‘When you look at the world of rugby league, there are only two powerhouses, the NRL in Australia and Super League in Britain,’ Crowe said. ‘It seemed sensible, given player movement between the two competitions, to create a brother/sister club relationship. When you look at Leeds' operation and how it connects many different sports, it is very impressive and it was obvious to us there was a lot to learn from them.’

If filming commitments permit, Crowe would hope to take in a Leeds game or two. He has brought more than the odd touch of glamour to South Sydney, with Tom Cruise and Burt Reynolds supporters of the club, which also hit the headlines when he negotiated a deal to advertise his 2005 film Cinderella Man on their jerseys.

Crowe was good friends with the late Richard Harris, who he met during the making of Gladiator, and whose first star turn was in the 1963 film This Sporting Life, playing the bitter young coalminer, Frank Machin, who became an acclaimed rugby league player. The playing sequences were shot at Belle Vue, home of Wakefield Trinity, and it remains one of the best sporting films ever made. After Gladiator, can we expect Russell to play Rhino at the Headingley Colosseum?

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WHAT'S the common link between FIFA president Sepp Blatter, England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, former England football manager Sven Goran Eriksson and rock legends Def Leppard? They're all members of Sheffield FC, the world's oldest football club, which is marking its 150th anniversary this year. Celebrations climax with a special dinner at the Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield in October, with Blatter in attendance and Prime Minister Gordon Brown rumoured to be on the guest list. Such is the esteem in which the club is held that Sheffield FC officials have been invited to attend the draw in November for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.