union	Rugby League International Federation
nickname	Football, Footy, League, Rugby, 'The Greatest Game of All'
first	1845, Rugby football rules codified in England ---- 7 September 1895, post schism
contact	Full contact
team	13
mgender	Single
category	Outdoor team sport
ball	Football
venue	Rugby league playing field
olympic	}}

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated as a split from the Rugby Football Union in England in 1895 over the issue of payments to players. Its rules were then gradually changed in order to produce a more entertaining game that would appeal to spectators.

Frequently cited as the toughest, most physically demanding of team sports, the objective in rugby league is to carry or kick the ball towards the opposing team's goal line where points are scored by grounding the ball; this is called a ''try''. After scoring a try, the team is allowed the chance to ''try at goal'' with a conversion – a kick for further points. The opposing team will attempt to stop the attacking side gaining points by preventing their progress up the field by tackling the player carrying the ball.

The game holds a significant place in the culture and heritage of the areas where it is played. The European Super League and the Australasian National Rugby League are the premier club competitions. Rugby league is played internationally, predominantly by European, Australasian and Pacific countries, and is governed by the Rugby League International Federation. The current World Cup holders are New Zealand.

Etymology

''Rugby league football'' takes its name from the bodies that split to create a new form of rugby football, distinct from that run by the ''Rugby Football Unions'', in England, Australia and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908.

The first of these, initially called the 'Northern Rugby Football Union', was established in 1895 as a breakaway faction of England's Rugby Football Union . Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first, although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately, thus creating a new faster paced form of rugby football. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football ''league''s" and introducing Northern Union rules. In 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football.

History

In 1895, a schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU). Although many factors played a part in the split, including the success of working class northern teams, the main division was caused by the RFU decision to enforce the amateur principle of the sport, preventing "broken time payments" to players who had taken time off work to play rugby. Northern teams typically had more working class players (coal miners, mill workers etc.) who could not afford to play without this compensation, in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain the amateur principle. There were similar movements in other countries. In 1895 a decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to the famous meeting on 29 August 1895. Twenty-two clubs (plus Stockport who negotiated by telephone) met at The George Hotel, Huddersfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire and formed the "Northern Rugby Football Union". Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join the rugby revolution.

In 1897, the line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced.

In 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the scrum formed after every tackle with the play the ball.

A similar schism occurred in Sydney, Australia. There on the 8th August 1907 the New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman's Hotel in George St. Rugby league then went on to displace rugby union as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland.

In 1954 around 120,000 spectators watched the 1953–54 Challenge Cup final in England, setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code. Also in 1954 the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French.

In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on the fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover.

1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played.

The first sponsors entered the game, Joshua Tetley and John Player, for Britain's 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season.

Television would have an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in the 1990s when Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation sought worldwide broadcasting rights and refused to take no for an answer. The media giant's "Super League" movement saw big changes for the traditional administrators of the game. In Europe it resulted in a move from a winter sport to a summer one as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market. In Australasia, the Super League war resulted: long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties, causing significant damage to the code in an extremely competitive sporting market. In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia, after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed. The NRL has since become recognised as the sport's flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures.

In Australia in 2009 and 2010, rugby league's popularity was confirmed as it had the highest television ratings of any football code.

Rules

The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries, goals and field goals (also known as drop goals) than the opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If after two halves of play, each consisting of forty minutes, the two teams are drawing, a draw may be declared, or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule, depending on the relevant competition's format.

The try is the most common form of scoring, and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield, or passing from player-to-player in order to manoeuvre around the opposition's defence. A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team's goal-line and is worth four points. A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty. A field goal, or drop goal, is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play.

Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates therefore have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. However the ball may be kicked ahead for teammates, but again, if they are in front of the kicker they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the football may be tackled. A tackle is completed when that player's progress is halted, or he is put to ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards.The ball can also be turned over by going over the sideline.

Positions

Players on the field are divided into forwards and backs, although the game's rules apply to all players the same way. Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players. These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing. The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in. In Australia and New Zealand, each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field. However, since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers, which they keep in irrelevance to the position they play, similarly to association football.

Interchanges (generally referred to as "The Bench") are allowed in the sport, and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured, although they can also be used tactically. Each team is currently allowed four substitutes, and in Australia and New Zealand, these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22. There are no limitations on what players must occupy these interchangeable slots, and interchanged players may re-enter the field of play again following a second interchange. Generally, twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team, although in the National Rugby League, this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season. If a team has to interchange a player due to the Blood Bin rule or due to injury, and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team, the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field.

Backs

The backs are generally smaller, faster and more agile than the forwards. They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field, relying on running, kicking and handling skills, as well as tactics and set plays, to break the defensive line, instead of brute force. Generally forwards do the majority of the work (hit-ups/tackling).

The title of ''fullback'' (numbered 1) comes from the fullback's defensive position where the player drops out of the defensive line to cover the rear from kicks and runners breaking the line. They therefore usually are good ball catchers and clinical tacklers. In attack the fullback will typically make runs into the attack or support a runner in anticipation of a pass out of the tackle. Fullbacks can play a role in attack similar to a halfback or five-eighth and the fact that the fullback does not have to defend in the first defensive line means that a coach can keep a playmaker from the tackling responsibilities of the first line whilst allowing them to retain their attacking role.

The ''wingers'' or "wing three quarters" (numbered 2 and 5) are normally the fastest players in a team and play on the far left and right fringes of the field (the wings). Their main task is to receive passes and score tries. The wingers also drop back on the last tackle to cover the left and right sides of the field for kicks while the fullback covers the middle.

The ''centres'' or "centre three-quarters" (numbered 3 and 4) are positioned one in from the wings and together complete what is known as the three-quarter line. Usually the best mixture of power and vision, their main role is to try to create attacking opportunities for their team and defend against those of the opposition. Along with the wingers, the centres score plenty of tries throughout a season. They usually have a large build and therefore can often play in the second row forwards.

Usually, the stand-off half and scrum half are a team's creative unit or 'playmakers'. During the interactions between a team's 'key' players (stand-off half, scrum half, full-back, loose forward, and hooker), the stand-off half and scrum half will usually be involved in most passing moves.

The stand-off half or 'pivot' or 'five-eighth' (numbered 6): There is not much difference between the stand-off half and the scrum half, in that both players may operate in front of the pack during 'forward play' (as prime receiver [7] and shadow receiver [6], one on each side of the ruck, or both on same side of the ruck), and both players may operate in front of the backs during 'back play' (as prime pivot [6] and shadow pivot [7], one on each side of the ruck / pack, or both on same side of the ruck / pack). The stand-off half position is named with regard to the role / location of the player in respect to the scrum.

The scrum half or 'half-back' (numbered 7): There is not much difference between the scrum half and the stand-off half, in that both players may operate in front of the pack during 'forward play' (as prime receiver [7] and shadow receiver [6], one on each side of the ruck, or both on same side of the ruck). Both players may operate in front of the backs during 'back play' (as prime pivot [6] and shadow pivot [7], one on each side of the ruck / pack, or both on same side of the ruck / pack). The scrum half position is named with regard to the role / location of the player in respect to the scrum.

Forwards

The forwards' two responsibilities can be broken into "normal play" and "scrum play". For information on a forward's role in the scrum see rugby league scrummage. Forward positions are traditionally named after the player's position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to "normal play" with the exception of the hooker. Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows:

The ''props or front-row forwards'' (numbered 8 and 10) are normally the largest players on field (male props typically weigh over 110 kg in the open age/senior game). They are positioned in the centre of the line. The prop will be an "enforcer", dissuading the opposition from attacking the centre of the defensive line and, in attack, will give the team momentum by taking the ball up to the defence aggressively.

The ''hooker'' (numbered 9) is most likely to play the role of dummy-half. In defence the hooker usually defends in the middle of the line against the opposition's props and second-rowers. The hooker will be responsible for organising the defence in the middle of the field. In attack as dummy-half this player is responsible for starting the play from every play-the-ball by either passing the ball to the right player, or, at opportune moments, running from dummy-half. It is vital that the hooker can pass very well. Traditionally, hookers "hooked" the ball in the scrum. Hookers also make probably more tackles than any other player on the field. The hooker is always involved in the play and needs to be very fit. They need to have a very good knowledge of the game and the players around them.

The ''second row forwards'' (numbered 11 and 12) The modern day second row is very similar to a centre and is expected to be faster, more mobile and have more skills than the prop and will play amongst the three-quarters, providing strength in attack and defence when the ball is passed out to the wings. Good second-rowers combine the skills and responsibilities of props and centres in the course of the game.

The ''loose forward or lock'' (numbered 13) is the only forward in the third (last) row of the scrum. They are usually among the fittest players on the field, covering the entire field on both attacking and defending duties. Typically they are big ball-runners who can occasionally slot in as a passing link or kick option; it is not uncommon for loose forwards/locks to have the skills of a Stand-off/five-eighth and to play a similar role in the team.

Rugby league worldwide

thumb|right|The 2006 NRL Grand Final between Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm at [[Stadium Australia|Olympic Stadium, Sydney]] Rugby League is played in over 40 nations throughout the world. The strongest rugby league nations are Australia, England and New Zealand. These three countries have contested the Rugby League Four Nations tournament against France and Papua New Guinea, where rugby league is the official national sport.

There are currently 30 nations that account for the top ranked teams under the Rugby League International Federation, 12 of which are classified as full international members of the federation.

Professional rugby league teams exist in Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Wales and Jamaica while semi-professional rugby league competitions exist in Italy, the United States, Papua New Guinea, Scotland and Ireland.

The current World Champions are New Zealand, who won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Prior to this, Australia had won every world cup since 1975.

In Australia, rugby league is the dominant winter sport in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, which combined include more than half the population of Australia.

In England, rugby league has traditionally been associated with the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria where the game originated, although its popularity has also increased elsewhere. Figures published by the Rugby Football League showed an 81% increase in women playing the sport in the twelve months prior to October 2008, as well as an increase in juniors of both genders nationwide. Currently, three of the thirteen Super League teams in the northern hemisphere originate from outside of the sport's traditional counties: Harlequins, Crusaders and Catalans Dragons. Over 40,000 players were registered by the RFL as of October 2008 with an overall participation rate in the game doubling in the last four years to well over 285,000 by late 2009.

France first played rugby league as late as 1934, where in the five years prior to World War II, the sport's popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s. However, after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940, the Vichy regime in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left-wing Popular Front government that had governed France before the War. The sport was unbanned after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime, although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s. Despite this, the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups, and the country hosted the 1954 event. In 1996, a French team, Paris Saint-Germain was one of eleven teams which formed the new European Super League, although the club was dissolved in 1997 due to its failure to run at a profit and poor attendances. In 2006, the Super League admitted the Catalans Dragons, a team from Perpignan in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. They have subsequently reached the 2007 Challenge Cup Final and made the play-offs of the 2008 Super League XIII season. The success of the 'Dragons' in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league, with new-found enthusiasm for the sport in the south of the country where most of the Elite One Championship teams are based.

Rugby league is a growing sport in the United States, with the semi-professional American National Rugby League (AMNRL) competition established in 1997. A new competition, the USA Rugby League, also played at an organised semi-professional level, began play in 2011. A Jamaican club, Hurricanes Rugby League has announced their intention to field an professional team for play in one of the American competitions by 2013.

The early 21st century has seen other countries take up the game and compete in international rugby league with efforts being made by the Rugby League European Federation to expand the game to new areas such as Germany, Serbia, Norway and Hungary to name a few.

Domestic competitions

The two most prominent fully professional leagues are the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League. Domestic leagues exist below the NRL and Super League, especially on a state or county level, and semi-professional and amateur leagues exist in many other countries, most notably the Queensland Cup and the NSW Cup, which feed players into NRL teams, and the Co-operative Championship, which a semi-professional competition that involves mostly English teams and one team from France. The Championship 1 is the third tier of British rugby league, and has ten teams from England plus one from Wales. The Elite One Championship is a semi-professional rugby league competition in France with teams mostly situated in the south.

Rugby league is currently played in the United States through the semi-professional American National Rugby League (AMNRL) and the USA Rugby League (USARL).

The game is played semi-professionally in Papua New Guinea, where it is the official national sport. The Bemobile Cup has provided many players to the Papuan national team, such as Menzie Yere and Charlie Wabo, who have gone on to play professionally in England. The government is also lobbying for an NRL expansion franchise. Also in the Pacific are the Fiji National Rugby League Competition, the Tonga National Rugby League, the Samoa Rugby League, the Honiara Rugby League in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese Rugby League Association, and New Zealand's National Zonal competition.

Other domestic competitions based in Europe and the Middle East are the Lebanon Rugby League Championship, Rugby League Ireland, Welsh Premier Division, Scottish Conference, Rugby League Deutschland, Hellenic Rugby League, Italian Rugby League Championship, Maltese Rugby League, Russian Championship and the Serbian Rugby League. Other leagues include South Africa's Tom van Vollenhoven Cup, Canada Rugby League and Jamaica Rugby League.

Both Australia and Europe have their own domestic cup tournaments. The Rugby Football League's Challenge Cup is contested by amateur and professional teams. In Australia, the Rugby League State of Origin series is a domestic tournament, played between New South Wales and Queensland teams. New South Wales also has a one-match City vs Country Origin annually. In New Zealand clubs teams challenge for the Rugby League Cup.

Current champions

{| |- |

Domestic Champions
Tournament	Year	Current Holder
National Rugby League	2010
Super League	2010
Challenge Cup	2010
World Club Challenge	2011
	2004
	2011
Lord Derby Cup	2011
	2010
	2010
American National Rugby League	2010
	2010	Goroka Lahanis
	2010	Treaty City Titans
	2010	Dublin City Exiles
	2010
	2010
	2010	Sabeto Roosters
Tonga National Rugby League	2010	Lapaha Knights
	2010	Marist Saints
	2010	Wildcats
	2010	Barcelona U.C.
	2010	University Girona
	2010	XIII del Ducato
	2010	Vauxhall Vultures
	2010	GC Foster College
	2010	Beroun
	2010	Rheinland
	2010	Capelle
	2010	RK Dorćol
	2010	RK Dorćol
	2009	Legion XIII
	2010	Oslo RK
	2010	Avatiu Eels
	2010
Queensland Cup	2010
NSW Cup	2010
Co-operative Championship	2010
Championship One	2010
Northern Rail Cup	2010

|

International Champions
Tournament	Year	Current Holder
Rugby League World Cup	2008
	2010
	2010
	2009
	2010
	2011
	2003
Baskerville Shield	2007
	2010
	2010
Federation Shield	2006
	2011
	2009
Slavic Cup	2010
Representative Champions
Tournament	Year	Current Holder
	2011
	2011
City vs Country	2011
	2003
	2010	PNG Internationals
	2010	Munster
International Origin	2011	Exiles
	2010	Western
	2010	Liban Espoir
	2009	Bavaria
	2010	Belgrade City
	2010	Moravia

|}

See also

Rugby football

History of rugby league

List of rugby league terms

Playing rugby league

List of international rugby league teams

Rugby league nines

Tag Rugby (OzTag) — a completely non-contact version of rugby league

Touch football — an almost non-contact version

League tag — A semi-contact version of Rugby League

Comparison of rugby league and rugby union

References

In-line

General

Further reading

External links

''Official website of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF)''

Love Rugby League - The first place for rugby league news and views

The largest Rugby League website in the world

Category:Team sports Category:Ball games Category:Sports originating in England Category:1895 introductions Category:Football codes

ar:دوري الرغبي ca:Rugbi a 13 cy:Rygbi'r gynghrair da:Rugby League de:Rugby League es:Rugby League eo:Rugbeo 13 fa:راگبی ۱۳ نفره fr:Rugby à XIII gd:Rugbaidh lìog ko:럭비 리그 id:Liga rugbi it:Rugby a 13 lb:Rugby League hu:Ligarögbi mr:रग्बी लीग nl:Rugby League ja:ラグビーリーグ oc:Rugbi de XIII pl:Rugby league pt:Rugby league ru:Регбилиг si:රග්බි ලීගය simple:Rugby league sr:Рагби лига fi:Rugby league tr:Ragbi ligi uk:Регбіліг zh:聯盟式橄欖球

Name	Glenn Stewart
Fullname	Glenn Stewart
Country	Australia
Birth date	January 11, 1984
Birth place	Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Height
Weight
Position
Club1	Manly Sea Eagles
Year1start	2003
Year1end	present
Appearances1	129
Tries1	21
Goals1	0
Fieldgoals1	0
Points1	84
Teama	Country Origin
Yearastart	2008
Yearaend	11
Appearancesa	3
Triesa	0
Goalsa	0
Fieldgoalsa	0
Pointsa	0
Teamb	New South Wales
Yearbstart	2009
Yearbend	11
Appearancesb	3
Triesb	0
Goalsb	0
Fieldgoalsb	0
Pointsb	0
Teamc	Australia
Yearcstart	2008
Yearcend	2009
Appearancesc	5
Triesc	0
Goalsc	0
Fieldgoalsc	0
Pointsc	0
Updated	3 October 2010
Source	NRL Stats, RLP , Herald Sun }}

Glenn Stewart (born 11 January 1984) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. Stewart primarily plays in the second-row.

He is the older brother of fellow Manly Sea Eagles player Brett Stewart.

He played in the 2007 NRL grand final defeat to the Melbourne Storm.

He played in the 2008 NRL Grand Final victory over the Melbourne Storm.

In August 2008, Stewart was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad.

Following an outstanding season for the Sea Eagles, Stewart was voted the Dally M ''Second-Rower Of The Year'' for 2008.

Stewart made his test debut against New Zealand in Australia's opening RLWC 08 game on 26 October playing in the . He was selected for Australia in the one-off test match against New Zealand on 8 May 2009.

Stewart was to make his State of Origin debut for New South Wales in game 1 of 2009 but was ruled out with suspension. He went on to make his debut in game 2 after being selected on the bench.

References

External links

Glenn Stewart Official Profile

Glenn Stewart at the ''Rugby League project''

Category:1984 births Category:People from Wollongong Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles players Category:New South Wales Country rugby league team players Category:Australia national rugby league team players Category:New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Category:Living people

:''For the novel'' Adam Blair ''see John Gibson Lockhart''

name	Adam Blair
fullname	Adam Ngawati Blair
birth date	March 23, 1986
birth place	Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
height
weight
position
club1	Melbourne Storm
year1start	2006
year1end	2011
appearances1	115
tries1	5
goals1	0
fieldgoals1	0
points1	20
club2	Wests Tigers
year2start	2012
year2end	present
appearances2	0
tries2	0
goals2	0
fieldgoals2	0
points2	0
teama	New Zealand
yearastart	2006
yearaend	2011
appearancesa	21
triesa	2
goalsa	0
fieldgoalsa	0
pointsa	8
teamb	NRL All Stars
yearbstart	2010
appearancesb	1
triesb	0
goalsb	0
fieldgoalsb	0
pointsb	0
updated	18 July 2011
source	Rugby League Project }}

Adam Blair (born 23 March 1986 in Whangarei, Northland) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. Blair played for the Melbourne Storm in the 2006 NRL Grand Final and was a member of the New Zealand Kiwis side that won the 2008 World Cup. He has become famous for leading the Kiwi haka before every international game.

Early years

He is of Māori heritage. Blair was a Junior Kiwi in 2002 and 2003.

Melbourne Storm

He was recruited by the Storm from Whangarei as a 16-year-old while attending Whangarei Boys High School. He has also played for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. He was selected to play from the interchange bench in the 2006 NRL Grand Final which Melbourne lost to Brisbane.

Blair scored his first-ever NRL try against the Cronulla Sharks in the Storm's grand final-qualifying final win of 2008.

For his first game of 2009, he was judged KFC's 'man of the match'.

He played in the 2009 grand final against Parramatta, scoring the second try, set up by Cooper Cronk. He also set up a try for Billy Slater.

Wests Tigers

Blair was signed by the Wests Tigers on a four year deal beginning in 2012. He is reportedly receieving $AUD 500,000 a year.

International career

After debuting in the 2006 NRL season, he was picked for the New Zealand squad for the 2006 Tri-Nations Series.

On 14 October 2006 Blair made his test debut against Australia at Mt Smart Stadium in the 2006 Tri-Nations.

In August 2008, Blair was named in the New Zealand squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. He was named man-of-the-match in New Zealand's win against Papua New Guinea in the pool stage. Blair scored the last try in the Kiwis' World Cup final victory over the Kangaroos.

Blair was also named in the Kiwis team to play in the Four Nations against England, Australia and France and was the Kiwis vice-captain. As vice captain he was an automatic selection for the 2010 National Rugby League All-Stars side.

References

External links

Melbourne Storm profile

Category:1986 births Category:New Zealand rugby league players Category:Norths Devils players Category:Melbourne Storm players Category:New Zealand national rugby league team players Category:NRL All Stars players Category:Living people Category:New Zealand Māori rugby league players Category:Rugby league locks Category:Rugby league second-rows Category:Rugby league props

fr:Adam Blair

Name	Rob Powell
Fullname	Robert Powell
Nickname	Owl, Owly
Position	Head Coach
Currentclub	Harlequins RL
Birth date	16 August 1980
Birth place	Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Coachteam1	Harlequins
Coachyear1start	2010
Coachyear1end	present
Coachgames1	21
Coachwins1	5
Coachdraws1	1
Coachlosses1	15
Coachwin%1	23
Coachwin%2	23
Coachpremierships2	9
coachyearastart	2010
coachyearaend	present
coachteama	Lebanon
coachgamesa	0
coachwinsa	0
coachdrawsa	0
coachlossesa	0
New	yes }}

Rob Powell (born in Sheffield, Yorkshire) is an English professional rugby league football coach. He is the current Head Coach for the Harlequins club of Europe's Super League.

Powell played his first ever game of Rugby League in 1998 at Newcastle University where he studied History, however his playing experience lasted only a handful of games and his playing career ended at the age of 19.

He then completed an MSc in Sports Management at Northumbria University managed by Chris Hood, so Powell managed the Newcastle University side which won the North East Cup, qualified for the BUSA final and twice competed in the Challenge Cup during his three years in charge which saw him progress to the second round in 2001.

Powell's Masters Degree included a dissertation on Coaching and the six-week placement he was entitled to saw him introduced to London Broncos in 2002; the club that would ultimately prove to be his future employer in the guise of Harlequins Rugby League club.

In 2003, he became assistant to Darryl Pitt at South London Storm and a Full Time Rugby League Community Sports Coach introducing new players and clubs to the game. When Pitt departed, Powell took charge in December 2004 and shortly after the club announced their intention to move to the RLC Premier Division.

Powell won Coach of the Year in 2005 and in 2006 became winner of the RLC Premier Division. The final saw South London Storm beat East Lancashire Lions 30-0, the first time a losing finalist had been 'nilled' in RLC conference history albeit with 11 men for the last quarter.

In November 2006, Damian McGrath was appointed as Assistant Head Coach at Harlequins due to his considerable experience whilst it was also stated that Dave Evans was managing the under 21s. It was also noted that "joining Evans as Under 21's Assistant Coach is South London Storm's winning RL Conference coach, Rob Powell who this year also helped out with the Quins Under 16's team". By January 2007, the experienced McGrath had already left and Head Coach McDermott stated that "we want to appoint a younger man who can grow with the job, and the man in mind is very, very keen".

In 2007, Powell became assistant to Brian McDermott over a four year period which saw results for the first team decline from 7th in 2006 to 9th in both 2007 and 2008 then to 11th in 2009 and finally to 13th in 2010.

It was widely expected that Harlequins would select a new Head Coach from the large pool of external potential applicants and Powell went out to Lebanon to widen his experience as a Head Coach, but abruptly in November 2010, he was appointed Head Coach of Quins, replacing Brian McDermott. His appointment made him the youngest coach in Super League XV.

His first year in charge saw Jack Latus, Mark Calderwood, Nick Kouparitsas and Chris Bailey recruited whist he was constantly in and out of the loans market having signed the likes of Chris Riley, Karl Pryce, Joe Mellor, Kyle Briggs, Mike Burnett, Lee Mitchell and Luke Ambler during the season whilst allowing many home grown youngsters to play in the divisions below and mainly at London Skolars such as Lamont Bryan, Ben Bolger, David Williams, Rob Thomas and other players from the under 20s.

He got off to an amazing start with three pre-season wins folowed by a win at the Magic weekend against Catalans, a home win v Crusaders, an away win at Leeds, a close home defeat to Huddersfield and an away win at St Helens. However the side was then thrashed 82-6 at Warrington on the 20th March, the club did not gain a point then for over a month until drawing 26-26 with Castleford and after three months without a win, Harlequins defeated Wakefield Wildcats on the 18th June for only their second home win of the season.

References

External links

Quins Coaching profile

Eagles re-united in Challenge Cup

Category:People from Sheffield Category:Living people Category:English rugby league coaches Category:Harlequins Rugby League coaches Category:1980 births

name	Ben Barba
fullname	Benjamin Barba
birth date	June 13, 1989
birth place	Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
height
weight
nickname	X-Factor
position
club1	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
year1start	2008
year1end	present
appearances1	50
tries1	28
goals1	0
fieldgoals1	0
points1	108
source	NRL Stats }}

Ben Barba (born 13 June 1989) was born in Darwin, Northern Territory, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League and is a utility back.

In September, 2008, Barba was named in the 2008 Toyota Cup ''Team of the Year''. The previous season, playing for the Bulldogs in the Jersey Flegg competition, Barba scored 130 points in 11 games. In 2009, Barba was an integral member of the Bankstown City Bulls team that won the New South Wales Cup.

Barba made his NRL debut for the Bulldogs on 28 July 2008, against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, scoring one try. At the time he was called up to first-grade, Barba was working at a car wash. It was announced on July 20th 2011 that Barba had signed to the Bulldogs until the end of the 2015 season.

Barba has been in impressive form during the 2011 season and has scored 16 tries from 21 games this year(2011). Barba's form has been so impressive it earned him a selection into the 25 man Queensland state of origin squad, however Barba did not make his origin debut.

At a young age Ben and his family moved from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Mackay in Queensland. During his time in Queensland he played all of his Junior Rugby League for the Norths Devils Mackay Club in the North of Queensland. During his long time at the Devils he played magic Football and was one of the most talented young players in North Queensland and one of the best players the Norths Devils Club have ever produced. His Talent and excellence in Mackay eventually caught the attention of National Rugby League Club the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. He signed with the Bulldogs in 2007. Ben joined the Bulldogs in the middle of the 2007 season. At his first season at Belmore he didn't play First Grade, he played the remainder of the 2007 season in the Under 21's where he had a good first season scoring a lot of tries. In his second season at the Bulldogs in 2008 he played most of the season in the Under 20's where he was playing magic Rugby League. Ben was scoring tries left, right and centre. He scored in nearly every game. His Sensational performances, try scoring ability and attacking flair caught the eye of the Canterbury Bankstown Supporters. All the supporters strongly believed that he will be a future star and fan favourite and he should be put into the First Grade side and he would be able to help them win some games and avoid the wooden spoon. But Canterbury Coach, former Club player and Australian International Steve Folkes stated that Ben was still too young and it would be a couple of Years till he would become a First Grader. As the season went on Canterbury kept on losing games and were possibly going to cop the Wooden Spoon and the fans kept on urging that Ben be put into First Grade. Ben Finally made his First Grade Debut For Canterbury in Round 20 of 2008 where they were Heavily beaten by the St. George Illawarra Dragons 30-0 at ANZ Stadium. Ben scored his first ever First Grade try for the club in Round 22 in their 36-12 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium. At the end of 2008 he played 4 Games and scored 1 Try. Ben started the 2009 season in First Grade under new Coach, former Canterbury player and the son of former Great and famous CEO Peter " Buulfrog " Moore, Kevin Moore. He came on as a substitute in Round 1 in Canterbury's 34-12 win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. That game was the game that Former NSW City, NSW State of Origin player and Former Lebanese and Australian International and Club Great Hazem El Masri became Australian Rugby League's top Point Scorer. Ben played the next couple of games in First Grade coming on as a Substitute and then got into an incident with Canterbury Team Mate Jamal Idris. After this incident Ben got dropped to Reserve Grade. Ben played many Games in Reserve Grade scoring many tries. Ben finally returned to First Grade In Round 18 against the New Zealand Warriors at Mount Smart Stadium over in Auckland, New Zealand. That game was a memorable one for Ben and for the Club. The Bulldogs were down 14-12 with a couple of minutes to go, then the Dogs made a break and Ben received a pass of Ben Roberts then stepped and dived over for the winning Try. Canterbury won the game 18-14. Ben eventually played the rest of the 2009 season in Reserve Grade. He played in Canterbury's 2009 Reserve Grade Grand Final and Premiership win over the Balmain Ryde Eastwood 32-0 where he had a Magic game where he scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries. At the end of 2009 he played only 4 Games and scoring 1 Try like 2008. Ben started the new decade, season 2010 in First Grade. He played in Round 1 in Canterbury's 20-16 loss against the Newcastle Knights coming on as a substitute. The next week he scored his first Try of the season in the Bulldogs 26-6 loss against that year's Premiers St. George Illawara at the Wollongong Showground. The next week Ben came on as a Substitute and scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries in Canterbury's charging 60-14 massacre over the Eastern Suburbs Roosters at ANZ Stadium. After that match Ben was given the Tag " The X-Factor " and became a regular First Grader. Canterbury didn't have a good season but Ben had a great individual season scoring many Tries. In Round 7 he scored a great Try aainst the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium where Canterbury won 36-18. In Round 15 Ben came on as a substitute, he scored 2 Tries and almost won Canterbury the game in their 25-24 loss to the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium. In Round 17 he again scored 2 Tries in Canterbury's 24-12 win over the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford. In Round 26 Barba started for the first time since joining the club where he scored his 15th Try of the season, a brilliant long run to score in Canterbury's 30-24 win over Manly Warringah at Brookvale Oval. At the end of 2010 he played 21 Games scoring 15 Tries. At the beginning of 2011 Ben made his Representative Debut for the Indigenous All Stars in the 2011 All Stars Match where he scored his first ever Reprasentative Try in that Match where they lost to the NRL All Stars 28-12. With the Departure of former Canterbury and NSW Country Fullback Luke Patten to English Club The Salford City Reds, Ben became the Bulldogs new Fullback. Ben played well in Canterbury's 24-14 win over the Wests Tigers in Round 1. Ben scored his first 2 Tries of the season in Round 3 in Canterbury's 24-20 win over Eastern Suburbs at ANZ Stadium. In Round 6 Ben scored another Hat Trick 3 Tries in their 34-14 win over Great Rivals the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium. The next week in Round 7 he scored 2 Tries in Canterbury's 36-24 win over South Sydney at ANZ Stadium. The 2 Tries he scored that night he dedicated those Tries to his New Born Child. in Round 13 he scored 1 Try in Canterbury's Heavy 38-4 loss to Manly Warringah. In Round 16 he scored 1 Try in Canterbury's 16-6 win over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. In Round 21 he scored his 15th Try of the season, a length of the field Try in Canterbury's 32-28 loss to Eastern Suburbs at the Sydney Football Stadium.

References

External links

Canterbury Bulldogs profile

Category:1989 births Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Indigenous Australian rugby league footballers Category:Indigenous All Stars players Category:Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Category:People from Darwin, Northern Territory Category:Living people