Rugby League News

St Helens legend suffers horror house fire

by
Callum Walker
April 30, 2022

John Stankevitch is a name that will always be remembered in rugby league – particularly in St Helens.

Stankevitch himself played for Saints between 2000 and 2004, registering almost 150 appearances before making the move to the Widnes Vikings where he retired after suffering a serious neck and shoulder injury.

The former second-rower also had coaching spells at Doncaster, Widnes and Rochdale – as well as Russia.

However, the recent week has not been kind to the Stankevitch family after a house fire, with John tweeting: “In the early hours of this morning, our house burnt down and we lost everything. At 4.45am my daughter raised the alarm. 5 minutes later and we would have all been dead as the roof caved in. Fire caused by an electrical fault in the attic above the bathroom. What a day!”

In the early hours of this morning, our house burnt down and we lost everything. At 4.45am my daughter raised the alarm. 5 minutes later and we would have all been dead as the roof caved in. Fire caused by an electrical fault in the attic above the bathroom. What a day! 😭 pic.twitter.com/gteuO743PW

— John Stankevitch (@johnstankevitch) April 29, 2022

Everyone at Serious About Rugby League passes on their well wishes.

Stankevitch is a name that continues to be seen throughout rugby league with his son Oliver now heading into the sport.

Son, Oliver, had signed for the St Helens scholarship side, with John sending out a message on his Instagram: “Very proud of Oliver. He has his chance on scholarship at St Helens for 2022/2023 season. Big couple of years ahead but we all believe in him.”