South Sydney Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe has opened up about the departure of forward Sam Burgess to Rugby Union, claiming that Burgess would have stayed in Rugby League had he been able to play for New South Wales in the State Of Origin series. That is all well and good, but Sam Burgess isn’t from…
If a Rugby Union web site offered me three times as much money to write about Rugby Union, I’d ditch you lot faster than Sam Burgess decided to ditch the South Sydney Rabbitohs! Sure I’d probably develop narcolepsy, I’d have to come up with some stupid back story about a fancy school I didn’t actually…
In what has to be one of the most ridiculous things a current administrator has ever said, NRL Chief Operating Officer Jim Doyle has told the Sydney Morning Herald that he would like to see Rugby League 9’s turned into a hybrid game. While speaking of the potential to expand Rugby League 9’s into a…
I want to start this article by giving some background on myself. I will do this so people cannot respond saying that I am one-eyed or biased or don’t know what I am talking about. I am from Wales, a Union country, and grew up playing Rugby Union. I played the game to a reasonably…
The news that Sam Burgess has told Rabbitohs management that he will be heading to England to play Rugby Union next season has taken off across all the media websites and social media. The general feeling amongst Souths fans is that he has stabbed the club in the back, and our very own League Freak…
Reports out of England suggest that South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess has already signed a three year deal with the English Rugby Football Union that will see him playing Rugby Union for Bath by the end of 2014. Former English Rugby League player Andrew Farrell is said to have helped negotiate the deal during…
The Sunday Telegraph is reporting that Sam Burgess may opt out of his contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2015 and play Rugby Union for England at the Rugby Union World Cup. The Rugby Football Union in England has been desperate to boost their playing stocks in recent years. This has seen them target…
In a case of “What the hell are they thinking?”, the South Sydney Rabbitohs have signed Lote Tuqiri to a one season contract. Tuqiri has recently been playing Rugby Union in Ireland where he found himself the focus of the media for for alleged extra curricular activity. Lote Tuqiri’s last stint in the NRL was…
When Sonny Bill Williams left the NRL in 2008, to join French RU side Toulon, I never thought he would play the game of Rugby League again. I thought the way he left the game was way out of line and the ultimate act of betrayal. At the same time though I have always rated…
The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that Cronulla Shark prop Andrew Fifita met with Australian Rugby Union coach Ewen McKenzie and discussed the possibility of playing Rugby Union when his NRL contract expires in 2015. The meeting included former Rugby Union player Craig Gower and Fifita’s new manager Greg Willett. A switch to Rugby Union…
News that the Great Britain Rugby League team will take on the Australian Rugby Union team in a hybrid code match at Wembley Stadium next year has caused a debate among supporters of both codes. I have yet to see anyone that thinks this is great idea. The overwhelming feeling is that it shows the…
In a huge story broken by Phil Rothfield in today’s Sunday Telegraph, it is being reported that an agreement has been made between the Rugby Football League and Australian Rugby Union to play a cross code match at Wembley Stadium in 2014. The game would see the Great Britain Rugby League team taking on the…
The Gold Coast Titans are prepared to break the bank to lure Gold Coast Suns AFL player Karmichael Hunt back to Rugby League according to a News Limited report. Hunt does not come off contract until the end of 2014, the same time the Gold Coast Titans have a large amount of salary cap space…
Former England Rugby Union coach Clive Woodward has caused a bit of a backlash in a long winded article about the English Rugby Union team. In his his Mail Online article Woodward came off like a bloke that has had too many people blowing smoke up his arse. The type of self important bullshit that…
There has been numerous complaints about eligibility rules for players of dual heritage or the grandfather rule calling it a farce even by Mr League Freak himself, yet so far we have seen the strongest and closest World Cup yet. International Eligibility Rule states a player may represent a country if it is their country…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the South African Rugby Leagues fight to be recognised as a sport independent of Rugby Union could be over within weeks should the countries 2017 World Cup bid open the right doors to the right people. Rugby League in South Africa has been fighting a ridiculous battle recently…
The Sydney Daily Telegraph is reporting that NRL clubs are lining up to take a tilt at signing Australian Rugby Union player James O’Connor. O’Conner has become something of an outcast in Australian Rugby Union ranks in recent times with the ARU cutting its central funding to him due to off field issues and “Super…
Sonny Bill Williams is staying in Rugby League for the 2014 season after committing to a one year contract extension that he will take up in February next year after a boxing match in January. Williams was expected to walk away from Rugby League again and head back to Rugby Union. His commitment to the…
Wigan Rugby league fullback Sam Tomkins has revealed that he would like to switch codes and play Rugby Union in time to play in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Tomkins told TheTelegraph.co.uk that it would be “amazing” to play in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup and that he wants to be a part…
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…
In 1999 Rugby League in Australia wasn’t in a very good position. It was still recovering from the Super League War, it was cutting back on spending, it was looking to kick teams out of the competition…basically it was in damage control. At the same time Rugby Union in Australia was starting to come to…
Benji Marshall is one of my favourite Rugby League players. I’m not a Wests Tigers fan but over the years I have watched nearly every game Marshall has played. His combination of incredible footwork and skill is something you rarely see from a playmaker. Marshall has been the best player on the field in so…
For well over a decade now there has been talk of an exhibition match between the Australian Kangaroos Rugby League team and the Australian Rugby Unions Mustard Disgrace. The money is supposedly being put up by ANZ Stadium and a mystery broadcaster. The money on offer is supposedly huge. It is something that is brought…
Ben Barba’s move back to Queensland for family reasons is set to be a very lucrative one… The Brisbane Sunday Mail is reporting that the Brisbane Broncos are ready to table a four year deal Ben Barba that will also see the club pay compensation to the Canterbury Bulldogs for the right have the 2012…
Sydney Morning Herald writer Adrian Proszenko is reporting that the Salford Reds have made a huge offer for Sonny Bill Williams. The deal is said to be worth over $1 million per season, a figure that would simply be unworkable under the current Super League salary cap. While it seems extremely far fetched, I think…
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Israel Folau will re-sign with the ARU for a further two season. The deal is apparently just waiting for a few loose ends to be tied up by the ARU and the deal with be announced shortly. Folau was linked heavily to the Bulldogs over the last few…
The idea of each club being able to sign one player outside of the salary cap sounds like a great idea. Anything to keep the best players in the world sounds fantastic. I’m the first to say that the NRL needs to do something to make sure our elite players remain in Rugby League….but the…
Benji Marshall had a handshake agreement with the Wests Tigers to get a contract upgrade, and extension that would see him finish his career as a one club man. When the Wests Tigers went back on their word, Benj Marshall has a big decision to make. He could take less money than originally intended, and…
Benji Marshall is likely to play Rugby Union in 2014 after asking for a release from the Wests Tigers from the remainder of his contract. Marshall, who has been on a mid season holiday in Bali, informed the Tigers via his manager of his intentions. The Tigers are likely to grant him a release. When…
With pretty much all of Rugby Union’s interest in Australia currently surrounding former Rugby League player Israel Folau, it is pretty clear that the ARU is desperate to re-sign the former Queensland State Of Origin winger and keep him from returning back to the greatest game of all. When asked about what the Australian Rugby…