Sport is full of poignant moments when it is made clear that there is much more to a team than just what happens on the pitch. There was no more poignant a moment than when Sky Sports and Leeds Rhinos came together to remember the late, great Rob Burrow.
Over Super League’s 30 seasons and nearly 5,000 games there has been ecstasy, agony, triumph and heartbreak – fans and players alike experiencing every moment in sync.
Burrow himself provided one of those iconic moments when he sidestepped and weaved through the St Helens defence to score one of the greatest Grand Final tries in 2011.
On June 21 2024, the game stopped and paid tribute to the “little warrior” who left a gigantic mark.
A packed out Headingley Stadium was pulsing with emotion as family, friends and fans came together to celebrate Leeds’ greatest No 7, who raised millions to combat motor neurone disease, which he battled valiantly after being diagnosed in 2019 until he passed away last year.
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The Burrow family and Leeds Rhinos players came together on the pitch after the game to watch a tribute to the inspirational No 7
Sky Sports Rugby League’s Jamie Jones-Buchanan described the moment as Burrow’s “brothers and sisters” bringing the tribute into the “inner sanctum” – and that they did, his wife Lindsey Burrow, his parents Irene and Geoff Burrow, plus 80 of his former team-mates coming from as far as Australia and New Zealand to celebrate his legacy.
A powerful rendition of Nessun dorma soundtracked the fireworks and applause as the celebration of Burrow’s life took to the pitch, video tributes also coming in from stars across codes and sports, starting with a message from Burrow’s close friend and fellow MND campaigner Kevin Sinfield CBE.
Alan Shearer also left a message, saying the sporting world will “remember Rob Burrow forever”.
For Leeds No 7 Brodie Croft it was an emotional night as he felt the honour of wearing the Rhinos No 7 jersey, his point to the sky and No 7 symbol as he scored then tearful post-match interview bringing home just how impactful Burrow’s life had been.
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Former team-mates and fans held a minute’s silence for Rob Burrow ahead of a tribute match at Headingley Stadium
“I actually watched a fair bit of the Super League when I was a kid. I’m a bit of a rugby league nutter myself so I had a fair bit of interest in it,” Croft said.
“Obviously Leeds were the winning team back then. A big player, a part of that was Rob Burrow.
“Certainly that try, that individual try, that’s just phenomenal. It’s just on all the billboards and when you think of Leeds Rhinos, you think of that 2011 Grand Final.
“I think that moment started when I met Rob’s parents the week before. We came as a team to the stadium there and paid our respects and our tributes to Rob. Put the jersey and the flowers there, with all those other jerseys and flowers of massive tributes for him.
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Brodie Croft surged through two Leigh tackles and just found the line with his dive
“To see his mum and dad there, chat to them. For Geoff (Burrow) to even make mention of me and how him and Rob had spoken about me before. Sometimes you’ve got to pinch yourself to think that people like him and his family have spoken about me.
“I think of what I’ve done in the game and it’s so minuscule compared to what Rob’s done in the game. For him to talk about me was pretty special.
“I had to go out there and put on a performance that he would be proud of, that his family would be proud of.”
Indeed, Croft was so aware of how monumental it was, he made sure to practice his celebration just in case.
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A special rendition of ‘Nessun dorma’ helped pay tribute to former Leeds Rhinos player Rob Burrow
“Everyone can look back on it and be like, that was Rob in a game, that game. He would be proud of that game. That’s a match that I’ll never forget.
“I wanted it to be a match I’ll never forget for all the right reasons. I did practice the try celebration just in case.
“I haven’t scored too many tries since being over here. I’ve been fortunate to set a few up but I haven’t scored too many.
“I was thinking if I could score a try for him that would be pretty bloody special. To get the No 7 up there, that got the blood going.”
Thursday March 27
- 8pm: Castleford Tigers vs Catalans Dragons
Friday March 28
- 8pm: Leigh Leopards vs Wakefield Trinity
- 8pm: Warrington Wolves vs Leeds Rhinos (5,000th game)
Saturday March 29
- 5.30pm: Catalans Dragons vs St Helens
Sunday March 30
- 3pm: Huddersfield Giants vs Hull KR
- 3pm: Wigan Warriors vs Salford Red Devils
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button.
