WHINING WHINOS WOES

Well, hasn't Stupor League XV thus far witnessed a rather disappointing and inauspicious start to the current campaign from it's back-to-back-to-back champion team, eh? In considered layman's terms of course, that basically translates to the Leeds Whinos performances and results in 2010 as bearing an extremely close relationship in shape and form to a steaming pile of stinking, excrementitious waste, otherwise more commonly known as SHIT.

It goes without saying that 'considered layman's terms' are not applied to the current situation at the club by your archetypal or prototypal fuckwitted Whinos fans... many whom have spent the last month or so whining and chelping over an injury crisis and bad luck which has allegedly befallen their precious club.

Whinos coach Brian McClennan however refuses to cite injuries as an excuse - no, really. "It's just the way it goes and we're not going to use injuries as an excuse for our (lowly) position in the table" BUT then contradicts himself in disgraceful fashion when opining that injuries are "part and parcel of the season and other clubs will go through this too HOPEFULLY". As an exercise in crassness and unsportsmanship, Bluey McClennan scores 9.9 out of 10 for that comment. One can only assume the pressure of managing an injury-hit squad for the first time during his tenure is getting to him.

There was no injury crisis - allegedly or otherwise - when Leeds were done like a dogs dinner by Castleford at Headingley to the tune of 24-10, or a week later at Wakefield 28-18. In fact, the RFL bent over backwards to provide them with the most comfortable of fixture schedules possible - Crusaders, Castleford, Wakefield and Salford - in preparation for the WCC against the Melbourne Storm, and they still got bashed into oblivion at the PTB area by an Aussie team who were out-of-season, lacking in match fitness and where one of their star players (Greg Inglis) was hobbling around on one leg.

Recent performances where a few more injuries have kicked in has seen Leeds done and dusted by Huddersfield away, Hull KR at home and Wigan away, though it appears most Whinos fans were happy with the performance at Wigan despite the 24-4 defeat. It was also arguably Wigan's worst performance of the season. Yet despite the injuries, Leeds were still able to field an international line-up numbering double figures against Wigan and Huddersfield, and nine international players against Hull KR.

If any Whinos supporter ever tires of citing an injury crisis as an excuse for poor performances and results from their club, one can always rely upon them to blame the referee instead. Or better still, just sit back and wait for a complete and utter tool to let emotion get the better of him and then follow suit.

Based upon the evidence of the season so far, it is not entirely unreasonable to suggest that 2010 might well be a season too far for this current mob of overrated Leeds players. And if it isn't, then it certainly ought to be. But that would depend upon the likes of Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and a few others finally stepping up to the Stupor League plate and that's by no means guaranteed.

In the meantime, let's all laugh at the Whinos current predicament :-)

1	Wigan	8	7	0	1	278	104	14	+174
2	Warrington	8	6	0	2	249	112	12	+137
3	St Helens	8	6	0	2	227	148	12	+79
4	Huddersfield	8	5	0	3	186	102	10	+84
5	Hull FC	8	5	0	3	194	143	10	+51
6	Wakefield	8	5	0	3	173	178	10	-5
7	Hull KR	8	4	0	4	133	175	8	-42
8	Bradford	8	4	0	4	121	167	8	-46
9	Leeds	8	3	0	5	180	139	6	+41
10	Castleford	8	3	0	5	168	213	6	-45
11	Crusaders	8	3	0	5	138	215	6	-77
12	Salford City	8	2	0	6	109	197	4	-88
13	Les Catalans	8	2	0	6	98	200	4	-102
14	Harlequins	8	1	0	7	86	247	2	-161

DISPELLING ANOTHER MYTH

Here another myth which is often perpetuated by Rugby League supporters, coaches, administrators and the Rugby League media in this country.

"WE ARE CATCHING THE AUSSIES UP"

During the Stupor League era we haven't, despite the supposed advantages of full-time professionalism. If anything, we've gone backwards and the international gap has widened between GB/England and Australia, and also against New Zealand.

And here is the incontrovertible evidence!

* Includes GB and England results against Australia and New Zealand.
** Also includes results in World Cups.

Test Results V Australia (SL era, 22 tests, 1996-2009)
Played 22
Won 4
Drawn 0
Lost 18
Points for 285
Points against 641

Test Results V Australia (Pre SL era, previous 22 Tests, 1984-1995)
Played 22
Won 5
Drawn 0
Lost 17
Points for 242
Points against 447

Test Results V New Zealand (SL era, 24 tests, 1996-2009)
Played 24
Won 9
Drawn 2
Lost 13
Points for 484
Points against 547

Test Results V New Zealand (Pre SL era, previous 24 Tests, 1979-1995)
Played 24
Won 12
Drawn 2
Lost 10
Points for 377
Points against 318


It's also worth noting that during the SL era, we've played far more tests against Australia and New Zealand with home advantage.

Test Results V Australia (SL era, 22 tests, 1996-2009)
Home - P17 W3 D0 L14 F232 A438
Away - P5 W1 D0 L4 F53 A203
Total - P22 W4 D0 L18 F285 A641

Test Results V Australia (Pre SL era, previous 22 Tests, 1984-1995)
Home - P13 W3 D0 L10 F126 A273
Away - P9 W2 D0 L7 F116 A174
Total - P22 W5 D0 L17 F242 A447

Test Results V New Zealand (SL era, 24 tests, 1996-2009)
Home - P16 W9 D2 L5 F377 A334
Away - P8 W0 D0 L8 F107 A213
Total - P24 W9 D2 L13 F484 A547

Test Results V New Zealand (Pre SL era, previous 24 Tests, 1979-1995)
Home - P12 W7 D2 L3 F212 A124
Away - P12 W5 D0 L7 F165 A194
Total - P24 W12 D2 L10 F377 A318

PERPETUATING THE MYTHS

It happens every year, at the end of every season. GB (or England these days) get their international arses handed to them on a silver or bronze platter by the Aussies when it really counts, and every single English player bar none are discovered to be hopelessly out of their depth... AGAIN! That's the reality of the situation year after year, but what about the myths?

One particular myth about the British game doing the rounds for a number of years (and particularly during the Stupor League era) is they possess a strong pack of forwards who are at the very least the equal of, if not better than any other pack of forwards in the world, and that includes being better and stronger than the Kangaroos or Kiwis in that department. This particular myth is perpetuated year upon year by Sky Sports commentators (Eddie, Stevo and Phil Clarke) but we all know that's their job. They are paid handsome sums of money to hype up their employers Stupor League product on their employers subscription-based satellite TV channels. Speak to them off record and in private and they'll offer you a different and more realistic appraisal.

However, one of the worst offenders for perpetuating this myth are the two main RL publications in this country, the weekly League Express and their monthly Rugby League World magazine. They sponsor a number of end-of-season awards like the Golden Boot and the annual World XIII which is supposed to represent the very best current players in the world. They also make claims over their award nominations being fair, above board, and selected by members of the worldwide Rugby League media. Hmmmmm. Could they provide us all with a complete list of all those members of the worldwide Rugby League media, who they nominated and who they voted for please? At least that way, we can work out who the worldwide Rugby League media fuckwits are and give their published articles a huge swerve!

Because year upon year, no matter how embarrassing the results for GB or England, no matter how ordinary the performances of sundry GB or England players, they still get nominated and selected for the annual World XIII awards, whilst sundry GB or England players are nominated for the Golden Boot (best player in the world) award despite being dominated by their opponents on the international stage.

In recent years, World XIII announcements have awarded the likes of Keiron Cunningham, Andy Farrell, Jamie Peacock, Stuart Fielden, Paul Sculthorpe, Adrian Morley and Gareth Ellis as being among the world's very best forwards with monotonous regularlty, and this year has been no different, despite a 16-46 hammering in the Tri Nations Final at Elland Road last month.

And if that isn't embarrassing enough, the very same publications have seen fit to nominate Jamie Peacock , Gareth Ellis and Kevin Sinfield (Bwahahahaha) for the Golden Boot Award, but haven't dared go that one embarrassing step further since awarding Andy Farrell the award in 2004, a mere 24 hours prior to ignominiously skippering his team to a 4-44 thrashing. Jamie Peacock had to make do with the international Forward of the year award two years running instead, if only to perpetuate the myth of the English forwards even further.

Apparently, English players make up the bulk of the World XIII pack of forwards with James Graham (again), Gareth Ellis (again) and now Sam Burgess (several more awards earmarked for him now surely?) all making it into the 2009 World XIII selected by Rugby League World magazine.

Hello? Wake up. They lost 16-46! Those English forwards are only capable of competing for 60 minutes before collapsing into a weary shitheap and getting battered and run over. But hey, the myth of forward dominance must be perpetuated at all costs, eh?

During the late 80's and the 90's when we had Martin Offiah, Jason Robinson, Gary Connolly, Paul Newlove, Jonathan Davies, Shaun Edwards, Garry Schofield and Andy Gregory et al in the backs, the myth perpetuated back then was the forwards weren't good enough otherwise GB would wipe the floor with Australia. I'm just guessing that Ellery Hanley, Denis Betts, Phil Clarke, Andy Platt, Lee Jackson, Andy Goodway, Kevin Ward and Lee Crooks might have been a little pissed off at the accusation back then.

The myth has merely been turned on it's head in recent times. It's the backs that aren't good enough these days otherwise we'd wipe the floor with Australia. Though it still didn't prevent Rugby League World magazine from nominating in their World XIII an international turnstile called Keith Senior as the best centre in the the world three years running in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Doh!

BYE BYE SHITANTA SPORTS

I'll openly admit that I was thoroughly delighted to see the demise of the UK arm of this utterly shithouse Pay-TV broadcaster, alongside their even more-shithouse customer service operation.

I was never best pleased they'd purchased the broadcasting rights to the NRL and Origin games a couple of years ago because that meant I had to shell out an extra £15 per month on top of my overly-expensive monthly subscription to Sky Sports.

Setanta began by broadcasting 3 live NRL games a week and that included pre-game coverage from Fox Sports Australia or Channel Nine whose presentation is generally far superior to the usual boofhead in a studio that Sky UK used to trot out pretending to know a lot about Australian Rugby League when the trotted-out boofhead in question actually knew feck all and was incapable of discussing any aspect of the games broadcast beyond applying the usual cliches and fatuous comments.

What pissed me off the most was being offered a deal by Setanta to subscribe, which consisted of agreeing to a minimum 12 month contract where the first 3 months were £10 pcm, followed by the remainder of the contract to be charged at £15 pcm. I was politely assured that this was a fantastic deal. I should have known better though. Within a couple of weeks of signing up to Setanta, they suddenly began offering their service at £9.99 pcm with no minimum contract.

I was on the blower fairly quickly to register my disapproval at the package I was on and I politely asked to be switched to a no minimum contract at £9.99 pcm as a gesture of goodwill on their part in return for my long-term and satisfied customer subscription status. Their customer service turned around and basically said 'Tough shit! You signed up to a 12 month contract at the terms and prices earlier specified. We intend to hold you to that contract!' I then banged on about my customer rights and the 14 day cooling off period where I could change my mind about their service but they were very quick to point out I'd subscribed 16 days ago, so again 'Tough shit!'.

At that point, I gave in. I'd lost the argument. They'd got me! However, it was hardly the kind of customer service response that was likely to endear me to the company and so I agreed that I'd continue to fulfil my 12 month contact, but I also pointed out to them that at the end of that 12 month contract, I would be looking forward to ditching the bastards for good. Twelve months later, I diligently waited for Setanta to take the final 12th monthly direct debit from my bank account and then immediately cancelled the direct debit payments. What followed were incessant phone calls and threatening letters from Setanta claiming that my direct debit was no longer working and that I owed them money, to which I continued to maintain that I'd fulfilled my 12 month contract, that they could go forth and multiply, and that I look forward to the day when they go bust. I'm not quite sure how I could owe them several months subscription payments anyhow, since they'd switched me off within 2 weeks of the direct debit being cancelled.

In more recent times, Setanta's coverage of the NRL games had become pretty ordinary and often reduced to just the solitary one game per week broadcast, and without any of the previous pre-game presentations. Edited highlights of German Bundesliga soccer games from the previous week were considered more important to broadcast instead of a live NRL game.

Well they have gone bust now and my opinion is?

Good bleedin' riddance and not a moment too soon! :-)

THE DEPRESSING STATE OF AUSTRALIAN RL CULTURE!

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything on this blog, mainly because I've been too busy with other stuff and also because I spent the best part of last month down under in Australia and New Zealand on my jollies! I'm back now though :-) I make the long trip down under at least once a year (but usually twice) for my annual (or bi-annual) fix of some combo of NRL, State of Origin, Anzac Test and Qld Cup fixtures. Last year I attended the RLWC instead of the NRL Finals.

I travelled down under last month and the idea of attending as many Rugby League games as I could conceivably fit in was no longer to be regarded as an essential and integral part of my holiday itinerary. I decided to spend time in Melbourne followed by Auckland rather than attend the Anzac Test in Brisbane. I didn't even bother arranging the timing of my stays in Melbourne and Auckland to coincide with a Storm or Warriors home fixture. I did make a little effort to book a two night stay in Sydney in the hope that I might cop an opportunity to attend a Monday night NRL game there but it didn't work out because the Storm V Raiders fixture got the Monday night schedule nod in that particular round of fixtures instead. Did I care? Was I bovvered? In short... no. I attended just one fixture over the best part of a whole month down under, an NRL local derby clash between the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans, and that was only because a bunch of my Aussie mates wanted to go.

Rugby League was never out of the news whilst I was there. It occupied more than the usual reams of column inches in all the newspapers and it was invariably the top news item on every TV or radio channel news bulletin or notable current affairs programme. Unfortunately, not much of it was about the game itself but depressingly more about the seedier and sleazy underbelly of the sport and what high-profile people in the game get up to in their spare time, which quite frankly is nothing to be proud of at all.

The news was full of allegations of sexual assault on a 17 year old young female by the NRL's current marketing pin-up boy Brett Stewart. The NRL had to suspend their main season 2009 advertising campaign because Stewart featured prominently in it! Then there was the complete and utter implosion of the Cronulla Sharks club where it emerged that a number of their players had indulged in group sex with a young 19 year old female in a Christchurch motel back in 2002. This included one of the most high-profile and highly paid of RL media personalities who played for the Sharks back then. One of their current players then tested positive for a banned substance (I'm surprised he had the time to imbibe or inject anything given he was busy attempting to sue the pants off his former club for wrongful dismissal unless he was paid compensation of $100k), their halfback had been suspended for alcohol-fuelled, off-field indiscretions, their skipper was sacked from the captaincy role due to racist remarks made to an opposition player during a game, their sponsors were pulling the plug on their financial support in droves, and just to cap it all off, their CEO had punched a female employee of the club and urged another female employee of the club to give him a good spanking! If ever a club epitomised the brainless, boozy, macho, misogynistic, racist, rotten-to-the-core culture of the game in Australia, it was Cronulla. Given the current climate, Willie Mason being caught on camera (above) having a leak outside a nightclub ought to be regarded as nothing more than light relief.

With all this crap unfolding whilst I was over there, alongside the memory of other sleazy incidents that had taken place at Coffs Harbour and Fortitude Valley, I'd simply had a gutful and lost my appetite for turning up to any game down under.

I very much doubt the culture of RL is much different among clubs and players in England. The only difference is that incidents don't get reported or scrutinised like they do in Australia due to the much lower profile the game receives from the media in the UK. After all, it didn't take long for a well-known and highly-capped GB and England international to go looking for sleazy, extra-curricular activities whilst on tour with the RLWC squad last year. He even had the testicular fortitude (one wonders if he needed the boost of any help there?) to organise it all on Facebook prior to his arrival in Australia. He may have been judged a 10 out of 10 between the sheets, but his on-field performances in the RLWC most definitely rated no more than a 3 or a 4, which pretty much correspond to his ordinary match ratings throughout the rest of his highly overrated international career.

REVIEW ON ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP FAILINGS ANNOUNCED!

Take a good look at this photo...

RIGHT HERE ---------------->

What is it saying?

What is it telling you?

And who is that bloke?

All shall now be revealed.

The bloke in the photo is Richard Lewis and he is the Executive Director of the RFL. He's got the top job in the game in this country and he has the power to initiate change... to make things happen... for the good of the game... allegedly!

He and the RFL recently announced a thorough review of the embarrassing and spectacular failings of England and their dire performances in the Rugby League World Cup last Oct/Nov. After all, searching questions needed to be asked. Where and why did it all go wrong? Why did England get tonked by Australia 52-4? Why did they get tonked by New Zealand twice? Why did they struggle to scrape past Papua New Guinea in a game they were very fortunate to win?

The review effectively asked the players why they were shit in the RLWC, and this is what they came up with:

1. Players said they did not perform to their full ability.
2. Although there were different social groups the players said these did not affect team performance.
3. Players and coaching staff felt they needed more time together on the training field in advance of the tournament.
4. Injuries pre-tour affected the balance of the squad.
5. Players recognised a greater need for emphasis on sports science.
6. Rule interpretations, which were only agreed the week before the tournament, were a factor.

On point 1 - What is their recent historical record of results in internationals down under during the Super League era touring as either GB or England? Against New Zealand, they've played 8 times and lost every one of them! Against Australia, they've played 5, won once and lost the other 4 convincingly. One win and twelve losses then! That's quite a depressing record of not performing to one's full abilities down under, assuming that is the case. On the other hand, it just might be the case that they do perform to their full ability but the ability they possess just isn't of a high enough standard against superior opposition?

On point 2 - The Saints and Leeds players didn't gel on tour socially. I'm pleased that bullshit excuse for failure in the RLWC has finally been laid to rest.

On point 3 - Prior to the RLWC, didn't Tony Smith and Jamie Peacock claim England's preparations for the tour had been excellent and that no stone had been left unturned in preparing the side?

On point 4 - Which England players missed out on the tour through injury? Sam Burgess and Sean O'Loughlin are the main two, then there's Gareth Raynor, Andy Lynch and Kirk Yeaman. You know what? Had they been fit, I don't think their inclusion in England's RLWC tour squad would have made a blind bit of difference to the results.

On point 5 - Yep, they need to adopt a more sports scientific approach alrighty, but right now it's just a buzzword or a soundbite to give an appearance of actually doing something.

On point 6 - Rule interpretations and southern hemisphere referees were to blame for your pisspoor results were they? For gawds sake! Perhaps it's time for Super League rule interpretations to fall in line with proper Rugby League rule interpretations which everyone else subscribes to, huh?

The RFL's review of England's failings in the RLWC resulted in a Seven Point Plan to deliver future international success. However, there is a major problem with the whole review process and it's objectives to deliver that success. Nowhere has anyone identified one of the main reasons for repeated international failure, and guess what? One of the main reasons for failure is staring Richard Lewis right in the face on that photo above. And it's that whole different ballgame written in black and white on the screen. And it's called Super League! It ain't competitive, it ain't played to any degree of intensity comparable with the NRL, the playing standards are comparatively poor and our top players aren't tested week in, week out. Super League doesn't prepare our players for the huge step up in intensity and class required to compete successfully at international level against the Aussies and Kiwis.

And it's the Super League clubs and their CEO's who run the game (not Richard Lewis) and it is they who call all the shots. It is the clubs who adopt short-term strategies for success by signing a multitude of overseas players who, for the most part, are well past their sell-by date by NRL standards and surplus to requirements there, hence denying home-produced young players first grade opportunities to progress at Super League level, thus diluting the English talent pool available.

International playing standards and performances can only ever mirror the playing standards set in the respective domestic competitions in which the players ply their trade. I guess that's why the RLWC Final was contested by two international sides whose players almost exclusively (apart from Thomas Leuluai) ply their trade in the NRL.

WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONS STILL DOING IT TOUGH!

Current World Club Champions Manly Sea Eagles who destroyed the reigning Super League champions Leeds Rhinos last month are sitting pretty at the bottom of the NRL Ladder after four rounds of that competition. I'll allow others to draw their own conclusions as to where Super League playing standards sit in relation to the playing standards being set down under.

NRL Ladder after Round 4

	P	W	L	D	B	+/-	Pts
South Sydney Rabbitohs	4	3	1	0	0	50	6
Gold Coast Titans	4	3	1	0	0	28	6
Canterbury Bulldogs	4	3	1	0	0	28	6
St George Illawarra Dragons	4	3	1	0	0	22	6
Brisbane Broncos	4	3	1	0	0	6	6
Penrith Panthers	4	2	2	0	0	12	4
Newcastle Knights	4	2	2	0	0	2	4
Melbourne Storm	4	2	2	0	0	1	4
New Zealand Warriors	4	2	2	0	0	-12	4
Sydney Roosters	4	2	2	0	0	-14	4
Parramatta Eels	4	2	2	0	0	-18	4
Wests Tigers	4	2	2	0	0	-24	4
North Queensland Cowboys	4	1	3	0	0	8	2
Cronulla Sharks	4	1	3	0	0	-20	2
Canberra Raiders	4	1	3	0	0	-29	2
Manly Sea Eagles	4	0	4	0	0	-40	0