Damn Those Dirty Cheating Kiwis!

New Zealand haven't exactly come away from Saturday's 18-14 victory over Great Britain in a good light have they?






Not content with mucking up the time keeping, shaving about three minutes off the second half, it then it emerges that they may have fielded an inelegible player.
Apparently, Nathan Fein isn't quite sure whether he is from New Zealand or not. The result could be a two-point deduction from the Tri Nations table.

Lets make an example of these nit-wits! ;)

Noble's Lucky Thirteen?

Great Britain coach Brian Noble named a familiar looking side to take on New Zealand in the Lions Tri-Nations opener in Christchurch.






The usual suspects are there in the starting thirteen although three new caps will be awarded from the interchange bench against the Kiwi's with James Roby, Gareth Hock, Gareth Carvell and James Wilkin all in contention for their first appearance in the Great Britain shirt.

But whilst the line-up was in many ways expected, that still hasn't prevented the arguments and the criticisms regardign selection from surfacing once again. Here, The One Pointer looks at the pro's and con's of Noble's selection.

Great Britain are expected to line up as follows on Saturday:
1. Paul Wellens (St Helens)
2. Brian Carney (Newcastle Knights)
3. Martin Gleeson (Warrington Wolves)
4. Keith Senior (Leeds Rhinos)
5. Leon Pryce (St Helens)
6. Danny McGuire (Leeds Rhinos)
7. Sean Long (St Helens)
8. Stuart Fielden (Wigan Warriors)
9. Terry Newton (Bradford Bulls)
10. Adrian Morley (Sydney Roosters)
11. Jamie Peacock (C) (Leeds Rhinos)
12. Gareth Ellis (Leeds Rhinos)
13. Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan Warriors)

SUBS
Four from:
Gareth Hock (Wigan)
Gareth Carvell (Hull)
James Roby (St Helens)
Lee Gilmour (St Helens)
Jon Wilkin (St Helens)
On paper, that looks a strong enough side, certainly enough to match and even better the Kiwi's, so where do the arguments come from?

1. The Three-Quarters and the Left Centre/Wing Combination
With regards to the backline for Great Britain, Paul Wellens and Brain Carney picked themselves. They are the best British players in their position by some distance.
The rest of the players in that back line should be breathing a sigh of relief. Martin Gleeson hasn't recaptured the form he showed in the 2004 Tri-Nations series, when he returned from his lenghty suspension and Leeds centre Keith Senior has also struggled for form. All the while, Kirk Yeaman and Hull has impressed in the Super League and many argue that he is the one who should start at three or four in Christchurch.
As for the left wing, Leon Pryce's selection has upset many, particuarly those in Wigan and on Humberside.
Pryce, who was represented St Helens as stand-off throughout the season, and who has made not secret of his dislike for the wing positon, has been selected over Hull winger Gareth Raynor and Wigan flyer Mark Calderwood, with the later of the two not even making the trip down under. Many believe that Raynor should take the place of Pryce and that Noble should once again refrain from playing players out of position.
However, I think Noble has got this selection right. A victory on Saturday put GB in the driving seat for a final birth, leaving NZ facing a much win game a fortnight later. With this in mind, Noble has gone for experience. Playing the experience combination of Senior and Pryce on the left is, in my view, a much wiser choice than selecting Yeaman and Raynor, a combination that at present, has just one cap between them.

2. At Sixes and Sevens
Here at The One Pointer, our disapproval of Sean Long's Great Britain performances are hardly a secret.
The selection of Long at scrum half came as no suprise, but what was suprising is the decision to send home GB's best half-back alternative, Lee Briers after the warm-up game in Newcastle.
When he comes up against the world's best, Long has fails to produce. His kicking game goes awol and his attacking ideas are too predictable for the quality of the Kangaroos and Kiwi's.
McGuire is a decision I can support but his game is reliant on players around him making breaks and finding space. Unless Long suddenly finds a way to unlock the solid defences he'll encounter over the coming weeks, that partnership will be wasted.

3. The Loose Forward
In the absence of Paul Sculthorpe and Kevin Sinfield, Sean O'Loughlin will don the number '13' shirt this weekend. The only question is "why?"
O'Loughlin has got to be one of the most over-rated players currenly in the Super League. He has failed to find form this season in a poor Wigan side, his attacking abilities are unspectacular and his tackling technique is non-existent. Add to that a proneness to conceeding soft penalties and you immediatley have a weak link which any half-decent International side will exploit.
Compare the attributes that the Wigan captain brings with the likes of the in-form Jon Wilkin or Paul Cooke and the decision to include O'Loughlin starts to look even more perplexing and it is just a shame that whilst Noble has named a very strong pack based on merit, the last name on his starting team sheet happens to be a player who is completely undeserving of that place.

All in all, the side selected is more than capable of matching New Zealand on paper. The pack is particuarly strong, the back line is experienced and despite a few questionable decisions, Noble appears to have put together a strong side. How strong that side proves to be will be discovered once GB kick-off against a battle-hardened New Zealand outfit.

Schtop! This GB Team, It is Not Ready Yet

Great Britain officially join the Gillette Tri-Nations this Saturday against New Zealand in Christchurch and the obligatory "this is the best squad I've worked with" has already been trotted out.


The Lions go into the game against the Kiwi's, an indeed the entire tournament, as massive underdogs. The Aussie media have them down as no-hopers and are fully expecting Brian Noble's side to be on the plane home as Kangaroo's kick-off the final against New Zealand.

The Kiwi's however are in desperate need of a victory to keep their chances alive. Two successive defeats against Australia have left them with zero points having played two games more than Great Britain. A third defeat would leave them facing an uphill battle to secure a berth in the Sydney showdown.

They needn't worry though, as Great Britain are fully deserving of their underdogs tag.
This isn't particularly a go at the players. On the whole, the Aussies are certainly stronger and the Kiwi's would claim to be more gifted in many areas, but the current GB squad are capable and indeed have beaten both sides in the past in one-off encounters.
The problem however is putting in consistent performances. A one-off win has always been achievable, it's the second and third win that has proved elusive in the past.

Much of the blame for that must lie with the Rugby Football League.

This year, as in previous years, Great Britain go into the tournament under prepared in comparison to their rivals. A warm-up game against a Newcastle District select does not get you battle-hardened for the toughest competition in sport.
Whilst the Kiwi's and Roo's have two International games under their belts, GB have a series of training sessions and Friday night pub match victory to their name.

It is this shoddy preparation that provided the basis for Phil Clarke's resignation from the post of Great Britain team manager and the lack of support from the RFL has not been fully addressed. A warm-up against a part time team and pre-season friendly against a New Zealand 'A' side is far from good enough. Instead, what is needed is for the RFL to shorten the Super League season.

Rid the year of the six 'additional' games, introduce a larger representative calendar and send Great Britain to the Tri-Nations earlier.
The Yorkshire v Lancashire concept was scrapped far too quickly. The powers at Red Hall were clearly expecting this to be an instant hit. By being sandwiched between two Super League rounds with a mid-week kick-off, this was never going to be the case. In the tried format, the clubs were never going to support it and neither were the fans. Instead, the concept should have been given it's own weekend.
As for Internationals, the Les Catalan franchise will eventually lead to the development of a competitive French side but until then, GB will have to make do with another non-event against New Zealand 'A' in 2007.

The opposers to the 'reduce six games' argument claim that clubs would struggle financially through a loss in match-day income. However, I would argue that clubs that are financially dependent on six 'artificially produced' fixtures should have their Super League credentials called into question.

I could call into question the selection policies and the tactics employed by Noble. I personally would prefer to see Lee Briers in the squad ahead of Long and Roby but the fact remains, Brian Noble is far more knowledgeable about the game than they vast majority of people on this planet. He knows what his sides strengths are and he knows their weaknesses.

The GB players aren't far behind their Southern Hemisphere counterparts. Unfortunately, the Rugby Football League isn't giving them the chance to prove that.

The Super League Shirt Parade

Christmas is on the way and it's the time of year when Super League clubs start releasing the brand new kits that there players will be modeling next season.

Here at the One Pointer, we take a peak as they are officially unvieled and run the rule over the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Bradford Bulls
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Away:















Catalans Dragons
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Harlequins RL
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Huddersfield Giants
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Hull FC
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Hull KR
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Leeds Rhinos
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St Helens
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Salford City Reds
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Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Home (white) & Away (red & blue):
















Warrington Wolves
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Away:

Wigan Warriors
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Away:

Like any of the kits you see? Why not see it's stocked by our partners?

A Fuss over Nothing

Wakefield forward David Solomona looks set to complete a move to Bradford Bulls early next week but as you might imagine, the Wildcats aren't happy about it.




The claim by Wakefield Chief Executive Steve Ferres is that the Bulls illegally approached the Kiwi second-rower whilst he was still under contract at Wakefield. Had Wakefield been relegated, Solomona would have become a free agent but with the Wildcats' avoiding relegation on the last day of the season, his contract at Belle Vue remained intact.

Allegations were then made by the Wildcats that the Bulls had illegally approached Solomona towards the end of this season and a complaint was made to the Rugby Football League, which has led to the Odsal club being investigated.
Seven days later, Solomona handed in a transfer request, with Ferres claiming that their prized star had become "unsettled because he has been offered a better financial deal elsewhere."

Unfortunately for Ferres, that is only half the story.

In today's game, agents are always touting players around the clubs. There is no denying that and for any agent that doesn't, it would be questionable if he had the best interests of his client to heart. Clubs are not prevented from contacting agents, just from directly approaching the players themselves whilst they are contracted elsewhere.

As for Solomona, I don't doubt that he's looking to increase his earnings, but I suspect that its more to do with the fact that Bradford are much more progressive, ambitious and forward thinking club than the Wildcats probably ever will be.

At Odsal, Solomona has the opportunity to progress his career, raise his profile and begin adding honours to his name. At Wakefield, he has the opportunity to put his career on the line, fighting against relegation and remaining a big fish in a small pond.

If Ferres wants to attract good players and, more crucially, keep them at Belle Vue he needs to look at his own club before pointing the finger at others. The Wildcats have a poor side. There is little quality that takes the field and with Korkidas already gone, Solomona going and players like Atkins will be picked up sooner rather than later should he continue to impress. With a junior set-up stifled by average overseas players, it seems that many promising players will be prevented from making the grade.
Off the field, they are stuck an unsuitable ground, playing in front of pitiful crowds and have little future in the game unless Wakefield Council step in to save the club with a new stadium.
As a result, Solomona's job security is seriously undermined and the lure of a secure playing contract and sound financial package is understandably too good to turn down.

The current state of the club is always going to lead to the scenario where players feel they have to leave to further their career. It happened with Ellis, it's happening now with Solomona.

The Wildcats bigwigs can cry foul all they want but they aren't doing themselves any favours.
One club will eventually come out of this situation with it's reputation further tarnished, but it won't be the Bulls.

Jonah Lomu Coming to League - Again

The word in the NRL is that new Queensland franchise Gold Coast Titans have lined up New Zealand Rugby Union legend Jonah Lomu on a one-year contract.






Not for the first time, the All Black winger has been linked with a move to the 13-a-side code. The powerful back, who has 73 International caps, has previously been linked with (the then) Auckland Warriors in the NRL, Wigan, Wakefield and a dual-code deal with Leeds Rhinos and Tykes.

Will this signing be good for the Titans though? For next season Gold Coast will already have Brian Carney, Steve Turner, Jake Webster and Matt Peterson on it's books for next year at 31 years of age, Lomu's best days are probably behind him, before you begin to factor in his health issues which stem back to 1996 and led to a Kidney transplant in 2004.

Since then, Lomu has struggled for fitness. He has appeared for North Harbour and Cardiff Blues but has been dogged by injuries and fitness concerns and missed out on a Super 14 contract for next year, effectively ending his 2007 World Cup hopes.

So from a playing side, it would appear the offering would be minimal. However, one suspects that this signing could be much more beneficial for the men in the marketing office at Carrara Stadium.
Lomu is a name recognised the World over, even by non-rugby enthusiasts. His game style and personality has earned him fans wherever he has played and even though fans remain from the days of the Chargers, the Titans looking to build up a fan base from scratch and there are few better names than that of Jonah Lomu to help shift season tickets.

If the deal does come off, don't expect to see much of Lomu on the field, but there will be plenty of opportunities for Titan's fans to see him off it.

What Went Wrong for Hull?

After all the hype surrounding yesterday's Grand Final, St Helens eventually cantered to a 26-4 victory to complete a memorable and well-deserved treble.


A second-half blitz from the Saints overcame a Hull side that had promised so much, yet fell at the final hurdle despite a valiant attempt.

But where did it all go wrong?

St Helens are an outstanding side. They have created a side which can play superb attacking Rugby, keep the opposition scoring to a minimum and Daniel Anderson's side have set a benchmark that clubs will struggle to reach regardless of their resources. Give a side as strong as this an inch, and they won't only take a mile, they'll take far more than that.

As for the game itself, in my view, Hull made two critical mistakes. The first one came in the first 15 minutes. In the opening stages, Peter Sharpe's men had the better of the game. They took the game to St Helens and kept the minor premiers penned in their own half. They only thing they didn't do is score. They came close through Gareth Raynor, but after that initial quarter of an hour St Helens came back into the game and once Francis Meli gave them the lead, their tails were up.

The second mistake came on the stroke of half time. With the game at 4-4, Leon Pryce crossed to give St Helens the lead with the last action of the opening 40 minutes.

You can argue that the game was lost in the second half as fatigue caught up with Hull but that Pryce try took the wind out of Hull after a half where they probably should have been in front. Saints were ruthless in the second half, but they were allowed to take confidence from the first period by Hull's lack of composure in attack.

In the end, there was only going to be one winner of Super League XI. Hull can be proud of their performance this season, esspecially after overcoming a poor start to the season and the loss of their trophy winning coach from last season. Expect them to be around the higher reaches of the league next season and with the experience that yesterday will bring, they could go one better in SL12.

Red 'V' for Victory

The Super League finale is upon us. On Saturday the players of St Helens and Hull FC will walk out onto the Old Trafford turf for the engage Super League Grand Final.



Favourites St Helens go into the game with the League Leaders shield and Challenge Cup sitting proudly on the sideboard whilst Peter Sharpe's Airlie Birds prepare for their first ever Super League final. Of the 18 players in the Hull squad, only Lee Radford and Chris Chester have played in the season's showpiece.

St Helens on the other hand, could have a number of record breakers amongst them. Four of the side, Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham, Man of Steel Paul Wellens and Leon Pryce, will be looking to lift the trophy for a record fourth time whilst the latter could hold the record for the highest number of Grand Final appearances should he take the field on Saturday.

Daniel Anderson's Saints have the upper hand as far as past meetings go, The men from Knowsley Road game out on top in the Grand Final Qualifier and recorded a 46-0 victory at the KC Stadium in March although Paul Cooke's drop goal ended Hull's 18-year baron spell at Knowsley Road with a 27-26 win in June. As for Grand Final form, Saints have never lost in the Old Trafford showpiece, beating Bradford twice (1999 & 2002) and Wigan in 2000.

On Saturday, expect a tight game. Grand Final's are often tense affairs and this will be no different. There are two physical teams on show each with potential game breakers amongst their ranks.
However, St Helens have the upper hand. Hull's exploits last week may mean they are battle-hardened, but a hard-fought win over Bradford may have taken it's toll. Saints on the other hand go into the game fresh and with the added benefit of an extra week's preparation. On the field, there are players in the Saints side who know every inch of the Old Trafford pitch. They know how to win there and I'd expect them to on Saturday.
For the first hour, two heavyweights will slug it out but from that point on, expect the pace and flair of St Helens to provide the sucker punch and complete a fantastic domestic treble.

St Helens and Hull Grand Final Squads:

St Helens (18-man): Paul Wellens, Ade Gardner, Jamie Lyon, Willie Talau, Francis Meli, Leon Pryce, Sean Long, Nick Fozzard, Keiron Cunningham, Jason Cayless, Lee Gilmour, John Wilkin, James Roby, Mike Bennett, Jason Hooper, Paul Anderson, James Graham, Maurie Fa'asavalu.

Hull FC (18-man): Shaun Briscoe, Gareth Carvell, Chris Chester, Paul Cooke, Ewan Dowes, Sid Domic, Graham Horne, Richard Horne, Shane McMenemy, Paul King, Lee Radford, Gareth Raynor, Richard Swain, Motu Tony, Danny Washbrook, Scott Wheeldon, Richard Whiting, Kirk Yeaman

Robins to Rock Super League?

Sunday's NL1 Grand Final victory over Widnes saw Hull KR achieve what they thoroughly deserved and will see them rubbing shoulders with the game's elite in Super League XII.



After leading the National League table from start to finish, a season in which included 15 consecutive league victories, a National Rail Cup Final and a Challenge Cup semi-final it was only right that Justin Morgan's young side ended off the year with a convincing victory over the Vikings at Warrington.

But for all the celebrations, the hard work now begins to ensure that the Robins don't follow the same path as Leigh Centurions and Castleford by dropping straight back down to where they once came within the space of twelve months. Coach Justin Morgan believes that he'll need around 12 new faces at Craven Park to give Hull a fighting chance of avoiding the drop and already claims to have some "irons in the fire" with regards to new players coming in.

So are Hull KR capable of avoiding the drop? Probably not.

The basis of the Hull side is excellent. The club has a strong blend of young talent such as Scott Murrell, Ben Cockayne, Tommy Gallagher and Byron Ford alongside the experienced heads of Francis Stephenson, Makali Aizue and Michael Smith but that alone won't keep them up.
The full-time professionals of the Rovers stood out amongst a largely semi-pro league. Whilst the likes of Widnes and Leigh were also both full-time, those sides were still left picking up the pieces of last season's relegation and so that left KR as the most talented squad in the National League.

Next season the men from East Hull will be akin to tadpoles, let alone small fish, in a very big pond and whilst they may well compete in some fixtures, the professionalism, skill and fitness of the current band of England's higher reaches will prove the difference.

As for attracting the 12 players required to Craven Park, that could prove much more difficult that people may imagine. Ryan McGoldrick and Fui Fui Moi Moi are names currently being touted but more is needed.
The nature of the Rugby League transfer market and the 'anti-tamper' system means that most available players are already committed to new contracts with other clubs. No player will be prepared to hang around for a National League One side, in the hope that they will achieve promotion. That effectively means that Hull KR are browsing the 'clearance' section of the market. The players that are around at this stage of the season are the players that no over club wants on it's books.

Whilst Hull KR may well have an impressive looking side by the time they kick off their Super League careers in February, the fact remains that whatever side they do eventually put together, the traditional relegation candidates such as Salford, Wakefield and Harlequins have also moved on and that will ultimately leave the Robins stranded at the foot of the table.

I'm no fan of automation promotion and relegation. Not because I'm anti-lower league but because the current system leaves the promoted side with too high a mountain to climb.
English Rugby League is not like football. The sport cannot support 25-30 "big" clubs with resources in abundance. The talent pool for players we have in this country and the current transfer system means that for promoted sides, staying in Super League is fast becoming a futile exercise.
Instead, abolishing automatic promotion and relegation will increase the talent pool by vastly reducing the need for clubs to circumvent the foreigners quota through the Kolpak ruling. By doing this, they will be able to experiment exposing their young players to first team rugby, without fear of the repercussions should the experiment fail.

Enjoy Super League Rovers, it'll be over pretty soon.

National League Finals Day Preview

This weekend promises to be a huge weekend in the World of Rugby League. With the Grand Final Eliminator already gone, the focus is now on the LHF National Leagues and the Grand Final's of NL1, 2 and 3.






In what is always a feast of Rugby League and an event which is a superb advert for the lower leagues, four teams will be gunning for promotion and even though the other two are just playing for bragging rights, fans heading to Warrington this Sunday will be in for a treat.
Here, The One Pointer goes over the runners and riders:


LHF National League Three Final
Bramley Buffaloes vs Hemel Stags

Bramley will go into the game as favourites against Hemel in the day's opening fixture. Despite there being no promotion at stake, last years final showed that the silverware on offer provides enough incentive.





Last years beaten finalists ended the season as league leaders and in the sides last two meetings, have posted a combined 68 points, despite playing much of their 38-12 victory in August with just 12 men.
Hemel have however upset Paul Cook's men, registering a 24-20 victory at Bramley back in May and so the Buffaloes will be wary of complacency as they look to right the wrongs of last season.

The One Pointer Prediction: Bramley by 10 pts



LHF National League Two Final
Sheffield Eagles vs Swinton Lions

On the road to Warrington, Swinton have completely ignored the script. The side that was supposed to be brushed aside by Featherstone and then walloped by Celtic Crusaders now find themselves one game away from the most remarkable play-off runs in NL2's short history.

Sheffield Eagles go into the game as red-hot favourites after easing past the Crusaders in the qualifying game although the Lions, bouyed by their remarkable run are a battle-hardened side who will fancy their chances of causing an upset. Expect this game to see-saw for the full 80 mins but I believe that Sheffield's class will be enough to just see them through.

The One Pointer Prediction: Sheffield by 7 pts



LHF National League One Final
Hull KR vs Widnes Vikings

It doesn't get in tougher than this. To the winner, a place amongst the game's elite in Super League. Both clubs believe that they should be rubbing shoulders with the best in the country yet only one side will take the place of Castleford next year.



It's too close to call. Hull KR are the minor premiers and beat Widnes in the qualifying game at Craven Park whilst Widnes, looking to bounce straight back from relegation last year, will be able to turn to the old heads of Barrie McDermott and Dennis Moran for inspiration and the experince of coaxch Steve McCormack, leading a side on his third consecutive Grand Final.
Expect a tense, low scoring game. The tension will be much greater than the qualifier two weeks ago and with so much at stake, mistakes will be made. This could come down to just one kick.

The One Pointer Prediction: Hull KR by 2 pts

For all of you heading to Warrington this Sunday, enjoy the day.

Unlucky End for Lynch

It may well have been the kiss of death, but after I called for Andy Lynch's inclusion in Brian Noble's Great Britain squad, the Bradford prop has seen his season, and Tri Nations hopes come to an abrupt end.



The former Castleford front-row sustained a broken ankle in Saturday's play-off elimination semi-final against Warrington at Odsal with the game just two minutes old.
Initially named in Brian Noble's stand-by squad, Lynch will now be forced to sit on the stands as the Bulls play for a Grand Final place on Friday and whilst Great Britain look to regain some pride down under.

It's a harsh end to the season for a player that has performed admirably for the Bulls this season. Rightly declared the club's player of the season, Lynch started all 28 league games for the Bulls, crossing the whitewash eight times, making him the clubs joint highest scoring forward alongside Brett Ferres.

As for the Bulls, they will be weakend by the loss but as they showed against Warrington, the remaining players can still dominate a strong opposition pack. Young prop Sam Burgess looks to be a player with a big future after his recent performances and the experience of Joe Vagana and Brad Meyers could prove invaluable as the Bulls travel to Hull for a mouthwatering Grand Final Eliminator on Friday. The clash at the KC should be a titanic battle between two physical sides and it's certainly a game not to be missed.