Jamie Jones-Buchanan says this player “is the reason why people watch rugby league”

Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors are big rivals.

They are two of the three biggest British rugby league clubs. In fact they are two of the biggest clubs on the planet.

They battled it out in the mid-90s as Leeds desperately tried to end Wigan’s dominance. They then met in the inaugural Grand Final.

In the 2010s the two were again battling for trophies and the Rhinos claimed the treble at Wigan’s expense in 2015.

This is why there is a buzz around their Challenge Cup tie next month with 34 Challenge Cup trophies between them.

However, that hasn’t stopped Jamie Jones-Buchanan surprisingly being a huge admirer of one of Wigan’s best players in the shape of April Player of the Month nominee Bevan French.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “Bevan French is the reason people watch rugby league and buy tickets to games like this.

“Even a guy like me, I am 41 years old and I have played the game a fair bit but when I’m watching him, I am jumping around with my kids at home and go wow, Bevan French.”

He then told French: “You transcend the Wigan club and have an impact on the competition as a whole.”

Leeds meet Wigan in the league the week before that Challenge Cup encounter in Round 12 of the season.

The Rhinos won on their last trip to Wigan in last year’s play-offs.