BadlyOverdrawnBoy

Low - how did I stop my parrot saying " moooove" every few minutes?

Have you any stats for this? It may be true for recent signings but I the past many union signings quickly became some of the best players in the game. For example Cliff Watson, Len Killeen and Merv Hicks at Saints, Graham Rees and Alan Buckley at Swinton, and I'm sure many others. These were not big name signings, just club players spotted by scouts.

Agreed. It's a kangaroo court.

Don't you mean Dai Lemma?

In the past NRL season the captain's challenge has been used tactically on a few occasions. It could be an obvious knock on but because the play is reviewed from the last PTB, if the captain thinks there has been, say, an obstruction or a late hit before the knock on they possibly get a penalty.

From the TV pictures I'd say XXL (mostly).

When tackling is involved for kids I think that grading by weight rather than age is important.

Not just RL, but people who start a sentence with "To be honest...." which implies that the rest of the time they're lying.

Wrong punctuation is a sin bin in Union. Red card for incorrect use of a preposition.

About 20 years ago I had a map of the Rugby XIII wine route, and spent a very pleasant autumn following it (and attending matches!). It would be a good idea to create a new one in time for the next World Cup.

Probably needles as well these days.

If it was a park pitch, getting there early for a dog sh** and broken glass survey.

OP, do you have a sister called Stella? I know her quite well.

As a spectator or as a player?

Quite a few RL players played league cricket in the days before summer rugby. John Simpson, the Middlesex stumper is the grandson of Ken Gowers, Swinton and GB fullback, himself a good league cricketer. But I don't remember a Daily Mirror article about any of them.

On the other hand there's Reuben Garrick, a player who really gets stuck in, who never has a single hair out of place.

I always thought Lokomotiv Hunslet would be a winner. Or Hunslet saddletanks.

Negative law breaking without consequence should continue then? I'd like to see an end to it. And a full set of six is about 45 seconds.

I think part of the problem of negative play in the endgame is the game finishing on the final hooter. In my opinion the game should end when the current set of six finishes; however, set restarts would count as the current set. Thus slowing the ptb while watching the clock run down would be fruitless.

There was a fly on the wall series on Wigan when Alex Murphy was coach. I don't know how well it was received but there were a lot of complaints about bad language.

I remember as a kid being taken in the early 60s to Bramley at the Barley Mow, and there were waiters bringing trays of pints to the terraces.

But the technology will still be there and will still be used. It will make no difference to the controversy or criticism of decisions.

For your money you get 25 rounds of 8 matches, plus play offs, grand final and 3 SOO. That works out about 75 cents per match. If you think that's expensive, I'm coming to live in Germany.

Scarf and bobble hat knitted by my gran. A big old rattle, and (shhh) maybe a purloined toilet roll to throw, just in case we scored.

Diolch yn fawr