Wigan Warriors mourn former players Bernard Coyle and Colin Standing as club pays tribute

Wigan Warriors are mourning the losses of former players Bernard Coyle and Colin Standing, with the club paying tribute following their passing.

Coyle, who attended Wigan St Patrick’s Junior School before later studying at St John Fisher Catholic High School, has died at the age of 70.

The former scrum-half played for Wigan Colts before fulfilling his hometown dream when he signed for the club in March 1972. He made his first-team debut 12 months later in a 16-13 defeat to Bradford Northern at Odsal Stadium, earning heritage number 698.

Coyle went on to score 32 tries in 134 appearances for the Cherry and Whites. Among those appearances was the 1980 Lancashire Cup final, when Wigan suffered a 26-10 defeat to Warrington at Knowsley Road.

After making his final appearance for Wigan in October 1980, Coyle took a brief break from rugby league before enjoying a five-season spell with Blackpool Borough.

Following his retirement from the professional game, Coyle moved into coaching with the junior teams at Wigan St Patricks. However, he was later persuaded to pull his boots back on for St Pats and played for a further five years until the age of 37, helping the club win the National League Cup in 1988.

The Coyle family also hold a special place in Wigan’s history, becoming the first family since the Second World War to have three generations represent the club’s first-team. Bernard Snr, Bernard himself and his sons James and Thomas all wore the cherry and white jersey.

“Wigan Warriors extend our sincere condolences to Bernard’s wife Denise, his family and friends at this difficult time,” a club statement read.

Meanwhile, former Wigan forward Standing has died at the age of 84.

The Welshman grew up playing rugby union in Bridgend before attending university in London. During that time, he had a spell with London Welsh and went on to represent British Universities, earning selection for the Barbarians and Crawshays Welsh RFC.

Standing joined Wigan in 1967 and made his first-team debut in a 30-0 victory over Rochdale Hornets at Central Park in November of that year, earning heritage number 658.

The Bridgend-born back-rower scored four tries in 18 appearances for Wigan between 1967 and 1970.

After leaving Central Park, Standing went on to play for Oldham and Warrington. He also earned two international caps for his beloved Wales.

Following his retirement from rugby league, Standing returned to his Welsh homeland, where he enjoyed a successful career in education.

“Wigan Warriors extend their sincere condolences to Colin’s wife Janice and to his family and friends at this difficult time,” a club statement read.

Coyle and Standing were both respected members of the Wigan Warriors Past Players Association.