Rugby league had one hell of a time of it in 2022. It was the year of the delayed World Cup, the year in which St Helens trod new ground by becoming four-time back-to-back Super League champions, and the year when Penrith ensured that this iteration of the Panthers will forever be remembered as their greatest ever team.
Here are The Sportsman’s 10 most treasured moments of the last 12 months.
Tom Halliwell’s World Cup-winning try
A scintillating back-and-forth World Cup final up in the air until the dying seconds. Long before Lionel Messi in Lusail, England’s Tom Halliwell delivered the crowning moment of the Rugby League Wheelchair World Cup final. The skipper’s try in the 78th minute broke a 24-24 tie and handed his nation a second world title. Cue extraordinary scenes at Manchester Central.
Stephen Crichton’s drop-goal
History was made at the Emirates Stadium in the men’s tournament as Samoa became the first Pacific nation ever to reach a World Cup final, with Stephen Crichton’s golden point drop-goal seeing them past England after the most dramatic of semi-finals. The hosts had come from behind four times in the initial 80 minutes but Samoa’s resilience was nothing short of heroic.
The winners united
After Australia’s men had defended their world title (again) we witnessed something never previously seen in any sport. The winners of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair events came together to take the acclaim of the Old Trafford crown with fireworks and streamers shooting into the sky. It was a true celebration of rugby league – and sport in general – at its very, very best.
Kevin Sinfield’s superhumanity
Kevin Sinfield just will not stop. The former England star raised a further £2 million for Motor Neurone Disease research by running seven ultra-marathons in the space of seven days, finishing off his final run at Old Trafford at half-time of the men’s World Cup final. It took his total fundraising efforts beyond the £7m mark since his great friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow’s MND diagnosis in late 2019. Sir Kev is a superhuman.
Liam Marshall’s W̶e̶m̶b̶l̶e̶y̶ winner
At club level, the Betfred Challenge Cup final was relocated from Wembley to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time ever, and what a dramatic showpiece the sparkling north London venue was treated to. Huddersfield Giants looked set to cause a shock when leading 14-12 with less than four minutes remaining, only for Liam Marshall to race onto Harry Smith’s perfectly-placed kick and score the winning try in the corner. Breathless stuff.
Dylan Edwards’ incredible cover tackle
Dylan Edwards’ Penrith Panthers were 22-0 up in the NRL Grand Final with 22 minutes to go. They had kept the Parramatta Eels at arm’s length throughout. But then Reed Mahoney kicked to his left after spotting Bailey Simonsson in space and off went the centre on a superb run down the wing. Was this the moment the Eels made a game of the biggest match of the season? No, because out of nowhere came Edwards with one of the most perfect cover tackles you’ll ever see. There are trophy-winning tries that have been celebrated less.
Leeds Rhinos win the women’s Grand Final
After falling short to St Helens in 2021 and losing the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup final to the Saints earlier in ’22, Leeds Rhinos went into the Women’s Super League Grand Final against York City Knights looking to avoid a third straight defeat in major deciders. While the Knights had won the League Leaders’ Shield, it was Lois Forsell’s Rhinos who won a nail-biting clash thanks to Caitlin Beevers’ tries early in each half. It gave Forsell her first piece of silverware as a coach since succeeding Adam Cuthbertson in 2020.
The Navy’s incredible golden-point comeback
The Sportsman’s Betfred Challenge Cup coverage saw us head to Aldershot in January as an inter-forces clash between the British Army and the Royal Navy took centre stage. The Army held a 10-0 lead with less than nine minutes remaining, but Gavin Duffy’s try put the Navy back in with a shout and Jonathan Griffiths charged onto a short pass to level the scores shortly before full-time. Fast forward to the fifth minute of extra-time, and Joseph Sugden became the hero of an improbable comeback, taking James Tilley’s pass to win it 14-10 for the Navy and spark scenes of unbridled jubilation.
Bevan’s seventh
Superstar full-back Bevan French was the Betfred Super League’s reluctant wing hero in 2022. After been reassigned to the right-hand side due to the inclusion of Jai Field in the Wigan Warriors’ number-one spot, French didn’t sit and sulk. Instead he delivered a league-leading 31 tries, and in July he broke the all-time Super League record for tries in a single game.
Having already equalled Lesley Vainikolo’s six-try haul against Hull FC in 2005, French smelled blood against the same Black and Whites. With his path to the line seemingly blocked, he stepped inside Josh Simm and burst through Darnell McIntosh’s tackle to cross for a seventh time. Historic stuff.
Rohan’s rescue job complete
When Rohan Smith was announced as Leeds’ new head coach in April, the Rhinos had just three points to their name from nine Super League fixtures and were marginally above rock-bottom Toulouse Olympique in what was fast becoming a battle for survival. Within five months he had taken his side to Wigan for the Super League semi-finals and toppled the wonderful Warriors to set up a Grand Final date with St Helens. They might have gone on to lose at Old Trafford, but James Bentley’s double on a magical night at the DW will live long in Leeds fans’ memories.
