Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane gives rugby league massive praise

With the World Cup on the horizon, this is the time in which the game is most in the spotlight.

With 61 games all to be broadcast on the BBC network, never will the game have so many viewers at one time and it is important that the sport capitalises on this.

However, the game is often guilty of selling itself short especially in England as ex-St Helens and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf has often said in recent times.

So, it’s important we demonstrate just how great the game is and a high profile name from a different sport has helped do exactly that this week by talking the sport up on a massive platform.

To many, Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football is the pinnacle of sports coverage especially in the UK.

Super League even tried to emulate it with a first ever Monday night game in 2012 between Leeds and St Helens before shifting to Thursday night matches.

Live on last night’s Monday Night Football, rugby league got a big mention from Manchester United legend Roy Keane.

To many, Keane is the toughest player to take to a Premier League pitch and is a serial winner of the Premier League trophy.

He also takes a no nonsense approach to punditry which has earnt him plenty of respect.

On Monday Night Football, he and Jamie Carragher were asked to name their three favourite sports other than football and Keane included rugby league in his list and explained why: “I like rugby league, I think rugby league is a really tough sport. I think it’s brilliant.”

His other two picks were the NFL and Hurling.

Carragher sadly didn’t include rugby league in his list.