Ex-St Helens forward Jon Wilkin in bizarre Love Island rant following Jacques O’Neill’s exit

If there is one thing that has dominated the news and rugby league in recent days it is the Love Island experience of former Castleford Tigers forward Jacques O’Neill.

O’Neill left the West Yorkshire club and rugby league to pursue other opportunities with the ITV2 hit show in Majorca, coupling up with Welsh beauty Paige Thorne.

A month later, however, and the 23-year-old has exited the villa on his own terms following an emotional situation that he got caught up in.

O’Neill’s mood had considerably worsened over the past week as epitomised by yesterday’s bombshell when new boy Adam Collard walked in with his eyes firmly planted on Paige.

That seemed to tip the scales for Jacques and he lost his rag in last night’s episode, stating towards Adam: “Have you been f**king off? Who the f**k is he? Just another geezer who’s been on the show? He can f**k off then mate.”

That behaviour worried Paige with Jacques then beginning to realise the error of his ways. And, after professing his feelings for his partner, O’Neill revealed his decision to leave the Love Island villa in one of the most emotional moments in reality TV in recent years.

Jacques was keen to emphasise that he would ‘wait for Paige on the outside’ and that he wanted her to be ‘his girlfriend.’

Now, though, a return to rugby league is potentially on the cards with O’Neill spotted at the Jungle today saying hello to his former teammates and Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin believes he will return to the sport.

“Of course he will (return); a club will see the value in having him there because of his profile now – it’s a business isn’t it?” Wilkin said on Sky Sports.

“He’s a talented young guy but struggled to get on the field at times.”

That being said, Wilkin did not hold back in his hatred of the Love Island program, launching a major rant against it.

“It’s a question of Love Island for me. Do I want to sit and watch people in swim shorts round the pool in Majorca get stuck into each other?

“No, I would rather watch Queensland and New South Wales get stuck into each other, I would rather watch people swim in the pool and get Olympic medals.

“I would rather watch people throw a shotput further than ever before, I would rather watch horse racing.

“I would rather watch rugby union internationals, badminton, chess and ping pong. I would rather watch people do something world class and exceptional instead of watching people round a pool.

“If I wanted to do that I would fly to mMajorca myself and buy some bright swim shorts and big sunglasses, but no one would be filming me.”