Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield legends to join rugby league Hall of Fame: St Helens icon also among inductees
A Leeds Rhinos legend is set to receive one of rugby league’s top honours.
Jamie Peacock will be inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame next month, along with Wakefield Panthers icon Michelle Land. Another former Betfred Super League Man of Steel Paul Sculthorpe and Jane Banks from the female game will also be inducted.
They take membership of the Hall of Fame to 41, including five women. For the first time this year, a team will be added to the Hall of Fame in a new category, with its identity confirmed later this week.
RFL Chief Executive Tony Sutton said: “On behalf of the whole sport, I would like to congratulate Jane, Michelle, Jamie and Paul on their very worthy induction into the RL Hall of Fame. All four represented their clubs and their country with distinction throughout their playing careers and acted as inspirational role models to countless numbers of young players. It is a real privilege to be able to bestow this very special honour on four individuals who have made such important contributions to the history of our sport.”
A former Stanningley junior, Peacock was capped 21 times for England and made 26 Great Britain appearances during an 18-year career which began with Bradford Bulls in 1999. He won the Challenge Cup twice and Grand Final three times before joining Leeds in 2006.
He won six Grand Finals and two Challenge Cups, including the 2015 treble-winning side, with his home city club before hanging up his boots following a brief spell with Hull KR in 2016. Man of Steel in 2003, Peacock featured in the Super League Dream team a record 11 times and captained Great Britain to a 23-12 victory over Australia in Sydney in November, 2006, scoring a try in the Lions’ first Test win in Australia for 14 years.
Land captained Wakefield Panthers, the most successful club in women’s rugby league history, for 14 years. She represented Great Britain on 16 occasions, including tours in 1996, 1998 and 2002 and co-captained Great Britain in the 2000 World Series played on home soil.
Banks, who was capped 19 times by Great Britain, began her career with Wigan St Pats before playing for Warrington Ladies, Hindley Pumas, Bradford Thunderbirds and Warrington.
Sculthorpe, twice named Man of Steel, was capped 26 times by Great Britain. He played for Oldham, Warrington Wolves and St Helens, where he was a three-time winner of both the Grand Final and Challenge Cup.
The Hall of Fame dinner will take place at The Edge, Wigan, on Tuesday October 22. Tickets purchased before September 20 are available from Rugby League Cares at the early bird price of £60 per head or £600 for a table of 10. Email [email protected] for more details.