Hemmings Way: A funny Easter Weekend

Former Sky Sports commentator Eddie Hemmings is doing a weekly column for superleague.co.uk during the coronavirus lockdown as we celebrate the 25th season of Super League. 

On Friday afternoon Sky Sports are showing a re-run of the 2003 Good Friday classic between Wigan and Saints, so we asked Eddie to relive some of his other Easter highlights.

Like most people ever the past couple of weeks, I’ve been figuring out how to fill my time. 

I’ve been walking for an hour every day, and I’ve never done so much gardening in my life. Another thing that’s kept me going is the WhatsApp group I am still in with all the old Sky Sports team. So the likes of Barrie McDermott and Terry O'Connnor have kept me giggling at least once a day with some of the funny stuff they put in there. As you might imagine, that is pretty entertaining.

I also had a long chat to Stevo who is back in the country. He came over [from Australia] for a 30-year reunion for BSB (British Satellite Broadcasting) which is where we both started out all those years ago. Unfortunately for him he flew straight into self-isolation so he is in lockdown in London!!

It's very hard for a lot people at the moment, and while it's completely understandable, it does show how important a role sport plays in our society. 

It’s going to be a strange Easter with no rugby league - but when I look back at this weekend with my Super League hat on, a couple of commentary lines always come flooding back to me.

Arguably the most famous - certainly often used - and  still repeated by the Sky commentators to this day is, "Never write off the Saints!"

And remember, “Good Friday wouldn’t be Good Friday without Saints against Wigan.??

Having done 2,500 commentaries there is sometimes a danger that games blend into each other - but most Saints/Wigan matches stand out for one reason or another. 

I remember vividly the 1993 game at Central Park, when Kevin Ward broke his leg and basically ended his career. That was dramatic for all the wrong reasons. 

And the other one that stands out was in 2004, when Andy Farrell and Paul Sculthorpe traded blows for about two minutes right under the commentary box at Knowsley Road. Stevo loved it!

They were two of the mildest mannered guys off the field and normally two very well-behaved players on it, so it only goes to show what this fixture means to both clubs and both sets of players. 

I see that on Friday, Sky Sports are showing a re-run of the 2003 classic at the DW Stadium. That was another belter. Jason Hooper scored a breathtaking try in that game for Saints, but a young Wigan side came back and held on to win 24-22. I hope that doesn't count as a spoiler!

Those Easter weekends just used to be cracking sporting occasions. Of course, we aren’t going to have double headers this time around. 

As I recall, the clamour to end the two rounds at Easter was largely down to Australian coaches, but I always remember Terry [O’Connor] telling me how much he loved this weekend as a player, and why you shouldn’t give players excuses not to perform.

They were great - we’d always be at Saints/Wigan and we often used to watch the Hull derby at lunchtime. Full houses whenever those two sides played. 

They had some wonderful games, at Magic Weekend and at Easter, but the one that stands out is that Hull FC comeback in 2016, when they were 20-0 down and came back to win 22-20 - Jamie Shaul, Danny Houghton, Mahe Fonua and Steve Michaels getting the tries before Marc Sneyd kicked the winning conversion.

That was the greatest come back in the Super League era of Hull derbies. I can only imagine what Hull KR fans must’ve thought. 

So lots of special fixtures around Easter - but Saints/Wigan always stood out for me because the intensity just seemed to get cranked up a bit. 

It was also my last game. My Super League commentating career started in Paris in 1996 and finished at Wigan against Saints in 2019, so not bad games to start and end on. 

The last match didn't quite live up to the hype - but it was a memorable occasion for me personally. 

I thought, 'If it’s not going to be The Grand Final, then this is the one to go out on.'

You can get your Easter weekend Rugby League fix via Super League channels and Sky Sports this weekend;

Thursday (7:45pm) on Super League Facebook & YouTube: Leeds Rhinos v Bradford Bulls, 2013

Friday (1:00pm) on Sky Sports Arena & Mix: St Helens v Wigan Warriors, 2003

Sunday (3pm) on Super League Facebook & YouTube: Hull KR v Hull FC, 2014