Other nationalities in our amateur game.

[9' oller]

Two Belgians at Stainland Stags last season

I played with the stags and im batley born and bread. Felt like I was a different nationality half of the time!!!!

[longboard]

I played with the stags and im batley born and bread. Felt like I was a different nationality half of the time!!!!

 

Being 'batley born and bread' at least you had the chance to experience a slice of life outside the Heavy Woollen district. 

[longboard]

I played with the stags and im batley born and bread. Felt like I was a different nationality half of the time!!!!

 

Mind you, Calderdale folk can be a bit, well, eccentric...

[Lounge Room Lizard]

I played with the stags and im batley born and bread. Felt like I was a different nationality half of the time!!!!

Stainland is in a different world to even the rest of Halifax! Somehow the club has survived in the village while other clubs in the towns like Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden, Mytholmroyd etc have long since disappeared. Always an experience playing at Stainland with the elements and the gentle slope....

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Mind you, Calderdale folk can be a bit, well, eccentric...

Especially along the Calder Valley.... 

[Number 16]

I can recall a similar thread many, many years ago on the Community/then RLC board, and at South London Storm we'd counted 20 to 25 nationalities over the years. 

[Phil]

1 Belgian ,Iliass Laachiri, who I believe will play at Keighley U23 next season. 1 German-Croat, Matej Beslic who will stay in the UK for another year studying, but think will be at Siddal, as he had a fallout with somebody we know very well. In fact think everybody has fallen out with him at some stage!! The other lad was Fionn O´Donnell from the Aberdeen area who came down to Halifax to study for a year like the others.

I think Global Rugby League Academy, run by former Siddal player Luke Garnett, will be looking after another 2 Scots from Aberdeen who will study/play Rugby League in Halifax, according to the Facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/globalrugbyleagueacademy/?fref=ts

I am sure that a a couple of the Dutch guys played at Essex Eels a few years back- Sure Yanto knows who they were. Max Schöngen from Germany played for Oxford Brookes a few years back. A couple of Czechs, Spanish and Serbs have played at Eastmoor Dragons I think in the recent past.

There was Younas as well Si, he's the other Belgian lad, big unit

[Phil]

Stainland is in a different world to even the rest of Halifax! Somehow the club has survived in the village while other clubs in the towns like Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden, Mytholmroyd etc have long since disappeared. Always an experience playing at Stainland with the elements and the gentle slope....

Best years of my RL life were playing at Stainland

[9' oller]

Never new what "lamping" was until I graced the slope at stainland. Oh and the one in all in theory works a treat at biff time

[Phil]

Never new what "lamping" was until I graced the slope at stainland. Oh and the one in all in theory works a treat at biff time

3 of us left Siddal to play at Stainland, no one spoke to us at training, first game no one passed to us, the three of us got together and Neil says " the only way to get these lads onside is to start a brawl follow my lead" so on he goes we follow and all of a sudden we're decent lads, happy days!!!

[AberdeenWarrior]

1 Belgian ,Iliass Laachiri, who I believe will play at Keighley U23 next season. 1 German-Croat, Matej Beslic who will stay in the UK for another year studying, but think will be at Siddal, as he had a fallout with somebody we know very well. In fact think everybody has fallen out with him at some stage!! The other lad was Fionn O´Donnell from the Aberdeen area who came down to Halifax to study for a year like the others.

 

I think Global Rugby League Academy, run by former Siddal player Luke Garnett, will be looking after another 2 Scots from Aberdeen who will study/play Rugby League in Halifax, according to the Facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/globalrugbyleagueacademy/?fref=ts

I am sure that a a couple of the Dutch guys played at Essex Eels a few years back- Sure Yanto knows who they were. Max Schöngen from Germany played for Oxford Brookes a few years back. A couple of Czechs, Spanish and Serbs have played at Eastmoor Dragons I think in the recent past. 

Fionn is one of our lads who is back with us this year.

 

We have sent 3 lads down this year who want to continue playing the game. 

[Evil Homer]

It is interesting that the original post mentions a Zimbabwean.  When I first watched RL in the 1960s, Wigan had Billy Boston on one wing, but a slightly built, jinky running Rhodesian on the other, Trevor Lake.  His semi-final try at Knowsley Road against Swinton, that sent Wigan to their cup final against Hunslet, was a joy to behold!

A couple of Zimbabweans in Super League currently, Judah Mazive at Wakefield and Masimbaashe Matongo at Hull.

[Futtocks]

The Exiles concept might make more sense at this level. You could assemble an insanely varied United Nations of amateur players to face an English or GB rep team.

 

Just a thought.

[Sco77]

Woolston Rovers have a player representing Thailand soon.

[Hornetto]

Hornets signed Jo Taira from local amateur RL (Rochdale Cobras/Rochdale Mayfield) - he's Fijian. Also Matty Hadden, who is Irish, came via the Cobras.

We also have Samir Tahraoui who is Algerian.

[Viking Warrior]

my grandson qualifies to play for morrocco due to his father does that count?

[damp squib]

my grandson qualifies to play for morrocco due to his father does that count?

Well that's a novel way to spread the international game, through the fruit of TRL members loins!