International RL Blog

The RLEF board has awarded observer status to Cameroon Rugby League XIII, an association based in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital city.   “ Rugby league will give Cameroonian youth strong human and social values; solidarity, courage and citizenship,”   said CRLXIII chairman Samuel Tayou.  “Physically, rugby league is well suited to Africans and the game is just spectacular.”   Tayou heads a seven-strong executive committee which was elected by its 26 Directors in 2017, in line with the French system. However, the Cameroon story is now in its sixth year and currently involves eight member clubs: Yaoundé-based Dragons RL, Bulls RL, Raiders RL, Petou Institut RL and Panthers RL; plus Nyété Bulls, Babadjou RL and Kumba RL. Another five clubs are in the process of being formed. “Everything started in 2012 with (former Kangaroo international) Michael Hancock in Brisbane, who embraced my idea to set up rugby league in Cameroon,” explains Carol Manga, CRLXIII’s gen...

Two tries in three minutes at the start of the second half saw the Czech R. emerge triumphant, 26-6, against Hungary at the KFKI Sporttelep in Budapest. Centre Martin Košťál and second rower Richard Gach did the damage after the break, the visitors running in five tries in all in the first official Test match between the nations. “The game gave us an excellent opportunity to bring through new players and expose them to a higher standard of rugby league,” said Czech assistant coach Petr Šedina.  “All six debutants have made us proud of their efforts. The Hungarians fought until the end and earned our respect for the way they contested for 80 minutes. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Budapest and look forward to welcoming them in less than a month.” Winger András Nemes crossed for a late, deserved consolation for the hosts. HRLF official and player Zsolt Luakcs noted: “It was honour to host the Czech Republic on the day of the sixth anniversary of Hungarian Rugby Leag...

The RLEF has awarded Observer status to Polska Rugby XIII, the national governing body of the sport in the country. The association was formed in 2015 but rugby league has been played in Poland since 2011 when founder Lukasz Lucka discovered the game on the internet and decided it was the perfect sport for the youth of his home city, Lodz. “This is a great milestone for us and the best reward for all the hard work we have put in so far developing rugby league in Poland,” said Lucka. “We look forward to kicking off a Polish rugby league championship and to play our first full international later this year.” Since the creation of Lodz Magpies, five more clubs have followed; Tomaszów Wild Bears, Sparta Brzeziny, Skierniewice Razorbacks, Stryków Bulls, and Wataha (‘the Wolfpack’) Piotrków Trybunalski. Polska Rugby XIII currently has a federation application lodged with the local authorities which will aid further recognition. The governing body has set itself four core objecti...

RLEF Central & Eastern Europe regional director,  Jovan Vujosevic,  recently announced plans for the Balkan Cup in October 2017.  He described progress made by the Turkish RL Association, how they will host the GB Student Pioneers and continued: "the national team will play in the Belgrade Euro 9s in June and the Balkan Cup in October 2017 alongside Serbia, Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria who are so far confirmed.”

Serbia have confirmed themselves as a driving force behind European RL development by launching the Balkan Super League (BSL) This ambitious competition includes four clubs from Serbia and a team each from Bosnia Herzegovina, Turkey, and Bulgaria. It has the potential to become an elite club competition and is the result of hard work being done to develop the game domestically in a number of European countries. It is expected that Greece will enter at least one club in the BSL after the RLEF recently granted them Observer status. The travel distances and costs across southern/eastern Europe make the BSL an attractive proposition for clubs and it provides players with an opportunity to develop skills and play at a higher level. Serbian RL President and BSL Director, Blagoje Stoiljković believes bigger things are on the horizon. “We are confident that this is just a first step in the prosperous future of the sport in region. Serbia as a rugby league leader in this part of th...

A magnificent display from man of the match, Kadıköy full-back Alican Acar – who crossed for five of their 13 tries – saw the Bulls triumph 66-14 in the first-ever Turkish Rugby League Grand Final. Centre Aykut Kanaclar also claimed a hat trick, as the unbeaten Bulls took the trophy at the Maltepe Stadium in Istanbul. Eren Kemal Sen grabbed a brace of touchdowns, Onur Ersoy, Doruk Celiktutan and Taylan Kokuroglu also crossing, whilst Behzad Jalili kicked seven goals. Kadıköy captain Doruk Celiktutan commented: “It was much higher quality than I expected even though it’s the first time we have held such a competition in Turkey. It shows the huge potential here. All our teams have improved with each game played.” Their coach Julien Treu, the instigator of the competition, added: “I would like to congratulate all the teams who took part of this first rugby league championship, the fixtures were fulfilled and we had some very exciting matches. Thanks also needs to go to everybody...

Two new sides and the return of three other teams will see a strengthening of the domestic competition in Ireland in 2017, which kicks off next month. In Northern Ireland Belfast Eagles, who have been solely running junior rugby league have now extended to include an open age side within their setup. They will join the existing three Ulster teams to make a four-team championship, whilst in the south Galway Bay Pirates will make their debut. The Pirates will play friendlies in their inaugural season and will be dual registered with neighbours and current champions Galway Tribesmen to assist in their development. Meanwhile, in the North, a trio of familiar names return. “There is a feeling of nostalgia and progress for the upcoming season,” says Ulster provincial official Steve Hogan. “Limerick’s finest, Treaty City Titans, return after a troubled 2016 season which culminated in the team standing down mid-season. They come back hoping to return to former glories and are joined b...

Italian rugby league club Saluzzo Roosters have completed their debut season in French competition, celebrating by winning their final match of the campaign. The town, situated in the north west 40km from the French border, played in the French Federation’s Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur championship and completed their season with a 26-16 victory in the final match against St Martin XIII, triggering euphoric scenes in the Centro Sportivo di Manta. Elio Giacoma, coach of the Roosters, was ecstatic after leading his side on an unprecedented journey, labelling it, “a wonderful adventure.” “I am so proud of my boys,” he said. “We ended the season with an unexpected victory. We took so many risks with this decision and were aware of all the difficulties to start a new life in rugby league. We invested lot of time to start this new adventure but we had great return, not just with the final weekend victory, but the whole region answered our call and supported us.” FIRL and the club beg...

Rotterdam Pitbulls begin the defence of their NRLB title this weekend when they face newcomers Harderwijk Dolphins. In the other match to open proceedings, Amsterdam Cobras play host to Den Haag Knights. This season the teams will meet each other home and away for the Minor Premiership with the top two then contesting the Championship title and the others battling for third place in a double-header Grand Final, in Rotterdam on 10 June. NRLB development officer Jason Bruygoms, who is also player/coach of the of the Pitbulls said at the season launch:   “After an undefeated 2016 season, our main focus is to retain our title and, with more challenges than last year, we have a lot of work ahead of us.” Lou Benders of the Amsterdam Cobras commented:  “Having trained all year round and played winter games which were lots of fun, the guys have grown and improved as a team. We also have some fresh new talent and now a steady base of league-only players to hopefully compet...

A total of 16 nations attended the RLEF congress held in Bray near Dublin, Ireland last weekend, with delegates from Turkey and Bulgaria joining for the first time. Both nations are in the latter stages of forming associations whilst Poland submitted their application for Polska Rugby XIII to receive formal recognition. The Council endorsed the Board’s recommendation to re-appoint Paul Nicholson as an independent director for a further two years. Nicholson, CEO of Inside World Football, is taking the lead on the RLEF’s broadcast partnerships as the sport prepares to move into a new eight-year cycle following next year’s World Cup. “The next two years are very important for international rugby league in Europe as more nations become increasingly competitive,” said Nicholson. “As the RLEF has expanded so we need to work on increasing and improving our media footprint." “With the international calendar becoming clearer, we have an identifiable set of rights that can be t...

Wales Dragonhearts fought hard to earn a 40-32 win over the German national side that contained some professional players. The Dragonhearts, the representative side of the community ranks in Wales, were disappointed to have their first match of the tour against British Army Germany called off on the day, so were extra determined to do well in this game. It was deadlock at half-time after both sides scored three tries and converted twice. Ethan Coombes, who has scored tries in almost every game he’s played this season in his debut rugby league campaign with Valley Cougars and South Wales Scorpions Development, opened the scoring in Osnabrück on Saturday with Mike Hurley converting. Dafydd Phillips and Sam Baker each added scores for Wales before the break, Hurley converting the first.  Germany replied with tries from Andy Hoggins, Ben Dent and Ben White, Dent converting the first two, to set up an action packed second half, which Wales edged, scoring five tries to three. Dean Higgs ...

Italy played Lebanon in the Med Cup on 11/6/16 in Catania

Turkey, who have been playing rugby league for less than a year, made their international debut facing Greek Titans at the Kallipatira Stadium on the island of Rhodes. The hosts, featuring 12 players from the domestic RLEF Greek Rugby League competition, won 86-0 but the Turks – who reached the final of the Rhodes 8s in the build-up – showed great promise. The Greeks were in control from the start with centre Mitchell Zampetides, who finished with six touchdowns, and Rhodes winger Panayiotis Lampousis both scoring a brace of tries to give the home side a 16-0 lead after 23 minutes. Zampetides registered his hat trick in the 28th minute before he was sin binned soon after, whilst Turkey lost centre Onur Ersoy, sent off for alleged kicking out, and playing with one less player began to take its toll. Winger Yiannis Valasas from the Aris Eagles club in Athens, finished off a back line move to score in the 35th minute and give the Titans a 26-0 lead at the interval. The second h...

Former international captain Marc Palanques, who was elected president of the French Rugby League Federation in early July, has joined the board of the Rugby League European Federation. A multiple championship and cup winner in a long and distinguished career, he returned to French rugby league in 2015, becoming co-chairman of Carcassonne in 2015 and is keen to make a contribution to the European governing body. “ Our international teams must meet frequently, from young players to full national sides,” he said. “We need to further integrate development between the membership. The RLEF has the desire to build a strong ‘Europe of Rugby XIII’ and I am very motivated to work with them in helping to further broaden their scope and influence. “I’m really looking forward to meeting all the members for the first time and to participate in their congress in Dublin at the end of the month.”

The weekend of the 24-25 September is set to be the most prolific in the history of the Rugby League European Federation. Five internationals across three age groups and two continents under the RLEF’s jurisdiction are scheduled, with matches taking place in Spain, Czech Republic, Serbia, Canada and Scotland. “This year has continued the trend that has seen RLEF members strengthening their cooperation with one another and seeking opportunities to engage in more competition,”   said RLEF general manager Danny Kazandjian.  “There have been a number of historic firsts, especially at youth level, which is an encouraging sign that the sport is establishing itself in a number of different nations. “More home-grown young players are demanding more rugby league and in increasing numbers our members, by working with neighbours and trusted partners, are able to satisfy that demand.” In recent weeks, Ireland has played their first match at U16 level and Jamaica hosted Canada...

The first ever official game of Rugby League took place in Bulgaria on Saturday September 10th 2016, when local team Locomotive Sofia welcomed their neighbours from Serbia, Radnički (Niš). Whilst the result was officially recorded as 44-16 - the full story of the day was that the newcomers put up a spirited performance and scored three tries against their more experienced visitors. The match came about after a chance meeting on holiday but was promoted once again by the excellent development work undertaken in the region by the Serbian Rugby League Federation. It is hoped that with continued support, Bulgaria may form its own federation and join the growing family of Rugby League playing nations in Europe.

An experienced Belgian team got off to a winning start in the Triangular series after a dominant second half performance saw them power past a German side who must now beat the Netherlands to avoid the wooden spoon. Germany took an early lead in Dusseldorf through their captain Mawuli Amefia, but struggled to keep their more experienced opponents at bay, with strong running and decisive passing putting Leclerq and Bertrand over for well taken tries. Despite the pressure on their line, the Germans began to get into the game and came close on several occasions to finding a try, only to be held up as they attempted to truck it up the middle, rather than sending it out to the wing. The pressure finally told and Amefia got his second try with a quick turn of pace that saw him speed clear, with Keinhorst adding his second conversion to give Germany a 12-10 lead at half time. The game continued at a ferocious pace in the second half with both sides trying to force a way through. This brou...

A total of 19 coaches have graduated from the first level 1 course held in the municipality of Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The course, which featured men and women, was led by Serbian Rugby League Federation coach educator Slobodan Manak. The local council provided a conference room and pitch, participant and Turkey RL board member Oytun Çölok commenting: “I have learned a lot of things about coaching generally and the basics of rugby league, it was very good. We have had so much help that I feel we are at the beginning of something very special.” Following the course, the initial domestic activity in the country saw 140 players take part in a five-a-side league tournament on Kadikoy beach, involving 12 male and three female teams. In all, six clubs and three university sides took part encompassing the cities of Istanbul, Edirene, Eskisehir and Konya, with over 40 games played. Kadikoy beat Ottomans in the men’s final with the hosts also winning the female ...

Marc Palanques is the new Federation Française de Rugby a Treize president, the federation’s 15th leader, following elections held this weekend. Twenty-four directors have also been elected from whom an executive committee will be appointed under Palanques, who will resign his seat on the AS Carcassonne XIII board as he replaces Toulousain incumbent Carlos Zalduendo. Monsieur Palanque won 218 of 332 votes following a three-month campaign that promised to prioritise the French Elite championship and the national team, and he will now work to re-unify what amounts to two blocs within the electorate. FFRXIII will nominate a new director to the RLEF Board in due course. Monsieur Zalduendo will also step down from the Rugby League International Federation Board, where he sat as one of two RLEF-nominated directors, alongside Graeme Thompson.

European Championship C will begin in Rivne, Ukraine next weekend when the hosts meet the Czech Republic.  The return match will be in Havlickuv Brod in October. Ukraine were relegated from Euro B last season. EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP C 25/6/16     Ukraine vs Czech R.     Rivne, Ukraine 8/10/16     Czech R. vs Ukraine     Havlickuv Brod, Czech R.