The New Zealand rugby league season 1997 was the 90th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand . The main feature of the year was the Super League Challenge Cup that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League . Waikato won the Challenge Cup by defeating Canterbury 34-18 and also ended the season holding the Rugby League Cup .
94-486: Duane Darrin Mann (born 28 June 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative hooker , he captained both sides. Mann played his club football for New Zealand sides Glenora, North Harbour, Auckland Warriors and Counties Manukau, as well as for English club, Warrington . Of Maori and Tongan descent, Mann
188-830: A Queensland side 26–12 at Ericsson Stadium in May as part of the Super League Tri-series . The team also lost to New South Wales and failed to make the final. The side was coached by Graeme Norton and he served as a selector alongside Frank Endacott and Gary Kemble . The squad for the two matches was Anthony Swann , Sean Hoppe , Tea Ropati , Ruben Wiki , Richie Barnett , Gene Ngamu , Stacey Jones , Quentin Pongia , Syd Eru , Joe Vagana , Tony Iro , captain Stephen Kearney , Tawera Nikau , John Timu , Brady Malam , Tyran Smith and Marc Ellis . After losing to Australia in
282-806: A schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU). The success of working class northern teams led to some compensating players who otherwise would be on their job and earning income on Saturdays. This led to the RFU reacting to enforce the amateur principle of the sport, preventing "broken time payments" to players who had taken time off work to play rugby. Northern teams typically had more working class players (coal miners, mill workers etc.) who could not afford to play without this compensation, in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain
376-420: A faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income the new organisation and its members depended. In rugby league, points are scored by carrying an oval ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing team's goal line; this is called a try , and is the primary method of scoring, worth four points. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling
470-437: A mix of the two sports' rules. Much more so than rugby union, rugby league shares significant similarities with North American gridiron codes. Although described as evolving from both rugby and association football , the basic structures of American and Canadian football are remarkably similar to rugby league through a process of parallel evolution: a try-and-goal based scoring system, a set number of plays before handover of
564-616: A new simpler game that was intended to be a faster-paced form of rugby football. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football league s" and introducing Northern Union rules. In 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football. In 1895,
658-629: A professional level. 45 national teams are ranked by the RLIF and a further 32 are officially recognized and unranked. The strongest rugby league nations are Australia , England , New Zealand , Samoa and Tonga . The Rugby League World Cup is the highest form of representative rugby league. Countries that have contested are Australia , Cook Islands , England , Fiji , France , Ireland , Italy , Jamaica , Lebanon , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Russia , Samoa , Scotland , South Africa , Tonga , US and Wales . The 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which
752-453: A result play stops much less frequently in rugby league, with the ball typically in play for 50 out of the 80 minutes compared to around 35 minutes for professional rugby union. Other differences include that there are fewer players in rugby league (13 compared to 15) and different rules for tackling . Rugby union has more detailed rules than rugby league and has changed less since the 1895 schism. Since rugby union turned professional in
846-646: A season for the North Harbour Sea Eagles who he captained to win the 1994 Lion Red Cup . In 1994 he was made captain of the New Zealand side. Mann was signed by the Auckland Warriors who were to enter the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995, and played in the club's inaugural match. That year he switched national allegiance back to Tonga whom he captained in both the 1995 and later
940-415: A team's creative unit or 'playmakers'. During the interactions between a team's 'key' players (five-eighth, half-back, fullback, lock forward, and hooker), the five-eighth and half-back will usually be involved in most passing moves. These two positions are commonly called the "halves". The forwards' two responsibilities can be broken into "normal play" and "scrum play". For information on a forward's role in
1034-401: A value of 2 points when kicked from beyond the 40 metre line. Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates, therefore, have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. The ball may be kicked ahead, but if teammates are in front of the kicker when
SECTION 10
#17328813589381128-472: Is a popular sport in countries such as England , Australia , New Zealand , France , Tonga , Fiji , Samoa , Lebanon , Jamaica , and Malta . The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the first World Cup of either rugby code, and has been held sporadically ever since, settling into a four-yearly cycle in the 2010s; as of 2023 , the holders are Australia . A short-sided version of
1222-468: Is conducted under the direction of the Federation of International Touch (FIT). Though it shares similarities and history with rugby league , it is recognised as a sport in its own right due to its differences which have been developed over the sport's lifetime. Touch is a variation of rugby league with the tackling of opposing players replaced by a touch. As touches must be made with minimal force, touch
1316-521: Is one of the two major codes of rugby football , the other being rugby union . It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield , Yorkshire , England, as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over the issue of payments to players. The rules of the game governed by the new Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing
1410-432: Is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland . The game is also among the predominant sports of Tonga and is played in other Pacific nations such as Samoa and Fiji . Researchers have found that rugby league has been able to help with improving development in the islands. In Australia, and indeed the rest of the region, the annual State of Origin series ranks among
1504-536: Is therefore considered a limited-contact sport. The original basic rules of touch were established in the 1960s by members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club in Sydney, Australia . OzTag is a non-contact form of rugby league, and can be seen as a variation of British tag rugby. Cronulla Sharks and St George Dragons halfback Perry Haddock introduced the sport in Australia while coaching
1598-413: Is worth. One of the main differences is the rules of possession. When the ball goes into touch , possession in rugby union is contested through a line-out , while in rugby league a scrum restarts play. The lesser focus on contesting possession means that play focuses more on powerful running, hard tackling, forward progression and the contest for field position (commonly compared to an "arm wrestle"); as
1692-579: The 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final replay at Odsal Stadium , Bradford , England, setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code. Also in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French. In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on
1786-646: The 1988 Pacific Cup in Apia , Samoa . In 1989 Mann signed for the Warrington Wolves in the English Championship . During the 1989 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand he was selected to play for the Kiwis against Australia. From 1989 to 1993 Mann would play in 24 consecutive tests, including matches that formed part of the 1989–1992 World Cup . Mann played for Warrington as a hooker in their 14-36 defeat by Wigan in
1880-590: The 1990 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium , London on Saturday 28 April 1990, in front of a crowd of 77,729. During the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France he played for his club Warrington against Australia. Mann played hooker in Warrington 's 12-2 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1990–91 Regal Trophy Final at Headingley , Leeds on Saturday 12 January 1991. Mann played for three seasons in England before returning home to Auckland and playing
1974-406: The 1999 NRL season . Figure shown is the total attendance which is officially counted for both games. ** The official attendance of the 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay was 102,569. Unofficial estimates put the attendance as high as 150,000, Bradford Police confirming 120,000. 1997 New Zealand rugby league season A New Zealand side selected from Australasian-based New Zealanders lost to
SECTION 20
#17328813589382068-653: The 2000 World Cup tournaments. Mann left the Warriors in 1996 and returned to win the Lion Red Cup, as captain of the Counties Manukau Heroes . He captained and won three successive Fox Memorial Championships with the Glenora Bears in the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Auckland Rugby League competition and again represented Auckland in the 1997 Super League Challenge Cup . Mann was occasionally involved in coaching with
2162-451: The ARL and NZRL . Since rugby league was introduced to Australia in 1908, it has become the largest television sport and 3rd most attended sport in Australia. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea is one of two countries to have rugby league as its national sport (with Cook Islands ). Australia's elite club competition also features a team from Auckland , New Zealand's biggest city. Rugby league
2256-660: The Auckland Heroes , who were coached by Brian McClennan and included captain Duane Mann , Tama Hohaia, Phillip Leuluai , Dean Clark , Ben Lythe , Anthony Seuseu , Don Stewart , Hare Te Rangi , Willie Wolfgramme , Paki Tuimavave , Charlie Kennedy, Darryl Beazley, Boycie Nelson and Lesley Vainikolo , and the Auckland Raiders, who represented Auckland Rugby League 's second division and were coached by Dominic Clark. The Raiders included Tyrone Pau . Other teams included
2350-714: The Gisborne-East Coast Rugby League grand final. Ranginui won the Coastline grand final 30–22 over Te Paamu. However, Te Paamu won a Rotorua/Coastline combined Super 12 competition, defeating Taupo 42–12 in the final. The Western Suburbs Tigers defeated the Waitara Bears 30–28 in the Taranaki Rugby League grand final. Otaki defeated Castlecliff 34–18 in the Manawatu Rugby League grand final. In
2444-496: The Glenora Bears from schoolboys right up to premier grade. When the Tonga national rugby league team was first formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup he was selected to play in the side, making his international début. Mann made his début for the Auckland rugby league team in 1987 and played in their 30-14 win over Great Britain in 1988. He was also selected to represent Tonga at
2538-969: The Hawke's Bay , Taradale won their fourth consecutive title. They defeated the Napier Bulldogs 29–28. In the South Island, the Whakatu Firebirds defeated the Motueka Tigers 28–4 in the Tasman Rugby League grand final and Cobden-Kohinoor won the West Coast Rugby League competition, defeating Waro-Rakau 20–6. South Pacific won the Otago Rugby League club competition, beating the Wakatipu Cougars 32–24. He Tauaa defeated Bluff 40–16 in
2632-620: The New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman's Hotel in George Street. Unlike in England, where both codes maintained their own geographic areas of dominance, in Australia rugby league went on to displace rugby union entirely as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland , while Australian rules football dominated the rest of Australia. On 5 May 1954, 102,569 spectators watched
2726-682: The New Zealand Rugby League 's player of the year award. Canterbury won the Rugby League Cup from Auckland 32–26 in June and then defended it against West Coast (twice), Tasman , Southland and Taranaki before losing it to Waikato 34–18 in the Challenge Cup final. The Sky Challenge Cup replaced the Lion Red Cup as the main domestic competition. It was cost conscious after
2820-721: The Northland Rugby League grand final. This was the first year of a Northland wide competition. The Taniwharau Rugby League Club won the Waikato Rugby League title, defeated Turangawaewae 21–20 in the grand final. Kevin Fisher coached Huntly South. Putaruru United won the Rotorua-Midlands competition for a second year in a row, defeating Pikiao 18–10. The Turanga Panthers defeated the Paikea Whalers 44–32 to win
2914-722: The Ottawa Aces were scheduled to join the English league pyramid, becoming the only Canadian team in the system after the Wolfpack were denied re-entry. The club subsequently relocated to Penryn, Cornwall , and are now known as Cornwall R.L.F.C. In 2021, the North American Rugby League announced an attempt to be North America's professional championship, with Canadian club Toronto Wolfpack joining several USA Rugby League clubs, New York Freedom and Cleveland Rugby League to form
Duane Mann - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-572: The Rugby League European Federation and Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation expanding the game to new areas such as Chile , Canada , Ghana , Philippines , Czech Republic , Germany , The Netherlands , Sweden , Norway , Spain , Sri Lanka , Hungary , Turkey , Thailand and Brazil to name a few. The two most prominent full-time professional leagues are the Australian National Rugby League and
3102-848: The Super League 's Telstra Cup Premiership and World Club Championship . They finished 7th in the Super League but made the semi-finals of the World Club Championship. The final of the World Club Championship, between Brisbane and Hunter , was held in Auckland's Ericsson Stadium . The Glenora Bears won the Super 10 Fox Memorial grand final, beating the Mangere East Hawks 34–14. The Glenora side included Duane Mann , Cliff Beverley , Boycie Nelson and Ben Lythe . Mangere East had finished
3196-547: The Waikato Cougars , who were coached by Bill Kells and featured Tukere Barlow , Darryl Fisher and Kelly Shelford , and the Northland Wild Boars , who were coached by Phil Marsh and included Jason Mackie . The Auckland Heroes were unbeaten in their six-round robin games while the Auckland Raiders won just once in the round robin. Waikato won three of their six matches. On the 14 September Waikato defeated
3290-519: The Wellington Dukes , Wellington Pumas , Taranaki Rockets , coached by Howie Tamati and including Artie Shead , and the Manawatu Mustangs . Wellington Rugby League approached the Auckland Warriors about releasing Syd Eru and Stephen Kearney for the competition, but they were unsuccessful. The Wellington Dukes included Denvour Johnston . The Wellington Pumas were a second XIII from
3384-466: The 1990s, when News Corporation paid for worldwide broadcasting rights. The media giant's "Super League" movement created changes for the traditional administrators of the game. In Europe, it resulted in a move from Rugby League being a winter sport to a summer one, as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market. In Australasia, the Super League war resulted in long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties, causing significant damage to
3478-518: The 1992 St George Jersey Flegg side. Together with Chris Parkes, the two took the sport to fields across Australia. Today, it is played by over 200,000 players in organised leagues across the country. League Tag replaces tackling with the removal of one of two tags carried on an opponent's hips, attached directly to specific League Tag shorts with Velcro patches, but otherwise retains almost all other rules of traditional rugby league (such as kicking). A number of additional rules are also added relating to
3572-451: The 2017 Kingstone Press League 1 in their inaugural season and earned promotion to the 2018 Rugby League Championship. In 2019 The Wolfpack won promotion to the Super League, lasting only a few months before having to withdraw due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic . New ownership is currently trying to revive the club with matches against amateur clubs in the US and Canada. Beginning in 2022,
3666-660: The Auckland Heroes at Carlaw Park for the first time since 1943, while Northland eliminated the Raiders from the competition. Northland were subsequently eliminated by the Auckland Heroes. The Eastern Region featured the Bay of Plenty Stags , Hawkes Bay Unicorns , Coastline and the Gisborne-East Coast Lions . Bay of Plenty included Patrick Kuru and Mark Woods . Coastline included Andrew Leota . The Central Zone featured
3760-647: The British Super League (with teams from New Zealand and France respectively). Other professional and semi professional leagues include Australia's Queensland Cup (which includes a team from Papua New Guinea ) and NSW Cup , the British RFL Championship and RFL League 1 , the French Super XIII and Elite 2 . The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League operates as a semi-professional competition and enjoys nationwide media coverage, being
3854-520: The Central Sharks and Ellerslie . Mt Albert , Mt Wellington , Hibiscus Coast and Richmond applied to join the competition but were unsuccessful. The Central Sharks consisted of Richmond , Ponsonby , Mt Albert and City-Pt Chev . Richmond defeated Hibiscus Coast 30–20 in the final of the Sharman Cup. Willie Wolfgramm played for Marist while Don Stewart and Paul Rauhihi played for
Duane Mann - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-606: The Challenge Cup and the Rugby League Cup. After the victory, Lion Breweries ' Kevin Moore declared that the Cougars deserved a public parade. Aranui High School upset St. Paul's College , defeating them 48–6 in the final held at Rugby League Park . Mark Leafa , Wairangi Koopu and Henry Perenara all competed in the competition, for De Le Salle, Rakaumanga and Lynfield College respectively. The Auckland Warriors competed in
4042-525: The National Rugby League, this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season and further reduced to eight prior to the 2016 season. If a team has to interchange a player due to the blood bin rule or due to injury, and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team, the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field. The backs are generally smaller, faster and more agile than
4136-763: The Northcote Tigers. Otahuhu included Dean Clark and Hare Te Rangi . In the regional cup, James Leuluai coached Mt Wellington , Brian McClennan coached the Hibiscus Coast Raiders and Fred Ah Kuoi coached the Richmond Bulldogs . The Upper Hutt Tigers won the Appleton Shield. The team included Denvour Johnston . Hornby, coached by former Kiwi Wayne Wallace , and Papanui met in the Canterbury Rugby League grand final. Hornby defended
4230-415: The Pat Smith Challenge Trophy 20–12. Mark Nixon played for Hornby but missed the final due to injury however Simon Angell did appear in the final. Blair Harding played for Papanui while Phil Prescott coached Halswell. West Coast's Cobden-Kohinoor Kea's won the Thacker Shield match against Hornby, defeating them 30–10. The Otaika Eagles, led by Jason Mackie , defeated the Hokianga Pioneers 23–20 in
4324-434: The Tongan national side, and in 2006 he was co-coach of the team that won the Pacific Cup . Mann has worked in the sport and education sector for over 15 years and has also run his own retail business and corporate training. Mann also served for a time as the New Zealand Warriors Junior Development Coach. In 2008 and 2009 he was the head coach of the Glenora Bears in the Auckland Rugby League . He has also held positions as
4418-414: The amateur principle. In 1895, a decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to twenty-two clubs (including Stockport, who negotiated by telephone) meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield , on 29 August 1895 and forming the "Northern Rugby Football Union". Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join
4512-447: The ball comes into contact with the ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Once the tackle is completed, the ball-carrier must be allowed to get to his feet to ' play-the-ball '. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards. The ball can also be turned over by going over
4606-421: The ball is kicked, they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the ball may be tackled. A tackle is complete, for example, when the player is held by one or more opposing players in such a manner that he can make no further progress and cannot part with the ball, or when the player is held by one or more opposing players and the ball or the hand or arm holding
4700-466: The bodies that split to create a new form of rugby, distinct from that run by the Rugby Football Unions, in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908. The first of these, the Northern Rugby Football Union , was established in 1895 as a breakaway faction of England's Rugby Football Union (RFU). Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first, although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately, thus creating
4794-417: The coaching development manager with Regional Sports Trusts and the Greater Auckland Coaching Unit, and New Zealand Rugby League 's high performance director. Mann was previously Business & Sport Director and also Old Boys Chairman at Kelston Boys High School and occasionally works as a commentator and presenter on Sky TV . In 2010 and 2011 he was the head coach of the Bay Roskill Vikings . In 2024, Mann
SECTION 50
#17328813589384888-469: The code in an extremely competitive sporting market. In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia, after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed. The NRL has since become recognised as the sport's flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures. The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries , goals and field goals (also known as drop goals) than
4982-502: The end of the 15 weeks. Rugby league Rugby league football , commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby XIII in non- Anglophone Europe and South America, and referred to colloquially as football , footy , rugby , or league in its heartlands, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It
5076-487: The expensive Lion Red Cup and focused on regional pools to save on travel costs. The Competition started in August and finished on the 12 October with a grand final. Sixteen teams were grouped into four regions. Each regional pool consisted of a round robin followed by a regional three-match play off series to determine quarter final rankings, the competition then moved into a knock out phases including two teams from each region. The Northern Zone included two Auckland sides;
5170-404: The final and then defeated Western Samoa 16–0 to win the tournament. The Junior Kiwis were coached by Lex Clarke and included Brian Leauma , Frank Puletua , David Solomona , Tony Puletua , Kyle Leuluai , captain Monty Betham , Odell Manuel , Ali Lauitiiti , Peter Lewis , Fred Petersen , Joe Galuvao and Lesley Vainikolo . The team won the first match 17-16 before losing 14–18 in
5264-450: The five years prior to the Second World War , the sport's popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s. However, after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940, the Vichy regime in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left-wing Popular Front government that had governed France before
5358-407: The football, each play restarting from a set piece position and ended by a tackle. Although the Canadian Football League in particular maintained the word 'rugby' in its name for many years, alluding to that shared past, the introduction of the forward pass and unlimited substitution in North American games created a fundamentally different species of game from either original rugby code. Although
5452-407: The forwards. They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field, relying on running, kicking and handling skills, as well as tactics and set plays, to break the defensive line, instead of brute force. Generally forwards play a more collision oriented game, making ground by pure strength, and tackling near the play-the-ball. Usually, the stand-off/five-eighth and scrum-half/half-back are
5546-406: The fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover. 1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played. The first sponsors, Joshua Tetley and John Player , entered the game for the 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season . Television had an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in
5640-411: The historic link between the codes continues to be acknowledged, neither Canadian or American football is commonly considered a rugby code today except in the broadest sense, and are more commonly referred to collectively as gridiron codes, or simply as 'football' within their respective countries. Players on the pitch are divided into forwards and backs , although the game's rules apply to all players
5734-603: The inaugural Anzac Test in 34-22 Sydney on 25 April, the New Zealand national rugby league team hosted Australia in September at North Harbour Stadium . They were able to defeat them 30–12, the first time they had beaten Australia since 1991. Frank Endacott coached the Kiwis. The squad for the 1997 Anzac Test was Richie Barnett , Sean Hoppe , Ruben Wiki , John Timu , Daryl Halligan , Gene Ngamu , Stacey Jones , Grant Young , Syd Eru , Quentin Pongia , Tony Iro , captain Stephen Kearney , Tawera Nikau . Bench: Tea Ropati , Tyran Smith , Robbie Paul and Joe Vagana . For
SECTION 60
#17328813589385828-409: The kicker. The Super League in Europe and the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australasia are the world's premier club competitions. Globally, rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasian , and Pacific Island countries, and is governed by the International Rugby League . Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands and
5922-448: The league's inaugural season. Several brand new clubs from Western USA were scheduled to join in 2022 but never played. The new competition is sanctioned by Canada Rugby League , but not yet by the United States governing body. Unfortunately, while some exhibition matches were played in 2021 and 2022, NARL was defunct by 2023 The early 21st century has seen other countries take up the game and compete in international rugby league with
6016-453: The mid-1990s, it has increasingly borrowed techniques, tactics and even laws from rugby league, while high-profile players and coaches from the league game have increasingly gone on to success in the union code in those countries where both codes are popular (e.g. Andy Farrell , Jason Robinson and Henry Paul ). The inherent similarities between rugby league and rugby union have at times led to experimental hybrid games being played that use
6110-437: The most popular sporting events. The Rugby League European Federation are responsible for developing rugby league in Europe . In England, rugby league has traditionally been associated with the historic northern counties of Yorkshire , Lancashire , and Cumberland , where the game originated, especially in towns and cities along the M62 corridor . Its popularity has also increased elsewhere. As of 2024 , only two of
6204-413: The national sport of the country. Five main variant sports of rugby league exist worldwide; Touch , OzTag , League tag , Nines , and Sevens . Touch, OzTag, and League Tag are all non-contact versions of the sport, where as Nines and Sevens are both reduced form (shorter match times and smaller teams) of the sport. Touch (also known as touch football or touch rugby) is a variant of rugby league that
6298-439: The new Super League, although the club was dissolved in 1997. In 2006, the Super League admitted the Catalans Dragons, a team from Perpignan in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. They have subsequently reached the 2007 Challenge Cup Final and made the playoffs of the 2008 Super League XIII season. The success of the Dragons in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league, with new-found enthusiasm for
6392-405: The north of England there have been complaints about its lack of profile in the British media. On the eve of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final where England would face Australia, English amateur rugby league coach Ben Dawson stated, "we're in the final of a World Cup. First time in more than 30 years and there's no coverage anywhere". France first played rugby league as late as 1934, where in
6486-475: The opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If after two-halves of play, each consisting of forty minutes, the two teams are drawing , a draw may be declared, or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule, depending on the relevant competition's format. The try is the most common form of scoring, and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield or passing from player-to-player in order to manoeuvre around
6580-400: The opposition's defence. A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team's goal-line and is worth four points. A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty . A field goal, or drop goal, is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play. A field goal has
6674-471: The parent sport, and retains key aspects of that sport such as an egg shaped ball, the forward-pass rule and conversions. While not a Paralympic sport, the sport has its own Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup . A further variation for ambulatory disabled players, physical disability rugby league , was created and had its first world cup in 2022 to coincide with the rescheduled 2021 Rugby League World Cup competitions. Rugby league football takes its name from
6768-403: The player carrying the ball and denying forward progress. On occasion, where a clear try scoring opportunity has been thwarted by foul play, a penalty try may be awarded without the ball being grounded over the try line. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. Drop goals (or field goals) can be attempted from the hand at any time for a single point. Following a successful try,
6862-542: The position they play, similarly to association football . Substitutes (generally referred to as "the bench") are allowed in the sport, and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured , although they can also be used tactically. Each team is currently allowed four substitutes, and in Australia and New Zealand, these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22. There are no limitations on which players must occupy these interchangeable slots. Generally, twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team, although in
6956-714: The region. The Dukes won the zone with the Rockets finishing second. Manawatu did not win a game. The Rockets them eliminated the Pumas in a close zonal play-off match. The Southern Zone featured the West Coast Chargers , Canterbury Reds , who included Simon Angell , Blair Harding , Mark Nixon and were coached by Gerard Stokes , the Tasman Orcas and the Southland Rams . Southland had defeated Otago 34–20 to qualify for
7050-461: The round robin. Canterbury hosted the West Coast at Lancaster Park , the first time they had played there since 1920. Canterbury were undefeated in the round robin while Tasman failed to win a match. Canterbury defeated West Coast in a close South zone final, 28–21, on the 14 September. In the first round of finals on 28 September Canterbury defeated Taranaki while West Coast also advanced to
7144-577: The rugby league. In 1897, the line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced. In 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after tackles with the play-the-ball . By this point, rule changes meant the game organised by the RFL was distinct as a sport from its union cousin. A similar schism to that which occurred in England took place in Sydney , Australia. There, on 8 August 1907
7238-501: The same way. Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players. These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing. The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in. In Australia and New Zealand, each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field. However, since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers, which they keep without regard to
7332-400: The scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion worth a further two points. Penalty kicks at goal, known simply as penalties, may also be awarded for general foul play, and are also worth two points. Unlike drop goals, penalty kicks and conversions are taken from the ground, with the ball usually set in a kicking tee , and the opposing team not allowed to directly challenge
7426-496: The scrum see rugby league scrummage . Forward positions are traditionally named after the player's position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to "normal play" with the exception of the hooker. Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows: Rugby league is played in over 70 nations throughout the world. Papua New Guinea is the only country to have rugby league as its national sport . Four countries – Australia, England, France, and New Zealand – have teams that play at
7520-565: The season as minor premiers while Marist won the Roope Rooster pre-season trophy and Otara won the Stormont Shield. Tukere Barlow from Mangere East won the season's best and fairest award. Mangere East also included George Tuakura and Anthony Seuseu . This was the first year of the Super 10 competition. The ten teams involved were: Glenora , Mangere East , Northcote , Marist / Roskill , Otahuhu , Manurewa , Manukau , Te Atatu ,
7614-1224: The second Test match Matthew Ridge returned as captain and Richard Blackmore , Kevin Iro , John Lomax and Logan Swann all played. 17,456 fans turned out to North Harbour Stadium for the match. In the Oceania Cup , the New Zealand XIII and the New Zealand Māori met in the final at Carlaw Park , with New Zealand XIII winning 20 – 15. New Zealand Māori were coached by Cameron Bell and included Dean Clark , Tukere Barlow , Frank Watene , Darryl Beazley and Solomon Kiri . New Zealand XIII were coached by Gary Kemble and included Glenn Coughlan, Blair Harding , Mike Dorreen , Iva Ropati , Shane Endacott , captain Aaron Whittaker , Mark Faumuina , Denvour Johnston , Hitro Okesene , Jerry Seuseu , Bryan Henare , Meti Noovao , Brad Williams, Joe Galuvao , Fa'ausu Afoa , Ben Fahey, Jason Kerapa, Keneti Asiata and Paul Staladi . Richard Stewart replaced Shane Endacott when he withdrew due to injury. Before
7708-632: The second to draw the series. A New Zealand Academy side, which included Leslie Vainikolo , Wairangi Koopu , Mark Leafa , Filimone Lolohea and Ali Lauitiiti , lost to Australia under-17's 42–26 in the curtain raiser to the Super League Tri-series final. The Kiwi Ferns defeated Australia 2–0 in an unofficial Test series. The first match was won 34–26 in Wellington while the second was hosted at Carlaw Park in Auckland. The Kiwi Ferns won 40–16. The Australian Women's side won tour matches against Gisborne East Coast and Hawkes Bay. Stephen Kearney won
7802-522: The semi-finals with a shock 34–22 win over the Wellington Dukes. In the semi-finals on the 5 October Canterbury defeated the West Coast 24–30. In the other semi final Waikato defeated the Auckland Heroes for the second time to eliminate them from the competition. In the grand final on 12 October, which was played in Christchurch 's Rugby League Park , Waikato defeated Canterbury 34–18 to win both
7896-729: The series began the New Zealand Māori bet the New Zealand XIII 21–19 at Ericsson Stadium . Graham Norton again was the selector-coach for the New Zealand World Nines team. The squad was Stacey Jones , Marc Ellis , captain Stephen Kearney , Joe Vagana , Shane Endacott , Richie Barnett , Ruben Wiki , Quentin Pongia , Robbie Paul , Tony Tatupu , Tony Iro , Tyran Smith , John Timu and Jason Williams . Henry Paul , Matthew Ridge , Sean Hoppe , Grant Young and Gene Ngamu all withdrew due to injuries. New Zealand made
7990-524: The sideline. Rugby league and rugby union are distinct sports with many similarities and a shared origin. Both have the same fundamental rules, are played for 80 minutes and feature an oval-shaped ball and H-shaped goalposts. Both have rules that the ball cannot be passed forward, and dropping it forwards leads to a scrum. Both use tries as the central scoring method and conversion kicks , penalty goals and drop goals as additional scoring methods. However, there are differences in how many points each method
8084-526: The specific issues associated with a tag based game. Rugby League played with nine players per team with nine minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. Rugby League played with seven players per team with seven minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. The top five attendances for rugby league test matches (International) are: The top five attendances for domestic based rugby league matches are: * NRL double header played to open Round 1 of
8178-633: The sport in the south of the country where most of the Super XIII teams are based. In other parts of Europe, the game is played at semi-professional and amateur level. As of 2023, there is no professional rugby league in North America. From 2017 to 2020, the Toronto Wolfpack were North America 's only active professional Rugby League team, competing in the English Rugby League system. They won
8272-441: The sport, rugby league nines , using modified rugby league rules also exists, and is comparable to rugby sevens . Wheelchair rugby league is a mixed-gender sport using heavily modified rugby league rules for disabled and able-bodied players. Unlike wheelchair rugby which adopted its name after the invention of the sport previously called murderball and is not directly linked to rugby union, wheelchair rugby league has grown out of
8366-559: The twelve Super League teams are based outside of these traditional counties: Catalans Dragons and London Broncos . One other team from outside the United Kingdom, Toulouse Olympique , competes in the British rugby league system , although not at the highest tier Super League level, but rather in the second tier Championship . Super League average attendances are in the 8,000 to 9,500 range. The average Super League match attendance in 2014
8460-566: The war. The sport was unbanned after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime, although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s. Despite this, the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups, and the country hosted the 1954 event. In 1996, a French team, Paris Saint-Germain was one of eleven teams which formed
8554-469: Was 8,365. In 2018 average Super League match attendance was 8,547. Ranked the eighth most popular sport in the UK overall, rugby league is the 27th most popular participation sport in England according to figures released by Sport England ; the total number of rugby league participants in England aged 16 and over was 44,900 in 2017. This is a 39% drop from 10 years ago. While the sport is largely concentrated in
8648-541: Was born in Auckland on 28 June 1965 into a family that already had a large presence in rugby league, with his father Don Mann representing New Zealand, his cousin Esau going on to play for Tonga, and his brother Don Jr. , going on to work in administration at the New Zealand Warriors . He is also the cousin of fellow New Zealand and Tongan international, George . Mann attended Kelston Boys High School and played for
8742-425: Was drafted in to make his debut on episode 2 of Match Fit: Union vs. League as a medical substitute for Henry Fa'afili , who pulled out before the bronco test due to atrial fibrillation. He gained clearance to substitute when he metabolic age came out -11 against his biological age and finished at 6:37 on his initial bronco test. He improved to 6:20 on the final test. He also made it to a perfect -15 metabolic age at
8836-476: Was hosted by England during October and November 2022, staged the Men's , Women's and Wheelchair competitions together for the first time. The competition formerly featured 16 teams, but has been cut down to 10 for the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup . The Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation 's purpose is to spread the sport of rugby league throughout their region along with other governing bodies such as
#937062