On June 11th, mourners gathered to bid a final farewell to rugby league legend and MND campaigner Rob Burrow, who died on June 2nd, 2022, at the age of 41. The funeral was held in a private service at Pontefract Crematorium, attended by 161 invited guests, including his closet pal and fellow MND fundraiser Kevin Sinfield who travelled from New Zealand to join. Although the service was invite-only, the public was encouraged to line the route of his final journey, with crowds gathered on the roads of the funeral procession route. Many people wearing rugby shirts bearing Burrow’s name and shirt number seven on the back traveled from as far afield as London, Wigan and the Wirral to pay their respects.
As the hearse carrying his coffin passed by, emotions ran high and crowds applauded him. Yellow and white flowers were thrown onto the windscreen from people standing on the road side. Attending the funeral were friends, family, and former teammates who waited outside the crematorium as the funeral cortege arrived. The public had been asked to stay away from this final part of the route to allow the family some privacy.
Before the funeral service, Gary Hetherington, chief executive of Leeds Rhinos, spoke about Burrow’s rugby career, saying that in the early stages, he doubted his ability because of his height. But he later proved himself big enough and was an iconic sportsman. Matt Diskin, Burrow’s former teammate, described him as a “tough and inspiring man.” He added that Burrow put himself in the public eye to create awareness and find some answers for the disease, MND, which he suffered from.
Dr. Agam Jung, the consultant neurologist who led Burrow’s care, also attended the funeral and spoke about his legacy. According to him, Burrow’s courage and resilience were his legacies. He said that Burrow changed the narrative of motor neurone disease and that there was a change in direction now.
Burrow won eight Super League Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges, and two Challenge Cups in his 17-year career. Following his diagnosis with MND, he and his friend and former teammate, Kevin Sinfield, raised more than £15m for MND charities in less than five years. Burrow was made an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to rugby league and the MND community, while he was promoted to a CBE in the New Year Honours in 2024. In his poignant final message shared after his death, Burrow urged people not to “waste a moment” of their lives
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