Kevin Sinfield has stressed there is no time to waste as he prepares to embark on his latest “crackers” fundraising quest in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease next week.
The former Leeds Rhinos star, who will set off another series of seven back-to-back ultra-marathons from Headingley Stadium on December 1, remains frustrated by a perceived lack of urgency on behalf of the Government to fulfill a pledge to commit £50million to fighting the disease.
The 43-year-old Sinfield and his team have raised over £8m from a number of endurance events which started with their first ‘7 in 7 challenge’ in 2020.
Sinfield said: “It’s really important that the money is released as promised and used in the best possible way so that we can find a cure.
“People with Motor Neurone Disease don’t have time to wait. We all want things done now, we all want change now, we all want our great scientists across the UK to work together to find a cure, so there is some frustration.
“We know the statistics from diagnosis are that 50 per cent die within the first two years. People with MND don’t have time on their hands, so we’ve got to shift this quickly. As we saw with Covid, if you throw money at something you can get a cure.”
“(Rob) thinks I’m crackers but he fully gets it. He’s with us 100% in spirit, and he’ll be there at the start and the finish. He’s such an inspirational friend and I’m delighted to be doing it again.”
Sinfield admits he will embarking on his latest quest a little “under-cooked” due to the tight turn-around following his return from France where he was working as a defensive coach for England’s rugby union World Cup squad.
Having insisted prior to a similar epic challenge last year that his running days would soon be a thing of the past, he revealed his ex-team-mate, good friend and inspiration, MND sufferer Rob Burrow, described him as “crackers” for resolving to put himself through it once again.
But Sinfield, whose route this year will include trips to Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff and Edinburgh, as well as Dublin for the first time, said he never considered hanging up his running shoes while a cure remains out of reach.
“There are 100,000 reasons why we shouldn’t go again but there is one big reason why we should and that is to continue representing this beautiful community,” added Sinfield.
“The messages, the emails, the face to face meetings – on average three times a day someone will stop me and tell me someone they know has got MND or has passed, and they want us to keep going.
“The awareness is crucial and will make such a difference to finding a cure for this disease. It’s shown me why I’m here on this earth, and that’s to try and help. I don’t think there’s a greater gift.
“(Rob) thinks I’m crackers but he fully gets it. He’s with us 100 per cent in spirit, and he’ll be there at the start and the finish. He’s such an inspirational friend and I’m delighted to be doing it again.”
Following his first quest of seven marathons in seven days in 2020, Sinfield ran 101 miles in under 24 hours from Welford Road in Leicester to Headingley in 2021. Last year’s challenge ended on the pitch at half-time during the men’s World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand at Old Trafford.
The Government has been approached for comment about Sinfield’s concerns.
Leeds twice blew a double-figure lead as Huddersfield hit back to claim a spectacular 30-24 Betfred Super League win at Headingley.
Adam Clune burst across the halfway line in the dying stages to put the seal on a dramatic win that piles the pressure on Leeds head coach Rohan Smith after the Rhinos’ fourth home loss in a row.
The hosts led 12-2 after a forgettable first half but spectacularly combusted after the break and handed the Giants the chance to build on last week’s brilliant Challenge Cup quarter-final win at Catalans Dragons.
Tries from Paul Momirovski and the returning David Fusitu’a had given the Rhinos a sizeable lead after a relatively serene first period in which Jake Connor kicked the Giants’ only points, and which offered no indication of the drama to follow.
It was a different story early in the second half as Leeds lost then duly retrieved their double-figure lead before the hour-mark.
Out of nowhere, Esan Marsters shrugged off three feeble challenges on the Leeds left to grab Huddersfield’s opener, then three minutes later, Adam Swift pummelled the same flank to set up a diving effort in the corner from Elliot Wallis to improbably haul Huddersfield level.
Only a poor night with the boot by Jake Connor – who would nail just one of his six conversions – prevented Huddersfield gaining a stranglehold and the Rhinos were quick to respond, Momirovski crossing for his second of night then Jarrod O’Connor charging through a flat-footed Giants rearguard to put them back in control.
Rhyse Martin’s fourth straight kick look Leeds 12 points clear but home hopes that they had learned their lesson were spectacularly disproved as more shocking defence allowed Swift to squirm over from dummy-half and keep his side in with a shout, eight adrift with 15 minutes remaining.
Incredibly within three minutes Huddersfield did it again as Swift was again allowed to make inroads before feeding Harvey Livett for his side’s fourth, cutting the Leeds lead to four.
Huddersfield were level in the 70th minute, Clune’s ball to the right was brilliantly touched on by Connor for Kevin Naiqama to surge over, but Connor’s problems with the boot continued as another missed kick left the game all-square at 24-24.
As Leeds collapsed, Miller was pushed almost 10 metres over his own try-line and his subsequent drop-out failed to go 10 metres, giving Connor the simplest of chances to send Huddersfield two points clear from in front of the posts.
Clune put the seal on a remarkable evening when Naiqama intercepted a pass from Cameron Smith and survived shouts for a knock-on as he juggled the ball out to his team-mate to finish the job.
Ashton Golding relishing his ‘Grand Final’ return to Headingley with Giants
Ashton Golding has vowed to put thoughts of overdue silverware aside as he prepares for a match that means more to him than any other when Huddersfield face Leeds in the Betfred Super League at Headingley on Friday.
For Leeds-born Golding it does not get any bigger than a return to face the Rhinos, his boyhood idols and the club for whom he made more than 50 appearances before making the difficult decision to leave to further his career in 2019.
“This is my personal Grand Final,” Golding told the PA news agency. “There’s no other game in the calendar that beats it. I live two minutes away from Headingley and I love Leeds, it’s my city, I was born there and I will probably die there.
“I’ll follow anyone that plays for any Leeds team. I’m fond of the Rhinos any day I’m not playing them, but as soon as it’s game day against the Rhinos, they’re my enemy and I’m a Giant.”
Having played at full-back for Leeds, Golding has proved a versatile interchange under Ian Watson as he looks to re-establish himself after two years battling a series of minor injuries.
The Giants too have shown signs of rebounding from a disappointing 2023 campaign and go to Headingley on the back of two straight Super League wins plus a stunning 34-6 success over Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
It was a result that raised plenty of eyebrows outside the Giants’ dressing room, but Golding added: “We know our own ability and we don’t need everyone else telling us how good or how bad we are.
“We understood that last year was not reflective of us and the work we had put in. We’ve got a group of good honest players who know they can all depend on each other, and we are excited to find out how far we are able to go.”
Huddersfield will face Warrington in the semi-finals next month as they look to book a second Wembley trip in two years. And victory would finally snag some silverware for Golding, who admits his experience at Leeds, when he was often benched for the biggest games, instilled him with plenty of hunger for more.
“I have absolutely fond memories of playing for the Rhinos, but it is also the experiences when I didn’t play that helped me overcome adversity in certain situations,” Golding said.
“Missing out on the Grand Final in 2017, 18th man in the World Club Challenge, it either makes you or breaks you and I felt like it gave me more. I think it was the best thing that I took away from Leeds and I can’t wait to go back there and play in that brilliant stadium again on Friday night.”
Adrian Lam says last year’s Challenge Cup triumph gave Leigh an identity
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam believes last year’s dramatic Betfred Challenge Cup final win over Hull KR at Wembley laid the foundations for the club to become a recognised force at the top of the domestic game.
Lachlan Lam’s golden-point drop goal sealed a 17-16 win and sealed a stunning first season back in the top-flight for the newly rebranded Leopards, who also defied expectations by reaching the end-of-season play-offs.
Second-season syndrome has struck this term with the Leopards currently languishing in ninth place as they prepare to reprise their Wembley showdown when they head to Craven Park to face buoyant Rovers in the quarter-finals this Saturday.
But Lam, who concedes KR will be “red hot favourites” for their latest meeting, is confident that the lessons learned from their success in the last campaign will stand them in good stead for the foreseeable future.
He said: “The Challenge Cup was one of the greatest moments for the club in the past century, and it created some memories that we will keep in our hearts – not just the players and staff but the whole town.
“Our town hasn’t had too much to cheer about over the last 50 years, and this has really given it some hope and a breath of fresh air, for people to be able to come down and support a team that they know has a chance of winning every week.
“And I think for supporters of other sports, they know who we are now. We have etched our name in the history and folklore, and as a club we have given ourselves an identity for people to watch and support.”
Leigh will go into the game on the back of consecutive derby defeats to Wigan and Salford, in contrast to KR, who have scored three straight wins including last week’s 50-10 triumph over rock-bottom London.
Lam described Rovers’ recent form as “scintillating”, and suggested the hosts will be up for the fight in light of what happened at Wembley last year: “They will be emotionally connected to that, so we have to match it,” he added.
However, Rovers head coach Willie Peters insists the tumult of last year’s Wembley occasion will play no part in their quest to build on their promising early-season form and seal their place in the semi-finals.
“A lot of people will be talking about what happened last year, but we’re certainly not,” said Peters.
“It’s a different year, a new year. It’s the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup in 2024. All we’re focusing on is going out there this weekend and getting a result.”
Leigh are likely to be boosted by the return of prop Tom Amone after a month out with a foot injury, while Jez Litten will return for Rovers in place of Ben Reynolds, who is cup-tied.
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