Ex-England centre hails ‘awesome’ 745 Cross-Code Game and hopes for Kingsholm rematch to continue ‘fight’ against MND
Billy Twelvetrees is hoping the inaugural 745 Cross-Code Game can become an annual fixture in the rugby calendar.
Billy Twelvetrees is hoping the inaugural 745 Cross-Code Game can become an annual fixture in the rugby calendar after hailing the success of Sunday’s match at AMT Headingley.
The former Gloucester and England centre played his part in a clash dreamed up by Rob Burrow and Ed Slater after they struck up a friendship following their diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease.
Leeds Rhinos legend Burrow died from MND in June aged 41 and ex-Leicester and Gloucester forward Slater, 36, was diagnosed with the terminal illness in July 2022.
Close friendship
Burrow and Slater formed a close friendship with Scottish rugby union great Weir, who died from MND in November 2022, and the seeds for a cross-code game were sown a year ago.
Slater suggested to Burrow something similar to the Wigan-Bath clashes of the mid-1990s and the inaugural 745 Game – honouring the respective numbers worn by Burrow, Slater and Weir – was organised with all funds raised going to MND charities associated with Burrow, Weir and Slater.
It was backed by some big names including Burrow’s great friend Kevin Sinfield and Jonny Wilkinson, Weir’s ex-Newcastle Falcons team-mate, who were both in the stands to watch an entertaining game featuring a stellar cast of rugby royalty including Danny Cipriani, Danny McGuire, Geordan Murphy and Keith Senior.
Team Burrow won the match 33-21 in front of a 10,000-plus crowd and 36-year-old Twelvetrees told Planet Rugby afterwards: “It’s obviously a pretty new concept, but there has been a real energy to the whole weekend.
“We had a very brief training session, if you can call it that, on Saturday and then went out for beers to watch the international games.
“We got to know each other and what the 745 Game was about because rugby is all about bonds, so that’s what we did.
“A few boys stayed out later than they should have done – into the early hours of Sunday morning – but we knew the bigger picture was about being on the pitch today and playing a good brand of rugby.
“Both teams did that and it was a great spectacle for the fans who came to Headingley to support the match.
“The rugby community in Gloucester is massive and you saw people here who had travelled up to the game in Gloucester shirts.
“Hopefully we can maybe replicate this fixture down at Kingsholm in the future, so who knows?
“Both sides want to do it and it’s about coming together and helping each other for a great cause.
“There’s a lot of planning that goes into something like this and the people behind the scenes have been amazing.
“Hopefully we can do it again – we’ll definitely do something.”
Twelvetrees, who only retired in June and remains in outstanding physical condition, used to watch the all-conquering Leeds Rhinos side of yesteryear from afar.
He explained: “I grew up watching Super League on Sky Sports on a Friday night and particularly Leeds Rhinos, so to play against the likes of Keith Senior, Danny McGuire and Kylie Leuluai was awesome.
“I wanted to experience that and, in the bigger picture, it’s about raising money for Motor Neurone Disease, finding a cure and beating this terrible disease for good.
“The amount of support we had today from both rugby codes, and the fact both sides put on such a good spectacle, makes me think ‘hopefully we can do it again’.”
Twelvetrees enjoys legendary status at Gloucester, having spent over 11 years there and where he counted Slater as a team-mate and a friend.
“As rugby players, you do so much together,” added Twelvetrees, who is now coaching at Hartpury University following his retirement.
Bonds for life
“You create bonds for life and this weekend there are guys I haven’t seen for years and years.
“We’ve come together for a great cause and we all know Ed well but Doddie was obviously a massive figure in rugby union – as was Rob in rugby league.
“He was a superhero here at Leeds Rhinos and life is all about connections, experiencing different things, and doing what you can to have a happy life.
“MND has taken that away from three great men and we just want to do what we can in the fight against this terrible disease.”
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