Leeds Rhinos fans grieving for Rob Burrow, reflect on Wembley loss, expect tough game v Hull FC
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Like everyone connected with the club, the YEP’s fans’ Jury have been deeply moved by the love and respect shown to the former scrum-half throughout rugby league and the wider sporting world. Attention is now beginning to turn to this weekend’s Betfred Super League fixture at Hull FC, while our panel have also reflected on Rhinos’ defeat in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup final at Wembley and Ian Blease’s appointment as sporting director.
DAVID MUHL
It was an emotional week on the Leeds Rhinos front, ending with some marvellous tributes to Rob Burrow at Wembley. There was hardly a dry eye in the stadium during the minute’s applause in the seventh minute of each game.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

Recent days have put things into perspective. Yes, results and performances on the field haven’t been what we wanted, but at the end of the day it’s just a game. The club do things like this exceptionally well and it has again made me realise why I love my club.
Praise must be given to the staff at Leeds who pulled out all the stops, despite grieving themselves. The week ended for me with a very early alarm on Saturday to make sure I got the supporter’s bus to Wembley. The atmosphere was positive and hopeful on the way down, but unfortunately St Helens proved too strong again and Leeds left their worst performance for some time for the Women’s Challenge Cup final.
We never got going. There’s an old saying that forwards get you to Wembley and backs win at Wembley; well I don’t think coach Lois Forsell and her team had heard that - we played a one-up rugby game, forwards constantly driving the ball in. We have probably the two best centres in women’s rugby and two very fast wingers, but they might as well have stayed in the dressing rooms for the amount of ball they had. The atmosphere on the coach home was subdued to say the least.


On to this week and we have a tricky trip to Hull. We are probably playing them at the wrong time, they have made some good-looking signings and have improved lately. Let’s hope this isn’t a banana skin for us and we continue our winning ways and have used the week off to good advantage.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBECKY OXLEY
It has been a very sombre time since the news of the passing of Rob Burrow. I went to pay my respects on Monday afternoon at Headingley and it was very sad and upsetting, but also lovely to see people from all clubs coming together to do the same thing. The rugby league community is so beautiful at uniting and forgetting rivalries at these times and it makes the sport special.
Rhinos’ women lost out in the Challenge Cup final against Saints. They gave a good effort, but the Saints were too strong on the day. The tributes to Rob around Wembley both on and off the field were beautiful and showed what a special guy he was and how he touched the hearts of so many.


We have Hull away on Saturday and I don’t think it will be an easy game. Hull aren’t having the best of seasons, but it’s always a tough match and I think the week off will have done both teams the world of good. I think we will come away with the two points though and I hope it kick starts the season good and proper.
GAVIN MILLER
I visited Headingley last Monday with my son who laid a shirt among the floral tributes. Oliver had written on the shirt a goodbye to his “childhood hero” and it struck me the impact Rob Burrow’s death has had on multiple generations.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWhile there, there were people of all ages paying their respects in a way I’ve never seen before. The atmosphere was sombre and respectful and many a quiet tear was shed.
It has been a really sad week and I hope, as Kevin Sinfield said last week, Rob Burrow’s memory lives forever. His legacy certainly will and those striving to improve the lives of those suffering with MND and those looking at treatments and cures will do so in his name.
Leeds have now appointed their new sporting director, Ian Blease from Salford. Blease appears to be skilled in recruitment, however he has been working on a budget and seems to have bought players to sell and make a profit on.
As Leeds’ sporting director he needs to be recruiting players to stay at the club and win trophies. The pressure will be very different. His first job, however, will be to look at the head coach and decide whether Rohan Smith is the right man for the role.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIAIN SHARP
A pause in the Super League season for the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, featuring a couple of sides from Lancashire, has given me a chance to reflect. Some years ago I lived in London for a couple of years on missionary work south of Watford, so I am perhaps better positioned than most to comment when people ask why rugby league is not successful in London. The first point many people don’t understand about the capital, when they see a single homogenised lump on the weather forecasts, is that London isn’t one big city, but in reality about 30 or 40 small towns where you can’t see the join.
Your local high street was within a 20 minute (or less) bus or tube ride away and no one ever went to the likes of the West End or Oxford Street, unless they wanted something special or were a tourist. When working, I spent a lot of time in Docklands with the locals and even living in the best connected city in the country, it was amazing how many people you’d meet that hadn’t really travelled much beyond the eastern quarter of London, let alone the rest of the city or beyond Watford into the provinces.
When it came to sport, the vast majority of them supported local football teams like West Ham, Leyton Orient or even Dagenham and Redbridge. A few supported Arsenal, but hardly any supported any of the other big London clubs, like Chelsea. Certainly, they knew about rugby league, from Sky and BBC coverage and wearing an RL shirt generally drew positive comments, even though they were gobsmacked to learn there were RL teams in London. That wasn’t surprising given that, from where I lived in east London, it was on average about two hours’ journey by tube or train to the Stoop for a game. It was actually quicker from my old home in Leeds to travel to the likes of Wigan or Widnes than it was to go the 20-odd miles across town.
Another oft-overlooked factor in supporting a sporting team, is banter. Obviously, for the football teams that was easy, but for a London based rugby league fan, who could you take the mickey out of over the water cooler? Your nearest geographical rivals were nearly 200 miles away. I think the workplace banter opportunity is one of the secret reasons why Leeds fans would like Bradford back in Super League.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLondon has the capacity and demand for rugby league. At the time I was down there, it was estimated there were around 100,000 Australians/Kiwis living and working in London. If only 10 per cent of them turned up to a Broncos game on a regular basis they would be up there with the best supported teams in the league.
So, to conclude, given the huge potential market in the capital, London shouldn’t have one top flight RL team, but - to make the sport noticed and successful - at least four sides, within easy travel distance of the majority of the population. There is a good amateur scene in the capital and the talent is down there given the number of players playing in the top flight from non-traditional areas, but the game needs to kick on and give them a pathway into the sport at the highest level. With a firm structure in London, attracting the sort of media attention the rugby league deserves, only then can we truly claim to be a national game.
TOM GOLDSWORTHY
A week has passed since we received the sad news of Rob Burrow’s death and it has been lovely to see the overwhelming amount of love, support and respect being given by the rugby league community and beyond.
It really is a testament to what Rob achieved on and off the field and proof his legacy will live on forever. I think it's important to recognise how well Leeds Rhinos as a club have handled his passing and how grateful we are as fans that they have allowed us a platform to show our love for Rob and grieve together as a fanbase.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSaturday's game at Hull FC will be our first since his passing and it will definitely be an emotional one. It is important that we take as many fans as possible to celebrate one of our own and give Rob the send off he deserves.
Looking ahead to the game itself, we need to be picking up from where we left off against Castleford. While it was not the complete performance our head coach believed it to be, it was a step in the right direction. Having key players back will help our cause and we should be putting a poor Hull FC team to the sword. Hopefully recent events off the field have galvanised the team and put in a performance Rob would be proud of.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.