Adam Hills not hiding passionate love for rugby league

South Wales Argus

4 days ago

The Australian comic, known for hosting late-night talk and sketch show The Last Leg, makes no attempt to hide his passion for the 13-player code either.
After all, the 55-year-old was adorned in Australia's rugby league kit from the 2017 Rugby League World Cup on a traditional London bus kitted out to mark 100 days to go until the return of the ABK Beer Ashes.
It will mark a revival of one of rugby league's most iconic series which last happened in 2003 when Australia toured the UK to play Great Britain.
'I'm so excited,' the Sydney native said.
'It's been 22 years since the last Ashes, and I've been shocked by that; this is something that should be happening all the time.
'I'm so excited to show rugby league off to my London friends and go, 'OK, guys you have to watch this. I know you don't know what it's about, or you might think you know, but this is five levels up, especially when it's an Ashes Test'.'
The launch began in Clapham – London's unofficial Australian capital – and also featured England captain George Williams, international teammate Jack Welsby and rugby league legend Martin Offiah.
But Hills' presence at the event goes beyond his celebrity status, he is also the Rugby Football League president, a role he has held since the start of the year, and one that fills him with enormous pride.
'I honestly got goosebumps when the email came through offering it to me,' he beamed.
'Initially I was a little bit hesitant because I thought, 'How's it going to look having an Australian as the president of the RFL?'
'But I think it's good to have an Australian shouting about stuff, because sometimes rugby league gets a little bit forgotten over here.
'I come from a city where you go, 'this is the best sport in the world' and I'm not ashamed to say that.
'So, I thought, okay, I'll take the role so I can shout about rugby league in a positive way.'
And Hill's has been doing just that, trying to raise the profile of the sport in every way possible, from the national to the community game, to everything in between, including speaking to Artur Martirosyan, the president of Ukrainian Rugby League.
'Off the back of [a Last Leg episode where the plight of rugby league in Ukraine was highlighted] that, I was put in touch with the president,' he explained.
'I had a FaceTime with him, and I said, 'when's the best time to chat?'
'He replied, 'Sunday is, because I'm in the army.' And I was like, 'because you get Sunday's off?' He said, 'no, no, Sundays are when my commanding officer is off so I can make a phone call.
'I was amazed at this point. I asked him what he did, and he just sent me a picture of himself behind an anti-aircraft gun. I was like 'holy s**t!'
'When then ended up talking about rugby league for an hour. We asked them what they needed, which was kit, balls etc, so we put out a plea on the Last Leg and the guys from Keighley Cougars said they'd make the Ukrainian national kit for them.
'So, as we speak, they've flown out to Poland to then take a 15-hour bus to present them with the kit. I'm loving stuff like that.'
Hills was a member of the Australian side at the inaugural Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup in 2022 and hopes, through his role as RFL president, to try a promote disability rugby league as much as he can too.
'Regardless of the sport, there has to be an England v Australia Ashes,' he continued.
'I've played disability rugby league, and since becoming president, and even before then, I'm doing what I can to make sure there's disability rugby league at the next World Cup.
'We did it once and it can't be a one off. And I also think there should be a disability rugby league Ashes too.
'I really want that to be a thing.'
The series kicks off at Wembley Stadium on October 25, before heading to Liverpool a week later, where a sold-out Bramley-Moore Dock will take centre stage.
Leeds Rhinos' Headingley Stadium is the venue for the third and final Test on November 8, which is also a sellout.
More than 60,000 tickets were sold on the first day of the priority sales window, which was a record-breaking figure for any rugby league series launch.
Hills predicted a close series and expressed his desire for a winner-takes-all decider come the third Test.
'It's going to finish 2-1 to someone,' he said.
'Rugby League will be the winner, and I think that final game at Headingley will be unbelievable.
'As an Australian, where do you not want to be playing? I'm absolutely pumped for that match.'
Marking the milestone with a '100 days to go' London Trophy Tour were Rugby League legend Martin Offiah MBE, current England captain George Williams, star player Jack Welsby, and Aussie comedian and Rugby Football League President, Adam Hills MBE.