Rugby League coverage from The Times, Sunday Times and Times Online.
Subscribe to a feed of the blog at:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_league/rss.xml
 Super League round 20 was the weekend the play-offs race cranked up. Seven rounds to go and the jostling for position produced a few classics. I was tempted to think the top-eight competition had already begun, such was the intensity and ferocity (two words not always associated with the first half of the 2009 season) on display. An increasingly impressive Huddersfield held off Harlequins and Celtic Crusaders chipped in after a troubled week by coming from 12-0 behind to Salford in recording a third league victory, 25-12. Wigan trailed Catalans 22-14 and won 24-22 - a theme maintained in Friday and Saturday night belters at Wakefield and Warrington, two teams who tore into Leeds and Saints but ultimately came unstuck.
Wakefield have still not beaten Leeds at home in Super League and, bizarrely, the Wolves have still only had the better of St Helens once in 35 Super League encounters. Wakefield's bogey was 33 seconds from being ended when Scott Donald joyously crossed for the winning try after the Rhinos had trailed 30-16. How the outstanding Danny Brough and Sam Obst finished on the losing team is anyone's guess. Warrington led Saints three times and lost. They also had a stand-out performer in Ireland international Ben Harrison in the back row, but St Helens had the trump card in Kyle Eastmond (above), surely Sean Long's 19-year-old scrum half successor. The King is dead (well, almost), long live the King.
 My first live rugby league match was August 29 1970. I was but a nipper when taken by my father (on reporting duties for The Guardian) to Central Park to see Wigan play Barrow. The Barrow team included a young Welshman I recognised from his feats in rugby union. Keith Jarrett was 18 when he made his debut for Wales on April 15 1967. He'd only left Monmouth School at Christmas and Wales had endured a lousy Five Nations when the Newport youngster was called up at full back for the final championship match against England in Cardiff.
Jarrett was England's nemesis in a remarkable match, which Wales won 34-21, thanks to Jarrett's 19-point contribution, which beat the existing record for any Welsh individual player by seven points. Wales were captained that day by another Newport player, David Watkins, who also turned out a pretty handy rugby league player. The grainy image I remember from that match was an England punt downfield in the hope of catching Jarrett out. The young full back, cool as a cucumber, took the bouncing ball, shook off two tacklers in shooting up the touch-line and sent the Arms Park into raptures.
Jarrett played another nine times for Wales before switching codes. His league career at Barrow was cut short in 1973 after he suffered a stroke. He was 25 and in his playing prime. It was my privilege to see him play in his second season at Barrow, for whom I've had an affection ever since. On Sunday Barrow meet Widnes in the Northern Rail Cup final at Blackpool as 11/8 outsiders. “I think Barrow have only been in seven cup finals during their whole existence and the last one was 26 years ago. That was against Widnes in the Lancashire Cup and we won, so we’re all hoping for the same again this weekend," Dave Clark, their coach, said this week.
 It's fair to see that silverware polish supplies have rarely been anything other than abundant in Barrow where, in some ways, it is forever the 1950s - the Craven Park club's finest era and days when West Cumbria still had a coal industry. Barrovians would flock to the ground to see the great Willie Horne, the little master craftsman, Jack Grundy (deserved recipient of the periodically awarded 'Iron Man of Rugby League ' title) and "Gentleman Jim" Lewthwaite star in a redoubtable cup-fighting team, who made three Wembley finals in six years but only won there once.
No mention of Barrow reaching a final can go without reference to their 1955 Challenge Cup triumph over rivals Workington Town. Horne provided the cutting edge and Grundy the bludgeon in a 21-12 victory. You can still see Willie today on Duke Street, his statue darting towards the great try line in the sky. Enjoy Sunday Barrow. You deserve to.
 It never rains but it pours in Bridgend. BBC Wales Sport is reporting that Celtic Crusaders are being investigated by the UK Border Agency over possible immigration offences. Visas used to bring in some or all of the club's overseas players could be inadequate. A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "While the investigation is under way it would be inappropriate to comment." Before the start of the season, eight overseas players, including skipper Jace Van Dijk, 2008 top tryscorer Tony Duggan and player of the year Damien Quinn, had difficulties obtaining work permits. However, it is thought the investigation goes back to when the club were in the National League. The Crusaders confirmed this week that Duggan and Quinn will be leaving the Brewery Field at the end of this season.
No surprise today when Gareth Hock's B-sample tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. There will be no surprise either when the 25-year-old Wigan and England forward appears before an anti-doping panel in between four and eight weeks' time. The RFL is signed up to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations and that will mean a two-year suspension for Hock, who is signed at Wigan until 2011. Wigan won't be commenting officially until after the panel hearing, but the club is not expected to simply abandon Hock. But should the Warriors retain or get rid of a player unfortunately now labelled rugby league's most high profile drugs offender ? Let us know your thoughts.
 Disappointing crowds, a possible move away from Bridgend to Newport next season, difficulties paying players (now resolved), county court judgements against the club's controlling company brought by Revenue & Customs and the RFL's troubleshooters arriving. Hard times for Celtic Crusaders, and that's before we address their position at the foot of the Super League. But hang on a minute. An announcement by the prolific Brewery Field publicity machine declares that tickets are selling fast for Saturday's home game against Salford "after the news started spreading that George Sampson was in town."A bumper gates thanks to the 2008 Britain's Got Talent winner! Never mind George's Singin' in the Rain, this smacks of peeing into the wind. Things must be bad in Wales, and where, of course, cricket's the all consuming thing this week with the Ashes starting. And guess who's singing in Cardiff ? Yes, Katherine Jenkins. Move over George ... PICTURE BY HUW EVANS
 On the subject of cricket, Australian-born England rugby league coach Tony Smith - British Citizen Smith nowadays - is rooting for who in the Ashes ? Would you credit it, Australia! "It's easy," he told the Press Association "When it comes to rugby league, my loyalties are firmly with England, when it comes to cricket, my loyalties have pretty much stayed with Australia. I've got a foot in either camp, I can't lose. I'll back the Aussies but it wouldn't be the end of the world if they lost it." Ever heard of the Norman Tebbit cricket test, Tony ?
 The fat bloke's got it. A try hereby known as The Great Dean Widders Moment followed around two minutes later - okay then, ten seconds, give or take an eye blink - and made a hitherto forgettable match at Odsal utterly memorable.
From 80 metres out, after snaffling up Terry Newton's wayward pass, two races were on. Castleford's Widders, the former South Sydney Rabbitoh whose condition and fitness have come into question at The Jungle, against three Bradford defenders, and the other sprint in the press box - to the most fitting description of Widders's physical state. Portly, rotund, lardy, Run Fat Boy Run. When the back rower turned centre for the afternoon made it, chunky hacks (I exclude The Guardian's pipecleaner-thin Gareth Walker and the Press Association's svelte Andy Hampson) waggled second chins in approval. SEE THE WIDDERS TRY AND HEAR THE LEGENDARY MICK MORGAN'S COMMENTARY BY CLICKING HERE
A pity Widders's big mate missed his lung-busting pivotal effort in the Tigers' 40-38 win. Russell Crowe was on Centre Court at Wimbledon. To be honest, I was paying more attention at times on Sunday to the sustained excellence of Roger Federer and Andy Roddick on my laptop. Had Paul Deacon converted Ben Jeffries's last gasp try with the final kick of the match, a score of 40-40 - or deuce - might have been fitting. Unfortunately, the rugby came nowhere near the standard of tennis produced in the men's final.
Three Castleford cock-ups at restarts all led to Bradford tries. Semi Tadulala was a nervous wreck beneath the bombs of Rangi Chase and the defending of both sides was a joke at times. That Cas pipped a game of touch should not over excite their fans. As Bradford coach Steve McNamara observed: "If both sides carry on playing like that, gifting that amount of possession and opportunities, neither will go on and do much more."
On the positive side, the few shafts of light were provided by some young Englishmen - I think you can describe Bradford's Dave Halley as such, after renouncing his Welshness last week. Michael Shenton was Castleford's outstanding performer and Joe Westerman had the best game I've seen him have for a while.
But while Federer and Roddick were slugging out the longest set in a grand slam final history, Widders joyously completed his 80 metre marathon. Tiger Feet indeed. You'd have loved it Russell!
Read Christopher Irvine's match report from Odsal in Monday's Times HERE
 Hull added to their signing spree for 2010 before Saturday's 43-30 loss at home to Leeds - Sean Long, Craig Fitzgibbon, Jordan Tansey - by adding Fitzgibbon's Sydney Roosters and former Australia team-mate, Mark O'Meley, the prop known as "Shrek". O'Meley is to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee that will rule him out for the rest of the NRL season, but what of that nickname ? In his early days at North Sydney, O'Meley's shaven head and thick build were inevitable targets. "Blokes used to call me 'Om' and stuff like that, then 'Ogre'. When I went to the Bulldogs, the movie came out and the boys jumped on board with 'Shrek'." And now he's a Codhead.
So much for the Blog theory about firm pitches and fast teams coming to the fore. Salford coach Shaun McRae obviously knew something beforehand when comparing facing St Helens to Andy Murray. McRae - should that be Shaun McEnroe ? - saw his team infused with the Andy Roddick spirit. Saints' all court game was exposed by a Salford team firing bullets a la Roddick in a 20-10 upset victory. The result from The Willows was greeted by the biggest cheer of the night at the JJB Stadium, where Wigan beat 12-man Harlequins 40-12 after David Howell's sending off - the first red card of the Super League season - for planting his elbow in the face of young Sam Tomkins, who later saw yellow for backchatting to Steve Ganson, although Tomkins minor insisted he said nothing untoward. "You cannot be serious!" as John McRae once said.
Odds are out for next month's Rugby League's Fastest Man Race, which features a field of Super League and Championship pacemen and an unknown Jamaican who has suddenly popped up in the betting. Is Roy Calvert, of the Duhaney Park Sharks, league's version of his countryman Usain Bolt ? We'll find out at Headingley on August 26 during the Carnegie Floodlight 9s. Calvert - no relation to the man next to him in the betting, Whitehaven's Craig Calvert - is the unknown quantity in a field, for which Warrington's Kevin Penny (right), who is on loan at Widnes, is 2/1 favourite and the Jamaican and Cumbrian Calverts are 6/1. Curious to see Wigan's Amos Roberts figuring in the betting. Are the Warriors not banking on him being in the Challenge Cup final four days later ?
Totesport odds: 2/1 Kevin Penny (Warrington); 4/1 Scott Donald (Leeds); 9/2 Dave Halley (Bradford); 5/1 Peter Fox (Hull KR); 6/1 Craig Calvert (Whitehaven), Roy Calvert (Duhaney Park Sharks); 8/1 Paul Ballard (Celtic Crusaders), Luke George (Wakefield); 12/1 Amos Roberts (Wigan), James Ford (Castleford); tbc Tangi Ropati (Sheffield).
 Caught up in Murraymania, or more interested in Murray Mints ? RFL executive chairman Richard Lewis, once of the Lawn Tennis Association, was spotted in the Royal Box on Centre Court this week. Another rugby league link was forged by that unstinting champion of the code, George Riley, a former South Stander at Leeds, puffing the weekend's big events on Radio 5 Live: "Wimbledon - and rugby league!" Good on you George.
Continue reading "Rugby League v Wimbledon" »
 It's all the rage and you can follow Chris Irvine and The Times Rugby League Blog on Twitter. Give us a tweet and keep in touch and stay in touch with The Greatest Game on Times Online. http://twitter.com/Chrisirvine
 No Monday is complete without a glance at the letters pages in League Express and League Weekly. Amid the "Angry of Hull" and "Disgusted of Warrington" missives was a "genuine" invitation this week to Wigan supporters from a J Crompton of Bolton. "To all the disgruntled and dissatisfied Wigan fans, who are unhappy with their team and the manner in which the club is run, may I offer a solution. Come and join us to support the Saints. There are already many from Wigan, Chorley and Bolton that do," writes J Crompton, who extols the virtues of a club "with integrity who produce a brand of rugby in the true spirit of the game".
I can't see many (make that any) Wigan supporters following this St Helens Pied Piper to Knowsley Road. Things are far from perfect at Wigan and Gareth Hock's positive test for cocaine and the endless will he/won't he saga of whether Brian Noble will be offered an extended contract as coach are compounding the Warriors' woes, but let me offer two little words of encouragement - Sam Tomkins. Goodness knows, we've heard a lot about England's teenage scrum half Richard Myler and his likely move from Salford to Warrington, but the player floating my boat just now is young Tomkins. Another tour de force by the exciting stand-off in Sunday's defeat of Hull KR was all the spirit and talent necessary for J Crompton's invitation to be politely rejected by fans of the cherry-and-whites.
No news on Noble's contract but Wigan have today recognised Sam Tomkins's importance to the club by extending his contact until the end of 2014. “Sam is the first obvious example of the wealth of talent coming through the Wigan scholarship and academy system, in which we are investing heavily, and which is key to the future success of Wigan Warriors in Super League," Ian Lenagan, the Wigan chairman, said.
 A decade on and Ian Millward is about to turn full circle with his return from Australia to Leigh, where the larrikin first made his name in England. Millward, the coach who soared with St Helens and ultimately swore his way out of Knowsley Road before an unhappy year t'other side of Billinge Lump at Wigan, is seen as key to Leigh's push for a Super League licence in 2012. Millward, assistant coach to Dave Furner at Canberra, will be on board with the Centurions for 2010 after agreeing a three-year contract. We may have to apply the odd asterix or two to his quotes, but in this age of coaches mouthing platitutes, Basil's brushes with authorities will be a pleasingly colourful throwback. Leigh for Super League, bring it on!
* Leigh confirmed today that Millward will succeed Paul Rowley as the Co-operative Championship club's coach from next season. "Leigh gave me a start back in 1999 and I will endeavour to repay the club and its supporters with success in the coming seasons," Millward said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leigh and in Super League and the other reason behind my decision was to be closer to my three children, who still live in England and to allow my wife Marion to live closer to her parents. I am also appreciative of Canberra's decision to release me from my current contract at the end of the 2009 season to allow me to take up the Leigh appointment." PICTURE BY ANDREW VARLEY
 There were empty seats in the press boxes at Leeds, Castleford and Hull KR at the weekend where John Ledger once sat. A Ledgend (sic) has left our dwindling band. The veteran Yorkshire Post man - only that newspaper's fifth rugby league correspondent since the 1895 split - is no more. He is officially one of them. The arch poacher begins a new life today as a gamekeeper, and if the RFL didn't realise they'd appointed a lunatic to help run the asylum, they surely will soon.
Rugby league reporting's loss is, immeasurably, the League's gain. Red Hall bosses who'd gingerly turn to Ledger's brilliantly acerbic offerings on a Friday morning can breathe a sigh of relief. No more bollockings for the man who'd get under their skin and in 1998 was named UK regional sports writer of the year for exposing financial irregularities at the League; he is the RFL's new media manager.
Ledger managing to get up before mid morning will be his first major hurdle, although on the pre 2000 World Cup trip to Disneyland with John Kear's England, the hollow-legged Ledger ("Long Streak Of ..." was one photographer's nickname for him) was always first at breakfast. He'd demolish several stacks of pancakes and Desperate Dan-sized steaks. A trip noted for its alcohol consumption ended with Ledger proudly proclaiming he'd lost a pound. I rarely made breakfast and put on a stone. A master of spin, he convinced my wife that my projectile vomiting after his daughter's boozy christening was down to a bad pint. To see him balance a glass of red and file copy on his laptop - despite one noteable spillage in Carcassonne - was to witness a master at work. As for his prolific alter ego, Ed Hughes, will we (or the Inland Revenue) ever see his like again ?
From Twickenham to Townsville and Bradford to Brisbane, we've enjoyed good and bad rugby league and good and not so bad wine the past 14 years. The fiery remnants of my half case of St Emilion is still smouldering at Bordeaux airport check in after Ledger drunkenly set it alight. I can't wait for my first official bollocking off him, hopefully at the Junction Inn, Featherstone, where his and Ed's best reports were usually written. Hopefully, it will become a semi official offshoot of Red Hall for Ledger of the League.
 The Leeds-Bradford derby faired pretty poorly in the Blog's derby of derbies poll at Easter, but a rollicking encounter at Headingley did wonders for the reputation of the great West Yorkshire city rivalry. Leeds were 33-20 winners, thanks to Rob Burrow's scampering try in the 67th minute, followed by a Lee Smith dropped goal and Scott Donald try in added time, but was Rikki Sheriffe unfairly denied a try that would have given Paul Deacon a shot at an equalising conversion for the Bulls late on ?
Sheriffe was judged to have had a foot in touch as he lunged for the corner. "He was adamant he scored the try. His technique was great for it," an indigant Bradford coach Steve McNamara said. "Had there had been a video referee, we'd have been a whole lot clearer. I am a massive fan of the video ref and I wish there had been one here tonight." Leeds fans would point to the televised 10-6 loss at Odsal on Good Friday when video referee Monsieur Alibert was present for a series of close calls - and much good it did the Rhinos on that occasion.
But McNamara has a good point - one I've been hammering on about since video technology co-incided with Super League's advent in 1996. You've one rule for televised matches - the rule of the video referee - and another for non-televised matches, where there is no video referee, as was the case on Friday night. Thirteen years on and the disparity still exists. Hardly progress, is it ?
Read Chris Irvine's match report from Headingley in Saturday's Times HERE
 It was another Princess Di moment. Where were you when you heard Michael Jackson had died ? Rugby league tends to clarify these events for me. For the death of Diana, I remember more about a trip that day to London for the last league match of the 1997 season, to see the Broncos beat Bradford, watched by a crowd of 9,000 (yes, 9,000 at the Stoop!). For the record, Martin Offiah scored two tries - the second in injury time pipping the Bulls 28-24, but who'd already wrapped up the Super League title by a runaway margin weeks before. The Broncos finished second, four points ahead of St Helens. A more obscure league link to Jackson's death occurred at a Neil Sedaka concert in Manchester (don't ask!), where my wife and I met a very nice Salford supporter called Martine and I spent an evening of down dooby doo down downs seeing the dimunitive Sedaka on stage as a cross between Maurice Lindsay and Sepp Blatter.
 Setanta Sports went off air at 6pm on Tuesday in England, Scotland and Wales after its British business collapsed, thus blanking screens here for the second State of Origin match in Sydney. The news by carrier pigeon is that Queensland beat New South Wales 24-14 to record a fourth-straight series victory - the greatest winning streak in Origin history by the unbeatable Maroons. Some Setanta subscribers managed to get wind of a live internet feed via the NRL website, but where will Australian rugby league be shown in future in the UK, if anywhere ? ESPN, the American sports network that has won the rights to show 46 Premier League matches next season, is setting up a new stand-alone channel and is said to be looking at a number of the rights formerly held by Setanta. There are as yet no assurances about immediate - indeed any - NRL coverage here in Old Dart.
 The Latin for "horrible year" was brought to prominence by The Queen in talking about a personally troubled 1992. "It is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis," Her Maj. said. She could be addressing rugby league in 2009 on both sides of the world. Gareth Hock's positive test for cocaine continued the bout of bad publicity, 24 hours after Catalans captain Greg Bird had been sentenced in Sydney to 16 months for wounding his girlfriend. Sex and booze have made more headlines in Oz than the action in the NRL, thanks mainly to the scandal-struck former Wigan player Matthew Johns and, most recently, drunken Roosters coach Brad Fittler trying to access the wrong hotel room in only his shorts. Here, England stand-off Leon Pryce and former GB international Stuart Reardon avoided prison after pleading guilty to assault and Hull KR's Ben Cockayne served a community service order for a serious assault. It'd be nice to get back to the rugby, boys.
 England and Wigan forward Gareth Hock has earned instant notoriety as rugby league's most high profile drugs offender after news of his positive test for cocaine.
Benzoylecgonine - a metabolite of the recreational drug - was discovered in Hock's A sample test taken after Wigan's 34-18 home league win over Salford on June 5. He has been provisionally suspended by the RFL, with the B sample test result due in early July. If found guilty, the 25-year-old can expect a two-year ban - and a career almost certainly in ruins.
A week after the test that subsequently proved positive, Hock played for England in Paris in the 66-12 slaughter of France. Looking at the happy smiling faces of the team afterwards, you could scarcely imagine that one of their number would tarnish his name in such a way. And yet eyebrows were raised when Hock was omitted from the initial 17-strong England elite squad and “national registered testing pool”, who under Wada regulations must give notice of their whereabouts on a given hour each day.
Continue reading "Gareth Hock's cocaine shock" »
Hopefully Barcelona will be an annual staging post for Super League games following the success of Saturday's Catalans-Warrington match in the Catalan capital. Andrew Varley captures some of the fun and action in his picture blog.
  
 
 Chris Irvine and photographer Andrew Varley flew to Barcelona courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Barcelona - Spain, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com
 Memo to the Rugby Football League - Get another Super League game organised in Barcelona straight away. Make it an annual fixture for Catalans. Set the date now.
Even hardened cynics, like myself, were moved to conclude that Saturday night's great Super League Spanish venture at the Olympic Stadium, attended by 18,150 Catalans and Warrington fans and locals who comprised around a third of the crowd, was a runaway success. The partying outside the ground continued past midnight. I know because I've the sore head to prove it. The consensus among fans afterwards was one of when are we coming back ? It's a question already being addressed by Catalans Dragons officials. Put it this way, I'll be surprised and extremely disappointed if Super League isn't in Barcelona again next year. It would be a great trick missed. The crowd was bigger than for Super League's grand opening night in Paris in 1996 - and there was nothing fake about this occasion.
 Easy like Sunday morning here and the headline in Mundo Deportivo over a full page report of the match is "La fiesta del rugby a XIII - Mas de 18,000 aficionados, la mayoria del Rossello, invadieron ayer el Estadi Lluis Companys". Their reporter seemed suitably impressed. A RFL official asked recently for my thoughts on the best innovations in rugby league and I instinctively put Catalans at the top of my list. Around 13,000 fans from Perpignan flooded across the Spanish border in a red and gold convoy. Eighty French buses lined the hill of Montjuic all the way back into the city. Catalans general manager Christophe Levy said he wanted a rugby league party. Boy, he got one.
The atmosphere outside the ground was Wembley like. There were free straw hats and flags and the French, naturally, had come armed with their wine (lots of it). Inside it was a Catalan festival. There were flaming torch bearers, dancers, human towers or castells, a giant blow up wine bottle, and the surreal sound of Ray French booming out over the hillsides as the giant screen bizarrely showed highlights from a Hull derby. Catalonia beat the Czech Republic 52-10 in the warm-up match, which got everyone going, and thousands of eyes moistened as a choir sang the Catalan national anthem, Els Segadors. The 1,500 Warrington followers played their part, unfurling a giant Barmy Army flag, and rejoicing at a 24-12 victory that certainly didn't look on the cards after a fumbling first half.
Catalans failed to build on first half tries by Jason Croker and Cyril Stacul and Warrington were a side  transformed in the second period. Their bench players played especially well, Louis Anderson did the full 80 minutes, and despite Michael Monaghan twice being flattened, Simon Grix stepped forward to produce the decisive try by Chris Riley (keeping out Brian Carney, who was water carrier for the night) and Jon Clarke rubber stamped the victory with a superb surge from dummy half late on. Tony Smith was wreathed in smiles afterwards and chipped in that Barcelona should stage another game, preferably against Warrington again. "Mate, I'd love to come back," he said. After his try and trysaving tackle on Clint Greenshields, young Riley revealed another side to him, having spent a morning visiting a museum. Rugby and a bit of culture, you can't beat it.
 Unfortunately, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta didn't make it, although he dispatched one of his vice presidents to report back. Despite the Dragons being beaten, the verdict can only be favourable. There were glitches, naturally. The lines were still being painted until five minutes before the game kicked off, but someone had taken a cloth to the press box since Friday, which meant I didn't dirty another pair of trousers. Show a reporter a clean desk, a decent space to work, a working power point and free wi fi and you've a happy bunny. The Olympic Stadium reeks of faded glory but it's a good place to work, although after struggling to get in on Friday, last night we couldn't find our way out. We were eventually escorted out by the Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra.
Friendliness persists here, although the businessman tapping away next to me in the lobby of my hotel and playing Dido at full volume on his laptop is making my hangover worse. What's shut up in Spanish ?
Chris Irvine and photographer Andrew Varley have flown to Barcelona courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Barcelona - Spain, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information please visit www.jet2.com
Three flags are flying together on La Rambla - the flag of Catalonia, the flag of Espana and the flag of Warrington Wolves. Nearly as incongruous as the man in a pink leotard with a bunny tail who it's best to avoid eye contact with, preferably with an open copy of El Pais on the Spanish rugby league page. Barcelona is the city of Gaudi, football, Dali, tapas, Picasso, and for one weekend, Super League. Next week U2 are in town. Small beer compared with Catalans v Warrington at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday night, who are followed there by Madonna. Pity Madge couldn't make it early for the Big One.
As for the 56,000-capacity stadium, where Linford Christie flew to Olympic gold in 1992, facilities are tired and grimey. The athletics track is threadbare and lifting in parts and the dirt and dust in the press box testify to the lack of newsworthy sporting events, especially now that Espanyol have abandoned the place for a new stadium. Finding our way in for Warrington's training session was like an orienteering session, after negotiating a series of escalators up the 700ft hill of Montjuic. When we eventually penetrated the outer wall, the faded grey interior was not the only arresting sight. The in goals were not much more than a couple of metres of grass and a few more of lumpy astrotuf. "It'll be okay," a Catalans official said, not very assuringly.
STEP ASIDE MADONNA, CATALANS ARE HERE. READ CHRIS IRVINE'S REPORT FROM BARCELONA IN SATURDAY'S TIMES HERE
Before the happy shot above - "we look like a bloody married couple," James Lowes bemoaned - Tony Smith was on to the Catalans people to bring the posts in by two metres at each end on safety grounds. He need only have inspected photographer Andrew Varley's astroturf burns in getting down for a couple of low angles. Bemused groundstaff began digging up the turf they'd carefully laid around the posts. Well, stamped into place, actually.
 He isn't playing in the game but Brian Carney was sharp with the ball and as sharp-witted as always talking about the sport he has returned to like a man who has rediscovered his lost love. Rugby union simply wasn't his game. "People don't quite realise just how different they are. Jeez, though, it's good to be back. The lads here are great," he said. What's it like having a disciplinarian like Smith as coach ? "Is he a disciplinarian ? To me, he's someone who has great attention to detail." Like getting the pitch within the grassy area and not spilling over on to the track.
We flew to Barcelona with the Eagles. That's the National Conference League Eagles, who have games against France B and Morocco in the space of three days. The rail journey from the airport almost took us to our hotel front door. After last week's Paris rip off and a fiver for a coffee experience, Barcelona has come as a pleasant surprise. There are villains looking to pick your pockets in some of the big tourist areas, but in the bars and restaurants, you can eat and drink without fearing you're going to be fleeced.
So could sunny Barcelona be a great future Magic Weekend destination ? To quote Chanel 9's weather girl Poula Fisch: "Scorchio!"
 Chris Irvine and photographer Andrew Varley have flown to Barcelona courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Barcelona - Spain, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information please visit www.jet2.com
 It's funny but compared to Paris and last week's miserably low key France-England international, I'm setting off to Barcelona for what looks an ordinary league fixture with a keen sense of anticipation. Super League in Spain, that's a genuine innovation. Barcelona was one of the cities spoken about by Maurice Lindsay when the whole Super League thing kicked off - and how we all chuckled back then. The fact is they're expecting a crowd of up to 20,000 at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday night - a tenth of them Warringtonians - and one significant figure in particular, Joan Laporta, the FC Barcelona president.
Do not under-estimate the Champions' League winner's influence in all this. An endorsement by Laporta is akin to a Papal blessing. It was only when the Catalans Dragons team were introduced to the crowd at Camp Nou, a week after they'd lost the 2007 Challenge Cup final, that rugby league was "officially" recognised. Here was a team, like Barca, flying the flag for Catalonia. The blood and gold colours run deep, whatever the sport. There is as much interest in Barcelona among the locals in the warm-up match to the main event between the Dragons and Warrington - only the Catalonia national team's sixth game since being formed last year, against the Czech Republic. When the Dragons trained on the pitch on Tuesday, Spanish TV and the newspapers were out in force.
A direct impact of the Dragons reaching Wembley was the spread of league from French to Spanish  Catalonia. Early days still but the significance of Saturday's game cannot be under-estimated - the first of what could be an annual pilgramage to Barcelona for the Dragons. "It's expensive for us and has meant an awful lot of hard work in organising and marketing the game, but I see it potentially as the Catalans' version of the Magic Weekend," Christophe Levy, the Catalans general manager, told the Blog. "It is a rugby festival and a big party. When the Spanish people see all these people in strange shirts having a great time in the city, we think they'll be curious to see for themselves what's going on."
It is a credit to Catalans that in such a short existence they are helping spread the game in unchartered territory. They were careful in picking which game to stage at the 56,000-capacity Olímic de Montjuïc, with Warrington regularly taking most supporters to Perpignan. Under the auspices of L'Associació Catalana de Rugby Lliga, league is making quietly impressive strides. As an unranked member of the Rugby League European Federation, Catalonia has official observer status and has just overseen completion of its second domestic competition.
FC Barcelona, one of several ad hoc teams across the Spanish border, emerged victorious from a three-way contest in 2008, but this year's competition featured nine new clubs - Tarragona, Sant Cugat, Garrotxa, Enginyers, Lleida, Crancs, Valls, Girona and Barcelona Universitari Club (BUC), who beat Sant Cugat 38-26 in last Saturday's final in Cornellà. Rugby league among students is proving especially popular. A Catalan University team showed some good skill in a recent game against the Trinity & All Saints team of Leeds University and have entered the 2010 European Universities Championships.
Small acorns but Saturday night's events could be a catalyst for the code in Spain. Ready the bodegas, uncork the rioja, prepare the tapas, Super League is Barcelona bound.
 Chris Irvine and photographer Andrew Varley are flying to Barcelona courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Barcelona - Spain, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com
 We're delighted and proud to announce here on The Times Rugby League Blog that The Co-operative is again supporting the follow up book to last year's Down and Dirty, A Rugby League Blogging Year. The Rugby League Blog Book 2009 will be published by YFP Publishing at the end of October and chart another rollicking rollercoaster of a rugby league season through the eyes of Chris Irvine, The Times Rugby League Correspondent, and readers of his Blog through their comments.
All the fun, the rows and the rugby that's fit to print. Chris's first Blog book proved hugely popular and his second will be just as funny, frivolous and provocative as he follows the season all the way to Old Trafford and the Super League Grand Final, with contributions by England captain Jamie Peacock and Co-operative Good for Everyone ambassador Jon Wilkin, and pictures by leading photographer Andrew Varley.
 Liz Matkin (pictured left), The Co-operative Group Sponsorship Manager, said: "The Co-operative is delighted to continue its support of this fantastic book. Down and Dirty was a huge success last year and it is only natural that we would want to extend our partnership with this excellent publication. We have supported rugby league for many years and our sponsorships of the Co-operative Championships and in partnership with the RFL provides a great fit for the services that we offer throughout the UK.
"So far 2009 has been a superb year for rugby league. We have seen attendances for Championship games rising and we have continued to be as pro-active as possible to help to raise the profile of rugby league in the UK, giving back something tangible to the supporters who are at the heart of the community, the game and the Co-operative's interests.
"I'm sure Chris Irvine's blog will continue to be a must read for all fans of the world's greatest game. We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Chris and we hope that the readers enjoy The Rugby League Blog Book 2009, when it is published, as much as we did Chris's first book."
Buy and reserve your copy of The Rugby League Blog Book 2009 now for £9.99, which includes post and packing, saving you £2 on the recommended retail price, by visiting
 Brian Carney is in Barcelona, despite not being in Warrington's squad for the match against Catalans, and so will The Times Rugby League Blog for Super League's great Spanish venture. The Barca Blog will be up and running from Friday to bring you the build up to the game in the unlikely setting of Spain's Olympic Stadium on Saturday evening.
Carney must wait for his Super League comeback as the Ireland Rugby Union is holding him to his contract with Munster until the end of the month, which also means he misses Warrington's next home fixture against Hull.
Carney is in the second week of training at Warrington, his last competitive moment with a rugby ball having come in the World Cup Sevens with Ireland in Dubai in March. His last league experience was in the 2006 Tri-Nations series in Australasia and there was little hiding the fact he's glad to be back. "I don't want it to come across that I didn't like rugby union or the people, because nothing could be further from the truth," he said at his introductory press conference at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. "I struggled at times to know where and what I should be doing on a rugby union field.
"Rugby league is a game I'm better suited to. It's a game I know better. That comes from playing it for a little longer than I played union. There is a lot of involvement in league, I guess, for a winger. It's going to take me some time and some matches under my belt to get everything right."
Chris Irvine and photographer Andrew Varley are flying to Barcelona courtesy of Jet2.com, who  provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Barcelona - Spain, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information please visit www.jet2.com
So Super League's just for northern lads and Antipodeans, is it ? Fans of the Co-operative Rugby League  Conference will rejoice in the news of today's signing by Leeds Rhinos of the former Bristol Sonics centre Michael Coady. The 22-year-old England Students rugby union international, Bristol born and bred, had never played league before joining the Sonics in the summer of 2006. He was a revelation in his two seasons there, his prolific tryscoring helping the Patchway-based outfit win the Conference Midlands division title in 2007. While studying at Loughborough, he also played for Leicester Phoenix. It led to a trial last autumn with Doncaster, for whom he scored four tries on his debut in the Northern Rail Cup. Coady will remain with the cash-strapped Dons for the remainder of the season and link up with the Rhinos in 2010.
Understandable rejoicing at the Sonics. Head Coach Karl Fearnley, who oversaw Coady's switch of codes, said: "We're all absolutely chuffed for Mike. He's a great lad and an excellent player. He always gave 100 per cent for the Sonics and scored some vital tries for us. He's a terrific prospect and deserves his big chance." Club chairman Phil Cole added: "This is a great day for the Sonics. To have one of our former players signed by Leeds Rhinos is unbelievable. We all wish Mike the best of luck and will be keeping an eye out for him when he plays for the Rhinos next season. He's a talented lad, so maybe he can go all the way and become our first full international."
 Farewell to France, perhaps for good if Tony Smith has his way. The England coach is looking to champion that mid-season "Test" we'd all like to see - England against a Super League Overseas XVII. Twelve tries in the 66-12 slaughter in Paris were dutifully recorded in Sunday's L'Equipe across two whole paragraphs - marginally less than the report from New Zealand on a nudist rugby union match.
Mind you, we were treated to a streaker during the game at the crumbling Stade Jean Bouin (the equivalent of an international match at Castleford). He was yet another reminder, too, that if you are going to strip your clothing off, do divest yourself of your undies before taking flight across the field. Monsieur Le Streaker (was there no comely madam?) tripped several times in the manner of a French Brian Rix with his pants around his ankles, before finally whipping them off and waving them triumphantly. It was nearly as much of a farce as the game itself. The less said about that probably the better, other than that Richard Myler had a stormer and Sam Burgess wasn't far behind. The lack of French resistance, though, was embarrassing and an apoplectic Bobbie Le Goulding spoke of men versus boys before having a word - or two - with a less than happy French Federation Monsieur Le President.
Apart from the streaker, the crowd - 5,000 of them taking advantage of free tickets, by all accounts - got  worked up by the sight of former French rugby union coach Bernard Laporte, who was there in his capacity as French Sports Minister - dressed, tut tut, in a pair of jeans. Richard Lewis looked altogether smarter as the pair were introduced to the teams, although the RFL executive chairman has standing in these parts as the member of a Great Britain Davis Cup tennis team, who had played France at the nextdoor Roland Garros centre - and where the great and the good gathered by World Rugby Corp (an organisation that sounds like something from Thunderbirds) were wined and dined beforehand.
Not surprising as a scrum half who could do a bit, Goulding was especially impressed by his fellow Widnesian Myler, who had seven family members roaring him on on a muggy evening. RFL Communications director Craig Spence was water boy for the night - quenching the thirst of those of us in danger of passing out on the press benches (not just from the news of Celtic beating Wigan) and where some electricity was provided at the eleventh hour to relieved hacks with laptops gradually powering down. There was a noteable lack of French reporters, though, for a game that barely registered on the Paris sporting map. There was nothing to indicate the match was on in or around the ground, apart from one poster spotted on leaving the nearest metro at Porte d'Auteil.
 Some pink-shirted Stade Francais fans were generous in their applause of England's pyrotechnics. Significantly, however, the queues were at their longest at the bar. Anything to blur the awfulness of the French surrender. For those few England supporters who did make it across the Channel - considerably fewer than the 70,000 Brits in France for the Le Mans 24-hour race - it was a sun-kissed weekend of wine, song and burning trousers.
Colleague Andrew Varley managed to set light to his favourite Chinos with a burning menu - don't ask - and tore a hole in his other pair. Daily Express veteran Martin Richards was also a nice shade of beetroot after a long Saturday in the sun. Not a problem for Mr Varley, despite his fake tan streaks. A tiring and emotional couple of days. A pity if we don't get to do it again next year, however good a game against the Super League Antipodeans might be
.As for the Other Nationalities - and off the top of my head and without any selection restrictions - how about this for a team: B Webb (Leeds/NZ); P Richards (Wigan/Ireland), M Gidley (St Helens/Aus), M King (Warrington/Aus), S Donald (Leeds/Aus); G Bird (Catalans/Aus), T Leuluai (Wigan/NZ); J Ryles (Catalans/Aus), D Buderus (Leeds/Aus), T Puletua (St Helens/NZ), S Menzies (Bradford/Aus), A Lauitiiti (Leeds/NZ), S Gene (Hull KR/PNG). Interchange: S Berrigan (Hull/Aus), K Leuluai (Leeds/NZ), I Paleaaesina (Wigan/NZ), B Galea (Hull KR/Aus).
 Chris Irvine and Andrew Varley flew to Paris courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Paris - France, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com
ENGLAND IN NEED OF TOUGHER CHALLENGES - READ CHRIS IRVINE'S REPORT FROM PARIS IN MONDAY'S TIMES HERE
 Paris Match, The Big One, France v England. The game's afoot, not that you'd know there is one taking place in the sun-kissed French capital. A trawl through the Saturday papers and, quelle surprise, it's Ronaldo and Real Madrid still hogging the headlines. The citizens of France are no wiser about Bobbie Goulding than their national coach is familiar with the French language. And if there are England supporters out on the streets, sorry but I've yet to spot one. I've attended some low key internationals in my time, but this in in danger of taking le biscuit.
I've found myself yearning for the days when Carcassonne was beseiged by a 1,000 or more Great Britain supporters for the old British Coal Tests. They'd shut a pit just to put on a good do. If there is any genuine feeling for this match, it is simply lost in Paris's vastness. There has been a heck of a scramble behind the scenes to get Stade Jean Bouin ready for a rugby league international match, which might - or might not - account for the number of RFL bods on their jollies working very hard here.Sixteen in all, I hear. At this rate there'll be more suits than players.
Having spent the evening in the company of a St Helens supporter, who had texts arriving every few minutes from the game against Cas, I awoke with the vague memory of the score at Knowsley Road and the thumping realisation - thumping induced by the well known mixture of Brouilly and Kronenberg, I think - that I'd committed this blog to something very big and very daft next year. To the ladies and gentlemen of Frontline, all I can say is that Project X is, er, on
Chris Irvine and Andrew Varley have flown to Paris courtesy of Jet2.com, who provide a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Paris - France, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com
 Day 1 of Le Blog 2009 and Chris Irvine sets off for Saturday's France v England Test in questioning mode. Why Paris ?
Quand part le prochain avion pour Paris ? In a few minutes actually. But as we prepare to board out Jet2 flight from Leeds-Bradford, the thought occurs - why on earth aren't we bound for Perpignan or Toulouse ? Now I'm all for a weekend in one of the world's great cities, but this trip to Paris feels like another of those horrible rugby league own goals.
You know the sort of thing - get a Super League club in Bridgend and immediately shift the Magic  Weekend from Wales to Scotland. Last year's Franco-Anglo encounter was in Toulouse. Now we have a Championship club up and running in Toulouse and the international is shipped off to the French capital. No doubt we'll have Paris Saint-Germain back in business at Charlety next year and we'll be playing the Test in Nice, which would be nice but just as inappropriate. The Catalans have been great in Perpignan and there's a hunger and passion for the code there, so why on earth isn't the game at Stade Gilbert Brutus ? Answers on a postcard please.
The French Federation are telling the RFL to expect a 9,000 crowd at Stade Jean Bouin (capacity 12,000) for the bizarrely late 9pm Saturday kick-off local time (can the FF make it any more difficult ?). Trois hommes et un chien may be a better estimate. Tickets only went on sale last week and the promotional budget has presumably been five Euros and a few cents scraped off the boulevard. Translate the following words into French and put them in the correct order - booze up a, organise, couldn't, a in brewery. If you're an England supporter already in Paris or on your way to the game, do let us know. I've got a feeling there won't be many of you.
Continue reading "Le Blog - Un" »
 The RAF rugby league team are in Australia on their Ashes quest and skipper Corporal Martin Woods - a tryscorer in an 18-10 opening loss to the Royal Australian Navy - blogs about touring
I'm sat here on a cold blustery morning at Randwick Barracks in Sydney. Not exactly what I imagined three days ago when we departed RAF College Cranwell for the inaugural RAF Rugby League Association tour to Australia. We had decided back in the UK that this was not to be a 'typical' rugby tour full of drinking with a few games in between. This was to be serious, England v Australia on their patch; sporting contests don't get bigger than this. Many of us had dreamed about this moment since we were kids; this is our chance to live the dream.
Continue reading "RAF on an Ashes wing and a prayer Down Under" »
 Why, I'm often asked, are some players and coaches never out of the papers or off our television screens ? Justin Morgan, Robbie Paul, Jon Wilkin, to name but three. The common denominator ? They can all articulate, have an opinion and know how to express it. Believe me, it's a rare gift in a sport not abundantly blessed with talented orators comfortable in the spotlight. That's why it's been a pleasure this week to listen to a young wing on his way to the top with England, who has made a hugely favourable impression on the rugby league media. Ryan Hall, 21, Super League's joint leading tryscorer, is a player as comfortable in front of a microphone as he is on the ball.
Hall's story is also a good one - a talented mathematician faced with the choice of a maths degree at Leeds University or trying to make it as a player with Leeds Rhinos. Three years later, the degree's still on hold and Hall's meteoric rise reaches a new pinnacle in Paris against France on Saturday night, after his outstanding tryscoring contribution in last year's Grand Final defeat of St Helens. "I like to think I made the right choice," the former Oulton Raider said modestly. "I just never thought it would all happen so quickly. I never set out to be a big outside back, I just kind of grew into one. I'm a Leeds lad and this was my dream. But I really doubt I'd be making the progress I am without Keith Senior next to me. He's a fantastic mentor."
Expect to see and hear a lot more in the coming years from Ryan Hall. PICTURE BY ANDREW VARLEY
Watch out for Le Blog - Chris Irvine's live blog from France, starting on The Times Rugby League Blog from Friday
 Some injuries are wince-inducing. It's been reported that Salford forward Rob Parker fractured his skull against Wigan - fractured his skull! "There's obviously a problem that needs fixing," said Parker, in the manner of the Black Knight having had his arm cut off by King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "'Tis but a scratch ..." A "problem" for Monty Parker explained by the egg-sized lump in the middle of his forehead. Rob, those are your brains poking out of the top of your head. His skull was fractured in five places - the result of a collision with team-mate Jordan Turner's elbow. Turner must have elbows of steel to crack Parker's nut. And here's the best bit. Parker intends to resume training after a week's rest. Rugby league - a sport for nutters.
 England's first outing since their World Cup failure in Australia is in Paris against France on Saturday night and The Times Rugby League Blog will be in the French capital every step of the way, courtesy of Jet2.com. See the blog from Friday for the first of Chris Irvine's Le Blog musings.
Jet2.com provides a direct service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Paris - France, 7 days a week. Flights start from £9.99 one way, including all taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com
 EXCLUSIVE by Jamie Peacock, England captain and Co-operative Try It campaign ambassador
Someone used the word disaster at last week's press conference to describe England's World Cup campaign last year. Disaster is a word I'd use to describe the British economy, not how we did in Australia. As Richard Branson says, he's never failed at anything. He might not always have achieved what he set out to do, but he's learnt something from everything he's attempted. That's the thing with the World Cup. We've gone away and learnt something.
Sure, we didn't get the results we wanted. It would have been a disaster if we'd gone away and not learnt  the lessons. The whole thing has been reviewed and players and staff consulted. We've seen the implementation of an initial elite England squad of players, and we're seeing positive changes from the grassroots through to elite performers, to make sure we get the results we want to achieve.
Part of that next step is the youthful look to this squad. There's a big age gap to the likes of me and Adrian Morley - and that's a good thing. The Queensland team's a good example of that. The two props, Steve Price and Petero Civoniceva, are the elder statesmen of the side, but the rest are pretty young fellas. Adrian Morley and myself have been involved in international rugby league a long time. It's up to us to pass on our knowledge and experience to the young England guys.
Continue reading "Captain's Blog - Jamie Peacock looks to France and England's future" »
 Springtime in Paris and Chris Irvine and his blog spotters report from their Englandwatch hideouts on how the goshawks, badgers and red-billed choughs - okay then Tony Smith's 19 rookies and vets - fared on their last outings before Saturday's Gillette Fusion international against France - and drew up the following tip sheet for the England coach. Picture by Andrew Varley.
Ryan Atkins (Wakefield) - sore shoulder, rested as a precaution.
Sam Burgess (Bradford) - trademark big hits and couple of swings - plus yellow card - in brief fracas; more his young self.
Shaun Briscoe (Hull KR) - patrolled the Rovers defence with customary aplomb.
Tony Clubb (Harlequins) - Workmanlike display off bench in mundane win.
Eorl Crabtree (Huddersfield) - Big, strong, muscular contribution by Giants' giant. Great impact off bench.
Peter Fox (Hull KR) - One fine example of his pace, otherwise quiet.
James Graham (St Helens) - Dependable, quietly confident, unspectacular but looked good.
Ryan Hall (Leeds) - Fine solo try - his 14th of the season. Form horse on wing.
Gareth Hock (Wigan) - Try provider, dangerous runner.
Danny McGuire (Leeds) - Impressive in defeat, must start at stand-off.
Scott Moore (Huddersfield) - Highly creative, bustling man of the match display.
Adrian Morley (Warrington) - Good hard yards, form prop.
Richard Myler (Salford) - Little possession but made most of what he had on difficult night.
Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan) - Led from front, inspirational display, but injured.
Jamie Peacock (Leeds) - powerful, but high tackle on Greg Bird. Review panel decide no case to answer.
James Roby (St Helens) - usual strong direction from acting half off bench.
Michael Shenton (Castleford) - Generally quiet but one blistering try and hand in another.
Sam Tomkins (Wigan) - didn't play.
Ben Westwood (Warrington) - One bad knock on but plenty of strong running.
Castleford's Joe Westerman, 19, has been called up this lunchtime for the injured O'Loughlin.
 Day 2 in the Big Bother house and Bobbie's escaped. Le Goulding, wearing a string of onions and smelling strongly of garlic, was last seen scaling the security fence of the armour-plated St Helens penthouse at 2am in his swimming trunks. "Mate, I'm doggy paddling the Channel to get to the lads," he was heard to cry. Within hours of his daring escape, Goulding had announced his France squad for next Saturday's international against England in Paris. "Mon dieu mate, it was like being dans un prison avec le crazy hommes. Mate, I'm made up it's fini," he told  the French satirical newspaper Le Canard. Commentator Peter Sterling (right) was live on air for Goulding's bid for freedom: "Bobbie's up - and he's over. Go you good thing. Farewell to France. Give the Pommies hell in Paris, you little beauty."
Goulding's France squad: Planas, Anselme, Griffi, Villegas (all Toulouse) Baile, K Bentley, Bosc, Casty, Duport, Stacul, Elima, Mounis, Ferriol, Gossard, Guisset (all Dragons), Gagliazzo (Carcassonne), Martins (Pia), Murcia (Limoux).
 BIG BOTHER UPDATE ... The show's producers have denied reports that Goulding will be replaced in the house by Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, who was ordered home on the eve of the World Twenty20 tournament for, among other things, a boozy celebration of Queensland's opening State of Origin victory on Wednesday. A pity because the Queenslander has a good times reputation in the company of rugby league players. If his Australian career is over, might The Greatest Game beckon ? Remember his shoulder charge tackle on a Test match streaker ?
You're live on Channel 4, this is Davina, please do not swear. Yes, it's Big Brother 10 launch night - and news has reached us at The Blog of a parallel house at a secret and tightly-guarded location off the East Lancs Road. It'll be home for the next three months to the Big Bother 10 - a group of rugby league personalities designed to clash, generally rub each other up the wrong way and exchange the odd grapple tackle. Producers have stepped up the "evil" levels of intensity. Housemates must sleep on tackle pads, live off a diet of scraps and Maximuscle, and share a space no bigger than the Salford away team dressing room. Their only "entertainment" will be re-runs of Scrumdown.
 A pity Shaun Edwards couldn't make it, as he's in South Africa with the British Lions, so the producers are grateful for Garry Schofield (left) stepping into the breach and, no doubt, cranking up the hostility levels. The public will decide whether France coach Bobbie Goulding gets out in time for next week's game with England in Paris. Mr Wigan Maurice Lindsay could be in for a hard time as the divisive George ("shall I be the cat ?") Galloway figure, and what will contestants make of Alex Murphy's rumoured one-off appearance in the house ?
Watch out for sparks flying when Les Boyd brings back the era of the biff, John "Stinkfist" Hopoate gets his fingers burnt and Reg Reagan is controversially resurrected on Matthew Johns's TV return. Another Australian due to enter the House of Pain is Ian Millward, who would have had Ice King Ellery Hanley, his predecessor as St Helens coach, for company were it not for other commitments. Bradford will be hoping Terry Newton gets an early release, but producers are trusting that league turned union player turned boxer Sonny Bill Williams will not be walking out early.
Live action from the house starts at 9pm on The Fantasies  Channel. Commentators are Peter Sterling (right), Eddie Hemmings and Davina McCall, with expert opinion from Stuart Cummings, Nasty Nick, Shilpa Shetty, Terry O'Connor, Brian Dowling and Brian Noble. You can also catch up with events each day with Big Bother's Little Bother hosted by Ray French and Craig Phillips.PICTURES BY ANDREW VASTLEY
 The hunt is on for the internet mole who the RFL say hacked into their computer system - or possibly simply copied and pasted the story that inadvertently popped up on the League's website despite it being on a timer for noon today - and turned the big England squad announcement in Brighouse into something of a non event. Coach Tony Smith reeled off the 19 names but without any of the usual ceremony. Like the book you've read before, everyone knew the ending.
"I'm really disappointed for the players," Smith said. "It's their right to be the first to know if they're in the team, prior to the media and anybody else who wants to hack into the website. That phone call should be a great honour and I certainly hope we can track who did it and how they've done it so that we can apprehend them."
Watch out Mr Mole!
The impact of such selections as Ryan Hall, Richard Myler and Scott Moore - pictured above with  captain Jamie Peacock - was somewhat lost, with the League having tried but failed to plug the leak. Defeat was admitted at Red Hall at 7.30pm, when a round of calls was made to individual journalists confirming that the squad would be published early. Cue a series of hasty re-writes, and while a good excuse for me to get out of the washing up, take pity on the prolific Trevor Baxter, of The Mirror, who'd settled in his garden for the first time this year with a glass, and Dave Hadfield, of The Independent, who was preparing to enjoy the sunshine and slogging at a village cricket match.
Fair play then to the many hacks who made it to the Holiday Inn, whose reward was little in the way of live copy but a free pen, Gillette Fusion razer, shirt, rucksack, laptop bag, mini ball, water bottle and USB flash disk. Never let it be said that this particular mole doesn't leak the list of freebies. MAIN PICTURE BY ANDREW "THE VOLE" VARLEY
New-look England reflect strength of Super League. Report from Thursday's Times HERE
 A cock up on the RFL website front forced England into confirming the 19-man squad for next week's game against France 16 hours before the official announcement by head coach Tony Smith in Brighouse on Wednesday lunchtime. The squad mistakenly popped up on the League's website and was immediately seized on by rlfans.com and the Hull Daily Mail, who were delighted to report that the Hull KR duo Shaun Briscoe and Peter Fox, who'd missed out on the initial England elite squad last month, were in the party for Paris.
The major surprise is the inclusion of Huddersfield's on-loan hooker Scott Moore. He is one of three uncapped players along with Wigan stand-off Sam Tomkins and Leeds wing Ryan Hall. They are among a dozen who were not involved in last year's World Cup, including Giants prop Eorl Crabtree, Wakefield centre Ryan Atkins and Richard Myler, Tony Clubb and Michael Shenton, who made their debuts against Wales last year.
There's no Leon Pryce, Rob Burrow, Paul Wellens, Martin Gleeson, etc, with Smith opting for more than a dash of new blood to complement old warhorses like Jamie Peacock, who retains the captaincy, and Adrian Morley. Good to see Sam Burgess and Sean O'Loughlin back after they missed the World Cup through injury and that 11 clubs are represented. Only Hull of the English Super League clubs miss out.
England squad (v France, June 13): R Atkins (Wakefield), S Burgess (Bradford), S Briscoe (Hull KR), T Clubb (Harlequins), E Crabtree (Huddersfield), P Fox (Hull KR), J Graham (St Helens), R Hall (Leeds), G Hock (Wigan), D McGuire (Leeds), S Moore (Huddersfield), A Morley (Warrington), R Myler (Salford), S O'Loughlin (Wigan), J Peacock (Leeds, captain), J Roby (St Helens), M Shenton (Castleford), S Tomkins (Wigan), B Westwood (Warrington).
Read England squad story in Wednesday's Times HERE
Your
writer
Christopher Irvine,
fell under rugby league's
spell while a junior reporter
on the Warrington Guardian in the 1980s.
After ten years as a reporter on the Coventry Evening Telegraph, Yorkshire Post and Scotland on Sunday, he settled for the easy life as a sports correspondent, specialising in rugby league for The Times since 1992 and occasionally getting his hands dirty covering the other code.
League v union? No contest, "The Greatest Game" wins every time.
Chris's book of the blog, Down & Dirty - A Rugby League Blogging Year was published by YFP Publishing at the end of October, in association with The co-operative.
You can order the book here or click on the book cover below:
Categories
Select from the dropdown
Times Online
sports blogs
|  |
|
