Don’t always believe the hype.

I find in quite extraordinary when our sports own writers, pundits and so-called experts praise the living hell out of young players coming through the academy systems of our professional and amateur clubs. Four examples pop into my head from since last season who have hit the headlines for their sheer brilliance or lucky break. The four are Sam Burgess, Kevin Penny, Joe Westerman and recently Kyle Eastmond.

Sam Burgess was brought in by Steve McNamara at Bradford as a genuine squad member because of his brilliance at academy level. He made an impact on Super League almost instantly and deservingly achieved the Young Player of the Year award last year. After that he was selected for the Northern Union side that faced the All Golds in Warrington, which warranted his selection for a full test cap. His contribution to the international stage peaked at the point of contact between him and Fuifui Moimoi during the final stages of the first test match in Huddersfield. From there is established himself as a certainty in the side for the rest of the series. I believe the hype surrounding Sam during his first season was justified. He is a player showing potential at a young age seeing as he is first on the team sheet for Bradford in almost every game. The kid has not had a lucky break that splashed his face off over the newspapers. He has made a name for himself through hard work and grinding out consistent performances in the forwards. He is the real thing and a genuine potential leader, who I would be happy to see leading out our national side in several years time.

Kevin Penny made his debut for Warrington in the final few rounds of Super League XI. His first game, against St Helens, was brought about due to injuries in the back line at the time. The following year he started against Leeds in a disappointing team performance in front of the TV cameras. His two tries in the final stages of the game gave Warrington some credibility coming out of the game, despite having over forty points put on them. From there Penny never looked back and made a name for himself scoring tries that involved pace and speed, rarely seen in today’s modern game. His greatest try to date, I believe, is when he outpaced Francis Meli and Paul Wellens in front of the main stand at Knowsley Road during the Challenge Cup quarter final last year. However despite being a life saver for a crippled Warrington side dropping like flies, his performances in 2008 have been (to put it politely) peaking at an average standard. So far the hype surrounding the restart to his professional career is unjustified and Penny could possibly be suffering from second-season-syndrome. But being eight rounds into a four year contract, the chances of seeing a better version “Super Kevin Penny” are high indeed. Reports from inside the Warrington camp by coach Paul Cullen after the Wigan game suggest the boy is dead set about re-establishing the fans faith in him and tightening the squads obvious and easiest weakness, which is that left hand defence.

Joe Westerman is a different kettle of fish compared to the other three up-and-rising players. Two seasons ago he was watching Castleford get relegated. After the relegation, Terry Matterson took the opportunity to blood together a wealth of experience and youth that combined to earn promotion in Super League. Westerman was given the opportunity playing in front of only a few thousand fans each week and, along with Danny Brough, he was one of the reasons Castleford are in Super League today. He plied his trade in National League One before making the jump to Super League giving him an advantage over other young players as he already had experience at first grade level. He was named National League One Player of the Year and orchestrated with Brough, Widnes’ Grand Final defeat. After watching him score a hat-trick against Warrington a few days ago and kicking five goals, I believe the hype surrounding this lad is more genuine than the hype about Burgess. Before being thrown into Super League he knew what was expected from him by coaching staff and fans alike. I expect Westerman to be included in the England squad in two years time at the very least, if not the forthcoming test match against France on 27^th June in Toulouse before the World Cup.

If anyone were to pick an example of young players being hyped up a bit too much by our pundits and journalists, Kyle Eastmond would be your prime example. Having played a few games for Saints already before his appearance against Wigan on Good Friday, the fans at Knowsley Road knew what they were getting when he stepped onto the field. His run from a Wigan error resulted in the final try of the derby clash which sent the Saints fans berserk. However the Sky TV team, who had never seen live before that game, were having (and I hate to be distasteful) ejaculations over this solo running effort and having seen him take advantage of a poor Wigan side seconds afterwards, were already comparing him to Jason Robinson. With that try being the only thing I have seen him do in his career, I hate to put the kid down, but I cannot see and justification behind that reasoning. On The Super league Show, Robbie Paul said something along the lines of “This kids special because he tried to take the kick nearer the posts”. To me that just shows lack of knowledge of the rules, and a bit of cockiness that can easily be extracted to the players disadvantage by the opposition fans. I’ll have to see a lot more of Eastmond before I pass judgement on his playing ability, but for the meantime, don’t believe the hype.

How are we all doing?

Well Easter has come and gone for yet another year. The chocolate eggs have been scoffed and the hot cross bun wrapper is at the bottom of the bin, and that’s just in Terry Newton’s household. Seriously though, we are eight rounds into Super League XIII which is roughly a quarter of the season. So how is everybody shaping up? Well I’ll tell you what, lets start from the top shall we and move on from there. That way, things can only get worse.

Leeds have started like a house on fire. In the past three games against Harlequins, Bradford and Hull FC they have only conceded six points. Their success against Melbourne in the World Club Challenge has spurned them on to greater things. I honestly believe they are playing better rugby now than what they did against the Australian club. Their loss to Castleford was kind of expected in a way. The WCC forced out two key players for long periods of time, with several more picking up minor injuries. Brian McLennan rested key players for that game against Castleford, especially Jamie Peacock who is their sole leader on the field which is funny because they lacked leadership that day. However they currently can’t complain. Top of the league and four points ahead of Saints and Wigan would have been something they could only dream about at the beginning of the year.

So how long before Warrington blow it? As a fan myself, I cannot understand how we are in the position we are in. If you’d have said to me in February we would be in this position after Easter I’d have either laughed in your face or told you to get off the happy pills. I would be happy with our second placed position if I believe we had deserved it. I personally don’t think we have got out of second gear for most of the season. There were times against St Helens when we really took the game to them and played some good football. I also thought we played absolutely amazing for forty minutes against Hull KR, going into half time twenty eight points ahead. But apart from that, there is nothing to suggest we are title contenders or probable finalists this year. We have the squad for it, so lets see further into the season how well we do.

St Helens are not the side they used to be. Twenty four months ago they were out of this world setting the competition alight in the same way Leeds are now. Today they have lost against teams you would not normally expect them to lose against such as Hull KR, Huddersfield and Catalan. I know Kyle Eastmond would probably disagree, but the squad is ageing now since the glory days of 2006-2007. Also, I think the players are getting complacent now knowing Daniel Anderson is set to leave the club. They know they don’t have to play at their best because they’re not playing for a contract that Anderson will give them. The sooner the Saints board announce next season’s coach (or just announcing Wayne Bennett will do the trick) then the players might get some urgency about themselves and perform to a standard expected of that Knowsley Road crowd.

Wigan started brilliantly and have kept up their form, despite losing to Warrington, scraping a win against Huddersfield and losing heavily to Saints. This season they are undoubtedly top six material and Brian Noble seems to have got the squad playing with pride in their jerseys. Its been a difficult few years for the Wigan Loyal being starved of regular success for so long and missing out on the play offs for two years straight in 2005 and 2006. Their attitude and determination has rubbed off onto this season after losing to Leeds in the Final Eliminator last year.

It’s all gone pear shaped in Humberside recently. For once the red and white side of the River Hull seems to be outplaying the black and white side of the river. Their fifth position in the league is no fluke. From what I’ve seen they are doing enough against sides who are falling down to KR’s powerful front row. Added to the pace and excellence of Jake Webster and brilliance of Shaun Briscoe, its no wonder they are where they are. And fully deserved too.

Harlequins RL really have slid down the slippery slope in the past couple of games. While everyone tipped them for finishing near the bottom of the league (me included) they have performed well enough to be in the six presently, even second in the league at one point. However since they were hammered by Leeds 48-0, they have lost three in a row which has put them in sixth place and looking edgy to saw the least. Their next three league games don’t improve their chances of climbing higher. While Saints and Warrington should beat them (jinxing my own team again), Hull KR will prove to be a tough test. After which it’s the Challenge Cup tie against Castleford, which should see them go through. However as it’s the only all-SL tie of the round and with both teams expected to lose their next few games leading up to the match, it should be a cracker.

Speaking of teams going downhill, Bradford couldn’t be in a worse position considering the hype that was built up before they kicked off. I’ll admit injuries haven’t helped them, but they can’t be in a position to moan after watching Hull FC struggle to make eleventh spot. They’ve had a few good wins but they don’t seem to be pushing themselves. Teams that do get beat by them seem to be playing to their strengths, which is challenging their forwards down the middle. Once they’re on top of the opposition defence they then proceed downfield until the opposition concede a penalty and Paul Deacon nips one over crossbar. Not very expansive and attacking if you ask me.

The French outfit seem to be another side on the up and it seems home advantage is paying off after three years in the top flight. In 2006, their debut season, they were never welcomed by their rugby union counterparts at the Stade Aimé Giral. Teams were consistently beating them in England or in France and the result is a bottom place finish meaning Castleford were to be relegated from eleventh. A move across the town of Perpignan to the Stade Gilbert Brutus meant thay had an established home that provided the club with a better identity. But as it’s their own ground, they have full use of the facilities that nay other Super League club would have when they are at home. Also, I think the novelty of playing in France has worn off a bit for the players and there is less motivation to win away on foreign soil. That is why I believe Catalan are in the position they are in, and why they have currently a good home record this season.

I’ll be honest and say Huddersfield are the worse side I have seen play this season, not including Penrith in the NRL though. I think there is too much hype that surrounds Luke Robinson. He is still living off his six month glory as a Wigan youngster in 2003. Eorl Crabtree is not the same player he was previous when he was tipped as a potential GB regular and Stephen Wild is just so overrated it’s not even funny anymore. Things can only get better for the birthplace of Rugby League’s hometown club. I’d start with Jon Sharp.

Wakefield were crippled severely against Harlequins at The Stoop and seem not to have recovered. A further recent loss to Danny Brough is only adding to Wakefield’s despair. Brad Drew and Danny Sculthorpe were also out for long stretches. Maybe a half decent cup run could add a bit of glamour to their already spoiled season.

If ever a side were unlucky through injury, Hull FC would be the place to go. Recent reports are suggesting the waiting time for the doctor’s room in the KC Stadium is similar to that of an NHS A&E ward. Over the course of the season they have lost Raynor, Berrigan, new kid on the block Matty Dale, Kirk Yeaman. All of this is happening while Richard Horne is yet to make an appearance. (As of 30 mins into the Hull/Leeds match yesterday) I can see Peter Sharp being the first coach to be shown the door as the Hull board are about as inpatient as a four year old in a chocolate factory.

Judging by yesterday’s performce against Warrington, I’m struggling to see how they are bottom. They outclassed Leeds as well, although their return to SL could have gone better. In that game it was a case of whoever knocked on the least would win and in the Huddersfield game they might as well not have taken to the field. So it seems to me they are unable to finish off teams when they play well, but struggle to compete on off days. No wonder they’re bottom.

Why Leeds will run away with Super League.

Leeds have just beaten their local rivals Bradford, by 44-2 at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. While the runaway affair might not have grabbed the casual neutral viewer by the scruff of the neck, it showed either just how good Leeds are or how badly Bradford are playing. I’d say it was the former.

Leeds haven’t conceded a try in 160 minutes of Rugby League. They have only conceded two points in that time frame. That is an amazing achievement for any team at elite level sport. It shows their defence is rock solid and their communication and team spirit is second to none. Twice Bradford were held up over the line in spectacular fashion. Countless times Leeds forced a Bradford error just as they were about to score. Jaime Jones-Buchanan was instrumental in the forwards, as was Matt Diskin who was my man of the match. The stats don’t lie, thirty three runs from dummy half Leeds performed. As a hooker, Diskin must have had a huge hand in that.

And that’s not half of it. Their support play was second nature and their awareness in relation to where they are on the field and where others are standing was phenomenal. In Rob Burrow they have a jinxing little half back who dances through opposition like there is no one there. His try today showed why he is the best British half back playing in Rugby League. And will somebody give a hand to the in form Brent Webb. The New Zealander must be loving it at the back of that defence.

I’ll be honest in saying that usually one game with twenty rounds of the season to play doesn’t usually provide evidence of a Grand Final winning team. But if you had have noticed the reaction from the Leeds players to the final hooter then you’d know they are a side that desperately want to win the league this year, for the second year running.

Many happy returns to Australian Rugby League.

The best domestic competition in world Rugby League kicked off last week when South Sydney faced rival team Sydney Roosters. It was no coincidence that two of the Australian founder clubs (Roosters then being Eastern Suburbs) were to begin the centenary season down under. It was all smiles and jubilations as the two teams got stuck into each other like flour and butter. However, the injury to Craig Wing saw fans up in arms about the legality of tackling from behind. Wing was left with a dislocated shoulder after Riley Brown’s shoulder charge knocked it out of its socket. Now while this caused a stir, I stood back and looked at the tackle on a well known video sharing website. Having seen the footage that was broadcast on Channel Nine, the two Roosters’ players are about to complete the tackle when Brown hits Wing. Wing is crouched down attempting to get down and play the ball, but the only parts of his body touching the grass are his feet, added to the fact he is still moving trying to get to the ground. Therefore Brown’s tackle is legal, even if it is completely unnecessary.

The reason the NRL is the best in the world is due to brilliantly executed tries and humungous tackles. There is no finer example of huge hits than Josh Perry’s tackle on Ben Ross in the Manly V Cronulla match at Brookvale Oval. The tackle knocked Ross out cold and the Cronulla player missed the rest of the game with the possibility of missing at least one more. Perry however, did not come out of the tackle lightly. As Perry attempted to tackle Ross, both players clashed heads which is actually why Ross was knocked out. Perry came out of it with a nasty cut above his eye that was running with blood. In that match, Manly lost despite taking the lead. There was no real reason for them to lose it except Cronulla wanted to take the two points back to their beach. They basically played the better rugby after Ben Ross was taken from the field.

It was business as usual at Suncorp Stadium. Not for Brisbane, but for Penrith. They took the wooden spoon last year and look favourites to take it again after their abysmal performance against Wayne Bennett’s side, where Cory Parker broke the club record for the most number of goals scored in a single match. The second rower scored ten from ten beating Darren Lockyer’s and other former players’ record of nine from nine. Petero Civoniceva played against his old club for his new club and was the only Penrith player who had a half decent game.

Billy Slater’s hat-trick within twenty five minutes formed the foundations of a Melbourne win in their first home game since their Grand Final victory against Manly back in October. Played at the Telstra Dome in front of just over twenty thousand (making the overall attendance for an opening NRL round another record) who saw New Zealand Warriors fight until the death. The score line may actually look flattering to the New Zealand side, who had Steve price ruled out for eight weeks, as they struggled to compete with last year’s Premiers. Controversy was avoided just before the second half kicked off as Melbourne failed to return onto the pitch when the Warriors did, making the away side wait for the restart. New Zealand eventually made Melbourne wait for the kick off as they retreated to the sideline for a drink just as the home team walked out of the tunnel. The delay meant there was a half time period of just over eighteen minutes.

As it is Easter this week, Setanta Sports have delivered us English fans of the game a treat. There will be a double header on Saturday 22^nd March with Penrith taking on Canberra at 06:30 GMT, and Newcastle hosting Manly straight after until 10:30. As for the Sunday game, well no one seems to know. Setanta say they are showing Canberra V St George Illawarra (tough week for Canberra) while another site says SKY NZ will show New Zealand V Parramatta at a completely different KO time. Seeing as only one of those fixtures is right, I’d put my money on it being NZ V Eels. 02:45 GMT start, KO fifteen minutes later. But don’t hold me on that.

The Steve Ganson Show replaces cancelled Warrington V Wigan match.

The scene was set for a classic encounter between two fierce rivals. For us Warrington fans it is one of the main fixtures of the year, one of the big events that grip tightly onto a town’s voice of opinion with anticipation. It is one of the reasons you become a Warrington fanatic in the first place even if you don’t understand what is happening on the field. For the first time in a long time, both teams were in the top three in the week leading up to the game. Wigan in second place had only lost to Hull FC two weeks previous to the big game. Warrington in third had only lost to bitter rivals St Helens in a game that could easily have swung the other way if it wasn’t for a weakness in the primrose and blue’s left hand defence. Wigan were leading due to a superior points difference but with the season beginning to take shape it was a match that could determine how successful the sides were for the rest of 2008. But no matter how well each coach prepared for the game, they were not expecting a man in pink with an overzealous whistle to become the centre of attention.

Steve Ganson had recently been prevented from refereeing top flight games due to injury. He had been assigned a few lower league matches as preparation for his return to Super League. But upon his return Messers Klein, Bentham, Smith, Thaler and Silverwood had racked up penalty counts averaging eighteen penalties per match up to round four. (Or so say Boot ‘N’ All and League Express.) It was time for the man who forced a change in refereeing assignment rules, to step up and show the rest who is the top dog. In his first game back and in front of the Sky Television cameras he penalised both sides for a season record of twenty eight times with twenty one of them occurring in the first half, and fifteen of them going in favour of Warrington.

So what does this despicable fact conclude? Well, it could be that both sides were much undisciplined and the man with the whistle had no choice but to blow up that many times. Or it could be that Ganson was out trying to impress his boss, the former referee himself Mr Stuart Cummings. I suppose picking up every little detail shows how little teams obey the laws of the game, however small the infringement. Or it could show Ganson’s hatred for both sides, although I doubt this is reality as the man in question is a respectable and unbiased official. What it does show though, is the complexity to the sport and the difficulty to first time spectators watching it. Rugby League fans often mock rugby union as a sport for the seemingly uncertainty of how a penalty was awarded, especially for those in the stands or at home in an armchair. But the same thing occurred on Saturday. Even die-hard spectators were at a loss to a number of penalties being awarded to either team. I know I was and so was the unbiased Wigan friend of mine, whom I had the pleasure of hosting in the home fans stand. Does this mean we don’t know anything about the sport? No. It just shows we are used to a free flowing game without the tiniest infringement being picked on. Lee Briers for example, was told to shift his kicking tee several inches before he restarted the game due to it not being in the dead centre of the park. If that’s not being picky, please tell me what it.

However I agree to an extent with a quote from the League Express that was said by Stuart Cummings himself. Cummings said “The media criticises referees for missing penalties, and then criticises them for awarding penalties”. The same can be said for spectators. But the problem is there, Stuart. We don’t mind the referees not awarding penalties, it’s the blatant obvious and persistent ones we want penalising. This way the game flows and the majority of fans are kept happy.

This Match Officials Directors job ain’t half a breeze.

Is university challenge failing its exam?

Well that was a thriller, wasn’t it? Oxford thrashed Cambridge 38-10 for the second year running in the annual Varsity match that was shown live on SKY. It wasn’t big. It wasn’t clever and nothing special. In fact I was so bored watching it I left at the hour mark unable to take anymore of the students’ inapt ability to play the sport at any pace at all. The fact the game was one sided didn’t help the occasion but I fail to see why I should watch thirty four rugby union players get to grips with the way Rugby League works. For the match to be shown on television is an insult to those watching in the heartlands of Lancashire and Yorkshire who have to put up with limited and, on some occasions, poor coverage of our game.

However I feel the RFL are involved in convincing SKY to show the game in the first place. For them it is an easy way to expand, and once more it can provide the possibility of a future politician studying at either of these universities to become a fan of the sport therefore having a voice in parliament. Well at least that’s the theory. But in all honesty, this is just another poor standard university match that everyone who watched or played the game will forget the following day because it doesn’t mean anything to them. Those playing were aroused by the fact the game is on national television, while the majority of those in attendance at The Stoop were there for a bingeing session with easy transport links to London City Centre.

The poor standard of the game doesn’t entice anyone south of London to become engrossed in the match. Anyone who flicked onto Sky Sports 3 between the hours of seven thirty and nine thirty will have turned off within five seconds. But despite this I have to applaud the RFL’s attempt to increase interest in the sport in the capital. Harlequins RL are struggling for numbers at their ground on match days and this can be seen as a carrot on the stick attempt to increase support for the club. It might not be the best idea in the world with a concept worse than the World Club Challenge, but its a start and I for one would be upset if either SKY or the RFL abandoned the match.

There is the argument that SKY should focus on the BUSA final rather than the Varsity game, but the majority of these games involve northern universities so would be pretty pointless in terms of expanding and increasing support down south. However I can see where that argument has been spawned from because the quality of rugby is better in these games. Leeds Met are one of the best university teams in the country and they have made it into the third round of the Challenge Cup. But this quality could be why the BUSA final is not shown on SKY. Judging by some of their results, the final might be more one sided than the Varsity match.

So it seems university Student Rugby League is in a pickle. At least the colleges are more competitive, but let’s not touch that subject. Not at least until September.

A Tap On The Carnegie Twenty.

Please Note, the following is not suitable for younger readers.

A university's dominance in world Rugby League took another uphill turn yesterday with the announcement that Leeds Metropolitan University Carnegie has taken over the newly published web blog, A Tap On The Twenty. As of March 2008, the blog will be known as A Tap On The Carnegie Twenty.

The announcement comes after Carnegie already have sponsorship deals with a number of governing bodies and sporting clubs across the UK. The majority are in conjunction with the RFL as Carnegie have sponsored the sport's prestigious cup competition, the Carnegie Challenge Cup, as well as the Carnegie Champion Schools and Carnegie Champion Colleges at grassroots level. They are also the main shirt sponsor of the referee's kit at National League and Challenge Cup level as well as amateur level and have a stadium named after them, Headingley Carnegie. Outside Rugby League, Carnegie are part of two club names - cricket's Yorkshire Carnegie and rugby union's Leeds Carnegie. They also sponsor the top flight Irish football league, the Carnegie Premier League.


A spokes person for Carnegie said "It is a great honour to be influencing a wide selection of fans within the sport, as we already have a hundred percent stake in Richard Lewis' arse and would no doubt have his front end if it wasn't for Engage. Just because they got there first and insist on using the juices as the colour of their refereeing kits. What do you think the inspiration was behind that pink kit Ganson wears, eh?"


He went on to say, "We at Carnegie pride ourselves in taking student fees and wasting them on sponsorship rights across sports in the UK and Ireland. In fact, if we spent their money on education and not Keith Senior's wages we would not be in the bottom end of The Time's University Rankings. All I can say is, the senior management want to be as big as Tescos. In fact we came up with Every Little Helps but they stole it from us, big meanies".


Richard Lewis, the RFL's Chief Executive, was able to comment saying "It was a big step in the expansion of Rugby League, now where’s that rent boy?" Nigel Wood on the other hand was unable to comment as he was rumoured to be locked in a cupboard being tortured by university geeks as they tried explaining War And Peace to him.


A Tap On The Twenty's creator, Nick Woodward, was pleased with the deal made to him by Carnegie. He said exclusively to A Tap On The Carnegie Twenty, "It now means I have time to go out and get a girlfriend instead of spending my time on the internet watching pornographic material and other such rubbish".

Disclaimer: All of the above post was in fact made up for comical purposes. The picture was taken from http://www.therfl.co.uk/ while the RFL employees mentioned are not involved in a takeover bid of A Tap On The Twenty by Carnegie. The fact is, Carnegie seem to be sponcering everything at the moment and I thought I would write a tongue-in-cheek article.