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Welcome
to the most exciting World of Rugby League!
As we say: "Rugby League is the greatest game!"
 Few
sports in the World can rival Rugby League for the excitement of
its play, the tradition of its clubs, the physical strength and stamina
of its players and the fanatical tribal support of its fans.
The game
is dominant on the eastern seaboard of Australia in its NRL National
Rugby League competition. It currently includes fifteen teams who
are located as far apart as the north of Queensland, to Brisbane, Newcastle,
Sydney, Canberra and to Melbourne.
This
rugby league competition also boasts a team from the neighbouring country
of New Zealand. Both nations have strong rugby league traditions
dating back nearly 100 years when they first played each other.
In
1907 a New Zealander, A H Baskerville, formed a NZ rugby team
to tour England to play against the teams of the "Northern
Union". The NU was founded in 1895 after a split of northern
English rugby clubs away from the English Rugby Union (and began
the game that was later to be called Rugby League across the
world).
Baskerville's
decision became the catalyst for the commencement of a professional
rugby league in Sydney. Moves for a professional rugby were well
advanced in Sydney by the end of Autumn in 1907. Upon hearing
of Baskerville's plans, the movement gained serious momentum.
Birth
of Rugby League in Australia
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The game
though originated in the north of England in 1895 when the rugby game
in that country divided in two. The Northern Union game (later to be called
rugby league around the world) was initially no different to Rugby
Union. However, before long it changed rules and reduced team player numbers
to make the "rugby" game more exciting.
The game
is strong in England, being the most popularly supported sport behind
soccer (football). It is now called the Super Rugby League and
features many clubs that began their lives in the 1860s alongside more
recent entrants from London.
Clubs
in Yorkshire were of particular concern for the RFU by their
"open rugby" approach to club membership. They allowed anyone
to join, even though they were financed or owned by the middle
and ruling classes. Many other clubs, mostly in the South, followed
the wishes of the RFU (and themselves) by staunchly remaining
gentlemen's clubs to the exclusion of all others.
The
RFU took the view that paying players money for turning out
in a rugby team, for whatever reason, was not acceptable. The
RFU heralded that any club or player involved in professional
payments needed to be sought out and punished. There were even
those who had become zealots for the cause of amateur rugby
who investigated and reported any inference of a breach they
could find.
Birth
of Rugby League in England
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The
performance of the New Zealand Warriors has the game of rugby league rise
in popularity in thier homeland. After starting the expansion of the game
of rugby league across the world almost a cenury ago, New Zealand is finally
emerging as a real international power of rugby league.
Baskerville's
lone interest in the obscure game is attributed by his brother
to an incident in the Wellington Post Office in 1906. Apparently
a fellow employee, known simply as "old Harry", suffered a coughing
fit and slumped to the floor near Baskerville. After the man
had been treated, Baskerville picked up a copy of the Manchester
Athletic News that "old Harry" had been reading and his
attention was caught by an article which heralded that 40,000
enthusiasts had paid more than 1000 pounds to watch a NU game
at Bradford. Seemingly motivated by the possible financial gains
Baskerville brazenly wrote to the NU seeking agreement to bring
a NZ touring team to England.
With
memories of the 1905 All Blacks still vivid in England, the
NU administrators saw an opportunity to raise the profile of
their game (and finances!) and agreed to the tour provided that
some of those original All Blacks were included in the NZ team.
George Smith arrived back in NZ and after learning of Baskerville's
plans, the two teamed up and set about signing up players.
Birth
of Rugby League in New Zealand
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Rugby
League is the national game of Papua New Guinea and is also played
strongly in France and New Zealand. Competitions can be found in the UK,
USA, South Africa, Morrocco, Spain, Russia, Fiji, Samoa and many other
countries.
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