Jump to content

Millom Preparing for Historic Red Star Visit


Recommended Posts

http://www.totalrl.com/millom-preparing-for-historic-red-star-visit/

The world’s oldest Rugby League club, Millom RLFC, are gearing up for one of the biggest game’s of their history this Sunday, as they host Red Star Belgrade.

Red Star were inducted into the Challenge Cup ahead of 2019, with the game set to be live streamed on the BBC Sport website. Millom, who were formed in 1873, will be the first ever cup opponents for Red Star, who are affiliated with their European Cup winning football counterparts.

“We were a bit unsure about entering this year’s competition with the number of fixtures increasing in our league, but when you get a draw like this, there is no doubt everyone should want to enter into the Challenge Cup,” said Millom RLFC coach Tim Sibley.

“I was lucky enough to tour Serbia with England Lion hearts in 2006 and the people made us very welcome and Belgrade was a great place to visit. Everyone involved in rugby will be looking at this game and it will be good to see how far the domestic game has developed in Serbia.”

Last season saw Millom finish third in the NCL division three, the seventh tier of the English pyramid, while Red Star finished a perfect season by winning the Balkan Super League, Serbian Championship and Serbian Cup.

And the ambitious Serbian club, are set to begin life in the Challenge Cup, in the mining town of Millom, Cumbria. With a population of under 6,000 people, and located to the North of Barrow, Rugby League is, unsurprisingly, well-knitted into the community.

“The Millom Community suffered severe flooding to several areas of the town, This caused major disruption and heartache for many to our small but close knit town,” explained Angela Dixon, deputy mayor of Millom.

“The lads from the Rugby young and old, all turned up to help the unfortunate victims with the clean-up, They are a fantastic bunch, nothing is too much of a problem. Millom would not be Millom with this kind of community spirit.

In the opposite camp, Red Star Belgrade, who have made no secret their ambitions of joining League 1 in the future, are relishing the opportunity to showcase themselves to the British public.

“We are absolutely honoured to play our first ever Challenge Cup match at the home of the world’s oldest amateur rugby league team, Millom RLFC,” said owner Colin Klewyeg.

“This opportunity connects us to the heartlands of the game which is where we want to be. There are a number of Serbian international players who will be making this trip to Millom and this will be arguably in their top three experiences in international rugby league.”

rldfsignature.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1 minute ago, MZH said:

Does anyone on here have much knowledge of Serbian RL and if so how competitive are they expecting Red Star to be? 

Can they realistically make a game of this? 

I've watched quite a few streamed matches, but they were against other Serbian clubs. No idea how they'll match up with Millom, but that's all part of the excitement. It is a step into the unknown for both sides.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I've watched quite a few streamed matches, but they were against other Serbian clubs. No idea how they'll match up with Millom, but that's all part of the excitement. It is a step into the unknown for both sides.

Two USA internationals and Darcy Etrich say they could be OK.

I still don’t think they’ll be within 30 of Millom however.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, welshmagpie said:

Two USA internationals and Darcy Etrich say they could be OK.

I still don’t think they’ll be within 30 of Millom however.

I just don't want them to be nilled.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Celtic Rooster said:

I think the score will be within 3 tries. I saw a Russian team win at West Bowling a few years ago but most of the "Russians" had Aussie accents and there winning try, right in front of me, was not a try. If I remember rightly the touch down was over the dead ball line?

 

The Ref wasn't Robin Whitfield was it?

This world was never meant for one as beautiful as me.
 
 
Wakefield Trinity RLFC
2012 - 2014 "The wasted years"

2013, 2014 & 2015 Official Magic Weekend "Whipping Boys"

2017 - The year the dream disappeared under Grix's left foot.

2018 - The FinniChezz Bromance 

2019 - The Return of the Prodigal Son

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

I hope this is on the iPlayer then those who will be going to watch their local teams (will anybody who has access to a game actually miss?) so we can view it later.

Might be on the iPlayer, might be on the BBC Sport app/website.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Once again Liew is not frightened to tell the truth even if that means embarrassing Rugby Union.

Mentioning as he does another disgraceful episode when  Rugby League was banned by the Tito regime.

Top man. Take a bow, I wish other journalists would follow his lead. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

The name Red Star sounds like a product of a Communist regime 

It is a traditional name, and the ties with Communism are, while regrettable, deeply ingrained in Serbian sporting culture. Red Star Belgrade is also the name of the country's most famous and successful Football club.

See also the history behind Partizan Belgrade - guess what, they're rivals with Red Star. Their matches are known locally as "The Eternal derby".

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve watched a few games via streaming, they’ve got some skill and a couple of big units. Their downfall will be errors and completing sets, i can’t see them scoring many tries because of the errors.

I’ll be supporting the Serbians....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, let's just enjoy the match and cross our fingers that RSB's involvement in the Cup isn't just a one-off. They'll learn with more experience, and the Cup is a great place to do just that.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/24/2019 at 9:17 PM, MZH said:

Does anyone on here have much knowledge of Serbian RL and if so how competitive are they expecting Red Star to be? 

Can they realistically make a game of this? 

Who knows?

Those two USA internationals signed a couple of weeks ago show how determined the club administrators are to make a good go of it. How did they persuade a couple of New Yorkers to up sticks and join the RS project?

 

Two ringers in the team....anything could happen.

49580991_10155737750927027_2287098041062129664_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Pigeon Lofter said:

Who knows?

Those two USA internationals signed a couple of weeks ago show how determined the club administrators are to make a good go of it. How did they persuade a couple of New Yorkers to up sticks and join the RS project?

 

Monte Gaddis may well have been involved in scouting a couple of fellow Americans. He's not with Red Star any more, but is probably still in contact with them.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, flyingking said:

 flat cappers look away now

An excellent article: positive, interesting, entertaining, and well written. Thank you for posting it. I hope it gets seen by lots of people.

Please don’t do the “fervent traditionalist” bit. Flatcappers - fans of the smaller clubs understandably worried about their club’s (and the sport’s) survival in difficult conditions - love the spread of the sport, love these fascinating outposts of the game, take the opportunities to watch the game played other than by  the big clubs. A large percentage of them will have been involved in their time in attempting to spread the game. They are looking forward to adding this team to the list of other “expansion” teams they have watched.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if anyone else saw the studio discussion piece on this game on the BBC News Sports section - 6.30pm? yesterday. Apart from the match itself, It included references to the background to RL in Serbia and future aspirations of the club. The presenters seemed genuinely interested in the developments, in a discussion which showed RL in a good light. The tradition was also highlighted with Millom's status as the oldest Rugby League club in the world emphasised as a contrast.

The extended piece was unexpected, and without wishing to divert this thread in other directions, demonstrates the potentially huge publicity value of having expansion teams in the Challenge Cup.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surely it’s the oldest amateur rugby league club rather than the oldest RL club full stop? Surprised there aren’t more from that date though - 1873 is a popular founding date for union clubs, and a few of the pro RL sides too IIRC - Trin certainly 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Manxmanc said:

I don't know if anyone else saw the studio discussion piece on this game on the BBC News Sports section - 6.30pm? yesterday. Apart from the match itself, It included references to the background to RL in Serbia and future aspirations of the club. The presenters seemed genuinely interested in the developments, in a discussion which showed RL in a good light. The tradition was also highlighted with Millom's status as the oldest Rugby League club in the world emphasised as a contrast.

The extended piece was unexpected, and without wishing to divert this thread in other directions, demonstrates the potentially huge publicity value of having expansion teams in the Challenge Cup.

 

Just watched a small preview of the game on bbc 1 now, exactly the coverage we need 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.