From Wonderwall To Jerusalem: Will Andy Burnham Watch England v Fiji ?

There are not many politicians who can move comfortably between football, rugby league, and music.

Andy Burnham can.

But can he navigate Rugby Union?

Raised in Aintree, educated along the East Lancashire Road at Newton-le-Willows, an Evertonian through and through, a lifelong Leigh Rugby League supporter and a former chairman of the Rugby Football League, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester has spent much of his public life championing sport as something that brings communities together rather than divides them.

Now he is on the brink of becoming Prime Minister

That is why this weekend’s Nations Championship clash between England and Fiji at Everton’s magnificent new Hill Dickinson Stadium feels like much more than another summer Test.

It is another chapter in a sporting story that has been unfolding on Merseyside over the past fortnight.

Just seven days ago the stadium welcomed Rugby League’s Magic Weekend.

Next year it will do so again.

Burnham was there, celebrating an event that has become one of rugby league’s great annual festivals. Afterwards he reiterated something he has said for years.

“Rugby league deserves more.”

As a former RFL chairman, those words carry weight.

Now, almost immediately afterwards, the same stadium opens its doors to rugby union.

Different code.

Different supporters.

Different traditions.

The same city.

The same sense of occasion.

Perhaps that is exactly what modern sporting venues should become.

Not simply football grounds.

Not simply rugby grounds.

Community venues capable of showcasing elite sport in all its forms.

Everton’s new home has barely opened its doors and it has already welcomed football, rugby league and now rugby union.

That feels significant.

England Need A Response

Of course, Steve Borthwick will have little interest in the wider symbolism.

His concern is eighty minutes against Fiji.

England arrive in Liverpool nursing the bruises of a heavy 45-21 defeat to world champions South Africa at Ellis Park, a result that extended their losing run to five consecutive Test matches and intensified scrutiny on the squad.

The injury news has hardly helped.

George Furbank was ruled out before the Springbok match with appendicitis and has since undergone surgery, prompting the call-up of Sale Sharks wing Tom Roebuck ahead of the Fiji fixture. England have also had to deal with further injuries this week as preparations continue.

Murley is out and being replaced by Cunningham-South

And Freddie Steward seems to be injured.

Fiji, meanwhile, will relish the occasion.

Although officially their home fixture as part of the new Nations Championship, the match will be played in Liverpool, giving thousands of northern rugby supporters the opportunity to watch England without travelling to Twickenham.

Nobody underestimates Fiji anymore.

Their pace, athleticism and off-loading game mean they can punish any lapse in concentration.

England will want structure.

Fiji will want chaos.

If England dominate territory, control the kicking game and impose themselves physically at the set-piece, they should prevail.

Allow the game to become loose, however, and Fiji possess enough brilliance to trouble any side in world rugby.

More Than Just Another Stadium

For Burnham, though, Everton’s new stadium represents something broader.

Last weekend it showcased rugby league.

This weekend rugby union takes centre stage.

In a few weeks it returns to football.

For a lifelong Everton supporter, that probably feels exactly right.

It is easy to forget that Burnham’s sporting passions have always crossed traditional boundaries.

He has championed rugby league nationally while remaining fiercely loyal to Everton.

He speaks regularly about community clubs.

He understands the importance of grassroots sport.

He has consistently argued that northern sport deserves investment, visibility and respect.

That philosophy makes him an interesting figure as England prepare to face Fiji.

Then There Is The Music

There is another connection that feels uniquely northern.

Music.

Burnham has never hidden his affection for Manchester’s music scene, particularly Oasis.

With the Gallagher brothers back together this summer, Wonderwall has once again become the soundtrack for England football supporters wherever they travel.

Football has its anthem.

Rugby has several.

There is Jerusalem, still capable of sending shivers around any stadium before kick-off.

There is Sweet Caroline, adopted by rugby crowds with the same enthusiasm as cricket supporters before them.

Walk around Everton’s new stadium this Saturday and you’ll hear conversations about tackles, line-outs and selections.

But you’ll hear songs too.

Different supporters.

Different traditions.

The same shared experience.

That is something Burnham instinctively understands.

A Stadium For Everyone

One of Burnham’s social media posts from Magic Weekend summed it up perfectly.

Standing inside Everton’s spectacular new home, he described seeing “two of the greatest loves of my life come together.”

He meant Everton Football Club and rugby league.

This Saturday, rugby union joins that story.

Perhaps that is exactly what the North does best.

It rarely asks supporters to choose between sports.

Many football supporters also follow rugby league.

Many rugby union supporters enjoy football.

Families often have connections across all three.

The lines are blurred.

The conversations overlap.

The songs continue.

As England look to bounce back against Fiji, Steve Borthwick will rightly focus on performance, discipline and execution.

But outside the white lines another story is unfolding.

A new stadium.

A city embracing multiple sports.

A future Prime Minister who believes they all deserve their moment.

And somewhere before kick-off, don’t be surprised if one part of the crowd starts singing Jerusalem while another quietly hums Wonderwall.

Different songs.

One city.

One stadium.

And, for one afternoon at least, one celebration of everything that makes sport in the North so special.