Rugby League

[dave birch]

Replay of the NRL grand final on Storms home ground.

Sharks came away with a very well earned win 11-2 in atrocious conditions. It was 2-2 til lateish in the game.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, dave birch said:

Replay of the NRL grand final on Storms home ground.

Sharks came away with a very well earned win 11-2 in atrocious conditions. It was 2-2 til lateish in the game.

That's an old time rugby league score. I'm not a fan of the summer rugby basketball type scores.

[dave birch]

TS some great defence on both sides, some really big hits, great handling in windy wet weather.

Seyagaro (?) who played SL last year won it for the Sharks with the only try, though Maloney scored all the other points.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

One of the best games I ever saw was Hornets 7- Dewsbury 2. The tackling was immense. Going back when Dewsbury were a top side with Stevo in his pomp at hooker. He's still be best hooker I've ever seen.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Claytons Left Boot]

I've got the Wigan 8 Manly 2 World Club Challenge game from 1987 on DVD. A tough, tough match and a real arm wrestle. Man of The Match none other than Shaun Wane.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 hours ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

I've got the Wigan 8 Manly 2 World Club Challenge game from 1987 on DVD. A tough, tough match and a real arm wrestle. Man of The Match none other than Shaun Wane.

We booked a full sized coach from my workplace in Rochdale for that game, 50 guys out of 150  staff.

A great night out, for all concerned. I was on the big open end near the river. We were packed in like sardines.

What a Bloody weekend , Rovers played like @#/? and my lot got a guy sin binned 10 minutes from the end at Batley, we blew a 14 point lead in that time to lose with the last kick of the game 38-36 !

[Baz]

On Friday, April 07, 2017 at 9:42 PM, Claytons Left Boot said:

Don't want to keep harping on about injuries but I think most Wigan fans are weary with it. Worse than last season already. Players currently injured, had they been able to play last night, would have walked back into the following positions - Full Back, Right Centre, Right Wing, Left Centre, Left Wing, Hooker, Second Row, Loose Forward. 

Good luck to Castleford, despite their crass, vulgar support. They play some attractive, exciting rugby but let's see where they are at the business end of the season when it really matters.

I don't know anything about their support, and to be fair the counter to injuries for Cas, is that you can only beat what's in front of you.

Agree it will beinteresting at the end of the season, but they are making hay whilst quite a few of the bigger teams are playing poorly, it's better to see a smaller club do well than the same 6 or 7 clubs finish in the top places every season.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Just now, Baz said:

I don't know anything about their support, and to be fair the counter to injuries for Cas, is that you can only beat what's in front of you.

Agree it will beinteresting at the end of the season, but they are making hay whilst quite a few of the bigger teams are playing poorly, it's better to see a smaller club do well than the same 6 or 7 clubs finish in the top places every season.

It's much better for the sport when some of the 'smaller' clubs are mixing it up at the top end of the table. Salford are currently another example.

I quite like Castleford as a club. The town is probably the smallest in the competition but it's a real Rugby League town. Their supporters match the town and they usually make a right racket at Wigan. However, last Thursday they sang, sang, sang and continued to sing "Shaun Wane's a c**t." If they had sung it once, you could have laughed it off but to sing it continually was too much. 

There are signs around the ground indicating foul language will not be tolerated and that it can be construed as an offence leading to possible arrest. There are no police (usually) at RL matches, just stewards. None of them appeared to be bothered, whereas I would have started dragging them out, one by one.

[Mike Graham]

The wife is from Cas and is a Cas fan!!

She is mild mannered and speaks posh, indeed she now sounds like she is from the Ribble Valley.

[cn174]

Shaping up to be an interesting season so far I think. Quite mixed from Wigan, but have picked up of late. 

Got myself a season ticket this year and the people around me proper crack me up. Never met a more miserable, pessimistic bunch of people! I'd dread to think what would happen if they came to watch Rovers!!

CLB - you going up for Magic Weekend?

[dave birch]

State of Origin on in a couple of hours if you can get in front of a tv.

Few stars missing out, and a few wanting to prove themselves. Should be a good one

[dave birch]

Sharks v Storm tonight Grand Final replay Mk 2.

It's going to be a grind like the first one. It's been very wet in Sydney these past couple of days.

Storm without Cooper Cronk, but Billy Slater should be playing.

[Baz]

I know there are big injury problems, but Wigan defending tonight was abysmal.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Not a good night for Wigan supporting Tories was it ? I know Wigan are struggling for some reason but Leigh are doing much better than I thought. How safe is Shaun Wane at the moment ?

[Claytons Left Boot]

Not sure there are many Wigan RLFC  voting Tories but I can definitely say our defending last night and also for the last few games has been abysmal. 

It should have been a superb season after winning the Grand Final and then taking on the role of World Club Champions. We won Super League last year against all odds, despite an injury list second to none. This year the injury situation has been worse with anything from six to ten players missing from the squad week in, week out. To me, it's a psychological now. 'Last year we did it, so we will this year.' However, this year we haven't rolled our sleeves up and got on with it. We have expected it to happen anyway, whilst Castleford, Salford and Wakefield especially have upped their game. To be honest, it's been better for the game and freshened things up at the top.

Injuries aside, we still have a strong squad and a production line from the Academy that has given many of the youngsters a chance to shine and many of them have. Marshall is a real gem and has been promoted before his time, so it's not all bad news.

We should have had enough to beat Leigh last night but we have the losing habit now and as we all know, once in it, it's difficult to get out of it. We've just got to take it on the chin, shrug our shoulders at the jibes because we are Wigan and keep going. A bit Like Leeds last year.

I don't know where the next win is coming from and we may well end up in the Middle 8s. So be it. As far as I'm concerned Shaun Wane is still the right man for the job and he has a bucket load of silverware to prove it.

Now where's them effing tablets...

[Claytons Left Boot]

Great to see some of the big names back from injury today at a hot and sunny Halliwell Jones Stadium. Finally felt like we had a 'proper' team out after so many injuries. Manfredi, Escare, Clubb and Flower are still out but we now have the basis of a strong team for the rest of the season. 

I thought we should have won the game by twelve or so points. Some bad luck, poor refereeing and stupid errors kept Warrington in the game right until the end. We rode our luck at the death with Ratchford's half way line penalty veering wide, which would have won them the game, followed by Patton's missed drop goal as the hooter sounded.

Wigan, Leeds and Salford through to the semi finals with one of Castleford and Hull FC to make up the four. Can we do it? Not sure but write us off at your peril.

[Gav]

Unbelievable end to the game CLB, played in sweltering conditions.

Just watch Castleford beaten by Hull, surprise victory for Hull and lets Cas concentrate on the league.

Hull v Leeds

Wigan V Salford in the Semis

[Claytons Left Boot]

Just spent three nights/four days in Lloret as a base for watching Wigan at Catalans in Perpignan on Saturday. A great Wigan following of around 1800. The stadium isn't up to much but the atmosphere in the main square in Perpignan was superb. Fourteen coachloads of Wigan fans from the northern Costa Brava area bolstered the numbers already in Perpignan for the game. Good game too, with Wigan getting better as the game progressed and finishing comfortable winners.

[Gav]

On 7/13/2017 at 14:42, Claytons Left Boot said:

Just spent three nights/four days in Lloret as a base for watching Wigan at Catalans in Perpignan on Saturday. A great Wigan following of around 1800. The stadium isn't up to much but the atmosphere in the main square in Perpignan was superb. Fourteen coachloads of Wigan fans from the northern Costa Brava area bolstered the numbers already in Perpignan for the game. Good game too, with Wigan getting better as the game progressed and finishing comfortable winners.

Reminds me of Rovers away in Europe, absolutely superb, I still can't believe i can put Rovers in the same sentence as Europe to be honest.

Glad you had a good time, the match was a cracker also, but last night they seem like they'd left a few in Perpignan!

[Claytons Left Boot]

7 hours ago, Gav said:

Reminds me of Rovers away in Europe, absolutely superb, I still can't believe i can put Rovers in the same sentence as Europe to be honest.

Glad you had a good time, the match was a cracker also, but last night they seem like they'd left a few in Perpignan!

That's true Gav, last night was a shocker. Needed to win to have a chance of making fourth place by the end of Super 8s. Mathematically, it's still possible but there's something lacking at the club right now. 

[Baz]

Good win for Wigan today vs Salford. Thought that some of the refereeing decisions where harsh on Wigan.

Challenge Cup final vs Hull should be a good game.

[Claytons Left Boot]

It was a good win Baz. Apart from a twenty minute spell when Salford came back from 12 down to go in front 14-12, I thought we bossed the game and ran out worthy winners, despite poor refereeing both on the pitch and 'upstairs.' Wembley tickets booked and looking forward to a couple of nights away in London. Hull are looking good at the moment, so should be a great game.

[Baz]

Congrats to Castleford for winning the league, their first league title ever, in over 90 years of competition.

[Gav]

19 minutes ago, Baz said:

Congrats to Castleford for winning the league, their first league title ever, in over 90 years of competition.

Great to see one of the smaller clubs sticking it up the big boys

[Roving Mick]

Exactly 122 years ago, yesterday - Rugby League was born.  It followed a similar route to the formation of the Football League, for the same reasons.