smallest settlement to have hosted top level RL

[Douglas]

Opposite end of the spectrum to a similar thread currently running but I’ll go with featherstone domestically(uk) and Cook Islands internationally.

case closed and discussion over I feel.

Edited March 8 by Douglas

[Eddie]

How do you define top level, before we can debate this? Have the Cook Islands played a top level game in the Cook Islands?

Edited March 8 by Eddie

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Have the Cook Islands played a top level game in the Cook Islands?

They have some 'unknowns' on wiki but I can't see a 'home' fixture for them.

[Douglas]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

How do you define top level, before we can debate this? Have the Cook Islands played a top level game in the Cook Islands?

Played in the British league structure since 1895 domestically and hosted a game i.e. neutral venue for cup competitions.

Cook Islands was a guess on my part.

[gingerjon]

Millom 

[Douglas]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Millom 

Former professional team that went amateur at the turn of the 20th century I believe.

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, Douglas said:

Former professional team that went amateur at the turn of the 20th century I believe.

Played at the top level. Population half that of Fev.

[Tommygilf]

Penryn must be close

[Douglas]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Penryn must be close

Good shout and population very similar to millom around 7k.

[Douglas]

29 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Played at the top level. Population half that of Fev.

Can’t believe I forgot about millom and played there as a kid!!

[Tommygilf]

Got to be some small French villages too like Palau

[Douglas]

5 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Got to be some small French villages too like Palau

Elite1 and elite 2 definitely take things to the next level.

[Eddie]

Port Vila (pop c.49,000) in Vanuatu has hosted a number of rugby league internationals. 
 

Niue, population 1,700, also has an international team but they’ve never played in Niue according to Wikipedia. 

[Griff]

11 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Port Vila (pop c.49,000) in Vanuatu has hosted a number of rugby league internationals. 
 

Niue, population 1,700, also has an international team but they’ve never played in Niue according to Wikipedia. 

Rugby League Project is probably your best source for Niue.  They seem to just play in tournaments which are very poorly reported.  Sometimes you get the scorers, sometimes not even that.

[Douglas]

This tournament was held in Western Samoa which I presume is modern day Samoa or maybe a separate island?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Pacific_Cup

[Douglas]

24 minutes ago, Griff said:

Rugby League Project is probably your best source for Niue.  They seem to just play in tournaments which are very poorly reported.  Sometimes you get the scorers, sometimes not even that.

Rugby league project is amazing for historical research.

[Douglas]

40 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Port Vila (pop c.49,000) in Vanuatu has hosted a number of rugby league internationals. 
 

Niue, population 1,700, also has an international team but they’ve never played in Niue according to Wikipedia. 

Niue would take some beating.

[bowes]

Probably Tonypandy that hosted Mid-Rhondda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Rhondda_RLFC Population: 3,750

A similar size to Millom is Treherbert (population: 5,727): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treherbert

Both played in the single division Northern Rugby League, so were technically top flight.

Edited March 8 by bowes

[Griff]

40 minutes ago, Douglas said:

Rugby league project is amazing for historical research.

Lots of errors in the British/Euro records but great for the Southern hemisphere.

[Griff]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

How do you define top level, before we can debate this? Have the Cook Islands played a top level game in the Cook Islands?

Yes. They've hosted a tournament or part of one.

[Douglas]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

Lots of errors in the British/Euro records but great for the Southern hemisphere.

Are the people behind it British or Aussies?

[Griff]

1 hour ago, Douglas said:

Are the people behind it British or Aussies?

RLP is Aussie.

RKC is British.

[JonM]

Greymouth the smallest place to hold a test match between Tier 1 Nations? (NZ v GB in 1954). Australia, France, Wales and USA have all played the West Coast there too.

[Douglas]

4 hours ago, JonM said:

Greymouth the smallest place to hold a test match between Tier 1 Nations? (NZ v GB in 1954). Australia, France, Wales and USA have all played the West Coast there too.

Was that some kind of tournament or did the other countries play there at different dates?

USA playing NZ in greymouth is wild!!

[Douglas]

5 hours ago, Griff said:

RLP is Aussie.

RKC is British.

I’d never even heard of RKC before.