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Sincere apologies for the recent lengthy period of downtime on the TotalRL.com Fans Forums. Suffice to say, it's been a bit of a nightmare trying to rebuild the thing almost from scratch, but everything should be back online now. It's inevitable after a major database rebuild that there will be a few glitches. If you spot anything a bit strange going on, please either post the details here or send me a PM. I've been working round the clock on this for the past five days, and it is now midnight on Wednesday, so I'm off to bed, hoping when I wake up tomorrow it will all still be up and running!! Fingers crossed...

What's more embarrassing is the standard of spelling and punctuation.

I don't know about that but what I do know is that the title of this thread is an embarrassment to our education system.

John, we all have differences of opinions on a wide variety of topics throughout this forum - that is what keeps it alive - but I am sure we will all agree, irrespective of which clubs we are interested in, that you do excellent work which we all thank you for.

Surely this is merely an administrative error that can be dealt with pragmatically?

Expansion to NYC and Ottawa makes the most influential newspaper in the USA. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/sports/rugby-league-new-york.html

It would be remiss of this board not to mark Eddie's retirement from the SKY box with a thread of its own. For like or not, Eddie Hemmings as much as Mike Stevenson has been the voice of Rugby League on Pay TV from 1988 to Good Friday 2019 when he bows out alongside Neville Smith the producer of Rugby League on SKY, keeping to a gentleman's agreement to stay on after Mike Stevenson's retirement to provide a couple of years of continuity as a man of his word, something others connected to Rugby League seem unable to keep these days.... If you express an opinion as a commentator or a journalist a large part of your audience is not going to like it and Eddie has been the butt of many a comment, some quite bizzare memorably being accused from being "a Ronald Reagan lookalike" to wearing a wig (actually he does have a bit of a bald patch on top if you ever lookdown on him from the stands as he scurries to the commentary scaffording -but no wig. those make up girls doing a sterling job on his coiffure). it seems to me as a southerner that like Eddie Waring and Ray French before him a lot of the criticism he has got is like a form of self-hatred from those who normally espouse the virtues of being a parochial sport but cringe when one of their own is presenting the game to a national audience And if in his commentary dotage he has not been as incisive as in the past, well that comes to all of us eventually, but to my mind his professional standards have never dropped certainly not to the extent that Henry Blofeld became a parody of himself on Test Match Special in his declining years. What the game should do is acknowledge the part he has played in popularising the game on pay TV and being the steady hand on the tiller of SKY coverage over the years. So good luck Eddie and enjoy your retirement.

I would like to thank him for everything he has achieved while in the role. Just remind me again.

Yesterday a press conference at Brutus. Bernard Guasch and the President of the Occitanie Region Carole Delga. An entente between the two which will see an aid package exceptional to support the mobilisation of fans for the Camp Nou event. The club want to see especially the schools of rugby in attendance in great numbers on the 18th May. Additionally the club have appointed Philippe Pidemunt as 'oganisations coordinator' for the historic event with around forty helpers involved. The club are pushing the boat out for this one like never before.

Oh I see we're revisiting the 'free tickets' square of the Wolfpack bingo card. Here's how it works, for the benefit of Parky and all the other nay-sayers who don't understand how marketing works: As a season ticket holder, I get two 'bring a friend' free tickets each season. Last year, I gave those to friends who had never seen a rugby league game in their lives but who appreciated the invitation to a good afternoon out. Shock horror, these two people got in free (although they both bought beer, so contributed to profit). One of those friends bought tickets to several other games last season, and brought family along on paid tickets, and the other got hooked and bought season tickets for this year. The two friends I go with regularly had similar experiences. Our three sets of season tickets in 2018 is now six sets of season tickets for 2019. In short, six free tickets (aargh! horrible! cheats!) turned into many subsequent ticket sales and three new sets of season tickets (great! wow! amazing!). Despite Parky's concerns about my welfare, I don't care if I sit next to someone who got in free. Quite the opposite: I am delighted. Because chances are, they'll be back, with cash in their pockets.

Did you use a cowbell to type that?

I'm not a fan and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a draw. In the majority of Golden Point matches the game turns into a procession of drop goals and becomes a game that is refereed and played completely differently than the 80 mins before.

Link? You're a condescending #####. Are you still referring to that article where somebody was miffed because someone else didn't say hi in a crowd? What's a non playing "membership" worth? Is a hundred bucks going to make a difference to anyone? How f*cking hard is it to spell Argyle? Their business, not anyone else's. By what measure? Prove it. I think most people with a vague interest in sports in Ontario know the exist, as well as some with no interest. I live two hours away from Toronto and people ask me about TWP. Beyond the borders of the province, and really the GTA, is pretty irrelevant in terms of "local market". Doesn't matter, fans should show up to watch their home team. TWP are not selling tickets in the UK are they? Their business, not yours. Guy comes in for free, buy two hot dogs and and two beers = profit. Up to TWP to decide how to get people in the door and how much to make off them the first time vs the hundredth time. Fans keep coming back = all that matters. There's a field, there's stands to watch. There's a place to buy beer and place to ###### it out. What more do you want? You're bitching about them losing money, isn't using an economically priced stadium a way to not do that? People ##### about teams playing in empty stadiums, isn't playing in Lamport vs BMO or Rogers Centre a way to not do that? The season starts in the dead of winter bud. Whether there's a dome on the field until April or not, it's stupid to play outside in Canada until then. Well, the lower mainland in BC, but then you'd be bitching about flights wouldn't you? You're a condescending #####. So? Most sports teams are owned by rich people. Lots of sports teams lose money. It can be for pride, pleasure, taxes, who knows. Their business, not yours. What' wrong with playing only 2/3s of the season at home? Why does any sports owner lose money? - see above. Their business, not yours. How hard is it to spell Ottawa? I have never seen it spelled wrong until multiple times on this website in the last week. You're a condescending #####. You're a condescending #####. The end of your second sentence rather cancels out the first. If the very heartland of the game can't grown how can anyone have an expectation of growth anywhere else? By your own statement you can tell that it's not a problem with "expansion" it's with the overall game. You're a condescending #####. Why does it need to? Why can't you be happy with thousands more enjoying the game that you like? Why can't you be happy that tens more players can make a full time living playing the game you like? Why do you think that these new clubs sustained existence won't inspire some grass roots? Do you have so little faith in the game? What's wrong with waiting for people to say "we want to play this game we like watching" instead of begging people to "please play this game, we like it so you should too"? Exactly. Never mind. Let people try their best and enjoy any benefits that may come.

Its been some time since I have commented on the forum. I have lurked occasionally but my professional life has had me very busy of late. However, I felt this news exciting enough to log in and comment. Somewhere in 2017 in one of the many exasperating endless threads debating Toronto/expansion I discussed at length for the potential of a viable franchise in Ottawa. In my professional opinion as a businessman it is a slam dunk, and great news for RL. Here are some of my thoughts as to why: 1) Ottawa is a large city with an even larger catchment area - beyond the local CMA which exceeds 1 million people it is in fact within easy driving distance of both Montreal and Kingston, and many Torontonians who are Wolfpack fans will think nothing of the 500km trip to go see a game in Ottawa whether the Wolfpack or new Ottawa team. 2) I grew up in Ottawa and can attest to the fact it is a very sports oriented city. And Ottawans like rugged sports so I see rugby being an easy sell to the population. Ottawa is also generally familiar with Rugby - I played while in high school and I think it will actually have an easier intro into Ottawa then it did into Toronto. BTW Ottawa has a fair sized UK expat population. 3) Ottawa is well known to peer sporting cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Philadelphia and having a team in Ottawa will allow for an easy sporting rivalry with any of these should they ever get involved in RL. A Toronto/Ottawa/NY basis for RL to gain a presence in NA is such a natural step. Should it come to fruition adding Boston and Philly would be an easy fit and result in very manageable travel times for both the local and visiting teams. 4) Ottawa is a very pleasant place to visit as a tourist. The venue is easy to get to. Its right beside the Rideau Canal which itself is a tourist attraction. Ottawa has many attractions which can easily keep any tourist busy for several days. And if coming from the UK it cuts about an hour off the flight time. Plus Montreal is an alternative for flights. 5) Landsdowne is a modern stadium in great shape. It beats the pants off almost all the other RL grounds. Its easy to get to as its just off the highway. Its served by public transit. One potential matter might be some scheduling conflicts with the CFL team that the backers also own, but I think that is very easily resolved. 6) the Ottawa partner is very successful. They have the deep pockets such that this venture is not even remotely a stretch for them. Other then the NHL hockey team they own every other major sporting entity in the city already, and have promotion & marketing down to a science. They know their market and how to work it. The entire cost associated with the RF team including travel etc is likely not even a secondary expense figure on their annual statements. If only we had more ownership groups in RL that were as capable and financially sound as this one. 7) There will be no lack of external sponsors - there are a lot large companies with a major presence in Ottawa. Ottawa is one of the high tech hubs in North America as well as a major legal hub due to government. I expect corporate boxes will sell out quickly. I can see Ottawa getting to 8-10k attendance very quickly and Lansdowne park lends itself much more to the type of atmosphere the WolfPack has created as its a much larger space that is traditionally set up for family type events. 7) I do believe having a 2nd Canadian team will imprint upon the psyche of young Canadians the potential of pursuing RL rugby as a sport. It will improve the potential for government funding. Even Ottawa weather is not what it used to be. In the 60's and 70's it was common for the winter temp to be below -20C from end of Nov to end of March continuously. This is a pipedream now. I suspect by mid april games could be played outdoors. I also think they could actually cover Lansdowne but I don't think they have enough reasons yet to justify the cost. And a few early season games in the RL is not enough on their own to justify that expense. With all due respect to Man of Kent and his observation of having visited some family and thinking Ottawa is dull, I beg to disagree. Ottawa would not get a million people attending its winter carnival, all freezing their asses off in Feb, were it a dull place. But I suppose in the end each place we visit is what we make of it. Some do better then others in this regards. I think away visitors will not have any difficulties finding many attractions to enjoy. Thus about Perez and the ownership group and the capability to make Ottawa a viable RL entity I have no qualms. On the usual matters debated ad nauseam on the forum such as the amount of talent available, developing Canadian junior talent, etc I am happy to let someone else discuss - I think they are non-issues. Edit: I think Rowley will be a contender to be coach.

Great news for Menzie and his family. http://www.sheffieldeagles.com/article/52611/update-menzie-yere

I know a lot of water has passed under the bridge, people should not be held responsible for the actions of previous generations, time heals old wounds and as a sport these events offer the chance to show we are a mature, confident and open sport. But I would still have told them to #@%$ off.

There is no lack of ambition at Thatto Heath Crusaders. But if we attempted to move to League One we wouldn’t get any funding from the RFL as we’re not an expansion team, we would struggle to get grants to upgrade the facilities further once we enter the professional realms, we would have to sacrifice training slots and use of the facilities of our junior, girls, womens, masters teams just so our semi-amateur team could have the run of the place. We wouldn’t be able to run three open age teams for players of differing abilities, every Saturday through the season as we would have to pay out wages/expenses to players who are turning up for the money rather than because they want to be part of a group of players that are happy to pay £12 a month to receive great coaching from unpaid volunteers in order to be part of something with there mates. I’m not wanting to bag the expansion teams as there are great people doing a lot of great work to make it happen, but I’d question whether the RFL might be spending their money more wisely if they were investing it in heartland community clubs as opposed to funding expansion teams who are only dragging players in from the the NCL, NWML, YML etc., Training in heartland areas and in turn weakening those competitions from where they are dragging those players from, all for the promise of £200 a win and £50 a loss. (Which by the time lads have trained twice a week and travelled to god knows where on a weekend probably isn’t even minimum wage). Meanwhile they’re doing very little to produce new talent from the grassroots in those areas all because they are trying their hardest to make ends meet and keep their head above water. So next time you suggest there’s a lack of ambition in the NCL, I’d suggest that you do some research into the 50 odd clubs working their stones off and scraping round to pay the bills, while producing 99.9% of the talent for expansion teams and getting next to nothing in return. But Hey ho, if you see it as a lack of ambition then that’s what it must be. Good luck in the future. I’m pretty confident we and the rest of the ambitionless NCL teams will still be here doing great work in the community 20/30/50 years time, producing the next generation of rugby league stars.

I hate seeing the losing team on the field laughing and joking with the opposition. Do that in the sheds afterwards, not on the field when you have just let all of your fans down big time.

I am no fan of Labour but I think this speach by Lammy could be the one that ends up in the history books (especially if the TIGs / ChangeUk becomes something) - I challenge anyone to read it and tell me where it is not on the money Mr Speaker, I have faced many challenges in the two decades I have sat in this house. But Sunday 7th August 2011, the morning after the Tottenham riots, was by far the greatest. Walking on broken glass, past burnt-out cars, homes and businesses, comforting men and women still in their pyjamas, I saw the place I had lived my whole life turned to ashes. Many members of the community were urging me to say that the killing of Mark Duggan by police, which had sparked the riots, justified this rage. That the families made homeless, the burnt out buses and houses, and the looted shops were worth it. They told me that I had to say this wrong was right. Mr Speaker, it was not easy. But I had to look my community in the face, and tell them this violence was a disgrace and condemn it unequivocally. Why? Because we have a duty to tell our constituents the truth. Even when they passionately disagree. We owe to them not only our “industry” but also our “judgement.” We are trusted representatives, not unthinking delegates. So why do many in this House continue to support Brexit, when they know it will wreck jobs, the NHS and our standing in the world? -- This is the fundamental dishonesty at the heart of the Brexit debate. Most MPs now recognise it in private, but do not say it in public. Brexit is a con. A trick. A swindle. A fraud. A deception that will hurt most those people it promised to help. A dangerous fantasy which will make every problem it claims to solve worse. A campaign won on false promises and lies. Vote Leave and Leave.EU both broke the law. Russian interference is beyond reasonable doubt. And by now every single campaign promise made in 2016 has come unstuck. Brexit will not enrich our NHS - it will impoverish it. A trade deal with Donald Trump will see US corporations privatise and dismantle the NHS one bed at a time. And even those promises on immigration – which has so greatly enriched our country – are a lie. After Brexit immigration will go up, not down. When we enter negotiations with countries like India and China, they will ask for three things. Visas. Visas. And more visas. And they will get them because we will be weak. Then there’s the myth about restoring parliamentary sovereignty. The last two years have shown what a joke that is. The Prime Minister has hoarded power like a deluded 21st century Henry the Eighth. Impact assessments have been hidden. Votes resisted and blocked. Simple opponents of a government policy bullied and threatened to get into line. Even when we forced this meaningful vote, the Prime Minister cancelled it, certain we would reject her disastrous deal. And oh we will reject it. Because this is a Lose-Lose compromise, which offers no certainty for our future. All it guarantees is more years of negotiation – headed by the same clowns who guided us into this farce in the first place. -- Mr Speaker, we are suffering from a crisis of leadership in our hour of need. This country’s greatest moments came when we showed courage, not when we appeased. The courage of Wilberforce to emancipate the slaves, against the anger of the British ruling class. The courage of Winston Churchill to declare war on Hitler, against the appeasers in his cabinet and the country. The courage of Atlee and Bevan to nationalise the health service -- against the doctors who protested it was not right. Today we must be bold, because the challenges we face are just as extreme. We must not be afraid to tell the truth to those who do not agree. -- Friends on this side of the house tell me to appease Labour voters in industrial towns. The former miners, the factory workers, those who feel they have been left behind. I say we must not patronise them with cowardice. Let’s tell them the truth. “You were sold a lie. Parts of the media used your fears to sell papers and boost viewing figures. Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson exploited the same prejudice to win votes. Shame on them. Immigrants have not taken your jobs. Our schools and colleges failed to give you skills. Hospitals are not crumbling because of health tourists, but because a decade of austerity ground them down to the bone. You cannot afford a house because both parties failed to build -- not because Mohammed down the road who moved in. And wealth was hoarded in London - when it should have been shared across the country. Blame us, blame Westminster. Do not blame Brussels for our own country’s mistakes. And do not be angry at us for telling you the truth. Be angry at the chancers who sold you a lie. -- As Martin Luther King said long ago “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” So just as I speak plainly to the government this time around, let me also speak to the opposition about some home truths. There is no left-wing justification for Brexit. Ditching workers’ rights, social protections, and ending environmental cooperation is not progressive. This is a project about neoliberal deregulation. It is Thatcherism on steroids, pushed by her modern day disciples. Leaving the EU will not free us from the injustices of global capitalism, it will make us subordinate to Trump’s US. Socialism confined to one country will not work. Whether you like it or not, the world we live in is global. We can only fix the rigged system if we cooperate across border-lines. The party of Keir Hardie has always been International. We must not let down our young supporters by failing to stand with them on the biggest issue of our lives. If we remain in the EU, we can reform it from the top table. Share the load of mass migration, address excesses of the bureaucracy, and fix the inequalities between creditor and debtors. We can recharge the economy. We can re-fuel the NHS. We can build the houses we need, after years of hurt. Hope is what we need. Remain in the EU. Give Britain a second opportunity to decide.

sorry about the writing but am dislexic and had learnin problems at school but is it not bad that a professionnal club calls itself the cowbell army cos a guy hits one at some of there games.

Oh no, other fans think were embarrassing because a bloke rings a cowbell.....get a grip. You think they don`t do this in other sports? Oh and find some commas and full stops.

York Community Stadium April 19...

Casty reaches 300 games for the Dragons last Saturday. Another milestone for Catalans reached. Clubs 14th campaign relative newcomer. Saw Remi make his debut at Stade Jean-Laffon near the railway station against Thornhill in the Challenge Cup in 2006. He's been with them from the off. Against Leeds Saturday an all Audois front row with Albert and fellow Lezignais Bousquet. Great stuff!

I'm not even going to dignify this with a response, other than to say my record in moderating this site for almost 20 years, and the wide range of views that are expressed on it unhindered, speak for themselves.

If you are going to post insensitive comments regarding other people's medical needs, then you will just have to put up with the reaction to those comments, whether from other forum members or from a much-respected, long-serving voluntary moderator like ckn. I'd advise you not to push this any further.

Happy Kidney-versary to me, 12 months after the operation and all's well. Decent holiday early next month and making my masters comeback at the end of the month

I'm going for the same reason I went to Sydney last year and three years ago with Wigan, big events...............you can remember these occasions for the rest of your life............

‘COMPELLING, INSPIRING, EMPOWERING’: NEW WOMEN’S SPORT FILM HITS UK CINEMAS A new women’s sport documentary film will premiere in London next week (Monday 8 April) following rave reviews at international film festivals and preview screenings. Power Meri (Powerful Women) follows the journey of Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team from inception to the world stage, and explores the broader social impact of sport on women’s empowerment, community attitudes, and national identity against the backdrop of a country often described as one of the toughest places in the world to be a woman. Fresh from selection at international film festivals in Australia, the USA and Tahiti, Power Meri is hitting UK cinemas on limited release. The film’s director Joanna Lester, a London-born sports journalist, moved to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2014 and embarked on the film two years later. “Living in PNG and hearing the inspiring stories of female rugby league players, who were changing attitudes about women in their communities through playing the country’s male-dominated national sport, I always thought their voices deserved to be heard on a wider scale,” Lester said. “When it was confirmed that PNG would form a national women’s team, the Orchids, to participate in the world cup for the first time, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to document that journey and share the story with national and international audiences. “Since we released the film in Australia and PNG, the response has been overwhelming. The story of the Orchids seems to have truly inspired people within and outside of sport. As a filmmaker, it’s a privilege to be able to share a raw and real story from behind the scenes of women’s sport in a country that is rarely portrayed on the big screen. I hope the story of this extraordinary group of women, who have put their hands up to be part of something ground-breaking, despite criticism and barriers, will inspire audiences everywhere.” Power Meri premieres in London on Monday 8 April at Odeon Covent Garden and will screen at selected cinemas across England. Tickets are only available online at: uk.demand.film/power-meri/

How many chances do leavers want to have? They have the biggest selling newspapers on side. They have, despite JohnM's italics, some of the softest soaping imaginable from the BBC political reporters. They win a referendum, get an open goal to elect a leaver leader and then fail to do so. They occupy the actual Brexit Secretary post. They occupy the Foreign Secretary post. They are in Cabinet, in government and they have an entire dedicated wing in the governing party. They get it passed into law that we are leaving. They get a deal to leave. They get majorities in parliament to reaffirm that date. But somehow we haven't left the EU. They really should stop blaming everyone else.

Stadium is actually in a great location. It's basically right beside downtown Ottawa in a very posh neighborhood that is almost identical to Liberty Village. That neighborhood is called "the Glebe". OSEG own three different sports clubs: Ottawa Red Blacks, Ottawa Fury and Ottawa 67s hockey club. They have a proven track record of building pro sports teams. This is a Blue Chip investor folks.

New York and Ottawa are one step closer to being included in the English league structure after clubs voted in favour by a comfortable majority. Representatives from New York and Ottawa presented their bids to clubs at Salford’s AJ Bell Stadium on Thursday and have been given support by RFL member clubs. While the decision is an undoubted boost to… The post Clubs vote in favour of New York and Ottawa appeared first on Total Rugby League. View the full article

A cheapskate! The guy has ploughed millions into the Broncos. Without his money there is no Broncos.

Has anyone seen Wire's tweet to us, and our reply? Class reply Widnes! https://twitter.com/wolvesrl

And the RFL wonder why they have no money and few revenue streams. Internationals are one of the two main ways that the RFL can generate income but yet they largely neglect them and make little attempt to grow internationals with our closest real opposition. A game against France in France would attract a good crowd. A game against France in London, or somewhere else outside the heartlands, could attract a decent crowd too. However play it on a Wednesday night in Leigh and you get the results you deserve.

This is the last play. Long... kicks it wide to Iro. Iro to Hall. Hall is trapped. Back it goes to Hoppe. Over the shoulder to Hall. There is Jonkers. Here is Long, and Long fancies it. Long fancies it. It's wide to West. It's wide to West. Dwayne West. Inside to Joynt. Joynt. JOYNT. JOYNT! OH! OH! FANTASTIC! Thanks for everything Eddie. I've never met you. I don't even like saints. But that gets me everytime. Enjoy yourself.

I love the ambition that Perez has. He really makes things happen while others just talk the talk and don't really do or achieve anything. Rugby League certainly doesn't have enough people with that kind of drive and ambition.

Nobody claimed it would, so why did you jump to that conclusion? Oh, of course, you're the union apologist/troll. One has to admire your persistence Barnacle, as pathetic as you are.

What they can do for the game. Renewed interest in the game. A new, passionate set of fans in two new countries. A new market for sponsors. Rl articles in major foreign newspapers and media outlets. More opportunities for players. Increases the global appeal of rl. All the while not costing the Rfl a single cent. That is your answer parky.

Absolute banger of a kit they've brought out for it.

Look at this beauty! At least if they lose by 40 points at the nou camp they'll look pretty good whilst doing it!

TO coach Sylvain Houles assesses where his team is presently after the first block of games. Weekend off now before receiving Featherstone on April 6th. What do you think about the start of your team’s season? It’s about the progression. We have had resourcing, some players have been shifted back and some changes have been made in our game, particularly in defence, which takes time to put in place. All this means that we were not necessarily well prepared at the time of the start of the season, which may explain the two defeats at the beginning, and then the rise in power, especially on the last 4 games. We’re learning, we’re learning, and we’re moving forward, and that’s my point. What do you think of the good streak in progress ? We prefer to take the games one by one. We are on a good show but beyond the victories, we mostly look at content and performance. There are victories but it is mostly the content that satisfies us, especially defensively: we have taken 60 points on the first 2 games and 66 on the last 6, with 2 games where we have not taken any points in the second half and 2 other 0 points on the whole game. It’s a huge satisfaction, something we never did in Championship. That’s what’s important to me after the defence work. Boys understand, assimilate and put it into practice by being thorough. They have confidence in this system and take pleasure in defending our line, not conceding a metre, and that is the philosophy we want to see in our team. Are there other aspects of the game you want to improve on? There are lots of them. We can and we want to do better on our tackling technique. That’s the next big job of the month. We also want to improve our options on the last set-plays, in defense or attack; and offensively, we want to progress in execution, speed etc… Any update on the recruits from the offseason? We brought in seven new players, which is a first. They have to adapt, integrate and assimilate the way we play, which is not easy at all. But there are already big satisfactions when we see the performances of Dean Parata or Brenden Santi. Ben Evans also showed good things about the last month. Joe Bretherton had arrived during the past season but it really explodes this year. Unfortunately, there are recruits we have not yet seen too much like Patty Vaivai, James Bell, Ilias Bergal or Jordan Dezaria who come back gradually from their respective injuries. There’s some mishaps but it’s all part of the rugby, and I can see that we’re doing very well in spite of the rotating of the players. We don’t lose quality, and that’s what’s interesting. We also have young people behind us. Mathieu Jussaume, who comes out of the rugby school and the TO training centre has just been integrated into the pro team following the 3 games he played with us and during which he showed a real potential. Now it has to adapt to our requirements, our culture and our values to become a professional. Next deadline: Featherstone now. We’re lucky to have two weeks to work at the Featherstone reception. This allows us to take the time to work on things we don’t have time to discuss in between games. And after Featherstone, we still have a weekend off, so I consider that we have 1 month to progress on the points I mentioned earlier. With Adam Innes, we also want to prepare the big Easter block with 3 games in 8 days. We want to increase intensity and workload before because we know that this period, between games, is dedicated to recovery. So we want to make sure that we negotiate this season well. April is important because once we have played the 4 games of the month, we will have finished the first phase and we will be able to assess ourselves and make an update on the 13 other teams. A final word on the level of the Championship in 2019? I think the championship has tightened up. The two promoted, York and Bradford, are two teams of quality, Sheffield has also strengthened. All the other clubs we were expecting are there. There are a lot more competitive teams. It’s interesting, it drives us to be consistent in our efforts and comforts us with the idea of taking game after game, not projecting ourselves, because you have to be ready for a big game every weekend, regardless of the opponent.

Really disagree with this. Leave league one be please and instead of bonkers ideas like this how about clubs just have a reserves league...

You don’t care, great. Do you own a business? Or employ people who rely on your business not failing? leaving the EU without a deal is madness, sorry I’ll rephrase that leaving the EU in the first place is madness. I’m honestly fuming about the whole thing, it’s been a shambles from start to finish. David Cameron was scared of the rise of UKIP so called the referendum and arrogantly just assumed remaim would win, the result was near enough 50/50, 51/49 result is not enough of a clear majority to do the damage to the country that this farce is doing, not just economically but it has brought out the worst in everbody, weve even had a politician shot dead because of this omnishambles. And honestly, for any brexiteers, did being in the EU really affect your life in a negative way, and if so how? And do you think all this ###### will really be worth it?

It’s been well over a year now and it’s been fantastic to have our Canadian friends stick around and contribute to this forum. Keep at it and bring all of your friends!

Rubbish, you’ve been caught out misquoting people for your own ends just admit it

latst brext flowchart is out

Yes Dave T you are absolutely right. Its certainly true in Wales. The trick is getting them to play in the first place and to stick with it. Canada may react like Wales, (slowly) although I don't think the Canadians are as fanatical (about RU) as the Welsh RU following but, face it, you've got two ways to do this. Grow them from the ground up (takes 20 to 30 years, developing the Amateur clubs/game) or encourage players from other sports to play (which can be achieved quickly if its attractive enough for them to get involved). I believe you/we have to do both at the same time and that is what is being done in Wales, albeit on a shoestring budget. It sickens me to hear posters saying that Wales and Newcastle have been failures. What we have is the result of years of work, by dedicated people on shoestring budget in what is (probably) the most hostile (anti rugby league) environment on the planet. Fans from the heartlands should be cheering them on, instead of dismissing them as failures. You try doing it! Its a work-in-progress. Maybe Canada/USA can speed the process up.

I take it you failed maths?

They only beat Swinton 26-24. Nothing is certain in sport. What if Toulouse get a player dismissed early doors? And what if Batley decide to hit a purple patch? Stick by em. I've stuck by Fev for 56 years and seen the good the bad and the ugly.......and some very very ugly?????