There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Category: International rugby league
BONDI BEAT: December 2016
By STEVE MASCORD LETTNG Australian NRL players playing a role in determining the next 10 years of international matches might sound daft – but there could be method in the madness. The NRL itself will play a huge role, of course, in determining what is played – and where – between the 207 World Cup…
White Line Fever column: Toronto Wolfpack
By STEVE MASCORD THE things that stuck out were the names. Young trialist Bomaly Costanby. Local NRL and Super League-savvy photographer Marvin Dangerfield. We’re not at Leichhardt Oval or the DW, Toto. When I first heard the Toronto Wolfpack were holding open trials (‘tryouts’ in the North American lexicon) across the continent, I was desperate…
FAR & WIDE: Ireland, Czech Republic, Japan, Greece, Hungary, France, Malta
By STEVE MASCORD IN locations as diverse as Bray, Ireland, Prague, Czech Republic and Tokyo, Japan, our international season got underway at the weekend. In Bray, the Irish Wolfhounds were taking on Malta and the home side ran out 56-10 winners. It was only in the dying stages they ran away with the match, however…
BONDI BEAT: October 2016
By STEVE MASCORD THE departure of Stephen Kearney as coach of our number one ranked nation, just weeks before the Four Nations, raises a host of intriguing questions. One must be the inescapable conclusion that coaching a tier one Test team is a post with decisively less prestige than heading up an NRL franchise. Wayne…
FAR & WIDE: Wales, Czech Republic, Norway, Serbia, Spain
By STEVE MASCORD IN rugby league we like to do things at the last minute. It’s how we roll. But this has got to take the cake. Jamaica are to tour the UK, playing Ireland at Bray and Wales at Wakefield. When? IN TWO WEEKS! That’s right, an historic international tour has been announced three…
FAR & WIDE: Europe, California, Women’s rugby league, Greece
By STEVE MASCORD EUROPEAN Countries are getting ready for the final stage of World Cup qualifiers, with the matches played in the coming weeks. Pool A includes Wales, Italy and Serbia while Pool B comprises Ireland, Spain and Russia. The top two in each group automatically qualifies for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea,…
BONDI BEAT: September 2016
By STEVE MASCORD BECAUSE next year’s World Cup is in Australia, expect officials to pull out all the stops to have as many NRL stars sprinked across the teams as possible. The new CEO of the tournament, Andrew Hill, has been working on eligibility rules for years and walking a diplomatic tightrope in his dual…
FAR & WIDE: United States, Malta, Norway, Czech Republic, Jamaica, Canada, Wales, Germany, Thailand
By STEVE MASCORD JACKSONVILLE Axemen have been the outstanding team of American rugby league for the last decade but they were toppled in the USARL grand final a couple of weekends back. Northern Conference champions Philadelphia Fight took out the big one 42-20 at Boston University after eliminating the local club the previous week. The…
Are Price And Maguire Auditioning For Bennett’s Job?
By STEVE MASCORD St GEORGE Illawarra assistant Steve Price has outlined his first grade ambitions while World Club Challenge rival Michael Maguire declined to discount himself from returning to the NRL next season. Candidates to replace Wayne Bennett at the Dragons are thrown up almost daily – Craig Bellamy and Nathan Brown are among the…