Get down to Leigh on Saturday, 2pm kick off. If it is nearly as good as the game against Wigan u19s it will be a cracker. The Aussies are huge.

when is the team named?

Has a neutral referee been appointed for both tests?

The reason I ask is because in 2010, the penalty count was rather lopsided 21-7 in favour of England in the first game and 7-2 in the second game.

Why should that be anything to do with the referree? You might as well ask if the players that gave the penalties away are playing. Not relevent.

Pop Tart please don't quote him or the Capdouze clown. I've got them on my ignore list and prefer not having to read their constant drivel.

Truly was a belter at Wigan last Saturday and if the International is half as good it will be another cracker of a game.

Wigan were for the last twenty minutes of the first half streets ahead of the Aussies, but an injury list that was horrendous in the second half plus a sending off, knocked them out of their stride.
Still they defended manfully, finishing the match with 4 of last seasons U16s having to take the field.

Get to Leigh if you like tough all action R/L it ought to be a treat, already got our tickets for the game plus those for the 2nd test the following Friday evening.

Close your ears to the truth and you will wander around in a wasteland of falsehoods and fantasies.

Block your nose to the smell but be ready to clean your shoes

I was hugely impressed by the way the Wigan team stood up to the sheer size of the Aussies. Until the last 15 minutes it could still have gone either way but Wigan ran out of bodies. A series of serious injuries meant that the local x-ray machine was well used. Because the game was played with no limit on substitutions the Aussies were able to bring on fresh legs whilst Wigan ended up with no one on the bench fit to play. This was a brutal game and although on a number of occasions Wigan's slicker passing and footwork created space the sheer speed of the cover defence was incredible. We may have seen some future stars on show.

Is this where metaphysical poets go after they die?

Can't we do what the Aussie first team does? Hold down, take out their kicker, have our own ref, have his brother as video ref and then disallow some of their perfectly good tries?

Typical incompetent RFL. We can't cheat as well as the Aussies.

How many of the Australian Schoolboys are Australian?

They have to hold an australian passport. www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=30491158

They have to hold an australian passport. www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=30491158

Quote ="JB Down Under"They have to hold an australian passport. www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=30491158'" Interesting. Is that a new thing? Previously, the only requirement was to live there and go to school in oz.

Quote ="JB Down Under"They have to hold an australian passport. www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=30491158'" Interesting. Is that a new thing? Previously, the only requirement was to live there and go to school in oz.

they were talking about making anyone representing the schoolboys sign a form saying they would only be eligible for the Kangaroos so yes I guess it is. THE NRL has moved to strengthen international eligibility rules to prevent players defecting. News Corp reports the NRL have taken the unprecedented step of asking this year’s Australian Schoolboys team to sign letters aligning them with the Kangaroos. In the past several players NRL stars such as Benji Marshall, Kieran Foran, Kevin Proctor and most recently Jason Taumalolo have represented the Australian schoolboys before defecting to the Kiwis. “We are working hard with the schools to ensure the players who get an opportunity in Australian schools are Australians for future representative honours,” said the NRL’s head of integration and game development Andrew Hill. “Once selected, the player receives a letter asking them to confirm their intention to play for NSW or Queensland and Australia. “If a player says ‘no I don’t wish to’, the Australian Schoolboys selectors wouldn’t pick him for the side. rugbyleagueweek.com.au/arl-commi ... ity-rules/

they were talking about making anyone representing the schoolboys sign a form saying they would only be eligible for the Kangaroos so yes I guess it is. THE NRL has moved to strengthen international eligibility rules to prevent players defecting. News Corp reports the NRL have taken the unprecedented step of asking this year’s Australian Schoolboys team to sign letters aligning them with the Kangaroos. In the past several players NRL stars such as Benji Marshall, Kieran Foran, Kevin Proctor and most recently Jason Taumalolo have represented the Australian schoolboys before defecting to the Kiwis. “We are working hard with the schools to ensure the players who get an opportunity in Australian schools are Australians for future representative honours,” said the NRL’s head of integration and game development Andrew Hill. “Once selected, the player receives a letter asking them to confirm their intention to play for NSW or Queensland and Australia. “If a player says ‘no I don’t wish to’, the Australian Schoolboys selectors wouldn’t pick him for the side. rugbyleagueweek.com.au/arl-commi ... ity-rules/

Defecting to the Kiwis?????

They are kiwis, though Fozza's mum’s aussie. They came over here at some point. Who else are they going to play schoolboys for if they are schoolboys in Australia?

Anyway, I digress.

Whoever the ref is he needs to crackdown on the Aussies. They appear to be masters at fannying about at the PTB and getting away with it. Just like their senior side

Several weeks ago when an Aussie ref was appointed to officiate in the 4N fixture between Australia and England, there was outrage over it on this forum.

That outrage then manifested itself into a moral crusade against cheating Aussies alongside future demands for neutral referees.

The aforementioned outrage and moral crusade subsided somewhat when an English ref was appointed to officiate in the 4N fixture a week later between New Zealand and England.

Given that in 2010 England defeated the Australian Schoolboys on the back of extremely favourable penalty counts of 21-7 and 7-2 respectively, it seemed an appropriate time to post a follow up to previous outrages and concerns aired with a renewed campaign for neutral referees.

Obviously not an outrage or an issue whenever English referees are appointed.

England by plenty tomorrow!

Penalties in their favour, that is.

You just don't let up WE,do you?
I had the pleasure of watching the Schoolboys last week, did you? I would say that on the whole the ref was not at all that bad, but did seem to let the Aussies get away with some extra niggle, especially in the second half. There was a full bloodied contest on view and no back biting such as your puerile remarks are necessary in relation to the game, I would imagine, although I do not know for sure that the penalty count went in Australia's favour.

If you care to look back you will see that I was of the opinion that the ref was justified in disallowing Hall's try, simply because I would in his position have done so as well.
Where I thought he got it wrong was in going to the VR and not sticking with his original decision to give a drop out from under the sticks.
I did later concede after some photographic evidence that the try could have been given, but myself I would not have done so.

[url=http://www.totalrl.com/england-academy-name-side-to-face-australia-schoolboys/england team[/url

players from 9 different teams named for tomorrow's game

Why is there no outrage?

Because only an idiot would try and compare a schoolboy tour to a senior international competition where they did have neutral refs there and available to be chosen.

Have you become so desperate for attention that you've had to start scraping the barrel for such weak material? Next thing you know you'll be reduced to targeting what supermarket RL fans shop at for desperate material....oh wait.

Jack Cogger and Brock Lamb are the halves for Australia.
They are both a year young, having both just turned 17 a few months ago.

They are the results of the so called "High Performance Unit" set up by Wayne Bennett at Newcastle 3 years ago. They were already elite players at under 14s level before being chosen to be amongst the 15 players in all age groups given special treatment in the HPU. For the last 3 years they have been overseen by Phd qualified trainer Colin Sanctuary and former firstgrade halfback Troy Pezet.
They both have skills well beyond their years, with Lamb having a kicking game that most NRL halfbacks would envy.
They have made every rep side for NSW and Australia since they were 14 and both were promoted to the NYC under 20s comp the day they turned 17 - and helped the Knights win the minor premiership in that grade, with both turning in MOTM performances in different games.
The other graduate of the Knights HPU you may have heard of is Sione Mataútia, who recently became the youngest ever player for Australia at 18.

When Nathan Tinkler bought the Knights, part of the deal was to put an extra million dollars a year into juniors, and this is where the money was spent.
Cogger and Lamb have probably had more money spent on them to this stage of their careers than any players in League history, and they have skills way, way beyond their years.

Interesting stuff. Lamb has been absolutely outstanding so far on this tour. Cogger a bit quieter, but you can still see the potential.

I love these tours. Wish the RFL would market them a bit more aggressively.

Cogger is the son of former Leigh player Trevor

I don't really agree with the idea behind the Knights High Performance Unit because I don't think you can pick future firstgraders at 14, but obviously it is working.

The guy the head coach position was first offered to was Craig Sandercock, but he got a better offer. After that Wayne Bennett convinced former Australian coach Graham Murray to set up the unit, but he got sick and was replaced by Parramatta lower grade coach Troy Pezet. Knights head trainer Jeremy Hickmans (supposed to be the best in the business) recruited a trainer for the HPU from the same University programme he attended in England.

The idea seems to be to not spend money on hundreds of kids in the hope that a few will come good, but to identify the very best at a young age and give them world class coaching and training - much like an Olympic athlete would get.