Recognised with a knighthood for ‘services to Rugby League, Rugby Union and the MND community’. Can’t think of a more deserving sporting knight. Long overdue. Congratulations.
Agree 100%.
The establishment is ‘very’ sniffy about Rugby League.
There was me thinking this was going to be an interesting thread on Pete Sinfield.
Yep. I think he’s the first ever Rugby league player to be knighted.
Billy Boston, Wigan, was knighted in 2025 ![]()
Thanks. I stand corrected, but even so it’s crazy to think how many other sports people have received knighthoods before a rugby league player got one.
You make a great point. Boston was 90 I think before the establishment felt they could sully their hands by recognising an RL player. Reminds me that Gentleman and Players still had separate dressing rooms (certainly at Headingley) as late as 1962. The dressing rooms have gone but the trappings of privilege remain. The bar set for Sinfield to achieve his reward was extremely high. Interestingly they’ve been knighting RU players since 1920. RL started in 1895, in Huddersfield. 130 years to find the first knight & now we have 2 ![]()
Mixed feelings on this. On the one hand I don’t especially believe in stuff like knighthoods. Not least because they so rarely are based on genuine merit.
On the other hand, what other personal recognition could Sinfield get? Pleased for him, although doubtless he’d rather progress towards a cure.
Many legendary figures went unrecognised and its disgraceful really. My friend and I once tried to rally support for Ken Dalby but to no avail.