If Sam Tomkins wants to play in the National Rugby League he will need to learn how to do one simple thing. Shut the fuck up! Sam Tomkins has a weekly article he writes for the UK’s Mail Online. It is actually a pretty good read if only for the fact that he doesn’t hold…
Who would have thought that after last years debacle the RFL would still press ahead with its disastrous International Origin match! You’ll have better luck putting a bet on Kentucky derby horse racing than you will predicting what the RFL does these days. The powers that be in England carry on these days like a crazy person that doesn’t realize they…
The ridiculous “International Origin” series set up by the Rugby Football League has been scaled back to just one game in 2013, no doubt a sign the series is already on its way out. This year the game will be played on Friday the 14th of June at Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington. Tickets will…
English Rugby League fullback Sam Tomkins has narrowly avoided death after being attacking by a white lion in South Africa. Tomkins, who is part of the English squad that is currently undergoing altitude training incorrectly thanks to the RFL, was taking in some of the local wild life when the vicious animal snapped and almost tore his…
I love international Rugby League. I grew up watching test football and enjoying every single minutes of it. I would set my alarm late at night to watch games played over in England, and I still credit the 1994 Kangaroo Tour for giving me the terrible sleeping habits I have today. Then Super League hit,…
Australia, New Zealand and England poach talent from other countries, and then they dare to suggest that no other country can offer them a decent contest, so they refuse to play anyone else. That is the current situation in international Rugby League right now. You have a bunch of growing Rugby League nations playing games…
In 1908, Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand was officially born. So too, unfortunately, was the first reported attempt to fix a game. Northerners though were always keen for a punt, however one punter attempted to go one step further to get a win. Wigan were the competition heavyweights for season 1908-09, and rightfully…
The Rugby Football League are very serious about winning the 2013 World Cup. So serious that they are looking to become pioneers. They are looking to go to extremes to get that winning edge. They are willing to go to all ends of the Earth to make sure they are the best prepared team bar…
If you needed any evidence as to why British Rugby League is written off, ignored or laughed about by outsiders, the England vs Exiles “International Origin” match would be pretty much all you needed to see. Played in front of a tiny, barely interested crowd, England managed to beat an Exiles team made up of…
Australia has State Of Origin. Oh, that was just a stand alone statement. That has nothing to do with these bloody ridiculous “International Origin” games the RFL have come up with because, if their eyes, this shithouse English side is too goo to play against the likes of say France or Wales. As Ian Golden…
So here we are, the 2011 Four Nations Final. Australia vs England at Elland Road in Leeds. England are full of confidence after their big win over New Zealand in Hull. I watched the game and England did play well, but New Zealand were terrible. I don’t know how much England is really going to…
So Australia gets to play the soap dodging, Stella drinking, pasty faced whingers from northern England again, and like clockwork, the Poms are talking up their chances and using words like Pride and Confidence. After their win last week against a Welsh team that included 8 part time players, the soap dodgers are on top…
Lets get right to a point that needs to be made. The Four Nations does not determine the best team in the world. We already have a competition for that, its called the World Cup. If Australia wins the Four Nations and wins every game by 50 points, the World Cup will still be sitting…
The Rugby Football League have announced a team which they will run out as a representative of England today, and there are a few interesting things to come out of it. The big news of the day is that Joel Tomkins asked to not be considered for selection for “Personal reasons”. Thise personal reasons are…
Rugby League in Great Britain is complex. It is small minded and yet at the same time it has this inflated opinion of itself. It is closed off and proud of its ability to not need any outside influences, and yet pounds its chest in triumph at the capture of a foreign player or coach….
Jack Reed is like a gift from the Rugby League Gods. Reed is a 23 year old center for the Brisbane Broncos. This time last year, he didn’t think he had much of a career ahead of him as far as Rugby League went. Perseverance paid off though and today he is a top performer…
I’ve been saying for some time that Rugby League in Great Britain, and Super League in particular needs fixing. In 1996 Rugby League in Great Britain was given a whole lot of money to help try and form an elite club competition that would provide broadcasters with a nice amount of content they could show…
Better late then never huh? So I didn’t want to comment on the “International Origin” game until I’d actually seen it. If you were scanning Twitter during the match, you will have seen how much fun I had with the match. In fact I tweeted so much, I got blocked as they were a limit…
There is something about playing for your state or your nation that you so special. The pride, the passion, the drama, the excitement….you just can’t manufacture that. Oh wait, you can it seems! Welcome to International Origin ladies and gentlemen, the Rugby Football Leagues latest bastard creation to try and save its slow decay to…
Rugby League is a funny sport in that, it is controlled by just a few countries, and yet there is a will to have it become a true international democracy, even though there is no way in hell that will ever happen! In the past, many in England have felt that the international schedule is…
A Pacific Islands All Star Team will face England in 2012 with England to do a tour of Australia and New Zealand. With no international competitions having been planned for 2012, the year before the World Cup, this is seen as a way to expose England to some high quality opposition, give Pacific Islanders a…
So what is a Rugby League World Cup supposed to be about? It’s an interesting question and one that could have a thousands different answers. For me a Rugby League World Cup has always been about the countries I don’t normally get to see. In fact, in any international competitions we have in our game,…
The draw for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup was announced with little warning at an event held in Salford over night. It was announced that 14 teams will take part in the next World Cup, which will be held in Great Britain, and the format for the group stages would be completely overhauled. I…
Something has been nagging away at me for a few weeks now, and I haven’t been able to make sense of it at all. Now, I think it has all come together. While still in Brisbane for the Four Nations Final, I kept being asked by people about the rumour that Australia was looking to…
New Zealand are the best Rugby League nation in the world, having proven it once again by beating Australia, on home soil, in a big final. While Australia now has to face up to why it has been beaten by New Zealand, its fair to say that on any given day, there is very little…
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations has been disappointing. The quality of football has been dreadful and when only two of the four teams have ANY chance of winning the tournament, you have to think of other ways to grab the public’s attention. People want to see a decent contest, you can’t sell people rubbish…
Australia has looked very unconvincing despite an easy win over an England side that is just totally out of their depth, winning by a scoreline of 34-14. The refereeing and touch judging was terrible in this match, but for all the whinging you’re likely to hear, it didn’t effect the result. Australia looked very impressive…
Laughter is under rated. I like to laugh, and for that reason, I like watching England play Rugby League because England make me laugh. Just look at poor old Sam Tomkins who this week said it was a myth that the NRL was a better competition than Super League. Forget the basic case you could…
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…
When you come to my web site, I’m not about to start blowing smoke up your arse. I’ll write about things that are uncomfortable to say, that you probably don’t want to read, and the idea of that is that you will go away thinking about your own opinions of the game. If you are…