League "World" Cup

[rowan]

That was it? 6-0?? I suppose we did have one low-scoring and very dramatic final in SA a couple of decades ago, but I expected a few more points than this...

[morepork]

That was a proper old school test match. Hard luck England. They put up a great fight.

[rowan]

The post-match interviews sounded like a combination of Neighbours & Coronation Street . . .

Not saying they had awful accents or anything. But they could've used subtitles to help us understand...

[morepork]

Yes, what grubby working class oiks.

[rowan]

Eeh bah gum, lad! 'Ave ya nowt to do but mither?!

[rowan]

I have some Mancunian ancestry on my mother's side, actually, while my father's side of the family mostly live in Sydney & Brisbane now. So I suppose I should've been right in my element.

This guy's got it nailed:

[rowan]

[rowan]

Apparently a number of former All Blacks are now campaigning to have the eligibility rules changed back to what they were a few decades ago, so that they could turn out for their ancestral homelands. I am all for players having the choice of playing for the country they were born & raised in, or either their ancestral home or a country they have moved to and spent a reasonable amount of time living in (at least several years). But that should be it. No changing back and forth and treating the Pacific Islands as the All Blacks B, C & D teams. One player, one country. Rugby Union has put in a tremendous amount of work to globalize its game and doesn't need to take a massive step backward to try and resemble a sport which hasn't.

[morepork]

Why does the relative scale of the two codes cause you so much angst?

[rowan]

Or ask yourself, why do I cause you so much angst, little man?

[morepork]

Because you're a bit of a dick?

[rowan]

Former Manu Samoa Sevens player, Orene Aii, has hit out at calls that former All Black players should switch to rugby league if they want to represent Samoa, Tonga or Fiji.

In response to a column penned by Duncan Johnstone titled “Rugby must stay deaf to All Black Charles Piutau's pleas to play for Tonga” on Stuff, Aii who has represented Samoa and New Zealand in Secens, said the powers that be need to do what is best for rugby as a sport.

“Duncan Johnstone saying that players should “make a decision and stick to it” when it comes to rugby allegiance,” Aii posted on social media.

“I’ve read a lot of negative comments from people on this issue… yet I don’t see Duncan or these other people writing the same things when coaches jump from country to country for financial gain or for better international coaching opportunities. Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, Eddie Jones, Robbie Deans to name a few all coached different countries.

Story continues here: http://sobserver.ws/en/05_12_2017/rugby ... -rules.htm

[Parsifal]

That was a proper old school test match. Hard luck England. They put up a great fight.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I was trying to watch the game and the Ashes Test at the same time. Was it Cameron Smith that James Graham (quite audibly) called, "A cheating cynt"?

[morepork]

That was a proper old school test match. Hard luck England. They put up a great fight.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I was trying to watch the game and the Ashes Test at the same time. Was it Cameron Smith that James Graham (quite audibly) called, "A cheating cynt"?

More than once.

[rowan]

Latest:

Former All Blacks Ma'a Nonu, Steven Luatua and Victor Vito have joined Charles Piutau, Frank Halai as players linked to a switch to Pacific Island nations for the next Rugby World Cup.

Piutau and Halai, who both have Tongan ancestry, want World Rugby to loosen the eligibility rules to allow capped players to return to tier-two nations.

An identical policy has been introduced in rugby league and the Daily Mail report that Nonu and Vito could also make themselves available for Samoa under the proposals.

Story continues here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/ar ... d=11952640

[rowan]

A Balkans Cup (rugby league) with at least 12 teams from six nations (Serbia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey) is set for 2018

[rowan]

Story on Canada's Wolfpack league team here: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-he ... ootball-us

[rowan]

https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/wh ... ing-sport/

[rowan]

Numbers confirm Rugby League World Cup now utterly dwarfed by Union equivalent

Last year’s RLWC saw 373,461 people pass through the stiles, with an average attendance across its 28 games of 13,338, a drop of 18 percent on the previous tournament’s average of 16,374.

Its union equivalent in London in 2015 saw 2,477,805 attend the tournament’s 48 games; this despite RWC2015 being the most expensively ticketed large-scale sporting event in history.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/numbers- ... equivalent

[rowan]

Melbourne smash Leeds in the World Club challenge:

So they still have this then? I guess it's a no-brainer when you've only got two pro competitions in the world https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/02/16/mel ... orkContent

What happened to the uni equivalent. I know the annual fixture in France was farcical but had hoped it would develop into something we could take remotely seriously one day...

[morepork]

Change the fuckin record man.

[rowan]

Melbourne smash Leeds in the World Club challenge:

So they still have this then? I guess it's a no-brainer when you've only got two pro competitions in the world https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/02/16/mel ... orkContent

What happened to the uni equivalent. I know the annual fixture in France was farcical but had hoped it would develop into something we could take remotely seriously one day...

[rowan]

Pretty sure the Kadikoy Bulls are the exact same bunch of guys who play for Kadikoy in the local rugby union comp. I've communicated a few times with their French coach, though I've never met him personally. The other Istanbul team involved is from Bilgi University. A few of my pals have taught there.

EXPANDED BALKAN SUPER LEAGUE KICKS OFF FEATURING 15 TEAMS FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES

The second Balkan Super League kicks off this weekend with a significant increase in interest. A total of 15 teams will take part in five groups of three, including participation from rugby league debutants Albania and Montenegro, together with Greece, joining sides from Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Bosnia Herzegovina. Applications were also received from South Africa and Russia.

In the first season last year eight clubs participated, Serbian side Partizan defeating Belgrade rivals Red Star 32-26 in the Grand Final.

BSL commissioner Dragan Pavlovic commented: “We planned to build the competition but this is a huge step in just one season. It will be challenging while doubling the number of teams, but it is great to see how our sport can grow in this part of continent.” Over 300 players are expected to take part over the summer.

The opening three games will be played this Sunday 18 March, with Bulgarian side Locomotive hosting defending champions Partizan in Sofia. In Belgrade, Dorcol take on Vitez from Bosnia Herzegovina, while Radnicki Novi Beograd play Bosnian debutants Banja Luka Warriors.

Group A: Radnicki Novi Beograd (Serbia), Kadikoy Bulls (Turkey), Banja Luka Warriors (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Group B: Partizan (Serbia), Lokomotiv (Bulgaria), Aris Eagles (Greece).

Group C: Radnicki Nis (Serbia), Attica Rhinos (Greece), Klubi Regbise Tirana (Albania).

Group D: Dorcol (Serbia), Vitez (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Juzna Regija (Montenegro).

Group E: Red Star (Serbia), Rhodes Knights (Greece), Bilgi Badgers (Turkey).

[rowan]

Don't be surprised if Zimbabwe competes at the next installment, and probably with more legitimacy than about half the countries there. Apparently their ruggers are being signed in their droves by British rugby league clubs: https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/ti ... irst-team/

Plenty of Zimbos playing union abroad as well, of course. Here's a XV, just for example:

1. Gabriel Sipapate (Caceres, Spain)/Lovejoy Chatawama (London Irish)
2. Brian Muntanga (Life University, USA)
3. Farai Mudariki (Tarbes, France)
4. Jannie Stander (Pumas, SA) / Jan Ferreira (False Bay, SA)
5. Eli Snyman (Blue Buls, SA)
6. Michael Botha (False Bay, SA)
7. Connor Pritchard (Colleges Knights, Australia) / Nyasha Tarusenga (University of Cape Town)
8. Njabulo Ndlovu (UWC, SA)
9. Hilton Mudariki (Jersey, England) / Peter Du Toit (Clontarf RC, Ireland) / Ian Prior (Western Force, Australia)
10. Nick Holton (Manly, Australia)
11. Sam Phiri (Western Province U19
12. Riaan O'Neill (False Bay, SA)
13. Justin Zietsman (Joondalup, Australia)
14. Tafadzwa Chitokwindo / Dylan Baptista (Tottonians RFC, England)
15. Tapiwa Mafura (Leopards, SA) / Brandon Mandivenga (Loughborough, England)

[morepork]

One dood = a drove