“He had both the heart and the bravery of a lion” – Our YEP Jury reveal their all-time favourite Leeds Rhinos scrum-half

GRAHAM POULTER

Hi again everyone, hope all is as well as it can be in these difficult times.

So this week’s position in our favourite Leeds Rhinos team concentrates on scrum-half.

I personally feel that everyone on this week’s jury and Leeds fans alike will unanimously choose the little pocket rocket beep beep, little legs himself, Rob Burrow.

For a guy to be small in stature it certainly didn’t hold him back in being part of so many successful Leeds teams.

He tackled as well as any prop-forward and put his body on the line more than enough times for him to be concussed on numerous occasions and when he next took to the field he’d do the same again.

He had both the heart and the bravery of a lion. He was as fast as a cheetah which helped him to evade opposition defenders and he was nearly always on the end of some terrific team play to go on and score some fantastic tries, especially in Grand Finals.

It’s an absolute tragedy that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease but he’s fighting it just like he did out on the pitch with courage and determination.

We all love you Rob and thank you for giving us all so much pleasure and so many memorable moments.

You’re definitely a Leeds legend and you deserve a statue in your honour!

DIANNE HALL

The number seven is supposed to be a lucky number and it certainly was for us when my favourite scrum-half Rob Burrow made that number shirt his own.

Small in stature but big in ability, at 5ft 5ins he used his size and speed to his advantage. This earned him the nickname “Beep Beep” from Stevo on Sky Sports and it stuck.

The perfect example of this being the try he scored in the 2011 Super League Grand Final against St Helens.

Small enough to duck under the defender’s attempted tackle and quick enough to score an unforgettable try.

His display in this Grand Final earned him his second Harry Sunderland award, with all 37 votes going his way.

He developed into a top-class impact player later in his career often coming off the bench to dig the Rhinos out of some sticky situations.

His courage was never more in evidence than when he memorably took on Hull FC’s Epalahame Lauaki in a bit of ‘handbags’. A trait that he will need in the big fight ahead of him against MND!

MATT FOWLER

Rob Burrow, scrum-half or impact hooker?

Rob Burrow, in my mind, was more than just a good impact player.

In the latter stages of his career he played that role from hooker brilliantly but I have him down as my favourite scrum-half.

Stood on the terraces you got a real sense of his genius but also of what he was up against given his physical size.

The opposition targeted him when they were attacking but he was a top class defender, which belied his stature.

He never took a backward step. Young kids and adults alike were inspired by his performances.

Rob was pure box office when he had the ball in his hands and broken field in front of him. Like Danny McGuire, he was a big-game player, scoring arguably the best ever Grand Final try in 2011.