fighting irish

Great news again Pulga, from Central America. I offer great encouragement to all those involved in this exciting development. I hope it can continue to grow and become a force to be reckoned with in world Rugby League. As an aside, I saw on one of the twitter feeds, that good things are happening in California too. What an exciting future the America's has in our great game.

Yes a real character. He came to Aberavon (in the late eighties I think) with the Scottish Students. We took him to a pub called the Bar Gallois, (pronounced Bar Gallwah) which is French for Welsh Bar. He quickly christened it the Bar Gall eee ose. We still call it that now.

If RFL were really interested in development (at all) they wouldn't let this organisation wither on the vine. Similarly with a commitment to keeping the game vibrant in the armed forces.

Bring back Bev and John Risman, they were well aware of the potential of getting our young students involved. They take the game all over the place with them. Is there still an organisation called the Student Rugby League? If not, why, what happened to it? A few University sides would add to the Scottish Club scene and like I said earlier, would spread the game far and wide when the students move on to work.

Oh flower of Scotland!

Do you know if anything is being done, by the Lebanese International team (and management) to assist or promote development in Lebanon?

Great story, please keep us up to date about any developments in your part of the world?

Tell 'em.

When i worked in junior schools, pushing ''little league'' the course was 6 weeks long. At the beginning of week 4 (i think) we introduced tackling skills and played tackle from then on. That lesson produced a split in the class, in every school we visited, without exception. Our solution was a simple even if simplistic one. We wanted the teacher to keep the whole class engaged so we explained that ''little league'' could be played with tackling, for those that wanted to play tackle and without tackling for those that didn't fancy it. This was how we retained interest and heaps of enjoyment for every kid in the class. If this simple idea is introduced when the kids are young, there is no stigma attached to choosing the non-tackle game. Depending on numbers of course, non-tackle can be played by single sex, or mixed groups.

Great news Pulga, please keep up the good work?

you sound like a poet Rocket.

Good for you, but that's not what I'm suggesting. The carrot I spoke of was an amalgam of cash, honour, exposure, prestige and patriotism and a host of other ''feel good'' factors. When I mentioned the carrot (being attractive to them), I was speaking of the players, not the organisation. I think their adminstrators role is to organise the sport in order to provide more opportunities for players to play, not to tell players what they can and cannot do. Most players I've met would give their eye teeth to play in a World Cup. As a general principle I'm against the administrators ''ruling'' over the players. That's why I'm suggesting also, that we don't try to ''govern'' or subsume their organisation but merely to fraternise with them (as equals). Why? because I see the association as a symbiotic relationship, mutually beneficial in many many ways.

Can't we just invite these governing bodies to associate/affiliate with IRL? We don't need to ''govern'' it. Just get them to acknowledge their roots. I think being involved in our World Cup would be a significant carrot for them to associate/affiliate to the IRL.

Nice one Rocket. The 680/170 thousand ratio, is four to one. I wonder if the ratio is similar in the UK? Anyway whatever it is, claiming them as rugby league players would massively increase our participation numbers which must influence Sports Council grants. I can't believe we've not (rightfully) claimed them as part of our game. This must go down as one of our biggest blunders and should be corrected immediately. I agree that it should be incorporated in our World Cup. Each match could feature the same nations playing Touch as a curtain raiser.

Great thread this.

where's this?

Can't get it to play. Where's the source?

As the story goes, the tackler was top-class and had stopped the ball carrier a number of times. The hurdle was his novel solution, when ''normal'' evasive efforts kept failing. It was, of course, a world first and as such, completely unexpected and so the tackler (employing his usual techniques) was utterly bamboozled.

My father showed me this picture when I was a child and told me that rugby league players were the finest rugby players on earth.

What year was it?

if anyone's wondering how to develop the game, this is it.

Peter didn't get that tan in Hull.

Which one is you? and where's Neil Tunnicliffe gone?

Please tell me who's playing here, when and who the players are?

cheers Bearman, what's your take on it?