The bronze statue of St Helens’ illustrious former hooker Keiron Cunningham pierces the skyline above the home of the reigning Super League champions. It is the first thing you see when you get within eyeshot of the Totally Wicked Stadium and that is by design. There was never supposed to be another player like Cunningham, who won every trophy possible at St Helens and made almost 500 appearances for his hometown club.
It is why he was the obvious choice to be the player immortalised outside the Saints’ new stadium when they moved here a decade or so ago. Nobody could have expected his successor in the hooking role to even come close to matching what the Welshman did in a St Helens shirt but at this rate, it will not be too long before there’s a bronze version of James Roby standing next to the man he grew up idolising.
They came from afar to watch Roby set his latest record in a seemingly never-ending list of rugby league accomplishments. To break any milestone set by Kevin Sinfield is serious business, but this, a 455th Super League appearance to take Roby past the former Leeds captain, simply underlines the longevity of a career that is still showing no signs of slowing down judging by his performances this season.
St Helens supporters from as far as Scotland were here to make sure they did not miss Roby’s big day, and he went about his business in typically unassuming fashion as the Super League champions reasserted their dominance at the top with a narrow 26-18 victory against Hull Kingston Rovers. Roby, 36, was firmly at the heart of it with his first-half try accompanying an energy-sapping 80-minute display in the middle of the field that players of his age simply should not be able to produce.
Roby has never conformed to the limitations set by others. He is a unique, once-in-a-generation player who is still pivotal to his hometown club – and maybe even his country – as Saints go in search of an unprecedented fourth successive Super League title. Still first to every half-break, and first to make a desperate tackle, it is Roby’s never-say-die attitude that stands him above so many of the game’s greats. “Records are there to be broken and there is no one better,” Sinfield said. “If there is someone who is going to beat it he would be No 1.”
Even at full time here, Roby seemed almost embarrassed to be part of the guard of honour his teammates provided for him. He has consistently been a player who has let his rugby do the talking and, as speculation lingers over whether he will extend his career into 2023, which would give him the opportunity to overtake Kel Coslett as St Helens’ all-time appearance‑maker, Roby’s performances are not dipping. The Saints coach, Kristian Woolf, has repeatedly insisted he will let Roby decide his own future, saying there is a guaranteed contract for next year if he wants it.
“He represents all that is great about our sport and is its perfect role model,” the Saints owner, Eamonn McManus, said. “He is also one of its greatest ever players. His impact on our club and our sport is incalculable. Sometimes I think he could play for ever. Incredibly, his powers show no signs of diminishing.”
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Both coaches agreed after watching the reigning champions maintain their four-point lead at the summit. “He’s a pleasure to watch,” Hull KR’s coach, Tony Smith, said. “He’s a freak of rugby league. A champion.”
Woolf added: “He was a nine out of 10 with everything he did, as always here. That’s what he does so well, and why he deserves every accolade he gets. Every game he plays looks similar. We’re so proud to have him. He’s so humble.”
Shaun Wane will name his England squad for Saturday’s mid‑season internationals on Monday. Roby will not be in there after calling time on his international career at the end of last season but you suspect between now and the World Cup Wane will be making a few impassioned pleas to a player who is still undoubtedly one of the best there is to reverse that decision and finish on the ultimate high.