The Rugby Football League has confirmed extensive plans to celebrate the life of Rob Burrow at the Challenge Cup final on Saturday after the Leeds Rhinos legend’s death at the age of 41.
Burrow died four and a half years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Alongside his close friend Kevin Sinfield, he led a high‑profile fundraising campaign to support people living with the incurable disease that has raised almost £20m and has led to plans for a dedicated MND centre in Leeds.
Burrow won the Challenge Cup twice with Leeds and he will be honoured at Wembley. A minute’s silence will be held before the men’s and women’s finals on Saturday, with the RFL encouraging everyone to also take part in a minute’s applause in the seventh minute of the games. Burrow wore the No 7 shirt during his playing career.
The RFL is also likely to ask supporters wishing to make their own personal tribute to Burrow to do so by the statue of rugby league legends Eric Ashton, Billy Boston, Martin Offiah, Alex Murphy and Gus Risman outside Wembley. Plans for a special statue of Burrow and Sinfield are still planned at Leeds’s Headingley Stadium.
Tributes have poured in from across the sport and beyond, with Warrington’s head coach, Sam Burgess, praising the impact Burrow has had in supporting the MND community. Burgess has his own experience of the disease; his father, Mark, was diagnosed with MND and died when Burgess was a teenager.
“Condolences go to Rob and his family and friends,” Burgess said.
“I think the saddest day was the day he was diagnosed. It was inevitable it was coming.
“He’s left a legacy that will never be forgotten. What he’s done for the MND community is unimaginable. He’s an absolute inspiration and he should be remembered that way.
We should celebrate the life of Rob Burrow. The support he’s given to everyone in a similar position is incredible. The awareness he’s raised and the people he’s got talking about MND is amazing.
“He’s changed lives for the better. Let’s just hope it gets us to a cure, that’s what everyone wants. They’re slowing things down a bit now, but I don’t know how good that is. I think Rob is in a better place, and everyone should be so proud of what he’s achieved, being so stoic.
“His wife is an amazing woman and I’m sure his legacy will continue to grow and the impact will make the difference to a lot of lives, which is a really wonderful thing.”
Sinfield paid his own emotional tribute to Burrow on Monday. Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft hospital in Leeds – which Burrow said should still go ahead as planned before he died – Sinfield told the BBC: “I wish he could have seen the outpouring of love.
“We all lose special people. But it’s very, very rare you lose someone who is so special to so many different people. As you can see it’s pretty raw still, he’ll leave a massive hole. We’re pretty heartbroken this morning but he was a special guy.
“What’s really important is that Rob Burrow continues to live forever and I’m sure the MND community and everyone who has supported us previously will make sure Rob’s name is at the forefront of everything we do going forward.
“I was amazed at some of the things he did on the rugby field but some of the things he’s done in the last four and a half years has been unbelievable. The respect, love and admiration I’ve got for him couldn’t be any higher. The inspiration he’s given everyone across the UK who has been across this story, it’ll live in the memories for ever.”
