It has been a game thats been on my radar for months now. Englands first big test down under since their humiliating 2008 Rugby League World Cup disaster. While England goes about talking itself up with the same old lines about just lacking a bit of confidence and Australia just being a bit lucky, for…
It must be time for England to walk into another international Rugby League competition because I’m hearing the word “confidence” being thrown around a lot this week. We’ve been here before, and yes, I know, I know, I could probably let it all slide and our lives would not change one bit. You don’t come…
Its a tournament that was conceived with the notion that regular test football between the top nations would see other teams life their game and come up to the same level we have seen Australia play at forever. Has it worked? New Zealand’s success in 2006 and the 2008 World Cup is look at as…
Pouring rain, choking, bad refereeing…the 2010 Grand Final wasn’t a classic, but it was one too remember. While the crowd was probably split with 90% Dragons fans, 8% neutral fans and 2% Roosters fans who had been fans for a solid seven days by the time of the Grand Final. Now, just before we look…
Wigan are once again at the top of the pile in England after a dominant 22-10 win over St Helens in the 2010 Super League Grand Final. A sellout crowd of 71,526 filled Old Trafford to watch the two old rivals face off but it was pretty clear from early on that Wigan looked up…
A football club is a little bit like a sailing ship. The boat itself is the team. The captain of the ship is like the coach. The rudder is like the CEO and the keel, well, that is like the football board. Everything has its own job, and as soon as something fails, the whole…
On Sunday morning Police were called to an apartment in Orrell after concerns for the welfare of former Great Britain hooker Terry Newton. Police found Newton dead, apparently he had committed suicide by hanging himself. Its all a very sad story and its one that quite honestly, you and I know very little about. For…
New Zealand have easily accounted for England 24-10 in front of a pretty decent crowd in Wellington. With both teams wearing historic jerseys and really going all out for a few photos to mark the occasion, its was interesting to see James Graham snarl “Don’t touch me” to a ground coordinator who was just trying…
Look out Sydney, there is gonna be a group of tens of Roosters fans hitting the town hard tonight! The Sydney Roosters have easily accounted for the Penrith Panthers in their qualifying final, running it in with a scoreline of 34-12. Only 23,459 turned up on a perfect night in Sydney to watch this game,…
I honestly believed that the West Tigers were busted, and on their way to an ambush in Canberra, however the Black and Golds lifted and managed a memorable 26-24 win and put themselves into the Semi Finals and a matchup with the St George/Illawarra Dragons. It was very much game on with Benji Marshall playing…
The Rugby League club season is only a few weeks away from drawing to a close, and attention is slowly starting to turn towards the end of season Four Nations competition between Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and England. The media tends to think you need to be wearing a Sydney Roosters jersey to…
The St George/Illawarra Dragons beat the Manly Sea Eagles 28-0 on the weekend, and if you’re wondering why I’m only just writing about it, its because I didn’t watch the game. I’ve been told it was a pretty boring contest, that the Dragons did pretty well but probably could have put up a bigger scoreline,…
Week two of the NRL Finals series will see the 7th and 6th placed teams during the regular season host home finals games against the 3rd and 2nd ranked sides. There Wests Tigers have called for this set up to be changed. They feel that, a reward for finishing higher up the ladder during the…
Of the six teams that have so far taken part in the first week of the NRL Finals series, the Gold Coast Titans look the pick of the bunch. Their 28-16 win over the New Zealand Warriors wasn’t always set in stone, but when the pressure was applied they managed to kick on and put…
I hate the Sydney Roosters. I hate that a club with no fans and no junior league, with a false history tarnished by the fact that no one cares can be soaking up the funding that other clubs with actual supporters could use. However, who cares, because this game was sooooo good. The Wests Tigers…
Remember a couple of months ago when I wrote off the Canberra Raiders because they were just too inconsistent? Basically I said, I like them, but they can’t win the title because they can’t string performances together. When they do however, look out! The Raiders last night become the first NRL clubs to win six…
Some people tell me that I see things in black and white terms. This is a flaw apparently. You see, I don’t understand that in this day and age, you have to be flexible. I think thats a load of horse shit quite honestly. I’ve always been someone that thinks that this game should be…
When I woke up this morning and read the headline “Brian Noble Looks To Swap Super League For The NRL” I felt sick. I didn’t have to read the article to know that such complete and utter stupidity could only be aiming towards one man. I mean, lets think about this for a second. An…
Every so often, the rivers of Pommy bullshit come so thick and fast that I have to step in and say something about it. This is one of those times my friends. It all started last weekend during the Challenge Cup Final, which was won by those insufferable idiots in Warrington. You know, the ones…
Like most teams that miss the NRL Finals series, consistency was the Achilles heel of the Parramatta Eels. After making last years Grand Final, the Eels had big hopes in 2010. They had lost a few players in the off season but they felt they had more than squared the ledger with the additions of…
On the list of the most frustrating footballers I’ve ever seen, Frank Pritchard has got to rank right up there among the very best. For most of the season the fire just doesn’t seem to be there. He is one step slower, he doesn’t have the impact, and quite honestly, he looks like he is…
England Captain Jamie Peacock is out for the rest of the season and now, people are wondering who should captain England going into the Four Nations tournament to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand at seasons end. When selecting the next captain, you have to remember that the RFL has a bit of a…
In 2010 the Rugby League media in Australia has gone bat shit crazy. Between the formation of the Independent Commission, the Melbourne Storm Salary Cap saga, players demanding higher wages and Greg Inglis deciding he wants to live in Brisbane, the media has basically had a nervous breakdown in this part of the world. You…
Quade Cooper is an Australian Rugby Union player. Yes, Rugby Union still does exist in this country, if only barely. News came out this week that Cooper had held talks with the Parramatta Eels with an eye on switching codes. It came out at a time when he is negotiating with the ARU, and he…
News today that the UK Times has dropped its Rugby League coverage its quite honestly a disgrace. The Times made the decision a few years ago to make a commitment to cover Rugby League. This decision came with great fanfare and was seen as a good sign for Rugby League in the UK. Many hopes…
It comes as a shock, I know, but it is obvious that Australia is scrapping the bottom of the barrel as far as playing talent goes. That is the only conclusion I can come to with regards to the news that Newcastle Knights winger Akuila Uate is looking to turn his back of playing for…
George Riley of the BBC has revealed that the Rugby Football League is likely to strip a Super League license from one of the clubs currently in the top flight and hand it to a Championship club when the next set of licences are handed out. This news will come a a bombshell to a…
I’m a Hull FC fan, and today my team ran up a scoreline of 42-18 against the London Harlequins, despite the fact they were without a few injured players. This season Wigan looks strong, as does Warrington. St Helens are not in top gear, but they are still dangerous. My Hull FC are probably punching…
The administration in Rugby League on both sides of the world right now is a complete and utter shambles. Stupidity, self interest and ignorance are all getting a work out and the lack of a real leader, someone that can push things forward and make decisions, is there for all to see. Anything thats good…
Why do we have a salary cap? Two reasons. Firstly, in the game of Rugby League we need to stop our moronic club administrators from over spending. Pushed by ego, the need to make themselves seem like they are doing their job and therefore, being safe in their own job, administrators have no problems spending…