St Helens legend visits rugby union club Leicester Tigers to share ideas

St Helens legend James Roby has been on a visit to Leicester Tigers this week, as he aims to share his experiences from rugby league and learn from the other code.

Roby was appointed Leadership, Culture and Performance Coach at St Helens back in January 2024, as a way to help young players navigate through their rugby league careers.

It’s not a new idea to collaborate and learn from both codes, considering former Wigan and Great Britain captain Andy Farrell is the current British and Irish Lions head coach for the 2025 tour, as well as the Ireland rugby union boss.

The opportunity could’ve come about for Roby to spend some time at the Tigers due to Michael Cheika being their head coach currently.

Although Cheika is due to leave Leicester at the end of the Premiership season, he is still the coach of international rugby league side Lebanon and plans to continue coaching them in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

St Helens performance coach on learning from and connecting with rugby union club

Upon retirement, Roby expressed his desire to remain in the game, with his hometown club offering a role immediately after announcing his final game.

He’s always been a well-respected player and professional in the rugby league world, so this role is allowing him to impart his knowledge onto the youngsters coming through at St Helens, and they’re sure to be grateful to learn anything from such a highly regarded person.

It seems that Roby enjoyed his day with the Leicester side, posting on LinkedIn about his experience, describing it as “a chance to learn from experienced and respected coaches and staff, to connect with new people, and to take away ideas that may influence how we work, lead, and prepare.”

Whilst he’s never expressed a desire to become a head coach, could he be swayed, considering the amount of respect the entire rugby league world has for him and his leadership qualities?

Great to have @Saints1890 and @England_RL legend, James Roby, at Oval Park this week! pic.twitter.com/7OPZUTWF9O

— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) May 29, 2025