Rugby League is coming home: What the World Cup means for the sport's heartland

A Rugby League heartland that has given so much to the sport is set to be repaid - as the borough of Wigan - where the sport is 'in the veins' - plays host to a series of World Cup matches. Crunching tackles, fans celebrating tries and screams of ‘get em onside’ will be sounded across the Greater Manchester towns as they feature headline clashes over the coming weeks from the men’s, women’s and wheelchair Rugby League World Cup.

Wigan Warriors have recently been joined by Leigh Centurions in the Super League, thanks to the latter’s successful Championship campaign last season - but the World Cup is sure to create a 'legacy that will impact the game both in the short and long-term', Wigan Council leader David Molyneux says.

The Greater Manchester borough has produced some of the game’s biggest names - such as Sean O’Loughlin, Sam and Joel Tomkins, Andy Farrell and even successful rugby union converts Shaun Edwards and Jason Robinson. And with Wigan, Leigh and Tyldesley among the first 22 rugby league clubs formed in the late 1800's - it's no surprise the Rugby Football League (RFL) wanted other nations to share this history. It's now hoped that the tournament will help safeguard the future of the sport in the region.

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The high-velocity game is known for its brutal hits and fast pace - which is what has made it so popular in the North West and Yorkshire since its birth in 1895. The game turned professional in order to cover the pay lost for players in working class towns who would be missing out on work to compete - the cause of the schism between the two codes of union and league.

The impact of Covid was huge on the