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Luke Robinson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luke Robinson (born 25 July 1984) is a scrum half for the Salford City Reds rugby league team.
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Luke Robinson signed for Wigan Warriors aged eleven, along with future first teamers Gareth Hock and Sean O'Loughlin. He was yet another find of Wigan's scout Eric Hawley. Robinson commented later: “Eric Hawley, who was the scout at that time, watched me at Siddal and asked me if I wanted to come on a trial basis and have a look round and I decided to sign", he recalled. “It was under schoolboy terms, but they were binding to the club and to me. I came over once every two or three weeks for training, basically just to familiarise myself until I was sixteen and could move over." Despite being born in Yorkshire, Luke had supported Wigan Warriors as a kid, his dad taking him to Wembley to watch during the club's glory years.
Luke progressed through Wigan's scholarship and Academy systems before making his debut for the first team at the age of seventeen during the 2002 Super League season. During 2003, Robinson became a vital part of Wigan's first team squad, often sharing the scrum-half duties with PNG star Adrian Lam. Lam picked up a knee injury during a crucial stage of the play-offs that season, leaving Robinson to take sole control the Wigan pack. Robinson, a supremely confident and exuberant young man, has been likened in style and manner to former Great Britain scrum-half Andy Gregory and he does admit to sharing the characteristics of brashness and assertiveness famously associated with Gregory. “I think every scrum-half has got a bit of something in him,‿ he said. “I’m only 5ft 6in and I’ve got to be bossing Craig Smith, who’s 6ft and 17st."
Despite the comparisons with Gregory, Luke has been modelling himself on another Wigan legend in Adrian Lam. “I always liked Andy Gregory when I was really young but that was mainly through my dad talking about him,‿ he said. “It was Adrian Lam really. You can’t say much more about Adrian Lam, can you?‿ However, the England Academy international insists he “just wants to be Luke Robinson and be the best I can be."
Luke capped 2003 with an appearance in Wigan's Grand Final defeat against Bradford Bulls. He was required again for the first team at the start of 2004 after a further injury to Adrian Lam, however he could not reproduce the form that had helped take Wigan to the final in the previous season. When Lam recovered Luke was sent on loan to struggling Castleford Tigers. He spent two months at Cas before another injury to Lam forced his recall, playing against the Tigers in his first match back at Wigan. Luke again struggled for form and was evenutally allowed to leave Wigan, joining David Hodgson in signing a contract with Salford City Reds. After the deal was done Luke regained the type of form that had created the high hopes for his future, helping Wigan make it to the 2004 Final Eliminator at Headingley. However, his try was not enough to take the Warriors to the Grand Final. At the time, many fans were very concerned at the desicision to let Luke leave the club.
Luke was an England schoolboys international. He is expected to challenge Leeds' Rob Burrow for the Great Britain Academy scrum half spot. He played for the England Academy side who were the first ever to beat the Aussie Schoolboys in December 2002.
Luke Robinson now plays for the Salford City Reds and is a regular in the first team at Scrum Half. In 2005 Luke scored eleven tries, seven goals, one field goals totaling fifty nine points for the Salford City Reds and after four games of the 2006 Super League he has scored one try for Salford.