Rugby League news

First topic message reminder :

Gareth Ellis has said he will make a decision on which team he will join before the end of March , his agent has said they have had offers from several clubs but have narrowed it down to 4 teams ...while he did not mention which clubs they were they are believed to be Leeds , Hull FC , Huddersfield and Warrington .

Catalan Dragons have denied Hull KR permission to train on the Stade Gilbert Brutus pitch before saturdays Superleague game , rules state it is the home teams choice if they allow visiting teams to use their pitches or not . Catalans have told Rovers to train elsewhere which hasn't gone down well with them , odd decision from the Dragons as they usually allow all visiting teams to use their facilities .

Ryan Bailey has been given a 3 match ban and a £300 fine for pushing a match official during Leeds Rhinos game against Warrington Wolves , Brent Webb was also fined £300 and given a verbal warning for the same offence in the same incident . Warringtons Mickey Higham received a 2 match ban for a high tackle on Rob Burrow in the same game .

Bradfords Jarrod Sammut was given a 1 match ban for a dangerous tackle against Hull KR , Hull FC prop Mark O'Melley was also given a 1 match ban for a dangerous tackle in Hulls game against St Helens .

It gives me no pleasure saying this as a proud Englishman and RL fan but IMO England were......awful tonight. Whilst I love the idea of the concept and really enjoyed the game last year and acknowledging it could be good experience for some the two games (again IMO) have been poor .

Meanwhile at Bradford the coaching staff (at least Potter, Cummins, St. Hilaire) have agreed to work for free for at least this weekend. Hopefully they will have someone to open the gates and mark the pitch???. The RFL understand that there are 4 seperate individuals/consortiums interesting in buying the club. Fingers/toes/eyebrows (anything else I have two or more of) crossed.

New England captain Jon Wilkin has called on fans to stop the " tribal club mentality " and get behind England after the second Exiles game drew a crowd of just 7,865 .

full interview ...............http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/18720224

Im sorry but imo Wilkin has made a mistake with these comments , in the current finacial situation people dont have the money to go to mid week fixtures that in all honesty have no real bearing on anything ( yes if it was the full England team including the NRL based players it would , but it isn't ) if the RFL want a full house crowd then they need to reduce ticket prices or even let kids in free .

There is a full Superleague fixture list this weekend followed by the Challenge Cup semis for some fans who will have to arrange travel and tickets to support teams they put their hearts and souls into , so to ask fans to switch that off and concentrate on England is nieve imo .

Dont get me wrong i support England and i watched both games on tv , but i have to say after the performances and the constant withdrawls and changes to the team with injury and players beeing rested and of course the non involvement of the NRL based players it became a bit of a joke .

Either have the Exiles games as a way of trying out new players or (and this wont happen ) do what the Aussie do and dont pick players who play abroad ie the NRL based players . Then the team that plays the Exiles would be the team that would play in the 4 nations or World cup and we would be able to get them playing as a team not have them just filling in until a tournament comes around .

New England captain Jon Wilkin has called on fans to stop the " tribal club mentality " and get behind England after the second Exiles game drew a crowd of just 7,865 .

full interview ...............http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/18720224

Im sorry but imo Wilkin has made a mistake with these comments , in the current finacial situation people dont have the money to go to mid week fixtures that in all honesty have no real bearing on anything ( yes if it was the full England team including the NRL based players it would , but it isn't ) if the RFL want a full house crowd then they need to reduce ticket prices or even let kids in free .

There is a full Superleague fixture list this weekend followed by the Challenge Cup semis for some fans who will have to arrange travel and tickets to support teams they put their hearts and souls into , so to ask fans to switch that off and concentrate on England is nieve imo .

Dont get me wrong i support England and i watched both games on tv , but i have to say after the performances and the constant withdrawls and changes to the team with injury and players beeing rested and of course the non involvement of the NRL based players it became a bit of a joke .

Either have the Exiles games as a way of trying out new players or (and this wont happen ) do what the Aussie do and dont pick players who play abroad ie the NRL based players . Then the team that plays the Exiles would be the team that would play in the 4 nations or World cup and we would be able to get them playing as a team not have them just filling in until a tournament comes around . .



Kenny, you've hit the nail on the head IMO. If Mr.Wilkin wants to know why people won't go next year he just needs to watch a replay of last nights' game.

Whilst it's good news that Bradford have extended the time to keep them out of liqiadation.
When exactly do they lose the points for going into administration?

Thats a good point Tiger , when do Bradford lose the points as that will change the table

HULL FC new signing Ryan McGoldrick banned for 1 game for pushing ref in the Hull v Leeds game

Ryan Mcgoldrick has won his appeal against his ban, so can now be included for Hull's re arranged game v Catalans.

Rangi Chase's suspension by Castleford has now ended, and he can return to training. It was apparently alcahole & non training attendence that was behind the suspension in the 1st place. And NOT drugs, which is the rumour around these parts.

KENNY
It needs to be sorted out soon, so that the 3 clubs(Bradford, Salford & Hull KR), now what they need to do to qualify for the play offs. The longer it goes on the more farcical the situation becomes, and the more unfair to the clubs.

Deadline for transfers for this season is 20th July so teams have one week left to sort their squads for the remainder of this season

Well done to the Rhinos for doing this.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/article-2173878/Bradford-Bulls-offered-ticket-money-Leeds-Rhinos.html

Huddersfield have parted company with head coach Nathan Brown early allowing new coach Paul Anderson to take over for the rest of the season

Tony Rea has taken over as coach of the London Broncos until the end of the season. Rob Powell remains at the club as an assistent to Tony Rea.

CASTLEFORD

Hooker Ryan Hudson has announced he will retire at the end of the season

SALFORD

Sean Long is to come out of retirement to play for the Reds

The administrator for the bradford Bulls has confirmed that the ABC consortium of local busuneesman have put in an offer for the club.
I don't think it will be accepted on 2 counts. The RFL can't guarantee the Bulls will stay in super league, the super league clubs have to vote on that I'm given to belief and the RFL wont give up the lease they have for Odsal unless they have guarantees that Odsal remains primarily an Rugby League venue.

Castleford have confirmed Hull are trying to do a deal with stand-off Rangi Chase ahead of Friday's 2pm deadline.

The England international is contracted to the Tigers until 2015 but the New Zealand-born half-back has not played for his club since being suspended for a breach of club discipline last month.

A fee in the region of £350,000 is believed to have been agreed between the clubs for the reigning Man Of Steel but a new work visa, which would rubber-stamp the move, could prove a stumbling block with time running out.

"It is true Hull FC have expressed an interest in Rangi and Rangi has expressed an interest in joining Hull FC," Castleford chief executive Steve Ferres said. "However, Hull will have to apply for a visa for it to go through.

"Hull's intention was to sign Rangi before Friday's 2012 season transfer deadline which is at 2pm. Should the visa not be complete, Rangi will remain contracted to Castleford Tigers until 2015.

"He remains available for selection for Sunday's match at home to Warrington and our coaching staff are happy with how he has trained with the team this week."

Chase was suspended by his club on June 26 after missing training and subsequently apologised for his behaviour.

Castleford lifted the ban last week after imposing unspecified sanctions for actions that related to the consumption of alcohol.

It's being reported on both Skysports and BBC that HULL FC have failed in their bid to sign Rangi Chase from CASTLEFORD due to visa problems .

It's has also been suggested that should Case leave CAS he would not be granted a new visa to play in Superleague .

Latest news about Bradford

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12213/7930691/RFL-confirms-Bulls-offer

I still cant get over the whole " it depends on Bradford staying in Superleague and being able to buy the ground back " thing , it is as if they are holding RFL to ransom .

The RFL can't guarantee the Bulls future in Super League that I'm given to believe is down to the Super League clubs to vote on. The RFL are not going to sell the remaining years of the lease unless they have guarantee's that Odsal remains a Rugby League ground. I can't see this offer in its present form being accepted.

Bradley Wiggins a Rugby League fan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/bradley-wiggins/9422046/London-2012-Olympics-Bradley-Wiggins-enjoys-rare-day-off-with-family-before-joining-up-with-road-race-team.html

Bradford have been deducted 6 points for entering administration.

Does the plot thicken at Bradford?.

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9837754.MP_Sutcliffe_leads_bid_with_restaurant_owner_to_buy_Bulls/

Thats good news for the Bulls , the more interested partys the better .

CASTLEFORD

Danny Orr has announced that he is to retire at the end of the season.

HULL KR

Assistant coach Chris Chester commits to the club for a further 2 years

RFL have rejected the ABC consortiums bid to buy the Bradford Bulls as " unrealistic and unreasonable "

full story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19003931

HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS

Have allowed former skipper Kevin Brown to terminate his contract early due to a season ending ankle injury . Brown was due to leave at the end of the season to take up a 5 year deal with the Widnes Vikings but due to the ankle in which requires surgery the Giants have released him now.

BRADFORD BULLS

RFL confirm ABC group have submitted a 2nd bid for the club .

Mick Potter has ruled himself out of the London Broncos job as he is seeking work back in Australia .
So it also looks like he wont be staying on at Bradford should they be taken over either

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:Mick Potter has ruled himself out of the London Broncos job as he is seeking work back in Australia .
So it also looks like he wont be staying on at Bradford should they be taken over either

I am not 100% certain however it has been suggested that his current Visa is specifically to work for Bradford Bulls, particularly difficult as he among several others whose posts were made redundant.

An example of how desperate the situation is;


http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/9842997.Bradford_Bulls_reputation_in_tatters__says_Tasker/

Beast

What do you think is a realistic outcome of whats going on at the Bulls ?

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:Beast

What do you think is a realistic outcome of whats going on at the Bulls ?

Uuummmmmmmm.....obviously alot will depend on the acceptance or otherwise of the bids to buy the club and later on the decision of the RFL regarding Super League status who I understand can overrule any vote by other clubs.

I suspect the RFL will move heaven and earth to ensure they finish the season but there is a realistic chance of demotion next year dependant on aforementioned factors and perhaps the recent Watkins report.

Dropping down to the Championship and basically starting again sounds sensible however it could be catastrophic and possibly even result in a move from Odsal, so a tricky decision for the RFL who of course own the lease.

IMO there are too many factors to predict the final outcome I suspect that there may well be further twists to come but hope that in time the truth about what has happened will be told.

Yes i hope the truth does come out , but i wouldn't hold your breath . We had a similair thing happen at Rovers when we sold the Old Craven Park and moved to the new Stadium we made hundreds of thousands of pounds yet it disappeared

RFL cast doubts over second Bulls bid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19049462

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:RFL cast doubts over second Bulls bid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19049462

Its not going to happen for for Bulls unless the ABC stop putting in conditions to buy them. I fear that the Bulls will be playing Championship football next season if their lucky. It their luck runs out the club will fold.

I agree George , this ABC group are going to have to realise that the Bulls are not going to guaranteed Superleague rugby next year ( althiough i do believe the other clubs will keep them in )or that RFL are going to sell them the ground back .

Not heard anything about the other bid fronted by the ex MP , has anyone else ?

1st - I'm not sure that the other clubs will vote to keep them in, from what I've heard quite quite a few are against it believing that there has to be some form of punishment especially with it being so soon after Crusaders & Wakefield. But the RFL have the final say and they might vote for them to stay in.

2nd- The Gerry Sutcliffe bid, is another Asian consortium, also wants guarantee's that Bradford will be in SL, all though not alot else has been said.Apart from it beings to sustain the club, and develope the stadium & area around Odsal.

The RFL have are looking for new sponsors for SL, having taken the option of leaving the Stobart deal after 12 months.

tigerrobins wrote:The RFL have are looking for new sponsors for SL, having taken the option of leaving the Stobart deal after 12 months.

They should never of signed with them in the first place for no money, especially when there was a betting firm willing to pay to sponser the league . RFL just look stupid again now !

RFL rejects ABC 2nd bid to buy Bradford Bulls

full story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19080575

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:

tigerrobins wrote:The RFL have are looking for new sponsors for SL, having taken the option of leaving the Stobart deal after 12 months.

They should never of signed with them in the first place for no money, especially when there was a betting firm willing to pay to sponser the league . RFL just look stupid again now !

No, can't say I understood the reasoning behind taking the Stobart deal, never understood why they didn't take the Betfair deal, and still used the Stobart Lorry thing at the same time. Be interesting to see how much they want, given that they gave it away for free last time.

£750,000 a year apparantley

Martin Gleeson is looking to switch codes and try out Rugby Union once his ban for taking a slimming agent is over in October

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:Martin Gleeson is looking to switch codes and try out Rugby Union once his ban for taking a slimming agent is over in October

Their welcome to him. A good player on the field, but someone who apperas to always have trouble's away from it.

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:RFL rejects ABC 2nd bid to buy Bradford Bulls

full story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19080575

All the while the ABC consortium keeps putting conditions on them buying the club its not going to happen.

Its almost as if they dont really want to buy them , they must know the RFL cant back down

Castleford,

Stuart Jones has announced that he will retire from the game at the end of the season.

Has anyone heard who the forth side joining championship 1 is. I know Hemel, Northampton & University of Gloucestershire have joined, but not sure if the last team has been announced, and I've just missed it. Thanks.

Dont think it has been announce yet tiger , or if it has then i've missed it too

Superleague bids to buy BRADFORD BULLS !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19096266

didn't see that coming

KingKenny7Heaven wrote:Superleague bids to buy BRADFORD BULLS !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19096266

didn't see that coming

Me neither!!!! Good news if accepted it should give them longer to find a long term buyer, I understand November 30th 2012. I am sure it will not be (and rightly so) pain free, I would expect to see players leaving the club shortly and if a buyer cannot be found demotion to the championship. Either way this at least means there is a club for now at least.

Kenny, with regard to the truth coming out I am inclined to agree that some at least will not be revealed however I believe that the administrator has a obligation to produce a report outlining their findings so we might get more that you guys??