New Zealand have named six rookies in their Trans-Tasman Test squad that willl take on Australia in Sydney on Friday night. Peta Hiku, Isaac John, Ben Henry, Siliva Havili, Martin Taupau and Kenny Bromwich all join the Kiwi squad for the first time in a side that has seen a lot of change since losing…
Money is the reason that State Of Origin eligibility rules were slowly undermined by both states since the inception of the State Of Origin concept in the early 1980’s. people can talk about passion until they are Blue or Maroon in the face. The fact is that from day one coaches and officials looked at…
Reports suggest that Sonny Bill Williams will “boycott” the New Zealand team team if they select him in the ANZAC Test against Australia. Williams is apparently unhappy at being named in a report about the alleged abuse of prescription drugs in the New Zealand camp during the 2013 World Cup campaign. The official report found…
The Rugby League International Federation has announced that Australia and New Zealand will jointly host the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. They beat a bid put in from South Africa who were always at long odds to host the tournament. It will be interesting to see where the final is hosted, although you would guess…
When you think of Rugby League 9’s, you need to think not just of the elite players in the game, but of the players at every level of the sport who are just looking for an opportunity to shine. A Rugby League 9’s circuit would tap into the huge player base that Rugby League has…
Somebody once said that it doesn’t matter who coaches the Wallabies because they’re never going to be better than the All Blacks. It’s true, of course. And the same thing can be said about the Kiwis league team. The fact that they are sounding out interest for a new head coach continues to go under…
The writing is on the wall for Stephen Kearney as the NZRL has made the decision that he will have to re-apply for his role as the coach of the New Zealand Rugby League team. Kearney guided the New Zealand team to their first World Cup success in 2008 and backed that up with an…
Australia has completely dominated New Zealand at Old Trafford and reclaimed the Rugby League World Cup by a score line of 34-2. The Kangaroo’s were at their clinical best throughout the match. From the very first minute their brutal defense put the Kiwi’s under pressure and they didn’t let up until the final siren sounded….
And so we meet again… If you think the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final is just another game, you are very much mistaken. This game is carrying a legacy for many of the greatest players in a generation. This game will dictate whether or not history will look back on certain players and judge…
After a month long tournament, we arrive at the second of 3 games that really matter, the final. The dream rematch from the 2008 World Cup final that saw the Kiwis upset the heavily favoured home side has eventuated and people across the Tasman are gearing up to stay up to watch the top 2…
In a big blow for the New Zealand team, Frank Pritchard has been left out of the Kiwi’s World Cup final squad due to injury. Pritchard has been battling a hamstring injury for the last couple of weeks. He was absent in the Kiwi’s semi final win over England. His size, mobility and ball playing…
New Zealand skipper, Kieran Foran, admits he will have to be at his best if he is to outfox Manly half-back partner, Daly Cherry-Evans, in Saturday’s World Cup final against Australia. The pair recently guided the Sea Eagles to the NRL Grand Final but they will be on opposite sides in the clash at Old…
It is a replay of the 2008 World Cup final that was famously won by New Zealand. The Australian side will go into the game as favourites but with a lot of pressure knowing that for many of them, this is their last opportunity to win a World Cup. I have said for a long…
The World Champion New Zealand Kiwi’s will contest their third straight Rugby League World Cup final after a thrilling 20-18 win over England at Wembley Stadium. England played well in the first half while New Zealand just didn’t look themselves. The loss of Frank Pritchard to injury was a big blow to the New Zealand…
Continuity is a very important thing in sport. The ability to settle on a lineup and make the fewest changes you can possibly get away with has seen many sporting teams over the years beat more talented rivals who chopped and changed their lineup for what ever reason. In the 2013 Rugby League World Cup…
New Zealand has smashed Papua New Guinea 56-10 in Leeds. The Kiwi’s started in ominous fashion by scoring a try after just 2 minutes. They backed that up with a second try after just 6 minutes. I could go on and tell you about every try scoring play the New Zealand team had in the…
Forget the score line, forget that one team won and the other lost. Forget the implications for the World Cup tournament….because none of it matters. New Zealand’s 42-24 win over Samoa was simply a fantastic game of Rugby League that had just about everything you could want in a sporting contest! New Zealand started the…
Sometimes even a player like Sonny Bill Williams gets it terribly wrong! Sonny Bill Williams is normally a man that can do no wrong but in New Zealands 42-24 win over Samoa in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup SBW had his very own LOL moment! After breaking the Samoan line and looking like he…
World Champions New Zealand have defeated the Cook Islands 50-0 in a World Cup warm up match overnight. New Zealand looked very sharp early on and really dominated the Cook Islands, who were probably not as bad as the scoreline suggests. Issac Luke was a stand out for New Zealand who gave a glimpse of…
New Zealand’s 2008 Rugby League World Cup triumph was an incredible moment for Rugby League. I was lucky enough to be at that match and I have to say it was a pleasure to witness Rugby League history in the making. The 2008 New Zealand team cemented a place in the games history books and…
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup kicks off in a few weeks time and it should be a fantastic tournament that brings people together from many different parts of the world. It should be a moment in which Rugby League celebrates the real work that has been put in to get Rugby League established in…
When the Australian Rugby League Commission came into power there was a clear message that the new administration would have a “whole of game” approach to the decisions they made. In the past there was something of a disconnect between the NRL competition and the rest of Rugby League. The NRL was basically a company…
The New Zealand Herald is reporting that the NZRU has tabled a three year offer to Sonny Bill Williams and that they are quietly confident of securing his services for the 2014 season. The NZ Herald states that Williams has privately told those close to him that he is leaning towards a move away from…
Next years NRL All Star Game could be scrapped with concerns over player burnout and a crowded fixture list worrying clubs according to the Daily Telegraph. A final decision will be made at a meeting of NRL CEO’s this week with the proposed Rugby League 9’s competition in Auckland expected to take priority over the…
You’ve got to wonder about Rugby League administrators sometimes…. Rugby League International Federation secretary Andrew Hill has suggest that in an effort to provide the best World Cup possible, the RLIF would be willing to allow the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Benji Marshall to play in the World Cup even if that meant…
Plenty of good news overnight with Australia dominating the “Festival Of World Cups” held in England. Australia won four of the five World Cups on offer. Here are the results of all the finals: In the Women’s World Cup final Australia defeated New Zealand 22-12. In the Armed Forces World Cup final Australia defeated New…
At present a lot has been said about Origin ruining Club Football weekends as we have only 4 lacklustre games played per Origin weekend and only to keep broadcasters happy though most of these games are shells of themselves. For example Roosters vs. Bulldogs was Sonny Bill’s return to the Kennel at ANZ Stadium the…
The Sydney Roosters have re-signed Sonny Bill Williams through to the end of the 2014 season according to the Daily Telegraph. Williams made a smooth return to the game and has managed to avoid the injury problems that have plagued his career in the past. Over the last few weeks in particular Williams has looked…
The British and Irish Lions Rugby Union team is currently touring Australia. While Rugby Union in Australia might be a small sport that struggles to get a share of the spotlight, crowds have been good for their tour matches as Rugby Union fans come out of the woodwork and support the game. Steve Mascord this…
I think most people would agree that the SOO concept needs a bit of a revamp. Both to keep interest from a growing ‘non-Australian’ contingent of players and supporters (predominantly New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders) and to minimise the impact on NRL clubs, in a tight competition. Once again after only 1 origin game, we’ve…