Erection date: 29/8/2015
{Plaque 1:}
Rugby League Legends
Wembley Stadium hosted the Rugby League Challenge Cup final for the first time in 1929 when Wigan defeated Dewsbury 13 - 2. Wembley was immediately established as a theatre for rugby's greatest tales of triumph and tragedy. Players become heroes, teams become legends and supporters feel the extremes of agony and ecstasy; stories of unbelievable feats and unforgettable matches are passed on down the generations, and every time the Rugby League Challenge Cup final is played, Wembley Stadium becomes an arena where sporting dreams are realised.
Eric Ashton MBE captained Wigan to a hat-trick of Cup final victories and was the first man to win the Challenge Cup as a player, coach and club chairman.
Billy Boston MBE is the greatest winger ever to emerge from Wales, winning three Challenge Cup finals with Wigan and scoring an incredible 571 career tries in 564 matches.
Alex Murphy OBE led St Helens, Leigh and Warrington to Wembley glory, taking centre stage as both giant and giant killer, most famously when he inspired Leigh to a shock victory over Leeds in 1971.
Gus Risman captained Salford to their first Challenge Cup triumph in 1938 and was captain-coach of Wokington Town at the age of 41 when they lifted the cup in 1952.
Martin Offiah MBE won four Wembley finals with Wigan and scored 501 career tries, more than any other English rugby player, including a sensational 95-metre try in the 1994 final.
{Plaque 2:}
Proudly supported by supporters of the Rugby League Challenge Cup, Rugby League Cares, the Rugby Football League and the following patrons:
To commemorate the special contribution made by Wakefield Trinity centre Neil Fox MBE to Rugby League and the Challenge Cup. He scored a record 20 points in the 1960 final victory over Hull FC, and won the Lance Todd Trophy at Wembley Stadium in 1962 as man of the match versus Huddersfield. He also holds the world record for the total number of points scored in a career with 6,220 points. Sir Rodney Walker.
In celebration of the proud and pioneering history of Rugby League in the capital and the achievements of London Broncos, who made their Wembley debut in the 1999 Challenge Cup final, the last final played at the old stadium. David Hughes, London Broncos Chairman.
{Plaque 3:}
Dedicated to everyone involved with Sheffield Eagles in 1998, the year of their historic Challenge Cup win. In particular to owner, Paul Thompson, the coaching staff led by John Kear, and the players captained by Paul Broadbent. 'They said we were underdogs. They didn't realise that we had a pack full of Rottweilers and backs who were Yorkshire terriers. Or that they could all run like greyhounds.' Tim Adams, Sheffield Eagles Chairman 1998
Proudly supported by Ken Davy, Chairman of Huddersfield Giants, to celebrate the centenary of Huddersfield RLFC's all-conquering 'Team of All Talents' who in 1914 - 15 won all four Rugby League trophies, including the Challenge Cup and topped the table five seasons in succession between 1912 and 1920.
Unveiled on 29th August 2015 by Tracey Crouch MP. Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage.
Sculptor - Stephen Winterburn.
Casting by Yorkshire Fine Arts Ltd.
Site: Rugby League Legends - Wembley (6 memorials)
HA9, Wembley Stadium terrace
We have numbered the figures left to right. The plaque on the front names the 5 players but does not say which is which. Offiah and Boston can be identified by comparison with photographs on the web, but Ashton, Murphy and Risman - we could not tell them apart. We shared the problem with friends (hoping to find a closet Rugby League supporter) and one gave the problem to AI. This named all 5 and presented its findings with utter confidence. However, it said no 4 was Gus Risman and that no 5 was Billy Boston, neither of which was believable, so we could not trust any of its findings.
The solution came when we contacted the where Andy Wilson, Head of Media, put us in contact with Professor Tony Collins. Tony gave us definitive identifications for all 5 statues. So grateful thanks to Andy and Tony.
The statue was commissioned by the charity Rugby League Cares and unveiled three hours before the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final between Hull KR and Leeds on the 120th anniversary to the day (29 August 1895) on which the sport, , was founded.
Sources include: .
We have created a page for each individual player's statue. All the information about the statue itself and the info on the plaques, is on our page "A: Rugby League Legends Wembley".
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them