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Forty20 On or near the 13th every month Editorial address 47 Street Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. LS8 1AP email: editorial@forty-20.com General queries Tel: +44 (0)113 225 9797 Fax: +44 (0)113 225 2515 admin@forty-20.com Editor-at-large: Tony Hannan tonyhannan@forty-20.com Managing editor: Phil Caplan philcaplan@forty-20.com Editorial policy Forty20 magazine is committed to delivering the best writing by the best writers – old and new. Email editorial@forty-20.com Photography: SWpix.com, NRL Imagery, Simon Hall, Richard Long, Paul Clayton Illustrations: Mark Eastbrook www.markeastbrook.co.uk Administration Executive: Ros Caplan roscaplan@forty-20.com Advertising +44 (0)113 225 9797 or email advertising@forty-20.com Distribution Seymour Distribution Limited, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT Tel: +44 (0)207 429 4028 Emily.Evans@seymour.co.uk Subscriptions Postal and online subscriptions to Forty20 are available, the latter via iPad and iPhone app. Subscribing is the cheapest and most reliable way to get your copy, straight to your doorstep. For details see page 6 or email subscriptions@forty-20.com Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Loscoe Close, Normanton Industrial Estate, W Yorkshire. WF6 1TW. Tel: 01924 220633 All material copyright Forty20. Views expressed are those of individual contributors. .com pix SW Trafford’ – ld Orock igan Cover: ‘W Publisher Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd Registered office: 47 Street Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. LS8 1AP Registered in England & Wales No. 06588772 Chronicle proper ty which was being marketed for sale in ear ly 2024, following an offer received. This resulted in an impairment of £499k.” The cost of its non-executive board also decreased slightly. And RL Commercial is predicting a loss of £90,356 for the financial year ending 31 December 2023, with the payments made to its director s increasing by £100,000. The results show that revenue for broadcast rights was at £26.46 million, while ticketing monies from the Challenge Cup semi-finals and finals, Magic Weekend, the Super League playoffs and grand final, and from internationals was £4.603m. The body made £3.965m from sponsorship and par tner ships and £1.368m from hospitality and merchandise sales. Operating costs were £4.044m, with remuneration of £138,000 for the appointment of its new board and director s. RLC paid £19.198m to the 12 Super League clubs and gave the RFL £4.7m as par t of its joint venture agreement, spent £1.645m on its 41 employees, £247,845 on match officials and £1.64m in insurance. “The risk remains that the outcome of the ongoing brain injur y claim against the Governing Body may impact [insurance] premiums in future year s,” it repor ts. n In March 2023, we wrote an extended feature in Forty20 (back copies available) about the seeming inevitability that rugby would again become united under one set of rules which would predominantly look like rugby league, not least because of change needed in the light of potential litigation for head injuries and economic strain in both codes at the elite level. Now, Chris Foy in the Daily Mail, of all newspapers, has had similar thoughts. “Rugby should MERGE union and league to save the game we all love,” he penned. “Officials should be considering the possibility of one ver sion of the game. It's time to stop scrapping for a slice of the spor ting market in a time of volatility. There just isn’t enough space for two codes to thrive – and both have their value.” Hence interest in the ‘745 Game’ to be staged at AMT Headingley on Sunday 17 November (3pm) in tribute to the late Rob Burrow CBE. The contest, which will be a hybrid of rules, was an idea that Burrow and former Leicester and Gloucester RU player Ed Slater were developing before Burrow passed away in June, aged 41. The distinctive name comes from the numbers worn by Burrow (7), Slater (4) and Scottish rugby union legend Doddie Weir (5), the match officials wearing his distinctive tar tan. Played by former star s of both codes, including Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees, Matt Banahan and Tom Youngs facing Keith Senior, Adrian Morley, Luke Gale, Paul McShane, Ryan Bailey, Danny McGuire and Gareth Ellis, it is hoped that it could become an annual event to suppor t MND communities. The Laws to date are: 13-a-side – six forwards, seven backs; each team can bring on a goal kicker only for kicks at goal; unlimited tackles in your own half but six tackles once attacking team passes halfway; Good call “He's turned the club around in a short amount of time. I think he deserves every bit of recognition that he can get...” – Wigan’s Bevan French piles due praise on his high-achieving head coach Matt Peet Big call? “Sport with two variants, union and league (5)” – Crossword clue in the New York Times in late September. Aren’t we always being told that Americans don’t know the difference? Maybe that’s changing... A follow-up NYT repor t from Keighley Cougars wasn’t too bad either! Poor call “The club were disappointed to discover that the RFL did not provide medals for last Sunday’s play-off final...” – League 1’s Hunslet had to buy their own. Professional spor t? unlimited interchanges; uncontested scr ums from knock-ons and forward passes taken on 20m mark in from touch, attacking team can pick which side of the field a scr um is placed. Uncontested five-man line-outs when ball goes into touch; one-onone ball steals allowed in tackle before attacking ball carrier gets to ground, play the ball to restar t play; two markers at tackle, offside is five metres from the play the ball. Two refs, one union, one league, one officiating the ruck, the other offside; five points for a tr y, two for a penalty, conversion and drop-goal; if the ball is knocked dead in-goal, goalline drop-out from the defending team, must go at least ten metres Penalties kicked to touch re-star t with a line-out or tap from where penalty is awarded – an advantage for union but encourages league to attack from penalties. Organisers are yet to confirm if, ahem, 40/20s will be included. Is this a fir st glimpse of the future? Not just the ground, but the press box too will be packed, attracting media interest not least from rightsholding broadcasters on both sides, increasingly desperate to promote a new product. Tickets star t from £20 for adults and £5 junior s, discounts available for group bookings. n The latest Community RL repor t, More Than a Sport Review - Mid-Year 2024, highlighted how the Gir l’s League has seen a 22 per cent increase and over 5,500 secondar y schools’ pupils took par t in the Inspired By 9’s competition. The number par ticipating in Champion Schools has increased, with an 18 per cent rise in gir ls RL. The new RFL Charity ‘The Rugby League Community Trust’ is due to launch in the autumn, while the RFL National Community Facilities Strategy has highlighted the investment required to suppor t the community game up to 2030. n The inaugural British Asian Rugby Awards is set for 4 November in Speaker’s House within the Palace of Westminster. The ceremony will honour the achievements of British South Asians in league and union, highlighting their contributions, fostering inclusivity, and driving positive change. n The RFL joined ten other major spor ts at the UK Medical Conference 2024 in London to discuss spor ts medicine advancements. Topics included: injur y reduction strategies; turf science; head care and cardiac events. 43Forty204October 2024
page 5
Personality of the month Mark Eastbrook It’s a shame that Sky Sports managed to ‘out’ Mikey Lewis as Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel for 2024 before the news was officially out out. But with deference to his chief rivals, Salford’s Marc Sneyd, and Matt Dufty of Warrington, Lewis looked a shoo-in to succeed Wigan’s Bevan French the moment his nomination was confirmed a week earlier. Indeed, the ever-decreasing gang of rugby league writers had shown they still recognise a good player when they see one by previously naming Hull KR’s dynamic playmaker as their own player of 2024. But with 19 tries, 24 assists and 70 goals Lewis was hard to overlook in a team that was one win away in the regular season from lifting the League Leaders’ Shield. For the record, Lewis becomes the first Robin to receive the accolade since Australian Gavin Miller in 1986; Miller showing his star quality to later twice become the NRL’s Dally M Player of the Year. Lewis is three years younger than Miller who, at 26, became the first overseas recipient. And it is only four years since the lad from West Hull was handed his Super League debut by Tony Smith – ironically against Rovers’ Grand Final opponents, Wigan. ‘Smudger’ knew he had a diamond on his hands, but there has been plenty of brillianteering in between to turn Lewis into the finished article. Now, though he has the world at his feet, supposedly eyed Down Under but contracted to Rovers until the end of the 2028 campaign. Yet it was never a given that Lewis was going to make the grade, especially when rejected by the City of Hull Academy at the age of 15. The love for rugby league he had held since first picking up a ball aged five was severely tested by the snub. Fortunately for the teenager his mum, Sarah, and dad, Andy, persuaded him to persevere rather than quit. wanted to do was be a rugby league player.” By his own admission he was “a bit on the chubby side’ then, but hard work and changed diet did the trick. Growing up in a Hull FCsupporting family, his own allegiances were to the Black and Whites; admirably a fact he has never tried to hide. So, he returned to his local amateur club West Hull and continued to shine. The now defunct Academy set-up couldn’t ignore ‘spiky Mikey’ any longer. And soon the then Rovers’ boss Tim Sheens came calling with a hefty recommendation from current Rovers Head of Academy, Jason Netherton, about a move across the city. In 2018, Lewis scored 17 tries in 19 games for the Academy, graduating to the Yorkshire Academy side. At 17, he joined League 1 Newcastle Thunder on loan. In seven appearances, he bagged seven tries, returning to Craven Park to step up to his Super League bow. And while Rovers lost 36-18 Lewis, deputising for Danny McGuire, claimed two, first-half assists. But again reality came back to bite him and he was sent out on loan to Championship York after dropping down the KR halfback pecking order. Undeterred, Lewis helped the Knights reach the 1895 Cup final, but couldn’t prevent a 41-34 defeat by Featherstone at Wembley. TREVOR BAXTER profiles this year’s Man of Steel Mikey Lewis Robin red best Despite regaining his place at Rovers there was more disappointment that year as the Robins lost to Catalans Dragons when 80 minutes away from a maiden Old Trafford Grand Final. “I thought I wasn’t good enough,” he said in an emotional Man of Steel acceptance speech. “I’m done. “But the support they [mum and dad] gave me, gave me a kick up the backside. “I had to sort myself out because all I Individually, though, Lewis was flourishing and 2022 (including a Magic Weekend hattrick against Hull FC) and 2023 (England senior debut against Tonga) saw his star continue to rise. He hasn’t yet won a Grand Final winner’s ring – maybe in 2025! October 20243Forty2045

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Forty20 On or near the 13th every month

Editorial address 47 Street Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. LS8 1AP email: editorial@forty-20.com General queries Tel: +44 (0)113 225 9797 Fax: +44 (0)113 225 2515 admin@forty-20.com Editor-at-large: Tony Hannan tonyhannan@forty-20.com Managing editor: Phil Caplan philcaplan@forty-20.com Editorial policy Forty20 magazine is committed to delivering the best writing by the best writers – old and new. Email editorial@forty-20.com Photography: SWpix.com, NRL Imagery, Simon Hall, Richard Long, Paul Clayton Illustrations: Mark Eastbrook www.markeastbrook.co.uk Administration Executive: Ros Caplan roscaplan@forty-20.com

Advertising +44 (0)113 225 9797 or email advertising@forty-20.com Distribution Seymour Distribution Limited, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT Tel: +44 (0)207 429 4028 Emily.Evans@seymour.co.uk Subscriptions Postal and online subscriptions to Forty20 are available, the latter via iPad and iPhone app. Subscribing is the cheapest and most reliable way to get your copy, straight to your doorstep. For details see page 6 or email subscriptions@forty-20.com Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Loscoe Close, Normanton Industrial Estate, W Yorkshire. WF6 1TW. Tel: 01924 220633 All material copyright Forty20. Views expressed are those of individual contributors.

.com pix

SW

Trafford’ –

ld

Orock igan

Cover: ‘W

Publisher Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd

Registered office: 47 Street Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire. LS8 1AP Registered in England & Wales

No. 06588772

Chronicle proper ty which was being marketed for sale in ear ly 2024, following an offer received. This resulted in an impairment of £499k.” The cost of its non-executive board also decreased slightly. And RL Commercial is predicting a loss of £90,356 for the financial year ending 31 December 2023, with the payments made to its director s increasing by £100,000. The results show that revenue for broadcast rights was at £26.46 million, while ticketing monies from the Challenge Cup semi-finals and finals, Magic Weekend, the Super League playoffs and grand final, and from internationals was £4.603m. The body made £3.965m from sponsorship and par tner ships and £1.368m from hospitality and merchandise sales. Operating costs were £4.044m, with remuneration of £138,000 for the appointment of its new board and director s. RLC paid £19.198m to the 12 Super League clubs and gave the RFL £4.7m as par t of its joint venture agreement, spent £1.645m on its 41 employees, £247,845 on match officials and £1.64m in insurance. “The risk remains that the outcome of the ongoing brain injur y claim against the Governing Body may impact [insurance] premiums in future year s,” it repor ts. n In March 2023, we wrote an extended feature in Forty20 (back copies available) about the seeming inevitability that rugby would again become united under one set of rules which would predominantly look like rugby league, not least because of change needed in the light of potential litigation for head injuries and economic strain in both codes at the elite level. Now, Chris Foy in the Daily Mail, of all newspapers, has had similar thoughts. “Rugby should MERGE union and league to save the game we all love,” he penned.

“Officials should be considering the possibility of one ver sion of the game. It's time to stop scrapping for a slice of the spor ting market in a time of volatility. There just isn’t enough space for two codes to thrive – and both have their value.” Hence interest in the ‘745 Game’ to be staged at AMT Headingley on Sunday 17 November (3pm) in tribute to the late Rob Burrow CBE. The contest, which will be a hybrid of rules, was an idea that Burrow and former Leicester and Gloucester RU player Ed Slater were developing before Burrow passed away in June, aged 41. The distinctive name comes from the numbers worn by Burrow (7), Slater (4) and Scottish rugby union legend Doddie Weir (5), the match officials wearing his distinctive tar tan. Played by former star s of both codes, including Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees, Matt Banahan and Tom Youngs facing Keith Senior, Adrian Morley, Luke Gale, Paul McShane, Ryan Bailey, Danny McGuire and Gareth Ellis, it is hoped that it could become an annual event to suppor t MND communities. The Laws to date are: 13-a-side – six forwards, seven backs; each team can bring on a goal kicker only for kicks at goal; unlimited tackles in your own half but six tackles once attacking team passes halfway;

Good call

“He's turned the club around in a short amount of time. I think he deserves every bit of recognition that he can get...” – Wigan’s Bevan French piles due praise on his high-achieving head coach Matt Peet

Big call?

“Sport with two variants, union and league (5)” – Crossword clue in the New York Times in late September. Aren’t we always being told that Americans don’t know the difference? Maybe that’s changing... A follow-up NYT repor t from Keighley Cougars wasn’t too bad either!

Poor call

“The club were disappointed to discover that the RFL did not provide medals for last Sunday’s play-off final...” – League 1’s Hunslet had to buy their own. Professional spor t?

unlimited interchanges; uncontested scr ums from knock-ons and forward passes taken on 20m mark in from touch, attacking team can pick which side of the field a scr um is placed. Uncontested five-man line-outs when ball goes into touch; one-onone ball steals allowed in tackle before attacking ball carrier gets to ground, play the ball to restar t play; two markers at tackle, offside is five metres from the play the ball. Two refs, one union, one league, one officiating the ruck, the other offside; five points for a tr y, two for a penalty, conversion and drop-goal; if the ball is knocked dead in-goal, goalline drop-out from the defending team, must go at least ten metres Penalties kicked to touch re-star t with a line-out or tap from where penalty is awarded – an advantage for union but encourages league to attack from penalties. Organisers are yet to confirm if, ahem, 40/20s will be included. Is this a fir st glimpse of the future? Not just the ground, but the press box too will be packed, attracting media interest not least from rightsholding broadcasters on both sides, increasingly desperate to promote a new product. Tickets star t from £20 for adults and £5 junior s, discounts available for group bookings. n The latest Community RL repor t, More Than a Sport Review - Mid-Year 2024, highlighted how the Gir l’s League has seen a 22 per cent increase and over 5,500 secondar y schools’ pupils took par t in the Inspired By 9’s competition. The number par ticipating in Champion Schools has increased, with an 18 per cent rise in gir ls RL. The new RFL Charity ‘The Rugby League Community Trust’ is due to launch in the autumn, while the RFL National Community Facilities Strategy has highlighted the investment required to suppor t the community game up to 2030. n The inaugural British Asian Rugby Awards is set for 4 November in Speaker’s House within the Palace of Westminster. The ceremony will honour the achievements of British South Asians in league and union,

highlighting their contributions,

fostering inclusivity, and driving positive change. n The RFL joined ten other major spor ts at the UK Medical Conference 2024 in London to discuss spor ts medicine advancements. Topics included: injur y reduction strategies; turf science; head care and cardiac events.

43Forty204October 2024

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