To appreciate the absolute highs, you perhaps have to first experience the ultimate lows: when Hull KR walk out for the World Club Challenge on Thursday, few will be better placed to say they have done that quite like their longstanding owner, Neil Hudgell.
The Super League champions will aim to be crowned the world’s best rugby league club side for the first time when they take on the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos. To satisfy the unprecedented demand, they have taken ownership of the venue of their great rivals, Hull FC, for one night only – with 25,000 supporters, double the capacity of their Craven Park home, buying tickets in record time.
