Watch the touching moment Leeds Rhinos fans pay tribute to rugby legend John Kear at Headingley
Touching moment rugby family paid respects to legend John Kear at Headingley ❤️
This was the touching moment that fans at Headingley Stadium took to their feet and showed their appreciation for rugby legend John Kear.
An applause was held ahead of the game which saw Leeds Rhinos stage a superb second half fightback to finally end their home hoodoo against St Helens and move two points clear at the top of the table with a hard-fought 24-16 win.
John Kear passed away during his journey home to South Yorkshire from Saturday’s Betfred Challenge Cup final at Wembley, where he had been working for the BBC.
Born in Castleford, Kear operated the scoreboard at Wheldon Road as a youngster and went on to play 133 games for his hometown club from 1978-87.
He had a spell on the backroom staff there - including analysing opponents Hull KR before Castleford’s 1986 Cup win - and made debut as a head-coach with Leeds club Bramley.
He was later in charge at Paris St Germain, Sheffield Eagles, Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants, Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity, Batley Bulldogs, Bradford Bulls and Widnes Vikings. At international level he coached France, England and Wales.
Kear’s final coaching job was last year as interim-boss of Batley, his second spell at Mount Pleasant. This season he was a matchday host at Wakefield and continued his long-term role as a pundit with BBC television and radio.
Speaking earlier this week Nigel Wood, chair of the RFL said: “On behalf of the whole sport, our thoughts and condolences are with John’s wife Dawn, his family and with those who played or worked alongside him over the last 50 years.
“Having had a 10-year career at Castleford, he found his passion for coaching which saw him oversee more than 700 games across a career which included coaching England in the 2000 World Cup, Wales in the 2017 and 2021 World Cup, oversaw Challenge Cup victories at Sheffield Eagles and Hull FC, and most recently took Batley Bulldogs to the Championship Grand Final.
“But John was also an excellent broadcast summariser with a great turn of phrase and an undiluted love and positivity for the sport.
“It was always a pleasure to see John, at Wakefield Trinity games most recently, as he was full of energy and enthusiasm for the game he clearly loved and had given him so much, in the same way he had given back.”