You won’t catch Jack Hughes watching Love Island but he’s loved the work of his Leigh Leopards' team-mate and "cheeky chappy" Keanan Brand.
Ex-Great Britain international Hughes, 31, admits players feared their pal had gone AWOL when he disappeared last month. But it was all down to him preparing to enter the hit ITV2 show. After Castleford’s Jacques O’Neill made headlines last year, Brand, 24, was the second Super League player to try and find fame in the villa.
Second-row Hughes admitted: “Keanan went missing for a few days and there were a few raised eyebrows. We were trying to piece things together about what was happening. We didn't know if something personal was going on as the whole thing has got to be kept a big secret.
“Then Lammy (Leigh boss Adrian Lam) revealed where he was and what he was up to and there was a bit of excitement in the team. Most of the boys - not all of them - watch that rubbish so they were buzzing. It’s just good to have someone you know and someone you spend every day with doing well and on something so popular. But I don’t watch it. I can’t stand it! I’m a bit more reserved.”
Brand is already on his way back to Leigh, though, having got voted out after less than a week on the show. Hughes, who also played alongside the three-quarter at Warrington, said: “There’d been some chat the other day that he was in the bottom three. I’ll definitely be giving him a bit of stick after his early exit!
“Cheeky chappy sums him up. He’s a lad’s lad, keeps himself looking sharp and looks after himself. He’s always got a smile on his face and is a pretty positive character. But in rugby terms he trains hard and is a good character to have around, so it’s been good to see him in there doing that.”
Brand, who was in Ireland’s World Cup squad, is currently recovering from a double hernia op’ but had the full backing of newly-promoted Leigh to be on the show. Hughes, meanwhile, is loving life at Leigh after leaving Warrington. He didn’t feature on Friday when Josh Charnley’s last-gasp minute try saw the Leopards come from behind to secure their first win back in Super League - a dramatic 30-25 success at Hull KR.
But the ex-Wolves captain said: “I’m enjoying the change and something fresh. It’s great. We knew we weren’t far off at all and things that had been going wrong in our opening two games were things we could control. So it’s great to now get that first win.”
Next up they face Super League champions St Helens on Friday. Ex-Wigan star Hughes said: “They’re as good as ever, if not better, having just won the World Club Challenge on the other side of the world. They’ve not had much turnover in personnel this season which is always good for a club. But we’re looking forward to it."
