Masters Rugby League is a derivative of rugby league for a wide age range of older, semi-retired and non-competitive players and officials. Masters Rugby League started in New Zealand in 1992 and has since grown in popularity, spreading to Australia and more recently to the United Kingdom.

The Masters of Rugby League New Zealand states, "Masters Rugby League is the game for a lifetime, for semi-retired players and officials". The Masters derivative of rugby league aimed to extend the playing, and officiating, life of people.

In 2008, in the United Kingdom the Rugby Football League (RFL) noted that there were only 2,000 registered club players aged 30 or over. This illustrates how the physical nature of competitive rugby league lends itself to being a young person's sport.

Masters Rugby League started in New Zealand in 1992. Masters Rugby League in New Zealand has seen a growth in the number of teams since then as clubs became more aware of this grade. SPARC's Push Play campaign, promoting the benefits of physical activity has also had an impact.

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 in England in 1895 as a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players. Its rules gradually changed in an attempt to produce a more entertaining game for spectators. It is frequently cited as the toughest, most physically demanding of team sports.

Points get scored by carrying or kicking a ball down a field, crossing the ball over the opponent's designated goal line and grounding the ball; this is called a try. After a try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion – a kick for further points. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side gaining points by preventing their progress up the field by tackling the player carrying the ball.

Rugby league is among the most popular sports in England,Australia,New Zealand,France,Tonga and Papua New Guinea where it is considered the national sport. The European Super League and 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.

Wendell Jermaine Sailor (born 16 July 1974 in Sarina, Queensland) is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.

Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby league in the late nineties. His big-money move from the Brisbane Broncos to the Queensland Reds in 2001 created many headlines, as did his move at the end of the 2005 Super 12 season to the New South Wales Waratahs. He has often attracted public attention during his career, none more so than in 2006 after the return of a positive drug test following the Waratahs v Brumbies match at Aussie Stadium on 16 April 2006. This put an end to his rugby union career as he received a two year suspension from all forms of professional sport. He successfully returned to rugby league in May 2008 with NRL club St George Illawarra Dragons once his ban expired, playing an additional two seasons under his old coach at Brisbane, Wayne Bennett, before retiring.