Rugby League News
Reece Walsh awarded Clive Churchill Medal at Accor Stadium
Oooph! Off comes Mr Swims’ jacket to reveal an AC/DC themed plaid combination ideal for launching into a cover of TNT and demonstrating a decent set of pipes. An excellent way to win over new friends on a night like this.
Teddy Swims has just kicked off his bekilted yacht rock pregame show. It’s fine, I guess.
Continue reading...Have you been following the big – and small – stories in football, golf, rugby union, cricket and rugby league?
Continue reading...RFL says game on despite alleged Leigh owner complaint
Holders Wigan hitting form at the right time
Friday night’s Super League playoff semi-final between Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors is expected to go ahead as planned, but only after it was overshadowed by a controversy that could only really happen in rugby league.
The events of last weekend should have been the springboard for a significant and positive six weeks for the sport, kickstarted by St Helens’ stunning victory over Leeds in the opening round of the playoffs. Saints won in dramatic circumstances, scoring the winning try after the full-time hooter had sounded and whetting the appetite not only for the run-in to Old Trafford but also this autumn’s Ashes series.
Continue reading...Owner Derek Beaumont unhappy at Wigan’s allocation
Fixture in doubt as organisers scramble to find solution
Super League’s play-offs have been thrown into turmoil after Leigh Leopards’ owner threatened to withdraw his side from Friday’s semi-final against Wigan over a row surrounding ticketing allocations.
With the winners progressing to next Saturday’s Grand Final at Old Trafford, Leigh are bidding to reach the showpiece for the first time, but their participation in the game is in doubt.
Continue reading...Big win completes year of redemption for fullback
Tamika Upton of the Broncos wins women’s award
James Tedesco has romped to his second Dally M Medal with the Sydney Roosters star finishing 22 points clear of his nearest rival.
In a big night for the Roosters, Tedesco claimed the NRL’s highest individual honour for the first time since sweeping the awards in 2019.
Continue reading...Broncos defeat Panthers 16-13 at Suncorp Stadium
Comeback victory sets up grand final showdown with Melbourne Storm
Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds has stepped up in the biggest moment of his career to end Penrith’s five-peat dream with a stunning 16-14 comeback victory.
The Broncos’ win in the NRL preliminary final has set up a grand final showdown with fierce rivals Melbourne.
Continue reading...Leigh 26-10 Wakefield
First-half blitz sets up showdown for Grand Final spot
Leigh set up a second consecutive semi-final shot at near-neighbours Wigan after brushing aside visitors Wakefield 26-10 in their Super League elimination playoff.
Three tries in a stirring first period all but sealed the win for Adrian Lam’s side, who will now make the eight-mile trip to the Brick Community Stadium next Friday in a bid to book a place in their first Grand Final.
Continue reading...Semi-final: Canterbury Bulldogs 26-46 Penrith Panthers
Dominant win sounds alarm for next opponent Brisbane
Penrith have sounded the alarm in their pursuit of a fifth straight premiership, destroying Canterbury 46-26 and setting up a preliminary final against Brisbane.
The Panthers produced one of the most dominant 40 minutes of football of their dynasty, blowing Canterbury out of the water with a record-breaking 36-8 first half.
Continue reading...Semi-final: Raiders 12-32 Sharks
Win sets up showdown with the Storm in Melbourne
Nicho Hynes spent the week pondering why Cronulla are not given more respect, then helped the Sharks take their biggest step to earn it in the Craig Fitzgibbon era. For the first time since their finest hour – the 2016 premiership season – the Sharks won consecutive finals games by ending the NRL season of Canberra, the minor premiers, with a stunning 32-12 victory on Saturday.
Cronulla had won one of their past nine finals matches before this year and were assumed once again to be making up the numbers as they finished fifth. The bookmakers had them the seventhout of eight to win the premiership before the finals began, despite a good run of form heading into the business end.
Continue reading...Rugby league all-time great wants to return Super League action to the capital – and bring NRL stars along for the ride
The latest chapter in the London Broncos story came to a low-key end on Sunday afternoon with a Championship victory in Widnes, but if the men now tasked with reviving one of rugby league’s most turbulent clubs have their way, there will be no more days that sombre again.
It is to the immense credit of a handful of individuals that professional rugby league is still alive in London at all. Last winter, when the club’s longstanding owner, David Hughes, announced he was stepping away, it was left to the figures such as the head coach, Mike Eccles, to get them through a winter of huge discontent, with finances almost at breaking point.
Continue reading...Brisbane defeat Canberra 29-28 to secure home preliminary
Reece Walsh goes from sin bin to leading unlikely comeback
Brisbane are within one win of the NRL grand final, after Ben Hunt slotted a 93rd-minute field goal to kick the Broncos to an epic 29-28 qualifying final victory over Canberra.
On a day of utter madness at GIO Stadium, Reece Walsh was sin-binned for a head-butt before engineering one of the most unlikely finals comebacks in memory.
Continue reading...Cronulla hold off Sydney for 20-10 elimination final victory
Penrith defeat NZ Warriors 24-8 to set up semi-final with Bulldogs
Cronulla have proven they are no finals pushovers, ending the Sydney Roosters’ season with a classic 20-10 win in their sudden-death clash at Shark Park.
Often derided for their poor finals record, Cronulla overcome an early deficit and then hung on late to claim victory in a Saturday night bellringer.
Continue reading...Melbourne Storm 26-18 Canterbury Bulldogs
Visitors hampered by early loss of Stephen Crichton
Melbourne have earned a week off after locking down a preliminary final with a 26-18 victory over a gallant Canterbury, who played much of the match without injured skipper Stephen Crichton.
The top-four teams opened the NRL finals series at AAMI Park on Friday night, with the home side edging the Bulldogs, who were hunting their first play-off victory in 10 years.
Continue reading...Have you been following the big stories in football, rugby, boxing, tennis, golf, cycling and athletics?
Continue reading...Leeds 8-16 Catalans Dragons
Rhinos face possibility of trailing in fifth
Leeds Rhinos’ hopes of a top-two finish before the Super League playoffs are now all-but over: and they could yet finish as low as fifth after delivering a worryingly under-par performance to suffer a shock defeat against Catalans Dragons.
Brad Arthur’s side have been magnificent for most of this season but this was arguably the nadir. Had they won here against a Catalans side with nothing to play for, they knew victory away at second-placed Wigan last week could have ensured second spot, and guaranteed a bye through the opening round of the playoffs.
However, should results now fall as expected elsewhere in the final two rounds, it is likely the Rhinos will finish fifth – meaning the prospect of being away in the first week of the playoffs and likely then have an away trip to the league leaders, Hull KR, just to reach the Grand Final.
The opening 40 minutes was incredibly low on quality from the hosts, and did little to suggest they are primed and ready for the playoffs. Leeds were, in ruth, woeful and far below the standards they have set under Arthur this season. It was therefore no surprise when they fell behind as Ugo Tison spotted a gap in the Leeds ruck to cross from dummy-half.
It was a moment that summed up Leeds’ play to that point; laboured and significantly off the pace. Their attempts to provide a response to falling 6-0 behind were panicked and it was evident they were missing the composure and guile of Jake Connor. Leeds would trail further by half-time, after Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet’s penalty nudged Catalans eight points ahead.
It was a scoreline that didn’t flatter the Dragons, who had defended courageously and taken their one real moment of promise in attack. You expected the Rhinos would respond after half-time, but they continued to labour without much effect whatsoever.
Aispuro-Bichet then added a second penalty to make it 10-0 and not even a run of four consecutive penalties Leeds’ way, plus the sin-binning of Romain Navarrete, could aid them in finding an immediate opening. However, they ultimately did capitalise on some pressure when Brodie Croft’s clever kick found Ryan Hall unmarked in the corner.
But with six minutes left, a crucial error from Leeds’ full-back, Lachie Miller, allowed Navarrete to mark his return to the field with the try that secured victory for the Dragons. Croft’s late try briefly threatened a comeback: but Miller missed a straightforward conversion to leave the gap at eight and ensure Catalans secured a rare away victory.