Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to clash with fellow Class of ’92 member John Higgins at the Crucible, and the pair have shared the baize for decades
Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins have a complex relationship. The pair of snooker greats will do battle at the Crucible on Saturday evening in a mouthwatering last-16 tie.
Two-thirds of the legendary trio that make up the Class of ’92 are preparing to go head to head at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. O’Sullivan is a seven-time winner of the event, and Higgins has tasted victory on four occasions.
It has been over 30 years since they first faced off on the baize, taking each other on at the 1994 Dubai Classic. Now, a place in a world quarter-final is up for grabs, and O’Sullivan has already engaged in a spot of psychological warfare.
Despite being on the circuit for so long, The Rocket and The Wizard of Wishaw have a complicated and rocky relationship. Mirror Sport takes a look at some of their interactions over the past few years.
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Speaking last week, O’Sullivan was asked about his friendship with Higgins and fellow Class of ’92 member Mark Williams. The 50-year-old admitted he doesn’t really get that close with anyone on the World Snooker Tour.
O’Sullivan told TNT Sports: “I think Mark and John are better friends than I am with them. I don’t really get close to anyone on the snooker circuit, because I don’t really hang around tournaments.
“No one sees me. I’d rather be down the gym or go running, or go to nice restaurants, while a lot of the players hang out with each other.”
‘Disgraceful’ remark
While O’Sullivan’s claim about his relationship with Higgins was neither here nor there, in 2021, the Scot took umbrage when The Rocket essentially advised youngsters not to pick up the game of snooker.
O’Sullivan told Eurosport five years ago: “If I had a child I would not want him to play snooker, I really wouldn’t. I’d rather he played golf, football or tennis. Maybe 20-25 years ago it was a sexy sport but it has kind of fallen behind to other sports, somewhat.”
Higgins was not best pleased with this statement and he clapped back: “I heard Ronnie, I thought it was a disgrace what he was saying. That he’d be saying to young kids, ‘Don’t play snooker’, I thought that was dreadful for someone as good as that to sit there and say that.”
The 50-year-old has expressed greater concerns about the future of the game and the prospects of up-and-coming players from his country. He told The Sun this year: “It will be difficult to have another world champion from Scotland I think.
“It would be sad. But at the moment there just doesn’t seem to be anyone coming through pushing to qualify and things like that. I’ve gone and done a few things with the juniors, but it basically falls back onto the players and if they want it enough and are prepared to fight and scrap for it like we did in our younger years.”
Touching message
But, despite a little bit of tension between the two all those years ago, when O’Sullivan withdrew from the 2025 Masters on medical grounds, Higgins had only well wishes.
“Gutted that I wasn’t playing Ronnie,” Higgins, who was supposed to face his rival in the first round, told the BBC. “We played here 30 years ago in a final so it would have been good to walk out there again with him.”
He continued: “But listen, his health is more important if he is going through some tough times just now. I just hope that he gets better.”
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