International RL Blog

The Crusaders fiasco was very depressing for all true RL fans Does this signal the end of RL expansion for good? Will we retreat to the M62? I hope not. We must move forward or die and the alternative is a slow painful death where we gradually contract and eventually disappear up our own collective rectal aperture (as they say in Hull) Expansion is possible if handled correctly. Despite some setbacks, Les Catalans have been a great success and are now one of the strongest clubs in SL. Let's tell Toulouse they can join in 2014 as soon as we can and give them every opportunity to prepare. They are a big vibrant club from a big city and can bring far more to the table than the other likely applicants which are, from at best medium sized depressed towns.           I still think Wales could be a big success to if handled correctly. The problem in Wrexham was lack of funds but why that should be a problem when the RFL receives millions from it's sponsors...

17/7/11     Crusaders  20  Castleford  26     Wrexham This fixture turned out to be the last match Crusaders played before the grim reaper tolled the death knell on their SL existence. It might turn out to be the last match they ever play. They welcomed back seven players who were suspended for breaking the clubs disciplinary code which seems laughable now but they were keen to get some wins under their belt before the end of the season. Castleford were without star player Rangi Chase through suspension but welcomed back ex-Crusader Nick Youngquest after a long injury break Castleford opened the scoring through Jordan Thompson before Jason Chan, Lloyd White and Jordan Tansey gave Crusaders a 14-6 half time lead although they were clearly the better side and were very unlucky to see two tries disallowed by the video ref especially one by Stuart Reardon in the corner. After the break Youngquest and Jarrod Sammut swapped tries while Crusaders cont...

"The more things change the more they stay the same" The Crusaders fiasco  is Gateshead Thunder and Paris St Germain all over again. I don't understand how a sport with an expansionist agenda, which receives millions of pounds from it's sponsors, can allow a team like the Crusaders to fail on financial grounds yet allow three other teams,  recently out of administration to carry on. If this is a three year process  why did it all happen at the last minute? I feel particularly sorry for the loyal Welsh fans and hard working Crusaders players, some of whom have recently signed new contracts.  The RFL and the club owners have a lot of questions to answer and Rod Findlay has a track record to defend.  Will the Crusaders carry on in the Championship? If they don't, well it says it all  Where does this leave RL expansion? Will it ever be attempted again? Where does this leave Welsh RL, the 2011 Four Nations, the 2013 World Cup and international ...

Do you realise that during the Super League era from 1995 onwards, all the major finals have been contested by members of the big four of Bradford, Leeds, St Helens and Wigan except for Sheffield, Hull, Huddersfield and Warrington twice. Thankfully, as we move towards the business end of this season, things seem to be improving. We are not quite at the stage where a club can finish bottom one year and top the next but it has been a very competitive with eleven teams still competing for the play off places. Bradford are not the force they once were, Leeds are looking increasingly like yesterdays men and Huddersfield and Warrington seem to be emerging as strong competitors. Harlequins and Wakefield have had their moments, even bottom placed Crusaders have been competitive and been very unlucky to lose some close games. It's good to see some different trophy contenders and all true RL fans must be cheering on the Catalans, Huddersfield, Warrington or any other team from outside th...

  In 1915, fighting during World War I had reached an obvious stalemate in Northern France. The Allied governments were looking for a way forward and noticed that in parts of southern Europe there were long stretches of coastline with difficult terrain, defended by Austrian and Turkish forces who were perceived to be weak. Germany seemed to have a "soft underbelly" and if a bridgehead could be established it would be relatively easily link up with Russia and drive straight into the heart of Europe. The Gallipolli peninsula in present day Turkey was chosen as a point of attack but it proved to be much more difficult than expected. The coasts were windswept and bare with few bays and many steep cliffs. The land was well defended by 84 000 troops, the sea was heavily mined and attempts to use naval strength failed with the loss of two battleships. Despite this, on 25th April 1915, an Allied army containing a large number of Australians and New Zealanders (ANZACs) landed at Ga...

I have recently read about Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies fast bowler complain that India have too much power in world cricket. He cites as an example, their refusal to accept the standard review system to be used in the upcoming test series against England. Michael explains that he, along with many people in the Caribbean, is a fan of the successful Brazilian soccer team but FIFA would never allow Brazil to dictate terms to them. Does this scenario seem familiar? I am not a fan of FIFA but the RLIF should follow it's lead and not allow member countries to dictate terms. Like FIFA, the RLIF should be an independent organisation which supervises the sport throughout the world and it should not be out ranked by any member nation. The RLIF should not allow Australia (or any other nation) to dictate or interfere in any aspect of international RL including rules and referee appointment. If any nation refuses to cooperate we should give them the spanish archer and play ...

There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. I've just heard that Toulouse will withdraw from the English RL Championship and rejoin the French Elite 1.  This move is regrettable but became inevitable when it emerged that continued participation would not be a guaranteed stepping stone to Super League. Toulouse were in a strange position anyway by being forced to pay their own travelling expenses while the expenses of their English opponents were being subsidised.    We must now be bold because this is an obvious opportunity to relaunch the the French Championship with some top class marketing and targeted help. The money saved, said to be £400K per season, can be used to provide RL supporters in the South of France with some of the top class action they are crying out for.  France is a big, well developed country with a rugby culture...