A wing and a prayer

IF ONLY Glenn Hoddle had pounded the streets of Manchester with Jason Robinson.

Both men are born-again Christians who place great importance in their faith.

But whereas Hoddle's beliefs destroyed his career, Robinson's are set to take him right to the top.

The difference is the Wigan Warrior practices what he preaches.

At 24, Robinson is the hottest property in rugby league - the oval-shaped equivalent of Michael Owen.

Already his trophy cabinet is bulging with more silverware than Aladdin's Cave.

Sponsors are queuing up to throw stacks of money at him.

Autograph hunters across the country would give their right arm for a piece of Robinson, who lives in Leyland.

And even the Beano have made him an honorary member.

In all the hysteria, it would be easy to get swept away on a tidal wave of self-importance.

Robinson nearly did, until Christianity stepped in.

"It was just the way my life was going," said Robinson.

"I used to drink quite a bit and perhaps abused some of the things the Super League had to offer.

"When you've got money and everyone is patting you on the back, you can start thinking you're something you're not.

"I suppose I was like that for quite a while until everything came to a head when various things in my life suddenly went wrong. "I just thought there must be something more to life than this and I found that in Christ.

"It wasn't quite as clearcut as that but I was going through some hard times and I'm a lot stronger for it.

"I try not to take things for granted now and I'll only do something if I think it's right.

"Before, I was quite shy and I used to get pressured into things I didn't want to do."

For the last 14 months Robinson has thrown his considerable weight behind a project to help the homeless in Manchester.

Together with a group of friends from church, he travels around the city in a catering unit every Thursday, giving out food and clothing to the needy.

To them, he's a 'Saint' rather than a Warrior.

But it is that work which has given him his inner strength to fight off those demons on and off the pitch.

"At first people didn't know who I was but now they do and I've met some good friends on the streets.

"It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done and it has certainly inspired me to keep going."

Now Wigan fans will be hoping Robinson can harness that inner strength again this season as the Warriors aim to beat the Saints, the Rhinos and the Bulls in the race for the Super League.

Almost from the day he made his debut as an 18-year-old against Hull back in 1992, the jet-heeled winger nicknamed 'Billy Whizz' has played a starring role in the club's fortunes. He was a try scorer in the 1994 World Championship win over Brisbane Broncos in the ANZ Stadium.

Two tries capped a man-of-the-match performance in the 1995 Challenge Cup triumph over Leeds.

And he popped up with a spectacular winner to beat the Rhinos again in the inaugural JJB Grand Final at Old Trafford last year.

His impact on the international stage has been just as spectacular.

After scoring two tries on his debut against New Zealand at Wembley, he has now been capped 10 times and was Great Britain's man-of-the-series against Australia in '97 and New Zealand in '98. So, after so much success, what is there left to achieve?

"I've achieved a lot already but I'm only 24 and there's still a long way to go.

"I suppose my main ambition is to be consistent and to hold down a regular place.

"Super League is very demanding these days and there's a lot of pressure on you to perform, so it's a case of trying to maintain your standards." Those standards are going to be tested to the limits in what promises to be the most punishing Super League season yet.

The Warriors kicked off their campaign with a thumping victory over Hull Sharks at Central Park last night with Robinson scoring one of their 11 tries.

And they come head-to-head with strong championship contenders Leeds Rhinos and St Helens in their next two games.

Gone are the days when the Wigan juggernaut used to ride roughshod over everyone else in the league.

But it's a challenge Robinson cannot wait to sink his teeth into.

"I've been saying for a while that this season is going to be the hardest yet.

"First, because there are two extra teams in the league so there are more games. "And secondly, because some of the other clubs have bought some good players and seem to be stronger.

"There won't be any easy games and some of the mid to lower clubs will surprise a few this year.

"Leeds, Bradford and St Helens are obviously going to be up there.

"But I can also see teams like Castleford and Warrington playing a bigger part than they did last time."

However, the Warriors will be more determined than ever to hold on to their Super League crown before entering an exciting new era.

This season will mark the end of the line for their Central Park ground - an ageing mecca in a revamped sport.

And they want to move into their new JJB Stadium as champions - a fitting crown for a team who have dominated the game over the last two decades.

"It has been a great stadium to play in and the atmosphere over the years has been tremendous. Both the players and the fans will miss it.

"It will start affecting us later in the season when we play our last few games. But there's a lot of tough matches for us to focus on before then."

And if Robinson can inspire them, Central Park will surely be ringing out with songs of praise come the end of September.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.