Jamaica vs Scotland : 2021

Pic: Reggae Warriors

At Featherstone in England, a match was played between these two and in a time period when the World Cup should have been played, it was nice to have a few internationals held.

Jamaica took an early advantage with a 10-0 lead but Scotland rallied and by half time it was 24-10 to the Scotland side. A Reggae Warriors sin binning may have helped there. Then progressing to 30-10 and it looked like a one sided game was unfolding. However, a late rally by the Raggae Warriors and a sin binning of a Scotland player helped bring the scores even at 30-30. Jamaica scored six tries to five but failed to take the game.

So an entertaining match concluded and it's a shame that a few more international tests couldn't have been played at this time. A postponed WC shouldn't have sent the international scene into virtual hibernation. 

England vs France Men's & Women's Internationals : 2021

23.10.2021. A double header with both the women and men taking the field in Perpignan, France. In one French media source, the crowd attendance was given as 7,000. 

Women: The local lasses are about to start their season whereas the visitors from England had just finished theirs so that immediately gave an advantage to England. Working against them, the England squad are amateur and also have full time jobs so they travelled over on the day of the match after a very early start. England were overwhelming favourites regardless of the pros and cons.

After some scrappy play early, England took the initiative and led 16-0 at the break. England were clearly sharper, especially in attack and at 40-0 with seconds to go, a shutout was on the cards but a last gasp try gave the French side some consolation. Final score: England won 40-4.

Men: With the last game between the two sides back in 2018 when England won 44-6 in Leigh, England, it was hard to be sure of the size of the result but an England victory almost a certainty. 

That's how the first 20 minutes panned out as England rattled up a point a minute. From there did England get complacent or did France lift. Perhaps it was a mixture of both? Whatever the reason, the game evened out and was close thereafter. No more points were added in the first half and France shared the second half 10-10. Final score: England won 30-10.

Summary: What a great initiative and well done for all those who made it happen. There needs to be more European competition in men's and women's RL, including a full England side and other nations such as Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland and Wales. That would make a tidy six team competition. It could build from there. Pics: Sky Sports UK.

Women's International : Wales vs Ireland

Pic: RL Wales. 

With my limited knowledge of the teams, I would have said before the game that Wales would take this match. The encounter took place at Colwyn Bay, in North Wales. As for the home squad, most of the players were drawn from teams domiciled in Wales with a few from English teams. This was their fourth game as a national team and the second full international. 

According to the Ireland RL website, this was their inaugural international, the team only formed a matter of months ago. In their favour was the ability to choose players with Betfred Super League, Championship Super League South experience in England (heritage players I presume). There is obviously the Irish Championship also to draw upon.

In what turned out to be a tight match, Ireland held a slender 10-8 lead at the turnaround and went on to lead 26-16. Wales mounted a comeback but in the end, it wasn't enough with Ireland winning 26-24. Wales scored six tries to five but none were converted. On the other hand, Ireland landed three goals. 

So a result I wasn't expecting but well done to all concerned in organising the match and to the players who participated. I'm not sure of the attendance.

Women's UK Rugby League History

Sisters are doing it for themselves. Pic RFL.

I was not noticing women's RL in its infancy but as this side of the game gains impetus, I've started to take notice. The Super League era for the women's game started in 2017 and for 2018 the four sides in the inaugural year became seven and the competition moved to another level.

The Challenge Cup goes back to 2012 but using the same standard for Super League, 2017 is the starting point. I'll make a brief summary of the earlier years and then into the 2017 season and forward.  

Challenge Cup: In 2012, it was won by Featherstone Rovers, then four consecutive years by the Thatto Heath Crusaders. That team was based in St Helens and was taken over by the St Helens Club for the  2018 season. 

In 2017 the winner was Bradford, defeating Featherstone 50-16. I don't have the quarter finalists for this season. Then Leeds won back to back titles, on both occasions defeating Castleford 20-14 and 16-10. 2020 wasn't held and in 2021 St Helens won its first cup against York 34-6. 

League: An amateur league was started in 2014 with clubs from lower divisions seemingly the driving force. The Bradford Thunderbirds won the first title, followed by the Featherstone Rovers and Thatto Heath Crusaders in 2015 and 2016. It was then superseded by the Super League competition.

Super League: It started in 2017 as mentioned and the first winner was the Bradford Bulls. Leeds won in 2018 and 2021 with Castleford in 2019. 

I'm not sure when the finals series were first held but the first I know of is 2017, with Bradford securing the treble with a 36-6 victory over Featherstone. In 2018, Wigan upset Leed's treble aspirations with a narrow 18-16 scoreline. 

The 2019 finals series culminated in Leeds overcoming Castleford 20-12 at the grand final. For 2021, Saints were too good for Leeds, winning 28-0. In the 2021 Plate final for the lower ranked sides, Featherstone was upset by Huddersfield 22-24. I allocated two points to Huddersfield for that trophy win. 

An Inconvenient Truth

The sort of thing I want to be celebrating, not the infighting. The grand final
between Villeneuve and Toulouse, 1964. Picture André Cros. 

I started this site to celebrate RL, a sport specialising in self-harm. What was I thinking? I stopped reporting on the NRL after the administrators within Australia undermined the 2021 World Cup to the point that it could not proceed.

Two teams based in France next year is surely a good news story for the sport. A grand final appearance for the current French based side and a nail biting match to savour. The owner comes out with angry comments about how his team was robbed by the arbitration. It provoked a lot of negative talk about the refereeing to the detriment of the spectacle. 

It seems the sport can always find new ways to shoot itself in the foot. For years French RL has been dragged down by infighting and squabbling and I see that this mentality will be a huge negative factor moving forward. As the game in France is helped to prosper, some within the game in France will find ways to undermine any positivity that would otherwise be gained by this progress. Those with this mentality surely need to reevaluate what motivates them to be so negative. Enjoy life. Enjoy your pasttimes.

European Championship Finals Round Up : 2021

Over 9,000 fans witnessed the final. Pic RFL.

There was a lot riding in this series. The chance to play in the European Super League. Two clubs were hot favourites to contest the deciding game but all six sides were going to give it a crack. 

First round: Fourth and fifth placed sides were up first with Batley defeating Bradford 23-10. The third versus sixth match was close, the higher finishing side in the league squeaking home 24-20.

Semi finals: In came the big hitters, Toulouse and Featherstone to take on last week's winners. The former defeated Batley 51-12 and the latter too good for Halifax 42-10. Would there be a second SL team in France or another from Yorkshire?

Final: This was held in France in front of a large crowd for RL in that country. The locals were favoured but nothing was certain. As it transpired, the best team in the competition won 34-12 with a strong first half performance taking the game away from Featherstone. 

Women's Finals Round Up : 2021

After a disrupted covid season, the ten clubs were split into two divisions. The top five and the lower five played off and the bottom side was eliminated. The remaining four played off as seen below.

Top Group Finals: St Helens took on Castleford and were far too good for their opponents, winning 58-0. In the other match, Leeds narrowly defeated a very plucky York side 22-18. This brought the two best sides to the grand final. 

Amazingly these two hadn't played each other all season due to the disruption with the pandemic. In the short history of women's RL, Leeds had the pedigree and the league title but Saints had the strongest looking side. 

The final was held at Leeds with over 4,000 in attendance but the hosts were eventually overpowered 0-28. It was the first time Saints Women have won a trophy in the three years of women's SL existence but one could see that being added to. 

Lower Group Finals: In the two semi-finals played, Featherstone was too good for Bradford and Huddersfield scraped home against Warrington. Both winners scored 30 points. The final looked an interesting prospect with Featherstone outperforming Huddersfield through the season but not by mutch.

As for the match itself, the closeness of the sides was evident in a tight encounter. Huddersfield prevailed 24-22 to finally get past its rival, albeit by the smallest of margins. 

The winning Saints team. Pic RFL.

UK League One Finals Round Up : 2021

Workington celebrates winning the final. Pic RFL.

The road to the second promotional spot and Championship RL (division 2) was a long road. Barrow was already there as the winner of the league but who would join them? The chart below tracks their progress (or demise) with green the higher finisher in the league.

The sudden death match between the fifth and sixth sides was won by Doncaster. The other two life match had third placed North Wales lose at home to Keighley. 

The loss by North Wales brought them into a sudden death encounter with Doncaster with the lower ranked side again prevailing. North Wales seemed to have run out of steam at the critical end of the season. In the other game, second placed Workington came into the finals series and narrowly overcame Keighley. That sent Workington straight into the finals.

Keighley and Doncaster fought for the other finals spot and a chance of promotion. Amazingly Doncaster won its third sudden death match. The club went from fifth into a final game with promotion hopes. Despite Doncaster's odds-defying run to this point, reality called in the final. Workington was too strong and got the second promotion spot with a 36-12 victory. 

Women's Regular SL Season : 2021

Everyone loves scoring a try. Pic: RFL.

There were ten teams in the competition this year, up two from the previous season. Not all the top flight (Super league) clubs have women's sides while some in the championship (division 2) do. I would have thought all SL clubs (apart from the Catalan Dragons) should be fielding women's sides. 

The League: With covid still affecting squads, not all games were played. Some games were cancelled and others forfeited. When the competition was 'completed', the final standings were as below. Some of the results were one sided but hopefully the less experienced will get up to speed soon enough. 

Leeds won the title although they never actually played the second team St Helens. In turn, Saints only lost a game it had to forfeit so both were unbeaten on the field and it didn't clear up which team was the better of the two. 

SL Playoffs: The competition was divided into two sets of five, based on where teams finished the regular season. The SL playoff top five is shown immediately below. The top placings were reversed with St Helens defeating the other hitherto unbeaten side Leeds in a game the latter forfeited. Wigan fell below two sides it finished above in the league competition to end its season in a disappointing way. 

Shield Playoffs: The placings in the league were replicated here. The only side that proved out of its depth was Wakefield but hopefully they will be better for the experience. Both playoff groups went into a top four knock out series that will be covered on their completion. 

European SL Finals Round Up : 2021

The finals series had a couple of unusual twists this year as will be revealed. We start with the first round matches. That pitted the teams that finished third to sixth with the top two having a week off.

Round One: Fourth placed Wigan hosted fifth placed Leeds and with a historical reputation of success the home side was favoured. Wigan also had a reputation for arm wrestle type matches this season. That proved true but they were on the losing side of another tight one, 0-8.

Warrington came third and had the 'advantage' of playing the sixth best side Hull KR. KR was a surprise to have got this far. The even bigger surprises were winning away and nilling their opponent 0-19 as well. 

So two upsets and both home sides not even able to score. That's the twists out of the way.

Semi Finals: The side from the south of France, the Catalan Dragons welcomed massive underdogs Hull KR. The home crowd packed the stadium and created a fine atmosphere. The host team was never really troubled, winning 28-10 after leading 12-4 at the break.

Saints took on Leeds in the other game. They cruised to a 36-8 victory, although only leading 14-4 at half time. The winners won the last two grand finals so were off to see if they could make it three in a row.

No upsets this round as the top two sides in the season prepared themselves to go to Old Trafford.

Grand Final: The green shading below points to the favourite for the match. The Catalan Dragons won the league but going to their first final against a team well experienced in such were the less likely winners.

St Helens led in a tight encounter 6-4 after 40 minutes and the change of ends. Then the Catalan Dragons got ahead 10-6 and a nail biting finished was on the cards. So it proved to be with Saints getting a decisive converted try to edge the plucky first timers 12-10. 

Well done to both finalists. The Dragons will be better for the experience and Saints will go again to see if four consecutive grand final victories is possible.

France Elite Season 1995-99

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the late 1990s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Some of the data below is missing so any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1994-95: St Estève was making a name for itself as a leading club in the domestic game. It won the league title and cup, with Pia winning the grand final. 

1995-96: Some of the data around this time is hard to obtain, especially this season. The little I have for this season is below. 

1996-97: A tight battle between four clubs was the situation here. With two pools in operation, it increased the number of participants. I also modified the scoring slightly to accommodate the different format. Villeneuve and Limoux each won a pool, St Estève the grand final and XIII Catalan the cup.

1997-98: St Estève was the best this year with grand final and cup trophies. Villeneuve was the best in the league. Limoux was a consistent performer but without winning anything. 

1998-99: St Estève may have won the league but it was Villeneuve that captured the grand final and cup competitions. It also had a successful league campaign for a fine all round season. 

Summary: St Estève, Villeneue and Limoux were clearly the best performing sides for this period. Limoux didn't win much but one couldn't question the consistency it showed. 

Point of interest: This was the last time Tonneins and Pamiers appear on the lists that will follow. Tonneins has been around since the code's inception and has for the most part not been at the top echelon of the game. Much the same could be said of Pamiers except they were formed in the mid 1960s. 

For the next in the series, please click here.

France Elite Season 1990-94

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the early 1990s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1989-90: With Le Pontet gone, St Estève and Carcassonne were clearly the best. The former took the league and grand final with the latter victorious with the cup. 

1990-91: St Gaudens made this their year, winning all three competitions. Where did that come from?

1991-92: Saints were top again, but rather than three trophies only a cup this time. They were consistent too. Villeneuve won the league title and Carcassonne the grand final. 

1992-93: St Estève won the treble only two seasons after the other Saints side managed it. Catalans were the only club to get anywhere near them. 

1993-94: St Estève nearly did it again but for XIII Catalan taking the grand final. Catalans greater consistency won them the honour of best club for the year. 

Summary: St Estève was the strongest, defeating neighbouring Catalan, St Gaudens and Carcassonne weren't too far behind. Many clubs from lower divisions had success in the cup. A few other clubs came and went in the elite first division. 

Point of interest: The St Estève RL Club was founded in 1965. It is based in a small municipality on the outskirts of Perpignan with an official population of fewer than 12,000 people. Therefore, the success achieved through the 1990s as the most successful club in France is quite an achievement. 

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1995-99. 

France Elite Season 1985-89

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the late 1980s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1984-85: XIII Catalan made this their year, with a second in the league, followed up with wins in the grand final and cup. Le Pontet managed to win the league and deny the Catalan side a clean sweep of the competitions. 

1985-86: The roles were reversed with Le Pontet wins in the grand final and cup but Catalan taking out the league title. The only difference was le Pontet was third in the league, not second. St Estève had a decent season.

1986-87: Things were spread more evenly, with Villeneuve winning the league, Catalan the grand final and St Estève the cup. Catalan and St Estève were the top two overall. 

1987-88: Three clubs dominated with Le Pontet on top from St Estève and Catalan. Le Pontet took the treble so was really in fine form. 

1988-89: Le Pontet followed up with another dominant display, winning the league and two losing finals. St Estève won the grand final and Avignon the cup. 

Summary: Le Pontet XII was the best side for the five year period, a club I didn't know about before embarking on this series. Two clubs that would later form a potent partnership Catalan and St Estève came up next. 

So what happened to the three clubs that broke into elite French RL? Toulouse was solid if unspectacular. Limoux had a few ups and downs but was still in the mix. Le Pontet left RL at the end of the 1988-89 season. Why? Due to issues with the French XIII federation it was banned for 12 months, was dissolved and became a Rugby union club. I don't know all the facts but it seems a tragedy that the best team at that time was lost to the code. 

In the space of a few years, two finals not completed, loss of TV coverage and then this. You couldn't make this up! No one would believe you if you did.

Point of interest: Châtillon XIII is a club based in the Paris area and after some success in the cup in the 84-85 season, joined the elite league the following year. They finished second to last in a small eight team league and disappeared, never to return to the top flight. They still exist I believe but in one of the lower divisions of the sport.

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1990-94.

France Elite Season 1980-84

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the early 1980s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1979-80: Villeneuve was the best, just ahead of XIII Catalan with Carcassonne not out of the picture. It was however Avignon that took the league title Villeneuve the grand final and Catalan the cup. 

1980-81: The Catalan side was clearly top although silverware eluded it. The cup final wasn't played as punishment for violence in the grand final, which was abandoned. Both teams were involved with both fixtures. Pia won the league, the only trophy that was actually won that year

1981-82: Avignon was the best side, it won both the league - for a second year - along with the cup. Catalan won the grand final.

1982-83: Catalan and Carcassonne were back with a clear lead over other teams. The former won the league and grand final, the latter got the cup. 

1983-84: Villeneuve was the top ranked club but with only the cup in the cabinet. Catalan took out the other two but not registering in the cup cost them the best club status by my calculations.

Summary: XIII Catalan was the best with Carcassonne and Villeneuve tied for second place. Avignon was a little behind the leaders but two trophies are worth a mention. The television company broadcasting RL games in France pulled out after the abandoned grand final match in 1981. A classic case of the French RL shooting itself in the foot. 

Point of interest: Around the early 1983-84s witnessed three clubs entering the top flight and making a reasonable impact in the process. They were Le Pontet, Limoux and Toulouse. None managed to win a competition but it would be interesting to see if it could be sustained. 

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1985-89.

France Elite Season 1975-79

 Toulouse Saint-Estève grand final 1975. Pic André Cros

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the late 1970s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1974-75: Lézignan, Toulouse and St Estève were the top three. Lézignan the league title, Toulouse the  grand final and Pia the cup trophy were how the pinnacle of each competition was divided up. St Estève were solid but without silverware. 

1975-76: Carcassonne and XIII Catalan were above the rest this season, the former taking the league and grand final with the latter the cup. 

1976-77: This was very similar to the previous year for the top two sides. Catalan the league, Carcassonne the cup and Albi popping up to take the grand final. 

1977-78: Catalan and Lézignan this time, Catalan winning the league title and cup and Lézignan the grand final. 

1978-79: Catalan and Carcassonne were the best, Catalan the league and grand final double but Villeneuve came through to claim the cup. 

Summary: Catalan was the best but much ahead of Carcassonne. Lézignan and Toulouse deserve honourable mention. Bordeaux had been a strong club in the 1950s but this is the last time they feature here. This is the highest number of different clubs to appear in any five year period during the series.

Point of interest: During the 1970s, a club appeared briefly on these charts by the name of St Jacques XIII. I know little of them but they hailed from Carcassonne I believe. I guess there was only room for one club in town. Does anyone know more about them?

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1980-84.