BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Danny McGuire is looking forward to dusting off his boots and taking the field for the hybrid charity ‘745 Game’ this weekend and has revealed how Eddie Jones once tried to entice him to switch to rugby union.
A Leeds Rhinos legend and the current coach of Castleford Tigers, McGuire won eight grand finals with the Rhinos, is Super League’s third highest all-time try-scorer and won 19 caps for England and Great Britain. He retired at the end of 2019 and took over at Castleford last month.
As he prepares to play on Sunday alongside a group of rugby greats in the MND fundraising match in Leeds, thought up by Rob Burrow and Ed Slater, McGuire has spoken about how rugby league-loving Australian union boss Jones wanted him to cross codes nearly two decades ago.
“I never played union as a kid,” McGuire told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“Where I grew up in east Leeds it was all rugby league and cricket. In 2005 when Eddie Jones was at Saracens he tried to tee up a meeting for me to go down.
“But I was happy, I was content with and loving what I was doing at the Rhinos. So I never pursued it or chased it. It was just early days, it never went any further, It was just a general conversation.
“I have no regrets at all. I look back at my style and how I was playing at that time, and I don’t know how my style would have kind of fitted a role in rugby union at that time.
“I was still young and I had a lot I wanted to achieve in rugby league. Timing is always important in sport – sometimes it’s the right time and sometimes things just aren’t to be at that time. I was happy and loved what I was doing.”
McGuire will be part of the league team, including the likes of Adrian Morley, Luke Gale, Paul McShane and Gareth Ellis, who will take on a team of former union professionals in the ‘745 Game’ that will raise awareness and money for MND.
“I’m excited, and if I’m being honest, a little bit apprehensive,” he said.
“It’s the first time for a while that I’ve been in like a sort of full contact game. But I think it’s exciting, obviously the occasion and what it means and what the game represents.
“But it’s a one-of-the-kind game, the first for a while, I remember the Wigan and Bath games back in the day. And so it’s interesting to see how the game sort of plays out.”
Under the laws for the hybrid contest each team will have 13 players a side and can bring on a goal kicker only for kicks at goal. There will be unlimited tackles in their own half but six tackles once the attacking team passes halfway.
There will also be unlimited interchanges, uncontested scrums from knock-ons and forward passes, uncontested five-man line outs when the ball goes into touch and one one-on-one ball steals allowed in the tackle before the attacking ball carrier gets to the ground.
There will be two markers at tackle, offside is five metres from the play the ball, and two referees – one union, one league – with one officiating the ruck, the other offside. There will be five points given for a try, and two points for a penalty, conversion and drop goal.
McGuire said it is all about representing his former teammate Burrow and union players Doddie Weir and Slater, and to continue to push awareness of the battle against MND.
“Just to keep the message going,” the 41-year-old said.
“Play our part in trying to raise as much money as possible. As a game, we’re really respectful, and we obviously get together and support one of our own.
“So again it’ll be shown on Sunday. I imagine we’ll get a really good crowd there and it’ll be really well supported. And anybody that’s had an association with our game, rugby league, we all get behind and support them as much as possible.”
All funds raised from the ‘745 Game’ will be split three ways, directly supporting the MND community. These funds will help further research into treatments and potential cures, and also provide critical support to families living with MND.
Tickets for the game this Sunday, November 17, are on sale now at tickets.therhinos.co.uk
