yanto

“New and emerging nations taking up the sport are increasingly calling for serious steps forward in the recognition of Rugby League from International Organizations like SportAccord and the International Olympic Committee." This was discussed with Kevin Rudd and Richard Lewis way back in 2003 /04 when a group consisting of the RFL,France ,Morroco,Holland,Serbia,Italy,Russia ,Lebanon ,Ireland ,Scotland BARLA (UK) and Wales,met in Paris to form the RLEF. 13 years later Sport Accord has still not been achieved despite the RLEF more than doubling its membership. If you look at the Community and National Conference threads on this forum then you will see the game is in a mess in the UK never mind Europe. Maybe JUST maybe new blood, new ideas ,new leadership at the lower levels of the International game is needed. After all World Rugby (as in the union code) look after the elite game yet Rugby Europe looks after the grass roots in the European divisions. They seem to be doing a better job then the RLEF who have more qualified coaches ,trainers and referees thanks to the Erasmus funding than they probably have registered players in Europe. Belgium are ranked 10 in Europe with NO domestic competition. Scotland in the world cup despite not meeting RLEF domestic club criteria.How many clubs ?? Malta ranked 11 how many registered players ?? Denmark.Sweden,Holland,Germany ..how many 100% LEAGUE players ?? So maybe the Union/League quote " The first key factor is the rivalry issue. We believe Rugby League representatives have to find common ground with rugby union" is not as daft as it seems. Its all down to smoke and mirrors. Time to don the tin helmet and duck :-)

Dont get me wrong I had the privelege of partnering both Ian and Johnny in the center and both are top guys. Just saying people remember a successful side more,(3 Lancashire cups for Ian against one second division try scoring fest for Johnny) . I never forget picking up winning pay at Headingley around 1978 for sitting on the bench for 80 minutes ;-) Leeds pack tried to mix it with Town and came of a bad second best. On the back of the forward superiority Ian Wright ran in a hat trick of tries,all from his own half or at least all long range..(memory not as good as it used to be or maybe like fisher men we exaggerate when remembering good times ) class player. As for Johnny's top try scoring season the least said about that and Tommy Bishop the better ;-)

People look back on the 74-78 Lancashire cup sides as a bit of a "Golden Era" and when that split up the club seemed to go on a downward spiral and became something of a yo yo team. BUT when you look at some of the local talent ,individually, the likes of Alfie,Chuddy,Howard,Maggie,Lighty, Nixon,Glogger were on par with the Boxers,Bowman,Gorleys of the day. Lyn Hopkins is still record points scorer yet people remember Korky more as a goal kicker....Johnny Jones was (if Im right) the only Town player to top the try scoring charts since the 50's (maybe even ever) yet people still talk about Ian Wright. Ian Hartley was an under 24 international. Then the "Old Trafford Era" and "Super League Era" came and went and people remember those players due to the success of the club. Naming a Greatest team all depends which sides you have watched over the years and winners will always be remembered yet some cracking individual players played in the blue "V" even when the club was struggling.

No one's mentioned Howard Burns !!!....honest the kid was awesome ..as good as Boxer in his day but had a lot more zip around the ruck and did'nt have the protection from a big pack like Boxer had.Could have went on to play at the highest level but like many other locals did'nt want to move away. Ian Rudd and Steve Mcquire to other local players who had unbelievable skill. Maybe born in the wrong era but all three were class footballers.

Live stream was the official NRL stream (as far as I am aware) with all games from the past two years in its archives. IF a TV broadcaster had rights to the NRL in any given country then it was blocked to protect these rights. Here in the Netherlands Fox Sports show some games and these were blocked on Livestream. The games that Fox did not cover were then made available live on Livestream. I pay for Premier Sports via the Premier Player.BUT I also have to use a VPN to switch my IP address to the UK to watch the NRL live as it is blocked on Premier Player outside the UK due again to broadcasting rights. Yet I can watch any replays Premier Sport show (Just been watching Roosters v Sharks) and can access their seven day on demand .Just can not watch Live without changing my IP.

Den Haag v Amsterdam highlights.

Heard it was a massive success.Nice one to Chris Wright and CURFC / Cockermourh Titans / West Cumbrian Masters for organising the event.

Collectors Item only 100 made.

A nice start to the 2017 season.After losing the last two Grand Finals to North Brussels Gorillas and Rotterdam Pitbulls Den Haag Knights opened the 2017 season with a massive 102-4 victory in Amsterdam on Friday evening.We have had over 3,000 hits on the official Facebook page BUT if 100 of those + 3000 hits joined the Members club then this would be a massive boost to not only the game here in the Netherlands but to the Knights club as we strive to set examples of how Rugby League can expand in Europe.For 10 Euro you will get a quality Knights enamel pin badge (postage and packing to be added for world wide members)and your name and home town on the Knights members website.Also as members of the Knights you have full voting rights in how the club is ran....For more information ...https://www.dhknights.com/knights-members

Dave T again guys calling it a macho thing..not the pro players but the normal guy on the street .. maybe have never been on the park..As I said sledging is all about getting one over your opposite number and no matter what you do you aint going to change that part of the game. You wonder what Bailey (may have) said to Carney to get the reaction he did....because whatever it was Carney's response should have given Wolfpack the advantage in the match. 1-0 Bailey..very poor response Carney.(if true) Carney seems to have over stepped the mark BUT dont think Bailey was innocent for one minute.

From a mate down under last week...... ."I'm at Dragons vs Cowboys, just spoke to the Cowboys football manager asked him if he's heard about Fairleigh going to saints. He says it hasn't been mentioned but if he got the job and wanted to go they would let him, but he thinks with his family here and daughter in high school he might not want to go to England yet." So maybe maybe not ....

Egremont had already done it a few years earlier so the Brow were only second best Davo ;-)

Racist / homophobic abuse ..I think all the players know the lines they can not cross but as for "sledging" ....which has been raised on this thread... give me a break. Sledging.... banter.... call it what you like goes on everyday in of all walks of life. Well it is where I come from and I would class my up bringing as that of a typical RL player..gritty northern towns. At work in the pub its all around including... no... especially on the field. As an ex player who spent over ten years running around the likes of the Willows, Boulevard and Headingley.....taking and giving verbal sledging / banter I may add....I have been there. It went on then and goes on today and will go on for the next 100 years. Part and parcel of the game ...any pro game and its not unique to RL. So fans on a forum who dont agree with sledging dont seem to be on the same wavelength as the thousands who play the game every week from pub teams to Super League. I bet if you took a survey the majority of players at all levels of the game would admit to "sledging opponents" in every game they play.Its all to do with getting the "edge" over the player your up against.Winding him up,talking him off his game and it will never change. Just wondering what are we now allowed to call an overweight ginger haired Irishman who was born out of wedlock without upsetting some on this forum. ????

Mental aint it ha ha .....gritty northern calling of the game...people wont like that.