Murrayfield Magic preview.

This weekend will see the fourth Magic Weekend, the second time the event will be hosted in the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh.

Every round 13 Super League game will be played at Murrayfield Stadium. It gives the fans a unique opportunity to watch every single game in the same round of matches in the flesh, but how does this years event wet the appetite compared to previous years in Edinburgh and Cardiff?

When the draw for this year’s Magic Weekend was made during the close season, there were very few games that would catch the imagination of the neutral fans on paper. As the trip to Edinburgh is less than a week away, a quick glance at both the weekend’s fixtures and the current league table shows that the next seven games may not be as predictable as many people suggested at the start of the season.

If certain results go in favour of a particular team, there could be several changes to the league table on bank holiday Monday. Super League may have a new league leader, a new top four and a reshuffle of the eight play off places. It all makes for an exciting weekend of rugby league in Scotland.

There are fans who would have preferred to see the return of the derby matches that proved to be a unique selling point for the original Millennium Magic weekend back in 2007. These fans will no doubt argue there is more at stake than just the two competition points, and that more fans are compelled to travel the greater distance to support their team against a local foe. But close proximity between two clubs geographically does not always provide a classic rugby match. It is often the case when two teams close to each other in the league table provide a much more thrilling contest, and a fantastic advert for the game on both live television and on ‘foreign’ ground away from the M62 corridor.

Every club has something to play for at this stage of the season, and so there is every chance that each game can be a thrilling encounter as we look ahead to this years Magic Weekend.

Bradford Bulls V Crusaders RL – Saturday May 1, 1pm.
After their demolition of Hull KR at home, Bradford go into this game full of confidence against a 11th place Crusaders. The appointment of Steve McNamara as the new England coach obviously blew the wind in the Bradford sails as they were able to score six tries past a tough Hull KR side last weekend. They have no new injury concerns ahead of travelling to Edinburgh which is good news for McNamara’s side, although Nick Scruton is facing charges in front of the RFL’s disciplinary panel for a high tackle in Sunday’s win over Hull KR. They face the Crusaders, who secured their first ever Super League win against the Bulls last season at the Grattan Stadium.

Crusaders will be boosted ahead of this game by the presence of Gareth Thomas for the entire 80 minutes last weekend, as well as the expected debut appearance of Jarrod Summut. But Brian Noble will be expecting his side to begin the game better on Saturday, which would be in stark contrast compared to what they did against Huddersfield at home last weekend. Crusaders also have no more injury worries as they look to avenge their 20-16 loss earlier on in the season against Bradford on Easter Monday.

Hull FC V Harlequins RL – Saturday May 1, 3pm.
Harlequins will be travelling to Edinburgh after competing one of the biggest upsets of the season so far. Despite being down 24-6 at half time away to Wigan, the London-based team went 40 minutes without conceding a try to win the game 38-26. Before the game it was bottom verses top of the league, and Quins were able to win the game proving that there are no guaranteed victories in Super League. This could well be a lesson that Hull FC should learn before taking on the Quins in the second game of the weekend at Murrayfield. However despite the win, Quins are to be without Ben Jones-Bishop for six weeks with a fractured skull.

Hull FC are still missing Sean Long and Craig Fitzgibbon who are just two of their key players out through injury, but Kirk Yeaman is expected to make his return after missing his sides 12-8 victory over Wakefield with a leg injury. Hull are just one point behind Bradford in the league table, and should the Bulls lose against Crusaders Richard Agar’s men will be expected to make the jump from sixth to fifth with the same number of wins as top four side Huddersfield.

Salford City Reds V Warrington Wolves – Saturday May 1, 5pm.
When these two teams met on Good Friday, it was Salford that had all the reason to feel confident at half time despite being behind at the break. And despite the one sided score line of 32-2, the result didn’t reflect the hard work Salford put in to prevent Warrington from scoring more than two tries in the first half. They also kept Wigan to a low score line, only losing 18-4 at home to the current league leaders. Shaun McRae will want his side to repeat three of their last four performances, forgetting what will hopefully be a blip against Castleford last weekend.

Warrington welcomed back Lee Briers to full fitness against Catalan on Sunday, after missing several games through injury since his sides home loss to Wigan in round three. Warrington have met Salford during the Magic Weekend once before in 2007, in which the Wolves thrashed the Reds 50-18 at the Millennium Stadium. Tony Smith does have one injury concern after Ben Harrison was taken off within the first five minutes against Catalan and failed to return. Gareth Carvell is still on the sidelines after picking up an injury two weeks ago against Hull KR.

Leeds Rhinos V Wakefield Trinity Wildcats – Saturday May 1, 7pm.
Leeds are expected to bounce back from their disappointing loss to last years fellow grand finalists on Saturday, which will conclude the first day of this years Magic Weekend. Leeds were heavily defeated against St Helens 41-20 at the GPW Recruitment Stadium. But they will face the tough task of beating Wakefield, who happen to be tucked neatly inside the top eight one point above Leeds who are currently in ninth place. When the two teams last met in round two, it was Wakefield who came away victorious with a 28-18 win at the Hearwell Stadium.

Leeds will want to avenge that loss, and potentially move up two places in the league up to seventh. Wakefield narrowly lost to Hull FC on Friday in a very stop, start game that saw 20 scrums and 20 penalties. Wakefield coach John Kear will want to make sure his side improve on their ball retention, or else he could see his side take a battering against the champions. Leeds are expected to bring back Ali Lauitiiti from injury, subject to the second rower passing a fitness test before the game.

Castleford Tigers V Catalan Dragons – Sunday May 2, 2pm.
Despite winning 30-12 against Salford last weekend, Castleford will be happy to have an extra game away from home, as their form at the Jungle is a dire one. They have only won two of their seven home games this season, including a Challenge Cup loss to Barrow the weekend before last. Things weren’t much better last year, as Terry Matterson’s team only chalked up four home wins during last season’s league campaign. On the other hand Kevin Walters will want an all round improvement as his side were comfortably beaten at the weekend away to Warrington 40-6.

Castleford have no more injury concerns after their win against Salford, although Catalan’s Cyrille Gossard will miss the trip to Edinburgh after sustaining a sprained ankle during the Dragon’s loss at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The Dragons did receive some good news as Jean Philippe-Baile will not be charged with fighting against Warrington’s Chris Riley by the RFL disciplinary panel, and is free for Sunday’s game.

Huddersfield Giants V Wigan Warriors – Sunday May 2, 4pm.
Huddersfield have been dealt the news that fullback Brett Hodgson will be out for at least a month after picking up a thigh strain. The Giants captain rejected a 12 month contract extension and is rumoured to be signing for Warrington in time for 2011. However, Nathan Brown was given good news as Shaun Lunt will be back a lot sooner than expected. Lunt has an Achilles injury, and should be back on the pitch in two or three weeks. Brad Drew’s return from injury is also imminent, and should give the Giants a boost ahead of their game against third place St Helens who are just above Huddersfield in the league.

In what is arguably the game of the round, Wigan will be looking to put their 38-26 loss at home to Harlequins behind them. Wigan have lost only twice in 2010, and on both occasions they threw away a healthy half time lead. Wigan’s injury concerns are minimal, with Martin Gleeson expected to return after suffering a calf injury in the week leading up to the Quins game. Thomas Leuluai will be out of action for a further two weeks while Harrison Hansen will be out until June at the earliest.

Hull KR V St Helens – Sunday May 2, 6pm.
In the final game of the Magic Weekend both teams go into this game in opposite for to each other, with one team conceding 40 points last weekend, the other scoring over 40. After a disappointing loss to Bradford, Hull KR will be hoping to close the gap between them and the top six, which includes overtaking their city rivals. Justin Morgan will want to see an improved disciplined performance after conceding 14 penalties against Bradford on Sunday.

St Helens will be flying high after a comfortable win over the champions, which included a team of lesser known young players proving that Saints have huge strength in depth. James Foster made his debut for the Saints on the wing, and despite the presence of Kyle Eastmond, was able to convert eight goals from eight attempts. Saints were able to rely on youngsters Andrew Dixon, Gary Wheeler and Matty Ashurst, who stepped up to arguably their biggest challenge in their careers and succeeded proving the production line is still open for business at St Helens.

Melbourne Storm - the immediet impact.

What a turn around for Melbourne Storm.

I don't think too many people expected a crowd of over 23,000 at the club's first home game since the scandal broke in the Australian media. On the day, many people threw down their memorabilia outside the club's HQ with emotions of anger, denial and depression.

Many expected this to be the end of rugby league in Victoria and Melbourne. It appears the exact opposite has happened, confirming that rugby league has a permanent home in AFL territory. Memberships for the club have surged at 100 per day since the news broke, with many of those who requested to cancel their membership having sent withdrawal emails asking to continue their membership.

This is fantastic news for the club and rugby league in general. Granted the club will not play for any points throughout the rest of the season (which is only fair as they are still over the cap) it seems the fans still want a rugby league club in Melbourne.

Overall its fantastic news for the short term future of Melbourne Storm. I'm fully hopeful the club can come away from the scandal better for it. The fans have shown their full support already knowing full well any future success from 2011 onwards will have been hard earned and honest.

The biggest news since Super League ruined the sport.

Wow!

Just, wow!

Rugby League really did produce one of those 'where were you when' moments. I remember where I was on April 22, when I found out Melbourne Storm had broken the salary cap and had been stripped of both NRL Premierships and Minor Premierships since 2006. I was being my typical student self. having just woke up, I switched on my laptop, accessed the News Now website and thought I had woken up on April 1.

I don't think there has been a punishment like it, and highly doubt there ever will be another like it. This was truly a once in a lifetime moment for rugby league fans in both Australia and across the world. On top of the stripped titles, the club will pay back $1.1million of prize money to be distributed between the 15 remaining clubs, and be fined $500,000.

To summarise, under the leadership of then chief executive Brian Waldron, Melbourne Storm operated their salary cap with two sets of books. One to show the cap invigilators, the other to show the real accounts for the club's finances. Once Waldron jumped ship to the new rugby union franchise in Melbourne, the new owners responsible for the running of the club blew the whistle and came clean. From what information was released, the club have over spent on the salary cap for the past five seasons, including a $400,000 breach in 2009, and a projected $700,000 breach for this season.

By all accounts it was a clever system, designed so that there was no possible way the NRL could discover it by themselves. It is also believed to the the brainchild of Waldron, and that none of the players in the past five years knew anything about it.

So where do we begin to dissect the news here?

Lets start with the punishment. Was it justified? Yes, it was. Is it fair on the players and fans? No, not at all.

The reason its justified is that as a club they cheated. Not everyone in the club was aware of the wrong doings, but the senior figures did, and as a result the club has been punished. However, it is deeply unfair on the players, who are only going to take whatever lucrative deal was offered to them individually. As a team and a group of mates, you do not talk about what each player is earning. Deep down you may know you aren't earning as much as the guy next to you, but it is never talked about. You get on with the job of succeeding on the field and playing well.

As for the fans, well they have been cheated. They have been royally screwed over by the club many of them have supported since 1998. The small consolation is, and this goes for the players too, David Gallop can never take away those feeling of joy that were being expressed on September 30, 2007 and on October 4, 2009. Whilst in hindsight those memories may now be tarnished, the thoughts back to that day will still live in the memories of players and fans alike.

Steve McNamara appointed ne England coach.

Steve McNamara was appointed the new England coach yesterday, with former Bradford coach and current Sydney coach Brian Smith appointed as his mentor.

What has been public knowledge for several days, the whole scenario stinks of a copycat New Zealand similarity, which eventually won New Zealand the World Cup. The only difference is that Wayne Bennett is a proven winner, never mind a tactical genius, and was the puppet master in Stephen Kearney's triumph.

The only thing McNamara and Smith have won between them is a raffle.

McNamara was promoted from within after Brian Noble left Bradford to join Wigan in 2006. Since then he has not been able to guide the club to anything near the success Noble did at the West Yorkshire club, having achieved a grand total of zero finals in four years.

Smith on the other hand is a perennial underachiever, and has lost every single major final he has ever guided a team to. That is including English Premierships (pre Super League,) Challenge Cups, and ARL/NRL Grand Finals. He has not won a single thing ash head coach, that that is where the similarity between New Zealand of 2008 and England of 2010 starts and ends.

I don't rate McNamara, and have been saying consistently for a number of years that Bradford will begin to slide down the table. Last year they did. At the same time, McNamara seems to be always hanging onto his club job by the skin of his teeth before an unexpected result goes his way. See Super League round 5, Bradford 22-20 Wigan for a perfect example. Before that game, McNamara was halfway out of the door. After the final hooter went, he had a months grace before scraping a draw against Leeds.

The RFL must have seen the warning signs immediately after the announcement when Bradford fans were happy McNamara was on his way out of their club. Its not often you see a scenario like that in professional sport.

But what's done is done, and I for one am hoping that England do not finish last in this years Four Nations. Last time we went to Australia we badly under performed, and fear Papua New Guinea revenge for that 32-22 win in Townsville will be on the cards. A last place finish will not only erase whatever credibility the national side has recovered over the past 12 months, but it will set off enormous warning bells in the RFL's preperation ahead of the 2013 World Cup.

NRL is back on our screens.

Forget trying to google a dodgy internet connection in order to see some live NRL action this year. The best domestic rugby league competition is back on UK screens thanks to Premier Sports.

Available to Sky subscribers only for the time being, Premier Sports looks like a re-branded version of Setanta Sports. The channel consists of plenty of Gaelic football and other Irish sports along side the weekly NRL matches.

Premier Sports will show three weekly NRL matches per week. But here is the good news for fans of the Australian game. Sky Sports will show the biggest five games in the NRL calendar. These games include the upcoming ANZAC Test match between Australia and New Zealand, all three State of Origin matches and the NRL Grand Final.

But here is a little tip. If you do not have Sky, Bet365.com and Ladbrokes.com are still streaming the non televised games live on their betting websites. All you have to do is register an account and your away. You don't even need to enter any credit card details in order for you to watch it. Simples.

Junior rugby switch is a good move.

Imagine for a moment that you are nine years-old. It is currently the middle of December, and you play for a local junior rugby league club. Your team train on a tiny floodlit field every Tuesday and Thursday night, but the pitch is in continual use from other teams and has become very boggy.

The weather is cold, damp and there is a constant shower of rain and sleet. Your coach tries to keep the sessions fresh and interesting, but he cannot teach you the skills to develop because of the harsh weather conditions and the limited players available.

Are these suitable conditions to teach a child how to play rugby league? Would a parent like to stand in the cold for an hour while they watch their child slowly becomes disheartened is uninterested?

The call made for amateur clubs to switch their playing season from winter to summer is starting to carry some weight, and there are many reasons why teams affiliated with BARLA should make the switch.

While the original call is for teams at all age groups to make the switch, the teams in the lower age groups should be allowed to play in summer regardless of when the open age teams play their matches. A switch of junior clubs from winter to summer would see a significant increase in playing numbers. It would retain the children who also play both football and rugby league during the winter, as well as attract those who play football and would like the opportunity to play rugby league.

The switch would also benefit the young players who can train in better conditions, and therefore learn the skills of rugby league much quicker in a better environment. Ask any junior coach and they will say it is easier to coach kids during a summer evening when the weather is much cooler than during the day.

As a result of training in less harsher conditions, this will increase the potential talent pool of young players. This will benefit the England squad in the long term as players will have mastered the skills in a better environment compared to their winter counterparts. The quality and level of skill will improve in the Super League and Championship in years to come as the players being selected at under 16 will have played their entire careers in the summer, and won’t have to adapt from winter to summer in preparation for the under 18 academy competition.

Should the amateur clubs choose to continue playing their open age playing season in the summer, then the transition from summer to winter will happen immediately after under 18 and not to the benefit of the players should the junior teams make the switch. Therefore it may be beneficial for the youth teams to continue playing in winter. But playing numbers across the under 17-18 age group take a dive, and this may be partly down to the fact these players have just left high school.

Many players take on jobs and apprenticeships once they leave secondary school, while the rest go into further education. These young adults are capable of making their own decisions with regards to if they want to play rugby league, so the winter playing season may not be a greater factor as the players grow up. However, they are becoming young adults and are tempted by the lure of alcohol and going out with their friends on a Saturday night. Therefore it may be beneficial for these age groups to play on a Saturday afternoon parallel to that of the open age team.

This time is much more flexible socially and gives the players a chance to socialise with their team mates and non-rugby playing friends during the evening. As a result the player drop out would decrease significantly, and may attract new players who would like a social activity to participate in on a Saturday afternoon.

Whatever the outcome of the open age switch to summer rugby, whether it goes through or not, the junior and youth teams must consider a separate opportunity to change from their traditional winter Sunday morning kick off times. They must take into account their player’s other commitments and work with them to increase and retain playing numbers.