Funeral held for rugby league legend John Kear

The funeral of former England and Wales rugby league coach and renowned broadcaster John Kear has taken place.

Friends, relatives and former players gathered in Penistone, South Yorkshire, earlier for the service at St John's Church.

Castleford-born Kear, who died on 1 June, earned widespread recognition during his career, including masterminding Sheffield Eagles' shock 1998 Challenge Cup final victory over Wigan.

Former Eagles player Mark Aston, who was part of the title-winning side, said: "Everything about John was just perfect, his smile, his knowledge of rugby league, you can see that by the tributes put out there for John."

He described Kear as a father figure to his players.

"We talk about what he did on the field, but there were things off the field that he did, and how close everybody was to him," he said.

"When times were tough he was still positive, that's how he was as a coach... he made people believe in the game, he made people believe in what they were doing."

He described him as a "top man" who would be "well and truly missed".

Tim Adams, former chairman of Sheffield Eagles, said Kear was an "inspiration for us all".

"We were good friends. He was an extraordinary bloke, very meticulous, his planning was unbelievable.

"He was a wonderful motivator of people, he didn't only motivate the players... but he also motivated the people in the club, the staff, the board of directors."

Adams said he thought Kear was "bonkers" when he told him he would win them the cup, "but he did it".

He said Kear was a "really genuinely nice guy" who was a "great advocate for rugby league".

"He'll be remembered forever," he added.

Paul Broadbent, former captain of the club, said: "John were the one that had faith in me, he made me the guy who was going to lead the guys out, it was an outstanding day for us."

He said the cup win had been a "real moment of triumph" for the coach.

The Eagles said in a statement earlier this month that Kear would "always be remembered as the coach who delivered out finest hour".

During his playing career, Kear made 133 appearances for hometown club Castleford between 1978 and 1988 before he subsequently moved into coaching.

He was one of the sport's most respected figures, with a coaching career lasting more than 700 matches with clubs including Bradford Bulls, Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity.

He led Hull FC to their own surprise Challenge Cup win in 2005, beating Leeds Rhinos in the final at Cardiff.

Kear went on to take England to the semi-finals in the 2000 World Cup, and had 11 years in charge of Wales, leading them at the 2017 and 2021 World Cups.

In a statement earlier this month, the Rugby Football League said he "was loved and admired throughout the sport and well beyond".

Kear had been part of the BBC Sport commentary team for the match between Wigan and Hull KR at Wembley Stadium the day before his death.

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