We will remember – former colleagues vow Rob Burrow’s legacy will live on
The former Rhinos scrum-half has died at the age of 41 following a battle with motor neurone disease.
Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington has promised the club and rugby league in general will ensure Rob Burrow will never be forgotten.
The Rhinos, Burrow’s only professional club, confirmed the former scrum-half had died on Sunday aged 41 following a lengthy and high-profile battle with motor neurone disease.
And as fans continued to gather outside Headingley Stadium on Monday to pay tribute to Burrow, Hetherington told the PA news agency: “Now’s the time to start considering what else we can do to recognise his legacy at both Leeds Rhinos and the game in general.”
Hetherington added: “So poignant isn’t it that that should be happening today?
“I’m delighted that that process has been accelerated to such an extent it’s now going to get done and that in itself will be a permanent memorial and reminder of Rob Burrow.
“Of course what he’s done with Kevin Sinfield, and others, to promote the awareness of MND, has been inspirational as well. It has brought it to everybody’s attention.
“All sport has come together and it’s been a marvellous campaign in that regard and it’s been promoted by sportspeople and Rob has been at the heart of that.
“So yes, while it’s a very, very sad day, it’s a very significant one as well.”
Another former Leeds team-mate, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, said he was now driven to ensure Burrow’s legacy will live on.
“He transcended rugby league, everyone in the north of England and the whole of England, we (will) remember what he’s done and why he’s done it and make sure it’s a legacy he’s left, a life fulfilled,” Jones-Buchanan told BBC Breakfast.
Jones-Buchanan said he visited Sinfield’s house on Sunday and knew from seeing him that the worst had happened.
He added to the PA news agency: “I’d gone to pick something up, he’d found out about 45 minutes before. When I saw his face, I could tell.
Sinfield told the BBC that Burrow’s death will leave a “massive hole”, adding: “I wish he could have seen the outpouring of love.
“I think we all lose special people but it’s very, very rare you lose someone who’s so special to so many different people.”
Born in Pontefract, Burrow progressed through Leeds’ academy despite his 5ft 5in frame to debut in 2001 and establish himself as a great of the sport.
Silverware would follow with a maiden Super League title in 2004 alongside national-team honours with England for the first time.
The scrum-half announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2017 season in July of that year and enjoyed a fairytale finish after Leeds beat Castleford 24-6 in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
Burrow made the decision to go public with the disease on December 19, 2019 and during the next four-and-a-half years would earn the adulation of the nation with his fundraising efforts for MND.
Motor Neurone Disease director of services and partnerships Sally Hughes told the PA news agency: “It is a sad day, but it’s also a day to recognise Rob and his family’s contribution to raising awareness of MND.
“And also the contribution he’s made to changing lives really around raising funds for research, improving care for people living with MND.
“He’s changed the conversation by sharing his very difficult struggles. People with MND have told us that Rob sharing his story publicly has meant they don’t have to explain what MND is anymore.”
Burrow was awarded an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours list for his services to rugby league and the MND community.
He would feature in an award-winning BBC documentary, ‘Rob Burrow – My Year with MND’, which provided a look behind the curtain of his battle and the impact on his wife Lindsey alongside his three children.
Close friend Sinfield had picked up the fundraising baton from Burrow by this point and would help raise millions with numerous challenges, which included the remarkable feat of running seven marathons in seven days.
In May 2023, Sinfield carried Burrow over the finish line at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon after pushing his friend for the 26.2 miles.
Burrow’s MBE was promoted to a CBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.
