https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/ ... l-francis/ RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/ ... l-francis/ RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.

One of the few really good players that we had had when I started to watch the game on a regular basis.
A really good servant to the club when we had more bad times than good.
For me a classy centre who would be perfect for the current team. I’d compare him to Wardle for fans who were not fortunate enough to see him play.
I had the pleasure of talking to him a few times after he retired in the Royal Oak and the Fox&Goose. Always a gentleman and happy to talk about the game.

Sounds like blasphemy to say it, but when he left for Saints, I was glad for him. Much as I was for George Fairbairn when he left for KR. I was sorry for us of course, but those two players were too good to waste their careers at the sort of basket-case club that Wigan had become in the mid/late 70s.

His wife was a teacher at John Fisher, he was always happy to talk to young supporters, We played a game before his testimonial match and went around central park during that game doing a bucket collection.

His wife was a teacher at John Fisher, he was always happy to talk to young supporters, We played a game before his testimonial match and went around central park during that game doing a bucket collection.

I was disappointed, and surprised, that the Club did not mark the passing of Bill with either a minutes silence, a reference in the programme, or ideally both. For a club that avidly promotes its work in the community it is sad that it couldn’t recognise a man who played in excess of 400 games for Wigan. I am hopeful that this can be rectified in due course.

Given that he played for both clubs maybe the next game would be much more fitting than a poorly attended cup game.

It may be but Wigan could have had a minutes silence at the Penrith game had they wished to do so. By the way, from what I am being told the Club were not represented at the funeral either!