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Post by newby on Feb 18, 2024 18:56:00 GMT
A record score of Newcastle Thunder 0 Wakefield Trinity 110 was the score that hit me between the eyes today in the 1895 Cup. A competition to kick off the season for Championship and League One clubs.
Trinity lost their place in Super league last season, I expect them to get it back come October. However, it won't be just about romping to win the Championship which I'm sure they will, they also have to satisfy the Accountants and PR company who now run Super league that they can generate enough money to ensure they get the biggest possible cut.
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Post by newby on Feb 22, 2024 16:46:25 GMT
Good looking Super league game tonight Hull KR v Leeds. I think Leeds might find this a tough fixture after watching both teams starts last week. So many personnel changes for the Rhinos coming into the season I reckon it might take a month or two before they are at their best.
I'm not saying we are going to lose, though I'd have it at about 60/40 for the home team.
Luckily I have a soft spot for Hull KR which makes it less painful than if it was St Helens, Wigan or Catalans.
Friday London Broncos v Catalans and Warrington v Hull FC
Sat: Huddersfield v St Helens, plus World Cub Challenge when Wigan host Penrith Panthers.
Sun: Salford v Castleford plus the bulk of the Challenge Cup fixtures.
Others codes are available, indeed with the 6 nations returning take precedent.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 22, 2024 18:24:13 GMT
The RL looks good for tonight. Then there's Six Nations U20 on Friday, before the main event Sat/Sunday, plus of course all the Club stuff. Sedgley face a tough trip to Leicester Lions, very much in-form as they battle to get clear of the relegation zone. Doncaster play Nottingham (away) Friday evening.
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Post by newby on Feb 22, 2024 18:45:33 GMT
I think I read that Doncaster's head coach had walked out. Some kind of disagreement about the clubs attitude to 'Premiership2' I believe but it was only a small snippet I read which I can't find now.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 22, 2024 19:16:49 GMT
From the Yorkshire Post
"The 41-year-old, who joined the Castle Park outfit during the Covid summer of 2020 as their head coach, informed the club on Monday he would be standing down with immediate effect.
"It is a bolt from the blue for a club that has been a beacon of stability in Yorkshire’s rugby union circles.
"It is unclear at this time why Boden has stood down, but over the last 12 months the former Leeds Carnegie player has become increasingly vocal about his frustrations with the direction the game is heading, with the Rugby Football Union marginalising the clubs in the second-tier Championship and making it increasingly difficult for teams, like Doncaster, to try and win promotion to the Premiership."
The RFU under Sweeney is beginning to rival the ECB for cluelessness and corruption.
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Post by newby on Feb 22, 2024 20:54:13 GMT
Thanks Dave I knew I'd seen it somewhere. Bit of a blow for Doncaster, though they aren't really in the frame for promotion, if there was any of course.
It's the businessmen getting involved again, I'm sure what they are trying to do makes perfect sense to them. They wrap it all up so nicely with their spiel about giving clubs the certainty to invest etc etc.
Rugby league is taking the same path unfortunately.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 22, 2024 21:26:20 GMT
RL at least resisted the businessman's favourite, the Franchise. I remember Maurice Lindsay glibly saying that Wakefield, Castleford and Featherstone could combine, and Salford, Rochdale and Swinton, and 'obviously' the two Hulls, etc. The same thing was mooted in RU, with the likes of Rob Andrew wanting an East Midlands franchise, for example. All that was needed was to combine Leicester and Northampton, perhaps with Bedford thrown in.
Both codes, in England, threw out this outrageous idea. These business wallies were obviously oblivious of the fans' detestation for their neighbouring rivals. But Graves pushed it through with The Hundred, and it is raising its head again in RU. It has been a disaster for Wales.
The idea now, is that Championship clubs like Doncaster will have to apply for Premiership membership (with the Championship being renamed Prem 2) and to do that they have to spend millions on ground improvements, and to be full time pro set-ups.
When they don't apply, the RFU will simply say their generous offer was not taken up, and that therefore they have created x number of franchises, strategically sited and centrally funded, to take the place of these 'unambitious' clubs, whose funding will now be cut even further. George Orwell could have written it.
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Post by newby on Feb 23, 2024 8:51:38 GMT
Rhinos fell short as I expected at Hull KR. Some positive signs though and for a little while I thought we could get a result. Discipline, or lack of it let us down. Difficult to get away with anything at Craven Park with the crowd helping the referee to make up his mind and we fell foul of that.
The young full back who came in at the last minute did himself proud, but ultimately he was the weak link in defence.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 23, 2024 11:38:43 GMT
There's too much sport on TV!
I enjoyed the first half of Hull KR v Rhinos - great to see a really muddy pitch again - then got distracted at half time. I returned near the end of the game, and was surprised Hull KR were winning. They had looked very much second best, earlier. Pre-game, it was interesting to hear talk of the new high-tackle 'protocols'. RL is a couple of seasons behind RU, but they seem to have adopted very much the same procedures, and the same vocabulary, which suggests the two sports are working together.
Early this morning, during the lunch break in the Ranchi Test, I watched the first half of Waikato Chiefs v Canterbury. In 2008, I attended a Super Ten game at that stadium in Hamilton Lovely, relaxed family atmosphere then. No reason to think it any different today, and that's definitely the most spectacularly fast and skilful game I've seen this season.
Scotland v England U20 tonight will be on BBC iPlayer, I assume. Big game at Sedgley on Sunday, also U20, Lancs v Yorks, but I will be watching Sedge Colts v Penrith in the Cup.
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Post by hawke on Feb 24, 2024 21:09:36 GMT
Ilkley lost to a very solid Driffield side who are now actually pushing York and Harrogate for promotion. Very impressive season. Another’quick throw in’ and another early kick off. Perhaps they wanted to make sure they saw all of the Calcutta match!
Fellow next to me was very unimpressed with one off target conversion attempt by Ilkley and made his disappointment loudly known so that the unsuccessful kicker glared for a long time our way. Hope he didn’t think it was me!
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Post by hawke on Feb 24, 2024 21:16:12 GMT
Decent effort by Hammersmith Hill (mainly Antipodians) losing 50-4 at Championship Halifax in the RL Challenge Cup. York Acorns- with its. corridor connections - won a close encounter v Wath from Cumberland. Not sure who they meet in the next round.
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Post by hawke on Feb 24, 2024 21:56:47 GMT
Ha! Seems to be a RL World Club Final on tonight. Or was. Wigan have just snatched the title from Penrith Panthers 3 successive time winners of the Aussie comp. Not often I am happy with Wigan winning but well done!!!
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Post by newby on Feb 24, 2024 22:57:15 GMT
Yes, my teeth are gritted but well done Wigan, always good to get one over the Aussie's.
The other 6 Challenge cup games are tomorrow.
Only 8 teams, including York Acorns will be in the hat for the next round so the odds are quite short they might meet York Knights. If the knights manage to turn over Sheffield Eagles tomorrow that is.
Draw is being held just before the Swinton v Oldham game which kicks off at 1800 O'clock.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 25, 2024 15:40:42 GMT
Amazing that Swinton still exists. They played in an impressive 40,000 stadium (Station Road) which was used for Challenge Cup semi-finals, and even for Ashes Tests. So swift, and complete, was their fall that they hired Sedgley Park for a couple of seasons.
Is Wath really in Cumbria? There's a place of that name somewhere near Barnsley.
Meanwhile, Sedgley still await a first win of 2024 - a season of two halves? Heartbreak for Huddersfield, who led Fylde for almost the whole game, before going down 32-34.
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Post by karma on Feb 25, 2024 17:04:00 GMT
Amazing that Swinton still exists. They played in an impressive 40,000 stadium (Station Road) which was used for Challenge Cup semi-finals, and even for Ashes Tests. So swift, and complete, was their fall that they hired Sedgley Park for a couple of seasons. Is Wath really in Cumbria? There's a place of that name somewhere near Barnsley. Meanwhile, Sedgley still await a first win of 2024 - a season of two halves? Heartbreak for Huddersfield, who led Fylde for almost the whole game, before going down 32-34. There is a Wath a couple of miles from Swinton and north of Sheffield . It's actually called Wath-upon-Dearne (in the Dearne valley) There are a number of Waths, my favourite is north of Pately Bridge (Nr Harrogate) close to Gouthwaite reservoir and a really interesting area for walking . I know the inside of the Sportsman's Arms better still . There is a Station cottage near the reservoir but no railway for miles - it was built to transport materials to build the dam and then dismantled upon completion. |
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