It's very rare that anyone comments on the rugby articles of the Belfast Telegraph. There are 23 and counting on Mr Bills' article.

What's the bet he pukes up more rubbish about League from now on ?.........................

I take it Manchester are the Highfield / Prescot Panthers of RU then?

I think you mean [url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/mancuniansrl/#Mancunians RL[/url. They played in the [url=http://www.midlandsrugbyleague.co.uk/page.php?id=15Merit League[/url last summer and did fairly well, going out to the eventual runners-up.

Not sure why they never carried on into the NWC for the winter, though I do know at least one of their players (and possibly more) plays for Manchester RU. I think a few of the summer Merit League sides are made up of mostly RU players from RU clubs.

But seriously, that run of results must be heading for some sort of record.

Another ex-league Kiwi to play for England RU as well as the top try scorer in the premiership (so he must be an ex league player too)

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/8455347.stmlink[/url

So League IS rubbish after all. Oh wait...

England v wales to be screened live in 3d at the cinema! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8454422.stm

England v wales to be screened live in 3d at the cinema! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8454422.stm

Quote ="EXILEDHULLADGATESHEAD"England v wales to be screened live in 3d at the cinema! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8454422.stm'" Anything to take the attention away from events on the pitch.

Quote ="EXILEDHULLADGATESHEAD"England v wales to be screened live in 3d at the cinema! news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8454422.stm'" Anything to take the attention away from events on the pitch.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_u ... 461525.stm

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_u ... 461525.stm

www.radiosport.co.nz/SportsNews/ ... ?id=169445

www.radiosport.co.nz/SportsNews/ ... ?id=169445

After 2 postponed games, the whipping boys are back:

Manchester 23 vs 45 Wharfedale

Actually not a bad result, considering when they last met the score was Wharfedale 124 vs 5 Manchester.

Manchester update.

Lost 87-3 at Otley today



Normal service is resumed

[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyunion/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rugby/10/01/23/RUGBYU_Ospreys_Quotes.htmlLeicester have lodged an official protest with tournament chiefs after their Heineken Cup exit was overshadowed by a 16th player blunder at the Liberty Stadium.[/url

[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyunion/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rugby/10/01/21/RUGBYU_Column.htmlMind numbing boredom awaits[/url

So, no change there, then?

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/johnbeattie/2010/01/desperately_seeking_a_ruck_sol.htmlDesperately seeking a ruck solution[/url

[i'...if it's slow-ish ball for the attacking side we have scrum-halves who are expert at popping the ball to three "muckle" forwards who try to barge forward. And we start again.
I am just not sure that this is good for rugby, but I may be wrong. The game slows down and it all becomes a bit predictable.'[/i

So is it the RL influence that is to blame, or the 'new laws' or the muckles that make the game so sh it? Only one Ingerlish team through to the last eight. I'm gutted. No, really.

The essence of Beattie's article - which I thought was really well written - was that in order to try and make the game safer the IRB have prevented attacking teams from being able to clear defenders out at the ruck as vigorously as they used to and therefore the game has become much slower.

With slower ball for the attacking team and an offside line that is no more than a few feet away, teams are left with no option than to grind the ball forward through the big men phase after phase or kick it away. Imagine modern rugby league played not under a ten metre or five metre offside rule but one or two metres. That's how little space union attacks have to work in most of the time.

The new laws were designed to clean up the contact area, but in reality all they have done is enable defences to slow ball down even further and bring the game to a shuddering halt.

If it got any slower it would be in reverse.

So, Rugby Union Super League. Where did they get that imaginative name from then?

Probably the same place the RFL stole it from, or do you think that's the only sporting competition anywhere in the world that is allowed to call itself Super League?

Of course its not dumbass, but why name it exactly the same as the RL arm? It's like World Superbikes becoming MotoGP, both bike competitions with different rules with the same. How is that any way a good idea apart from trying outshine?

British Ice Hockey at the same time we did?



What's wrong with 'Premiership' or are they still looking for a way of getting rid of (whisper) P&R?

My point (once again) is that they're 2 totally different sports. Hell the top Greek football league is called Superleague isn't it? But 2 leagues with the same name both with the oval ball? It serves no purpose.

Like professionalism, video refs (and how y does 'Television Match Official' sound) and even squad numbers, where we nick from others, they 'innovate' years later...it'll not paying tax bills next!

[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyunion/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rugby/10/01/28/RUGBYU_RFU.htmlPrince Harry is to become vice patron of England's Rugby Football Union (RFU), it was announced today.[/url

Ireland or Wales for the six nations? Any ideas?