18 appearances for Leeds in 1988-89, including the Yorkshire Cup final win over Castleford at Elland Road.

Rhinos’ season will get back underway in 17 days’ time when they take on Huddersfield Giants.

The full fixture list was due to be confirmed today.

After four months out of action, three weeks is not long to prepare, but Lui reckons it will be enough.

“We worked hard in pre-season,” he pointed out. “You could see it when we were playing, that our skill was good - our catch and pass - and our tries came off the back on that.

“We are a bit off-pace, but it will come by training. You have to start somewhere and I thought [this week] we were all good.

“No one’s been out this long from the game. Seeing the NRL go back makes us have itchy feet, but the boys have prepared well - everyone’s been training and we’ve all come back in good nick.

“I think if we just focus on the little things our match fitness will come along the way.”

Of changes to training due to coronavirus, Lui said: “We still have to keep our distance, two metres apart.

“We can’t sit next to each other in the gym, you are just working by yourself.

“You have to wipe down all the equipment before you use it and after you use it and before we go in they check our temperature.

“We don’t want to take short cuts, we want to do everything right so we can get back into the swing and start playing footy.

“That’s the main thing.”

He added: “It was good to hit the pads and do a bit of defence. I haven’t tackled in a while.

“I know the game is only just around the corner, but we’ve had a good start to our prep’ and I can’t wait [to play].

“I know all the boys are keen and [coach] Rich Agar has got a headache because he can choose from anyone.

“Everyone’s looking good and everyone wants to play.”

A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/why-yorkshire-evening-post-needs-your-support-laura-collins-yep-editor-2913382

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you

Laura Collins