Barley Mow

Yes, it was north of the Ribble that was included with Yorkshire.

Isn't it exactly the same teams as last year (except Galway's 2nd/development team are missing this time)?

The first academy Roses Match of the year is tomorrow at Castleford. 12 o'clock kick off, gates open from 10:30. Admission £5 (concessions £2). Due to be streamed on the RFL youtube channel.

1. Will any player score a point or more against their former club in the Challenge Cup semi-final between Hull KR and Catalans? No 2. Will Oldham finish the weekend higher than Toulouse in the Championship table following the match between the two? Yes 3. Will Keighley get their first point on the League 1 table in their match against Workington? No 4. Will the Challenge Cup semi-final between Warrington and Leigh in St Helens draw a larger crowd than the semi-final at the same venue last year? Yes 5. Jayden Hatton (Featherstone) and Rhys Williams (Widnes) have both scored 9 tries this season. Will Hatton have scored more than Williams for the season after their teams meet on Sunday? No Tiebreaker - How many points will be scored by all four teams combined across the two Challenge Cup semi-finals in total. 88

Rochdale Hornets v Midlands Hurricanes - by 2 Keighley Cougars v Workington Town - by 6 Whitehaven v Goole Vikings - by 7

Oldham v Toulouse Olympique - by 4 Batley Bulldogs v Bradford Bulls - by 14 Halifax Panthers v Doncaster - by 16 London Broncos v Sheffield Eagles - by 2 Widnes Vikings v Featherstone Rovers - by 4 York Knights v Hunslet - by 18

It isn't absolutely analogous: The realm of New Zealand consists of New Zealand itself and then Tokelau (a dependent territory) and the Cook Islands, and Niue (associated states - described as self governing, in free association with New Zealand) - I believe there is a single citizenship covering all of these. So it's a different relationship to that within the UK (complicated further by the Irish republic and Northern Ireland being completely different jurisdictions, but competing as a single entity in international RL), but in both examples there is a citizenship (British or New Zealand) covering more than one international RL team which has absolutely no relevance to who someone can play international RL for. Citizenship is not a criterion considered in international eligibility at all - the three factors are place of birth, ancestry, and residency. Someone's citizenship plays no part in their eligibility. I believe this is to stop countries 'handing out' citizenship to elite athletes simply to improve their sports teams, as has been seen in some Arab states in the past. Taking Mikołaj Olędzki for example: I'm not sure whether he has or is eligible for British Citizenship, but he is able to play for England due to the length of his residency here. He is also eligible to play for Poland, but not because he is a Polish citizen as that is irrelevant under IRL rules. He could play for them because he was born in Poland or because his parents were.

Citizenship is irrelevant in terms of RL international qualification though. You qualify for a team if you were born there, have a parent or grandparent born there, or have qualified through residency. Because the Cook Islands have their own team, it's territory is considered completely separately from New Zealand for international qualification. Someone born in the Cook Islands doesn't qualify for New Zealand on that basis, in the the same way someone born in England doesn't qualify to play for Wales (or vice versa) due to having British citizenship.

Yeah, we don't know the terms of the contract so anything related to whether Sky could reduce/claim back payments is guess work. I'm sure those making the decisions at the RFL will be factoring in the implications of the TV contract.

I assume their issue was with how well the previous board communicated with them rather than with the public.

This week's for the Challenge Cup semi-finals 1. Will any player score a point or more against their former club in the Challenge Cup semi-final between Hull KR and Catalans? 2. Will Oldham finish the weekend higher than Toulouse in the Championship table following the match between the two? 3. Will Keighley get their first point on the League 1 table in their match against Workington? 4. Will the Challenge Cup semi-final between Warrington and Leigh in St Helens draw a larger crowd than the semi-final at the same venue last year? 5. Jayden Hatton (Featherstone) and Rhys Williams (Widnes) have both scored 9 tries this season. Will Hatton have scored more than Williams for the season after their teams meet on Sunday? Tiebreaker - How many points will be scored by all four teams combined across the two Challenge Cup semi-finals in total.

It has been pointed out numerous times on this thread that British RL has undergone many changes over the years in trying to find a solution that works. We have been willing to try lots of different things - to my mind we move on from one to another too quickly without giving anything a fair crack, but that's beside the point - we accept change and try it regularly due to the circumstances the sport operates in here. I think @17 stone giant is correct in that what we are missing is the funding to implement any of these changes adequately - that again is largely due to the context of the sporting environment/market. Most people seem to be welcoming or at least happy to explore a link up with NRL - including further change: It is the lack of understanding of our sporting landscape currently coming out of Australia that is making many of us think again. As someone involved in RL in significantly more challenging environments than the UK, I would have thought you would be more aware than most of the obstacles that can prevent growth and how these factor into outcomes even when positive change is accepted/welcomed by those supporting the sport.

I think both @Worzel and @Toby Chopra have summed up the issues with the article: 1. It mainly consists of surface-level clichés. 2. The problem is what it omits - because it is surface level stuff, it omits a lot of important context. I was largely in favour of some sort of more formal partnership between NRL and British RL, but like @JonM above, 90% of what is coming out of Australia about the subject is putting me and many others off the idea. There seems to be next to no recognition of the circumstances that the British game operates in, how they differ from Australia and why this might factor into the different outcomes we see.

I was just about to post the same link This image shows the railway line between the rugby ground (above) and the closed greyhound track (below). This must be mid to late 60s before they began building the motorway, which would cross the site of the greyhound stadium and then the railway to the right of this image. Parkside Lane along the edge of the rugby ground at the top of the photo.

The rugby ground was off Parkside Lane which is the same side of the motorway and railway as the current ground. Although that stretch of motorway (then part of the M1) wasn't opened until the year before the rugby ground closed.

The Parkside greyhound track shut in 1963 and was the opposite side of the railway to the South Leeds Stadium - the motorway was built over this. Parkside rugby ground shut in 1973 and was the same side of the railway as South Leeds Stadium. Now has industrial units on it. Approx 700 yds in a 10 o'clock direction as you are sat in the stand at the ground today.

I'm too young to remember myself, but Parkside rugby ground was where industrial units now are off Parkside Lane (Lenton Drive, Glover Way, Lockwood Park). A cricket ground backed onto the rugby ground (like so many other grounds). I believe Parkside Greyhound track was a little further east, currently under the M621 - possibly the other side of the Middleton railway from the rugby & cricket grounds. This is the approximate location of "behind The Engine" as you describe - but that was Parkside greyhounds not the rugby club. Elland Road greyhound stadium where the Hunslet phoenix club played was a separate location, (as mentioned up thread) this was on Elland Road on the other side of the road to the Leeds United ground where the police station currently is. A third greyhound stadium (Fullerton Park) was also on Elland Road, immediately to the west of the football ground - later the site of Leeds United's training pitches and now a car park.

1. Which day of Magic Weekend will have the most points scored? Saturday 2. Will Hull KR score more than 50 against Salford? No 3. Will any player score three or more tries in Wigan vs Warrington? No 4. Will Castleford beat Wakefield? No 5. Will Barrow still be in 2nd place after Sunday's fixtures? Yes Tie breaker - Attendance at Newcastle Thunder v Workington tonight 1,029

London Broncos v York Knights by 16 Toulouse Olympique v Halifax Panthers by 2 Batley Bulldogs v Barrow Raiders by 12 Bradford Bulls v Sheffield Eagles by 8 Doncaster v Oldham by 10 Hunslet v Widnes Vikings by 20

Newcastle Thunder v Workington Town by 26 Rochdale Hornets v Goole Vikings by 10 Swinton Lions v North Wales Crusaders by 2 Whitehaven v Dewsbury Rams by 6

I haven't seen any suggestion that they would reduce the number of rounds to facilitate more internationals either though.

There isn't any proposal to decrease the number of teams in the NRL (Pacific), in fact the number there is increasing. That suggests that there wouldn't be more free weeks/extra opportunity to play internationals - at least ones against Australia, NZ, PNG and the Pacific Island nations, which is where the interest/money is.

I'm pretty sure the Elland Road pitch will remain the same length as it currently is. As I understand it the expansion process will happen in a similar manner to Anfield's recent expansions and ongoing work at the Etihad: The existing seating areas will remain in situ (but be renovated) and new development will be added above and behind to give more seating and new facilities - the existing facilities being used whilst the new are built around them. The bottom parts of the new stands will actually be the old stands with the new stuff behind them and a new roof overhead. The front row of seats will remain exactly where they are because they will be screwed into the same bit of concrete. Anfield example: On the matter of government funders - I haven't read the articles, but assume these works will be entirely self funded with nothing from local or national government.

It was mentioned (I think on this thread) some weeks ago that Salford's financial assessment for IMG grading later this year will be based on an accounting period that has already ended. By my estimate, that makes them favourites to remain in SL if they still exist. Their on field, stadium, online, and crowd points should see them ahead of all of the clubs you mention due to their incumbency in SL.

As a Bramley fan who spent about 20 years after they folded dipping in and out of the game watching/attending quite rarely, I endorse this view. My personal experience was getting back into RL as something to do when it restarted during COVID lockdowns - I'm now a big fan of the sport again but couldn't see myself ever following another club.