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England stars sign up for cross-code hybrid match for Rob Burrow

Danny Cipriani and Matt Banahan during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Gloucester Rugby and Harlequins at Kingsholm Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Gloucester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

A host of former England stars from both rugby union and league have signed up to play in the ‘745 Game’ in honour of the late Rob Burrow.

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The cross-code hybrid match, played at Headingley on November 17, was conjured by Ed Slater and Burrow before the rugby league great passed away in June this year, with the aim of supporting Motor Neurone Disease (MND) communities across the country.

The name is inspired by the shirt numbers of Burrow, 7, Slater, 4, and the late former Scotland lock Doddie Weir, 5, who died in 2022.

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    Slater was diagnosed with MND in July 2022, and has since launched the 4Ed campaign which seeks to raise awareness of MND.

    An array of Slater’s former Gloucester team-mates, including Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees and Matt Banahan, will feature for the rugby union side, as well as former England internationals Tom Wood, Jordan Crane and Tom Youngs, with the latter two playing alongside Slater for Leicester Tigers.

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    Plenty of Burrow’s team-mates will run out at his former home ground, including Keith Senior, Adrian Morley, Luke Gale, Paul McShane, Ryan Bailey, Danny McGuire and Gareth Ellis.

    The 13-a-side match will be a hybrid of laws from both codes, with the hope of it becoming an annual fixture.

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    Slater’s team will don a cherry and white kit designed by his children, while Rob’s side will sport a kit inspired by the yellow design created by his children in 2022.

    The match will be officiated by a combined team from both codes, with league referee Ben Thaler and union referee Frank Murphy — who was Slater’s team-mate at Leicester — leading the team. All officials will wear kits featuring Weir’s iconic tartan.

    “I’m really excited to bring this game to the public,” Slater wrote on X.

    “Just over a year ago, Rob Burrow and I discussed the idea of a cross-code rugby game. Sadly Rob won’t be here to see it come to fruition but he is at the forefront of why we are doing this and we are all proud to represent him at his beloved Leeds Rhinos.”

    I’m really excited to bring this game to the public. Just over a year ago, Rob Burrow and I discussed the idea of a cross code rugby game. Sadly Rob won’t be here to see it come to fruition but he is at the forefront of why we are doing this and we are all proud to represent him… pic.twitter.com/mi9gi7T6Jk

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    Comments

    1 Comment
    M
    MB 181 days ago

    I hope we get to see this in the United States!

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    J
    JW 3 hours ago
    Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

    It is now 22 years since Michael Lewis published his groundbreaking treatise on winning against the odds

    I’ve never bothered looking at it, though I have seen a move with Clint as a scout/producer. I’ve always just figured it was basic stuff for the age of statistics, is that right?

    Following the Moneyball credo, the tailor has to cut his cloth to the material available

    This is actually a great example of what I’m thinking of. This concept has abosolutely nothing to do with Moneyball, it is simple being able to realise how skillsets tie together and which ones are really revelant.


    It sounds to me now like “moneyball” was just a necessity, it was like scienctest needing to come up with some random experiment to make all the other world scholars believe that Earth was round. The American sporting scene is very unique, I can totally imagine one of it’s problems is rich old owners not wanting to move with the times and understand how the game has changed. Some sort of mesiah was needed to convert the faithful.


    While I’m at this point in the article I have to say, now the NRL is a sport were one would stand up and pay attention to the moneyball phenom. Like baseball, it’s a sport of hundreds of identical repetitions, and very easy to data point out.

    the tailor has to cut his cloth to the material available and look to get ahead of an unfair game in the areas it has always been strong: predictive intelligence and rugby ‘smarts’

    Actually while I’m still here, Opta Expected Points analysis is the one new tool I have found interesting in the age of data. Seen how the random plays out as either likely, or unlikely, in the data’s (and algorithms) has actually married very closely to how I saw a lot of contests pan out.


    Engaging return article Nick. I wonder, how much of money ball is about strategy as apposed to picks, those young fella’s got ahead originally because they were picking players that played their way right? Often all you here about is in regards to players, quick phase ruck ball, one out or straight up, would be were I’d imagine the best gains are going to be for a data driven leap using an AI model of how to structure your phases. Then moving to tactically for each opposition.

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