THE wonderful county of Lincolnshire will provide the backdrop to what should be a tremendous match on Thursday.
It isn’t particularly noted for Rugby League, which has long struck me as a trifle odd, although the area’s primarily rural nature might well have a great deal to do with that.
Anyway, the focus in four days’ time will very much be on RAF College, Cranwell, when the RAF meet Australia in the final game of the Air Forces Tri-Nations Tournament.
Whoever wins the contest will be crowned champions, it’s as simple as that.
The Australians eased to a 20-point win over New Zealand when the competition launched in London eight days ago, while the Kiwis lost narrowly to the RAF at Stanningley on Saturday.
Had New Zealand prevailed at the weekend they would have been in with a shout of lifting the title, although they would obviously have had to get their points difference into the surplus rather than the negative (which could have been achievable, perhaps, had they managed to build on their early ten-point lead rather than end up on the wrong end, from their perspective, of a 14-10 scoreline).
Anyway, it will be a winner-takes-all affair in Lincolnshire on Thursday while the Aussies, who have the superior points difference, will head the standings in the event of a draw.
The best of luck to both the RAF and Australia and hard lines to New Zealand, for whom it could all have been so very different, I think.
Congratulations, meanwhile, to East Leeds who have, I reckon, recorded the first achievement of the 2025 National Conference League season.
Easts, through their victory at Normanton on Saturday, have assured themselves of a top-six berth in Division Two and, with that, a place in the promotion play-offs.
I’m very conscious, in penning that passage, that the men from Easy Road have set themselves a rather higher target than simply making the knockout stages.
It’s hard, in fact, to imagine anyone denying them the championship, given that they are six points clear of second-placed Dewsbury Celtic and nine points ahead of the rest.
Nevertheless, as it’s the first title, promotion or relegation or re-election issue to be settled this season, it’s perhaps worth mentioning.
And it’s also a reminder that, over the next few weeks, a number of ambitions throughout the flagship competition will either be fulfilled or shattered. Watch this space!
It’s regarding matters of record, incidentally – not to mention pride – that we include scorers for both sides, including international opposition, in League Express.
So hats off to quite a few folk, both in this country and across the Channel, who came up trumps when I sought the names of all try and goal-scorers in France Under 17s’ 56-12 win over England at Rochdale Mayfield on Wednesday.
There were, initially, problems as in several instances only the respective player’s numbers were shown and, with those numbers not listed on the France teamsheet, there was obviously an issue to sort.
But the combined efforts of Molly Houghton, Alan ‘Daisy’ Davidson and David ‘Usain’ Butler, plus proactive French administrators, helped resolve the issue and ensure that France’s scorers have, as they should, been named.
Two or three clarifications, meanwhile, regarding offerings in the amateur pages of last week’s League Express…
Readers may well have been startled, even allowing for the very hot weather, to read of the North West Youth Under 18 League that “all fixtures were called off because of the hot weather”.
That information was passed to us by Tammy Smith, the league’s redoubtable secretary, and you could hardly blame her for believing that it was, in fact, the case, given the blistering conditions.
It turned out, however, to be not totally correct. A handful (well, two hands-full to be strictly accurate, ie. ten matches) were played, and the late results are included on our youth page.
There won’t be too many scores over the next few weeks, though, dear readers. The school holidays are now upon us and many junior leagues are going into hibernation next weekend (Hull, incidentally, are offering games on request).
The thought occurs, yet again, that ‘summer rugby’ actually means, so far as I can see, ‘very little rugby’.
The second correction involves one of England’s players in the 18-0 defeat at the hands of champions Wales in the Under 16 international at Halton Farnworth Hornets.
Tyce Walmsley was listed as being a Lowca player, which I think he indeed was when the tournament began. However, Martin Brough, the long-serving Wath Brow Hornets stalwart, tells me that Walmsley actually joined Hornets some seven weeks ago. I’m happy to set the record straight Bruffy!
And now the third clarification. I stated, in last Monday’s Talking Grassroots, that “I’ve reviewed the recent Student Four Nations competition elsewhere in today’s issue, with insights from each of the countries involved”.
I’m carrying, in my mind’s eye, an image of readers thumbing their way through their respective copies of League Express, trying to find the article in question. It wasn’t in – sorry – largely, I suspect, for space reasons.
The piece is, however, included this week. The observations of the England, Ireland and Scotland camps (Wales are still ruminating) make interesting reading, methinks.