pbrown01123
Contributor
- Status
Hardyman's Yugo
Leeds are in big trouble. Mistake ridden and very poor defensively. They need a leader on the field
matiunz
Yeah he’s been a dud for Leeds was dropped last week and only came in this week because his replacement got suspended
Hardyman's Yugo
https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/castleford-vs-wigan/report/50419
A remarkable game on Friday night, Wigan 0-20 up at Castleford in as many minutes but lost
A remarkable game on Friday night, Wigan 0-20 up at Castleford in as many minutes but lost
Hardyman's Yugo
Leeds have sacked David Furner as head coach
http://www.totalrl.com/furner-to-take-legal-action-as-flanagan-is-linked-with-leeds-role/
Rumours as to who will replace him make them look ridiculous imho. It's beginning to look like Sinfield is the problem at that club, they've signed some rubbish on his watch
http://www.totalrl.com/furner-to-take-legal-action-as-flanagan-is-linked-with-leeds-role/
Rumours as to who will replace him make them look ridiculous imho. It's beginning to look like Sinfield is the problem at that club, they've signed some rubbish on his watch
Hardyman's Yugo
Preview of Catalans v Wigan in Barca
https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club...-know-before-the-rugby-match-at-the-camp-nou#
https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club...-know-before-the-rugby-match-at-the-camp-nou#
Hardyman's Yugo
How Catalans are shaping rugby league's future with help from Wigan & Barcelona
By Dave Woods
BBC rugby league correspondent
Catalans Dragons are heading for Barcelona, one of the spiritual homes of Catalan culture
Catalans Dragons and Wigan will be making history and shaping the future of their sport in both France and England when they stride out at Barcelona's Nou Camp, says one French rugby league expert.
A crowd of at least 30,000 is expected in the iconic arena for Saturday's game, which would be a record for a regular-season match between two Super League sides.
But, more importantly, it could be the start of an exciting new chapter for the sport, according to French rugby league commentator Rodolphe Pires.
"The Dragons and Wigan are writing their own history, but they are also writing history for Super League. This should be the biggest attendance for Super League in the best sporting arena in the world." says Pires, who will be commentating on the game for French television.
"And we must learn from this. We don't have to hide ourselves. We have a great sport and we need to be on the big stages."
This will not be the first Super League game to be played in the Spanish city - Catalans hosted Warrington at the Olympic Stadium in 2009 when a crowd of 18,000 watched the Wolves win 24-12.
But the crowd at the Nou Camp is expected to beat the previous regular-season record of 25,004 who watched the Wigan-St Helens derby at the DW Stadium in 2005.
The idea of staging a game at the home of Barcelona FC came on the back of Catalans winning the Challenge Cup last year.
They paraded the trophy at the Nou Camp during half-time of a Catalan derby against Girona, and Barcelona invited the Dragons to stage a match at their home. The Wigan fixture was chosen.
"The relationship that the Dragons have built with Barcelona, this is friendship, it is not fake," said Pires.
"It is based on family, on the history of Catalan people crossing the border and going up north to France and escaping the chains of the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. There are a lot of things between these two clubs, more than you can imagine.
"I think the Dragons will look to play in Barcelona more regularly, maybe once a season in future."
Going back to General Franco's dictatorship of Spain, Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium was one of the few places where Catalan people could speak their language, fly their flag and sing their songsA hint for French domestic rugby league
The French Rugby League has agreed to make this a clear weekend for their clubs, to help boost the crowd at the Nou Camp. Some 5,000 Wigan fans are also making the trip, and Barcelona FC have been marketing the match on their social media platforms.
While Super League is hoping for a bounce in its profile as a result of this history-making match, Pires hopes that the French game can also get a boost from the ambitious choice of venue.
"I think they (the French Rugby League) should learn from this," says Pires. "People in France and England are talking about this game, they are taking notice.
"I am one of those that think it would be of benefit for the game in France to play in big stadiums in Paris again. Maybe not the Stade de France, but our Championship final could be played in Paris in one of the 30,000 or 40,000 capacity stadiums.
"That would also have people talking about our game."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/48301695
By Dave Woods
BBC rugby league correspondent
Catalans Dragons are heading for Barcelona, one of the spiritual homes of Catalan culture
Catalans Dragons and Wigan will be making history and shaping the future of their sport in both France and England when they stride out at Barcelona's Nou Camp, says one French rugby league expert.
A crowd of at least 30,000 is expected in the iconic arena for Saturday's game, which would be a record for a regular-season match between two Super League sides.
But, more importantly, it could be the start of an exciting new chapter for the sport, according to French rugby league commentator Rodolphe Pires.
"The Dragons and Wigan are writing their own history, but they are also writing history for Super League. This should be the biggest attendance for Super League in the best sporting arena in the world." says Pires, who will be commentating on the game for French television.
"And we must learn from this. We don't have to hide ourselves. We have a great sport and we need to be on the big stages."
This will not be the first Super League game to be played in the Spanish city - Catalans hosted Warrington at the Olympic Stadium in 2009 when a crowd of 18,000 watched the Wolves win 24-12.
But the crowd at the Nou Camp is expected to beat the previous regular-season record of 25,004 who watched the Wigan-St Helens derby at the DW Stadium in 2005.
The idea of staging a game at the home of Barcelona FC came on the back of Catalans winning the Challenge Cup last year.
They paraded the trophy at the Nou Camp during half-time of a Catalan derby against Girona, and Barcelona invited the Dragons to stage a match at their home. The Wigan fixture was chosen.
"The relationship that the Dragons have built with Barcelona, this is friendship, it is not fake," said Pires.
"It is based on family, on the history of Catalan people crossing the border and going up north to France and escaping the chains of the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. There are a lot of things between these two clubs, more than you can imagine.
"I think the Dragons will look to play in Barcelona more regularly, maybe once a season in future."
Going back to General Franco's dictatorship of Spain, Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium was one of the few places where Catalan people could speak their language, fly their flag and sing their songsA hint for French domestic rugby league
The French Rugby League has agreed to make this a clear weekend for their clubs, to help boost the crowd at the Nou Camp. Some 5,000 Wigan fans are also making the trip, and Barcelona FC have been marketing the match on their social media platforms.
While Super League is hoping for a bounce in its profile as a result of this history-making match, Pires hopes that the French game can also get a boost from the ambitious choice of venue.
"I think they (the French Rugby League) should learn from this," says Pires. "People in France and England are talking about this game, they are taking notice.
"I am one of those that think it would be of benefit for the game in France to play in big stadiums in Paris again. Maybe not the Stade de France, but our Championship final could be played in Paris in one of the 30,000 or 40,000 capacity stadiums.
"That would also have people talking about our game."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/48301695
Hardyman's Yugo
playdaball
Heritage Member
Brilliant. A crowd of 31k is to be celebrated particularly in a foreign RL land. It would be so good to see France become a power house once again.
bruce
Hardyman's Yugo
France’s greatest player allegedly
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puig_Aubert
Imagine catching the ball whilst simultaneously smoking a tab.
playdaball
Heritage Member
That was 🇫🇷 grand era. If it hadn’t of been for Ww2, RL would have been the dominant oval ball code. For those not in the know, google French rugby league Vichy govt and that’ll give you more info.France’s greatest player allegedly
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puig_Aubert
Imagine catching the ball whilst simultaneously smoking a tab.
Hardyman's Yugo
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/rugby-league/48352670
Magic Weekend: Five reasons to watch Super League's annual carnival of rugby league
Dacia Magic Weekend
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool Date: Saturday, 25 May & Sunday, 26 May Kick-off: Saturday from 14:00 BST and Sunday from 13:00 BST Coverage: BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC local radio and BBC Sport website
The rugby league posts are up at Liverpool's Anfield stadium as the annual Super League festival - the Magic Weekend - heads for Merseyside with six matches over two days.
If you are wondering what to expect, wonder no more.
Here are five great reasons to get involved at the Magic Weekend.
1. This is Anfield
You don't even need to be a football fan to appreciate the significance of Anfield - it is a sporting venue steeped in history and teeming with atmosphere.
For starters, there is the world-famous Kop, the scene of so many famous footballing adventures for Liverpool fans, and the end in which St Helens' England wing Tommy Makinson scored his hat-trick try against New Zealand last autumn.
It took its name from the Spion Kop, the hill in South Africa where many soldiers died during the Boer War at the start of the 20th Century. At one time 25,000 people could stand on its terracing, but that figure is now around 12,000.
The new Main Stand is also pretty impressive, hosting more seats than some of Super League's ground capacities alone, lifting the stadium's current capacity to 54,074.
It is definitely a 'bucket list' type of stadium to tick off.
2. The repeat of the Grand Final
Video captionWarrington edge Wigan in eight-try thriller
Of course, the action on the field is the most important thing, and the fixture selection plays a key role in ensuring decent entertainment.
Thankfully, the Super League has delivered, throwing together last season's Grand Final pairing - pitting a Wigan side struggling to match last season's achievements against a Warrington side (Saturday, 19:00 BST) hoping to avenge their loss.
We were given a sneak preview of just how good these games are when the Wolves gained a little bit of revenge for last season's showpiece loss by dumping the Warriors out of the Challenge Cup a couple of weeks ago.
Watch the tries above - it might just whet the appetite.
3. Red V, red hot
St Helens have been the stand-out team this season, scoring 93 tries, and even neutral fans have the chance to witness their outstanding talents when they take on Castleford in the final game of the weekend (Sunday, 18:00 BST).
Justin Holbrook's side lead the table by six points, and have lost just once - in Perpignan against Catalans Dragons - from their 15 league games.
"Castleford like to move the ball and they play in an attractive style," Saints head coach Justin Holbrook told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"They're getting some players back now and they had a good win over the weekend against Leeds."
Daryl Powell's fifth-placed Tigers are no slouches either and love to throw the ball around.
St Helens are in good form. We will play the top four teams three times this year at some point and it's just how it's happened," Castleford prop Liam Watts told BBC Radio Leeds.
"Saints will be in great form come Sunday no matter what, so we've got to up our game against them."
4. Basement battle
Image copyrightSWPIX.COM
Image captionLeeds Rhinos have struggled - they are joint-bottom with Hull KR and London
Few would have believed that Leeds Rhinos would be battling it out at the bottom end of Super League come Magic Weekend when the season began.
Big-name signings such as Trent Merrin, Konrad Hurrell and Tui Lolohea were supposed to guide the summer era masters towards trophies, not trouble.
However, they have four wins from 15 games in the league and out of the Challenge Cup at the hands of lower-league Bradford.
It is a run of form that cost coach David Furner his job, and interim boss Richard Agar leads them into Sunday's game against fellow strugglers London Broncos (Sunday, 15:30 BST).
The Broncos are coached by ex-Rhino Danny Ward, who along with his former player and coach dad David, is intrinsically linked with the Leeds club.
His coaching trajectory has been impressive, having produced an unlikely promotion to the top tier last season and now they continue to scrap for their lives.
It will be a interesting 'four-pointer' for both clubs when they slug it out on the lush Anfield turf.
"It just shows the competition this year and how tight it is, no one is automatically ruled out of being in the bottom half of the league," Ward told BBC Radio London.
"It's the evenness and strength of Super League competition that if you're not 'on' on any given day, you're going to get turned over.
"It's tough on Leeds but they've got some good personnel there and I'm sure they will be working hard to fix it."
5. Rugby league for all...
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionLearning disability rugby league matches are non-competitive and non-contact with the focus on inclusion, participation and skills development
The nearby Stanley Park will be taken over by both versions of the game of rugby league, and it will also be played during half-time of two of the Super League games at Anfield.
"There are 12 teams that have signed up for it and 10 teams playing at Magic Weekend," John Hughes of Community Integrated Care, who set-up the LDRL, told the BBC 5 Live rugby league podcast.
"There's a festival outside during game two of the Magic Weekend, and during game three on both days [a match will take place on the pitch] at half-time, you can imagine what it will mean to those individuals.
Magic Weekend: Five reasons to watch Super League's annual carnival of rugby league
Dacia Magic Weekend
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool Date: Saturday, 25 May & Sunday, 26 May Kick-off: Saturday from 14:00 BST and Sunday from 13:00 BST Coverage: BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC local radio and BBC Sport website
The rugby league posts are up at Liverpool's Anfield stadium as the annual Super League festival - the Magic Weekend - heads for Merseyside with six matches over two days.
If you are wondering what to expect, wonder no more.
Here are five great reasons to get involved at the Magic Weekend.
1. This is Anfield
You don't even need to be a football fan to appreciate the significance of Anfield - it is a sporting venue steeped in history and teeming with atmosphere.
For starters, there is the world-famous Kop, the scene of so many famous footballing adventures for Liverpool fans, and the end in which St Helens' England wing Tommy Makinson scored his hat-trick try against New Zealand last autumn.
It took its name from the Spion Kop, the hill in South Africa where many soldiers died during the Boer War at the start of the 20th Century. At one time 25,000 people could stand on its terracing, but that figure is now around 12,000.
The new Main Stand is also pretty impressive, hosting more seats than some of Super League's ground capacities alone, lifting the stadium's current capacity to 54,074.
It is definitely a 'bucket list' type of stadium to tick off.
2. The repeat of the Grand Final
Of course, the action on the field is the most important thing, and the fixture selection plays a key role in ensuring decent entertainment.
Thankfully, the Super League has delivered, throwing together last season's Grand Final pairing - pitting a Wigan side struggling to match last season's achievements against a Warrington side (Saturday, 19:00 BST) hoping to avenge their loss.
We were given a sneak preview of just how good these games are when the Wolves gained a little bit of revenge for last season's showpiece loss by dumping the Warriors out of the Challenge Cup a couple of weeks ago.
Watch the tries above - it might just whet the appetite.
3. Red V, red hot
St Helens have been the stand-out team this season, scoring 93 tries, and even neutral fans have the chance to witness their outstanding talents when they take on Castleford in the final game of the weekend (Sunday, 18:00 BST).
Justin Holbrook's side lead the table by six points, and have lost just once - in Perpignan against Catalans Dragons - from their 15 league games.
"Castleford like to move the ball and they play in an attractive style," Saints head coach Justin Holbrook told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"They're getting some players back now and they had a good win over the weekend against Leeds."
Daryl Powell's fifth-placed Tigers are no slouches either and love to throw the ball around.
St Helens are in good form. We will play the top four teams three times this year at some point and it's just how it's happened," Castleford prop Liam Watts told BBC Radio Leeds.
"Saints will be in great form come Sunday no matter what, so we've got to up our game against them."
4. Basement battle
Image copyrightSWPIX.COM
Image captionLeeds Rhinos have struggled - they are joint-bottom with Hull KR and London
Few would have believed that Leeds Rhinos would be battling it out at the bottom end of Super League come Magic Weekend when the season began.
Big-name signings such as Trent Merrin, Konrad Hurrell and Tui Lolohea were supposed to guide the summer era masters towards trophies, not trouble.
However, they have four wins from 15 games in the league and out of the Challenge Cup at the hands of lower-league Bradford.
It is a run of form that cost coach David Furner his job, and interim boss Richard Agar leads them into Sunday's game against fellow strugglers London Broncos (Sunday, 15:30 BST).
The Broncos are coached by ex-Rhino Danny Ward, who along with his former player and coach dad David, is intrinsically linked with the Leeds club.
His coaching trajectory has been impressive, having produced an unlikely promotion to the top tier last season and now they continue to scrap for their lives.
It will be a interesting 'four-pointer' for both clubs when they slug it out on the lush Anfield turf.
"It just shows the competition this year and how tight it is, no one is automatically ruled out of being in the bottom half of the league," Ward told BBC Radio London.
"It's the evenness and strength of Super League competition that if you're not 'on' on any given day, you're going to get turned over.
"It's tough on Leeds but they've got some good personnel there and I'm sure they will be working hard to fix it."
5. Rugby league for all...
Image copyrightAFP
Image captionLearning disability rugby league matches are non-competitive and non-contact with the focus on inclusion, participation and skills development
- 'Playing for Saints has been in my heart forever'
The nearby Stanley Park will be taken over by both versions of the game of rugby league, and it will also be played during half-time of two of the Super League games at Anfield.
"There are 12 teams that have signed up for it and 10 teams playing at Magic Weekend," John Hughes of Community Integrated Care, who set-up the LDRL, told the BBC 5 Live rugby league podcast.
"There's a festival outside during game two of the Magic Weekend, and during game three on both days [a match will take place on the pitch] at half-time, you can imagine what it will mean to those individuals.
playdaball
Heritage Member
Tui Lolohea has been dumped by Leeds and off to Salford. Robert Lui off to Leeds - it wasn’t that long ago that the Warriors offered him a heap of money to cross the Tasman.
matiunz
Hardyman's Yugo
Leeds recruitment seems to be a complete pigs ear atm, Kevin Sinfield in charge. He must come under scrutiny soon for some of the players they have brought in, classic case of a legendary player not being able to hack it when they aren’t on the pitch driving the team
Weno
Watched the Mounties and Newtown replay the other night.
Good to see Hingano on the pitch.
Played fullback.
Had a hand in nearly every try.
Good to see him running around .
Good to see Hingano on the pitch.
Played fullback.
Had a hand in nearly every try.
Good to see him running around .
Hardyman's Yugo
The final league places are sorted. The big shock this season so far has been Salford
https://www.superleague.co.uk/
Warrington are out of the playoffs, beaten at home by Castleford.
The grand final is Saturday 12 October
https://www.superleague.co.uk/
Warrington are out of the playoffs, beaten at home by Castleford.
The grand final is Saturday 12 October
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