NRL 360 new co-host Yvonne Sampson to take over after Ben Ikin’s exit

Yvonne Sampson has promised plenty of heated exchanges after being confirmed as co-host of NRL 360, replacing Ben Ikin.

Yvonne Sampson has been announced as the new co-host of NRL 360 with Paul Kent. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Yvonne Sampson has promised there will not be any sort of NRL-type crackdown on heated exchanges when she steps up as the new co-host of NRL 360.

Instead, Sampson will encourage the animated conversations which have become a trademark of the thee-time a week Fox Sports rugby league panel show.

Sampson will officially replace inaugural host Ben Ikin to partner Paul Kent on the desk from Monday night.

Yvonne Sampson is the new co-host of NRL 360. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The face of Fox League is ready to enter the lion’s den when the likes of Kent, Phil Rothfield, Lara Pitt, Paul Crawley, Ray Hadley, James Hooper, Benji Marshall and James Graham go head-to-head while discussing the news of the day. Sampson joined Fox League in 2017 to head-up its match day coverage.

“You have to let them go at it,” said Sampson, who has filled in for Ikin previously. “I’m not afraid of the conflict, I’m comfortable with it. I feel like it’s my job to make sure we stay on topic and we have a discussion where people are hearing differences of opinions. If you’re hearing something which resonates with you then I’ve done my job.

Yvonne Sampson said the show will retain the hard-edge that it is known for. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“We are going to keep that hard-edge the show is known for.”

Ikin quit the post he held for the past decade last week to become Brisbane Broncos’ head of football.

Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley discovered Sampson when she was working in regional television, bringing her to Channel 9 in Brisbane.

She then moved to work at Channel 9 in Sydney before following Crawley to Fox Sports.

Crawley said Sampson was a natural choice.

Her chemistry with Kent will come naturally.

The duo, who live in neighbouring suburbs, celebrated Sampson’s appointment and undertook a planning session over lunch in the inner-west on Friday.