Wales

[Druzik]

Great news in Wales!

leagueunlimited.com/article.php?newsid=16276

[rhino]

Things seem to be looking real good for Wales .

Good on em

[jim]

Wales is coming along nicely ATM. Celtic Crusader are a good chance of a SL spot next year and Millenium Magic is a great concept. It's a real shame they didn't make the WC, would have loved to see them play. As it stands I will most likely see 7 teams at this WC.

[jim]

celticcrusaders.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=players&action=display&thread=2061

More good news from Wales

The Welsh Rugby League have appointed Celtic Crusaders boss John Dixon as their new head coach of the international team.

His first match in charge will be against England in Doncaster on Friday 10th October 2008.

Dixon has been the Head Coach of the Celtic Crusaders since their inception in 2005. He led the Crusaders to the National League Two championship in 2007, an act that enabled the club to apply for a Super League licence this year, and he has consistently stated his desire to help grow the sport in Wales.

Since the advent of the Crusaders in 2005, 30 Welsh-born and bred players have turned out for their first team with an additional 22 Welsh-born players aged 22 and under, turning out for Crusaders Colts, the new feeder side to the Crusaders first team that started this year.

Dixon, who will perform his Wales duties in addition to those in his existing role at the Crusaders, has appointed Iestyn Harris and Justin Morgan as his new assistants and part of his role will be to identify and develop future Welsh international coaches.

Cross-code international Harris has 19 international appearances in Rugby League and 25 appearances in Rugby Union and is well-known to the Welsh rugby public. Currently playing for Bradford Bulls, he is Wales’ record rugby league points scorer with 165 and has recently indicated his desire to move into coaching when his playing career ends. Assisting Dixon in the Wales job would be a perfect start to that career.

Morgan represented Wales between 2000 and 2003 gaining 10 international caps and is now a highly successful coach with Super League’s Hull Kingston Rovers. He rose to prominence as coach of French club, Toulouse Olympique in 2005, when they reached the Challenge Cup Semi-finals. In August 2005. He took control of Hull KR leading them to Super League in 2006 with National League One Grand Final victory against Widnes Vikings while on the cup front that year Rovers shocked the rugby league world with a huge upset in the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup beating Super League side Warrington Wolves 40-36.

In addition, Celtic Crusaders’ assistant coach and football manager Anthony Seibold, who has played for Brisbane Broncos, London Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Hull Kingston Rovers has been appointed as the Welsh Strength and Conditioning Coach while ex-Wales and British Lion dual-code international John Devereux, who won 11 Welsh rugby league caps and 21 in rugby union, remains in his current role as Team Manager.

John Dixon said: “I’m delighted to be taking on the role as the Welsh national coach. There are great developments going on in the game in Wales right now.

“Wales has had many past glories based on elite players but what I see for Wales now is rugby league growing at grass roots level. We will hopefully have a Super League licence with Celtic Crusaders which creates a pathway for young Welsh players. The RFL’s decision to have the home nations represented by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on a permanent basis creates the opportunity to develop a Welsh identification that we can promote and take forward.

“I’m delighted to be working with the best possible coaching staff in Iestyn Harris, Justin Morgan, John Devereux and Anthony Seibold. They are all quality personnel and the experience that they will bring to the national side is immense.

“We’re looking forward to taking on England in October and we understand the challenge that confronts us.”

Wales Rugby League’s Executive Chairman Mark Rowley said: “We believe that John is the perfect man for the job. He is a first class coach and his dedication to developing young Welsh talent is close to his heart. John also has the massive advantage of being based in Wales.

“The Welsh Rugby League are planning for the long term success of the international team. Recent developments around performance pathways and junior programmes give us great optimism for the future of both the Welsh National team and the Celtic Crusaders who we all hope will soon be in the Super League.

“With the 2013 World Cup and beyond in mind, and with John already committed to the Crusaders up until the end of 2011 at the very least, his is committed to developing young Welsh players, born in Wales, to play for Wales.”

Dixon, Seibold and Devereux will be officially welcomed into their roles at a under a under 13s junior match between Valley Cougars and Tydfil Wildcats. The staff along with some current Welsh internationals, will be at Nelson RFC from 6pm while the game will kick-off at 6.30pm.

Welsh Rugby League patrons David Watkins, ex dual-code Wales and Great Britain captain and current president of Newport Gwent Dragons and Janet Ryder AM have also been invited to the event.

All members of the media and general public are also invited to attend with Dixon and the players available for interviews.

[jim]

So Wales will be getting involved in WC warm-ups, great news, they got a big game in England too, it would do wonders for their confidence if they could put in a good performance and stay with 18 points or so.

England V Wales @ Doncaster, 10th October.

I would have liked to have seen it played in Wales but that is the only negitive I see and it is a minor one at that.

[Druzik]

Hello Donny!

That can be a great game. I think its actually a pretty good venue. Dont be surprised to see Wales also play scotland or Ireland for their warm ups.

I wonder who France is going to warm up with... aside England.

[jim]

Jun 18, 2008 21:07:26 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Hello Donny!

That can be a great game. I think its actually a pretty good venue. Dont be surprised to see Wales also play scotland or Ireland for their warm ups.

I wonder who France is going to warm up with... aside England.

Yeh, I don't mind the stadium, just checked out a few pics. That game should sell out if it marketed well. I would have prefered it be played in Wales but it is still good news. I suppose it will give england fans one last look before WC. I hope they also play Ireland still, in Ireland.

I wouldn't be suprised if Ireland and Scotland don't play wales for one reason, Wales would be a good chance of beating them! and I don't know whether they would risk playing and getting beaten by a team that didn't make the WC. Still in saying that I hope they do play them, I would like to see each team have 1 home and 1 away warm-up game before the WC, full strength teams aswell.

PNG and NZ should be hot-spots for warm-ups because the temperature and conditions are similar to australia. I think England should have a Warm-Up in PNG, though not against PNG to get accustomed to what they can expect in Townsville. Or they could have a game in NZ for similar whether in melbourne.

Just wondering what australia will do? since you can't play warm-ups in australia.

Anyway I look forward to the next few months for all the announcments.

[Druzik]

Australia have said they will play the annual PNG game as a test this year. I am assuming that NZ in NZ will also be on.

France did mention ages ago they may pay PNG a visit... but heard nothing about that since.

[jim]

Jun 18, 2008 22:02:51 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Australia have said they will play the annual PNG game as a test this year. I am assuming that NZ in NZ will also be on.

Really? I hadn't heard that, great news for PNG, any idea when that will be? god forbid we may even get it on win or fox

I'm not sure if they will play AUS V NZL in NZ this year, They will already play each other once in the WC and it is quite likely it could be twice, aswell as the anzac test. I suppose if Wallabies can have 4 tests against NZ then why can't the Roos?

I hope AUS have atleast 2 WC warm-up game because those will most likely be the only warm-ups australian get to see.

If it is a full test this year and PNG go decently I hope they persist in coming years, The PMXIII could then be used for South Africa or a PI tour or something like that.

Getting a bit off topic here, I'll make new thread for it.

Jun 18, 2008 22:02:51 GMT 10 Druzik said:

France did mention ages ago they may pay PNG a visit... but heard nothing about that since.

Be nice if they did, either before the WC or a full 2/3/4 game tour next year.

[Marv]

Jun 18, 2008 22:02:51 GMT 10 Druzik said:

France did mention ages ago they may pay PNG a visit... but heard nothing about that since.

They did, it would be Ideal prep for both nations.

[jim]

Jun 20, 2008 21:44:04 GMT 10 Marv said:

Jun 18, 2008 22:02:51 GMT 10 Druzik said:

France did mention ages ago they may pay PNG a visit... but heard nothing about that since.

They did, it would be Ideal prep for both nations.

Hopefully it does go ahead, would be good to see PNG given a few more home internationals to support, I hope the AUS V PNG game goes ahead to, don't know how big stadiums are over there or how they handle ticket sales but I imagine there would be massive demand.

[Druzik]

PNG are mad for their league... if you ever find any of Mal meningas quotes on playing in PNG they are pretty scary.

16,000 packed into a 10,000 seat stadium, people sitting on the stadium roofs and climbing up trees outside the stadium just to get a look at the game. They got that 10,000 to the Aus XIII last year alone in Port Moresby.

[jim]

Jun 20, 2008 22:57:38 GMT 10 Druzik said:

PNG are mad for their league... if you ever find any of Mal meningas quotes on playing in PNG they are pretty scary.

16,000 packed into a 10,000 seat stadium, people sitting on the stadium roofs and climbing up trees outside the stadium just to get a look at the game. They got that 10,000 to the Aus XIII last year alone in Port Moresby.

apparently they have a 16,500 seat stadium in port moresby aswell. Pity the $ isn't there for a new 25k stadium.

[Druzik]

Its the same stadium... its quotes at 16,500 as its the record crowd there... but my cousin has seen it and says no way would more than 10,000 get in there.

[Druzik]

WRL release as follows...

STARTS

Wales will need to look for a new captain for their rugby league side when they face England in October after Lee Briers officially announced his retirement from the international game this morning.

Talking in July’s Rugby League World magazine that is released this Friday, Briers said: “I still consider myself Welsh through but unfortunately the time has come for me to quit the international scene.”

The half-back won 18 caps for Wales following his debut against England in Widnes in 1998. He went on to score eight tries, 20 goals and five drop goals. His 77 points scored places him at fourth on the all-time Welsh scoring list after Iestyn Harris, Jim Sullivan and Jonathan Davies.

Despite consistently outstanding performances for Warrington Wolves and Wales, Briers only won one full Great Britain cap, against France in 2001 where he scored a try and kicked a goal. He was selected in the back-up squad for the 2006 Tri-Nations competition in Australia and New Zealand, playing and scoring six goals in the Lions’ warm-up game in Newcastle. However, he was controversially overlooked for the full series, with many believing he would have offered Britain's attack the variety it badly needed.

Briers, who stood down as Warrington captain in April, scored his 100th try for the club earlier this month, and says that wanting to spend more time with his family is the reason for him standing down.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into my Welsh career but I feel that I have to sacrifice something, and this is it,” Briers added.

“I’ve loved every minute. When I was little, if someone had said to me that I’d have got to play in a World Cup semi-final against the Aussies in a side that was winning for so long, I wouldn’t have believed them.”

Wales Rugby League’s Executive Chairman Mark Rowley said: “We’d like to thank Lee for his services to Wales, he’s been a great ambassador for the international game. We wish him all the best for the future and if he ever wants to get involved in Welsh Rugby League again in the future then all his needs to do is give us a call.”

ENDS