Rugby League World Magazine: The truth about Scottish RL & More. Out Now.

[John Drake]

RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 428 - DECEMBER 2016
Available online now - In shops Friday 25th Nov 2016
Download the app or go to www.totalrl.com/rlw for the online edition
Order a copy by post from www.totalrl.com/shop or call 01484 401895 (Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm)

 

 

WHAT'S INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

 

The Bravehearts of Scotland were the surprise package of the 2016 Four Nations and their captain Danny Brough graces our cover as we scratch beneath the surface to discover the true state of Rugby League north of the English border in a special, in-depth investigation. Is this the start of something big in Scotland, or a last hurrah? Find out inside.

 

Three-time Golden Boot winner Johnathan Thurston bids farewell to English shores a winner again in the Four Nations, and he chats to us about his fond memories of an international career set to conclude at next year’s World Cup. We also reveal the shortlist for this year's Golden Boot.

 

England NRL star Elliott Whitehead tells us about his future plans, which may involve a return to Super League sooner than most people expect. New Zealand’s Thomas Leuluai is already on his way and chats about his return to Wigan.

 

One man who earned a gigantic reputation in the British game with St Helens is current Australia coach Mighty Mal Meninga, who argues with our correspondent Steve Mascord that it’s never good for Rugby League when the Kangaroos lose!

 

One man who knows what it’s like to beat the Aussies is Great Britain wing legend Martin Offiah and he picks a star-studded Dream XIII.

 

On a festive note, new Leeds Rhinos signing and former Sheffield Eagle Cory Aston goes all Christmassy on us, revealing his best and worst gifts and how dad Mark copes with the pressure of the big day, we take a nostalgic look back to Super League’s last ever Boxing Day derby between Wigan and Saints, plus the biggest shocks of 2016.

 

Nigel Wiskar reports from Toronto on how the locals are looking forward to the arrival of their new Rugby League team, and our expanding international coverage includes Hawaii, Serbia and Avignon.

 

We've got features on Women's Rugby League and the amateur scene too. 

 

Keep yourself entertained in the run up to the Christmas holidays, download your copy now!

[John Drake]

[John Drake]

Here's a comprehensive list of newsagents and other outlets in the UK that should have Rugby League World Magazine in stock from today onwards.

http://www.totalrl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rugby-League-World-Stockists.pdf

 

If you can't find it on the shelves, please ask them for it. 

 

If they don't have it, please let us know.

 

Thanks.

[John Drake]

Nip over to the Rugby League World Facebook page to watch Matt Shaw & Ash Hope preview the latest issue on Facebook Live.

https://www.facebook.com/RugbyLeagueWorld/

[Number 16]

The best issue for a long, long time. 

 

Once past the first few pages of pointless fluff it takes off!

 

The piece about Scotland was excellent - the type of in depth investigative stuff the mag should do more of (how about looking at the deficiencies in the RFL's marketing).

 

Player interviews were kept to a minimum - Whitehead and Leuluai - and were interesting because both had decent stories to tell.

 

The stuff around the 4N - Mal, Cov and JT - was good.

 

The much improved coverage of the international game, from France to Hawaii and several points in between was a great read.

 

The amateur game less so - good that it's being covered, but both articles were the samey. Maybe one club feature and two pages of other stuff (an 'around the regions' every month?)

 

I can honestly say that early fluff aside, every page is a decent read.

 

Well done.

 

Small negatives

 

The narrow coloured strip at the top of each page is naff - it looks like the printers got it wrong!

I get the Braveheart link to the Scottish article, but Brough on the cover was a bit random

Fluff - random league, Offiah etc

[JM2010]

I'm buying my copy today. Would like to read an in depth article about the amateur game in England in the magazine at some point in the future

[eal]

Presumably you went to Australia to discover the up and coming Scottish talent?

[John Drake]

The best issue for a long, long time. 

 

Once past the first few pages of pointless fluff it takes off!

 

The piece about Scotland was excellent - the type of in depth investigative stuff the mag should do more of (how about looking at the deficiencies in the RFL's marketing).

 

Player interviews were kept to a minimum - Whitehead and Leuluai - and were interesting because both had decent stories to tell.

 

The stuff around the 4N - Mal, Cov and JT - was good.

 

The much improved coverage of the international game, from France to Hawaii and several points in between was a great read.

 

The amateur game less so - good that it's being covered, but both articles were the samey. Maybe one club feature and two pages of other stuff (an 'around the regions' every month?)

 

I can honestly say that early fluff aside, every page is a decent read.

 

Well done.

 

Small negatives

 

The narrow coloured strip at the top of each page is naff - it looks like the printers got it wrong!

I get the Braveheart link to the Scottish article, but Brough on the cover was a bit random

Fluff - random league, Offiah etc

 

Thanks for the feedback, we really appreciate it.

 

Putting Scotland on the cover was a big call for us, but we felt the cover should promote the main feature in the mag.

 

Danny Brough is the Scottish captain and their most recognisable player. He's also illustrative of the issue we're investigating: he plays for Scotland but wasn't a product of the Scottish game and has never played in Scotland. It might look a bit random, but an awful lot of thought went into it.

[John Drake]

Presumably you went to Australia to discover the up and coming Scottish talent?

 

You may be missing the point of the feature.

 

We're investigating what's happening in Scotland at the grassroots of the game, and whether the national team is helping or hindering genuine development.

 

Have a read of it and let us know your thoughts.

[iffleyox]

The Scotland stuff is great, and treads the line well between going for the jugular on the ludicrous decisions that have been taken since 2013 and presumably still having people in the RFL willing to give you copy. If nothing else it helps to reassert the new feeling of independence and proper journalism sweeping through RLW in recent months (meaning that as a genuine compliment).

 

I could probably have done without "Christmas with Cory Aston." 

 

Do you think you could publish an issue without the word "Offiah" in it somewhere? Just once? I get that he's an icon but every time you go back to him it's just reinforcing the stereotype that there's nothing happening in the modern game worth reporting on so you have to keep harking back to a time of greater relevance - which just isn't the case.

 

Agree the Elliott Whitehead article is a good read, as is the Avignon one.

 

Stuck in the Midlands with You is a great article, although as I was getting worried it was all far too positive along came the last sentence to bring me back down to earth with a bump!

 

That's as far as I've got so far. Best recent edition certainly (although I did like the blockbusters cover). Living down in the south RLW is a lifeline to what's going on in the sport. I don't buy RU or cricket magazines because those sports happen all around me - I have to *try* to keep up with RL. It's not my favourite sport of the 3 I follow, but it's the only one I feel the need to buy a magazine for.

[eal]

You may be missing the point of the feature.

 

We're investigating what's happening in Scotland at the grassroots of the game, and whether the national team is helping or hindering genuine development.

 

Have a read of it and let us know your thoughts.

 

I really should subscribe, living in the USA I guess digital is the way to go?

[John Drake]

I really should subscribe, living in the USA I guess digital is the way to go?

 

Digital is definitely the cheaper option outside the UK, and you can download the mag the day before the print edition appears in the shops.

 

Single issues are available, plus 6 or 12 month subscriptions.

 

https://pocketmags.com/rugby-league-world-magazine/428

[marklaspalmas]

Got mine in Spain yesterday. Looks like plenty of things worth reading at first glance.

[Dave T]

Just got round to reading the Scotland article. Excellent read, informative and enjoyable.

Credit to tbose involved and in getting the quality of those interviewed.

[Methven Hornet]

Here's a comprehensive list of newsagents and other outlets in the UK that should have Rugby League World Magazine in stock from today onwards.

http://www.totalrl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rugby-League-World-Stockists.pdf

 

If you can't find it on the shelves, please ask them for it. 

 

If they don't have it, please let us know.

 

Thanks.

Just been to WH Smiths in Perth and it wasn't on the shelves. I didn't ask as I didn't realise they might be keeping them back. To be fair that is the first time I haven't been able to buy a copy there - must be the interest from the 4 Nations and/or having a Scottish player on the front cover that has led to it selling out

Will download.

[CmonTheBorough]

I subscribe to the magazine anyway but maybe I can offer a view as a born and bred Scotsman who has loved Rugby League since his teenage years, lived in Lancashire for 21 years and then moved back.

Rugby League will never become established in Scotland. Football dominates the media here just like RL does in Australia. A long way behind this is professional Rugby Union which amounts to Edinburgh and Glasgow teams full of imports and watched by the old-boy network of dour, middle-class, networking professionals with no feel for the game.

The combination of media and spectator disinterest and the old-boy network would ensure that any nascent grassroots development would be strangled at birth. Not many years ago, there was an eight-team Scottish amateur league. It was at least a start and produced one current Scottish-born professional in the shape of Bramley Bulldogs' Dave Scott, who played for Easterhouse Panthers.

Just when there might have been hope of progress, the RFL withdrew funding and left Scotland to its own devices. I was at Workington against the Kiwis and sang the anthem and loved the atmosphere and still can't believe the performance. What a night! It was front page headlines in the News and Star next day but registered not at all in Scotland.

Venues allegedly up for consideration for the game included my hometown stadium Fir Park in Motherwell. Situated on the West Coast main train line and a 10-minute drive from junction 6 of the Scotland-England M74. Easy to get to from northern England for fans and even easier for lazy, Glasgow-based media to cover, especially if pre-briefed. Even an Aussie-packed Scotland team would have had more of an impact on the Scottish public in Motherwell than in Workington.

That's not a criticism of Workington. A great night in a Rugby League hotbed with great West Cumbrian people. I've watched Rugby League live from the bottom of the old Division 2 to test matches so I've been about. It will never, ever happen in Scotland though. And that makes me sad.

[Ash Hope]

The best issue for a long, long time. 

 

Once past the first few pages of pointless fluff it takes off!

 

The piece about Scotland was excellent - the type of in depth investigative stuff the mag should do more of (how about looking at the deficiencies in the RFL's marketing).

 

Player interviews were kept to a minimum - Whitehead and Leuluai - and were interesting because both had decent stories to tell.

 

The stuff around the 4N - Mal, Cov and JT - was good.

 

The much improved coverage of the international game, from France to Hawaii and several points in between was a great read.

 

The amateur game less so - good that it's being covered, but both articles were the samey. Maybe one club feature and two pages of other stuff (an 'around the regions' every month?)

 

I can honestly say that early fluff aside, every page is a decent read.

 

Well done.

 

Small negatives

 

The narrow coloured strip at the top of each page is naff - it looks like the printers got it wrong!

I get the Braveheart link to the Scottish article, but Brough on the cover was a bit random

Fluff - random league, Offiah etc

 

I'll let you in on a little secret that I'm not a fan of the colored strips either and I design it haha. Past designers put them on.

Hoping to tickle with the way it looks in time for the season launch issue - as it seems fitting to do it then at the start of the new season.

 

Any other thoughts on the way it looks while you're on the subject? Would be good to get feedback on that

[Deranged Drunk Guy]

Looks like a great edition looks a interesting read on Scottish Rugby League.