Jason Robinson pays emotional tribute to late Wigan Warriors chairman Maurice Lindsay

Jason Robinson hailed Maurice Lindsay as a fantastic rugby league pioneer after the former Wigan Warriors chairman died aged 81 last week.

Lindsay was in charge of the Warriors when a teenage Robinson arrived at the club and presided over Wigan’s eight league titles and nine Challenge Cup wins during the 1980s and 90s.

Most notably, however, Lindsay helped deliver the trailblazing move to summer rugby and proposed the creation of Super League in his role as the Rugby Football League’s chief executive.

And Robinson, 47, explained: “It’s very sad. Maurice has done so much for Wigan, I remember him being there when I was and he did a fantastic job.

“One of the mean reasons I think the Wigan team of the 80s and 90s was so successful is that Maurice was at the helm and he was directing the ship.

“It’s really sad that he’s passed away but he’s left a legacy, he’s done so much, not just for Wigan, but also for rugby league in general and he will certainly be well remembered.

“When I went to Wigan I signed as a 16-year-old but Maurice was responsible for all the big names being signed and probably a reason why a lot of those big names came to Wigan as well.

“He was so good at what he did and he helped grow the sport really well. It’s a sad week but it’s important to remember some of those good memories and great things that he did.”

Dual-code hero Robinson famously scored England’s only try in the win over Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, gaining revenge after losing to the same opponents in the final of the league equivalent in 1995.

And the former side-stepping genius, dubbed ‘Billy Whizz’ for his blistering speed, cannot wait for this year’s pandemic-delayed home Rugby League World Cup 2021 to get underway.

Robins