The sound was embarrassingly lost for pre-match ceremonies but it didn’t matter as boisterous England made all the noise on the pitch in a brilliant Rugby League World Cup 2021 opener.
The Kaiser Chiefs’ set had to be cut short after technical difficulties at St James’ Park saw the PA system fail for the tournament kick-off.
Among the dignitaries on show, legends Kevin Sinfield and Jason Robinson were left holding the men’s cup waiting to walk onto the pitch as engineers battled to sort the issues.
