Rob Burrow

I came in from the warmth of the garden

And the TV news was on;

And you were gone.

I cried.

I don't know you at all.

But I know who you are and who you will continue to be.

There are champions among men

But they don't need trophies to be applauded.

I think that you will be remembered

Less as a rhino to me.

I've seen you with a ball,

Racing and darting in clips.

But that was only part of who you were.

You will stay with me as a fighter,

A man who loved and laughed;

Who saw a debilitating life, as an opportunity,

A challenge that others would shirk.

You tackled it, like the player you were.

While the disease caused you to shrink,

You grew.

You are a giant among men.

You had every right to feel bitter

But it never showed publicly.

Never.

I did not know you on the rugby field;

League is not my thing.

But I know you now and others do too.

41 is no age to die

But you left that life brimming:

Spilling over with love and hope,

A legacy made for others to follow.

I wish I had friends like yours,

Who'd carry me like a baby

Cradled

To share in a moment.

To inspire such love in others

Is a rare, rare gift.

That's what men do:

Support and show strength and love

Unabashedly.

It is a sad day

But I have hope.

Goodbye, Rob Burrow.