Rugby League Online

Over the last decade, it has been impossible to ignore the influence of the internet on all our lives whether we have chosen to become a part of the online community or not. Everything from the way news is broken to how we communicate has changed thanks to online media. And now, the never ending possibilities of the World Wide Web have begun to engulf Rugby League through rapidly expanding social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Twitter

Twitter arguably first came to national attention of Rugby League fans back in August 2010 when Luck Burgess ‘tweeted’ a picture of the injury he suffered against Castleford – this provoked an overwhelmingly positive reaction from his followers and Twitter’s influence on Rugby League has grown rapidly ever since.

Shaun Ainscough (@ainy18), was quick to follow up the emerging interest of RL on Twitter as he declared “I love tweeting,” commenting on how it is an enjoyable way to interact with fans in the lead up to his debut for the Bulls on boxing day 2010.

Whilst many players themselves have joined the Twitter community Sam Tomkins leads the way in the British game, with 17,000 followers as the second oldest Burgess, NRL’s Sam, leads the Rugby League pack having amassed over 30,000 followers on the developing site and union convert Sonny Bill Williams has amassed 77 thousand followers following his star turn during the Union world cup earlier in the year.

Trends

News can break immediately and spread across the tweeting public almost instantaneously and news from the world of Rugby League has featured amongst the ‘trends’ in the UK on numerous occasions. Widnes Vikings were the first to prove RL to be a topic of great discussion as they trended worldwide, on the back of gaining a super league licence back in March whilst Ryan Hall’s impressive tries against Australia at Wembley saw him become the 5th most discussed topic in the UK.

The news of Matt Parish’s resignation from Salford after just six games in charge first broke on twitter. This saw his name ‘trend’ for a short time on the Thursday of his departure, whilst on a more positive note, ‘Darren Lockyer’ was a popular tending topic in Britain following his crucial performance in Australia’s triumphant 4 nations winning side, which marked the end of a successful 17 year career.

You may think it is only for the younger generation, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! 45-year-old league legend @matinoffiah is a self-confessed Twitter addict having tweeted over 7,000 times whilst @garryschofield6, one year Offiah’s senior, has amassed just over 5,000 followers by posting his opinionated thoughts on all things RL. While journalists, from George riley of the BBC to  are helping to improve the reliability of the sometimes questionable news which appears on the site.

Not just Rugby Players…

England international footballer, Wayne Rooney, who boasts a following of over 1.5 million people, expressed his surprising support of Leeds Rhinos through twitter during the super league grand final, whilst Rio Ferdinand has spoken of his love of RL through the social platform proclaiming to his ever expanding army of over 1.7 million followers, that he is a Wigan supporter, referencing Frano Botica’s ability to kick goals “with his eyes closed” as a reason or his love of the Warriors.

However, the biggest endorsement of RL has come from QPR midfielder, Joey Barton. The controversial one time England international has given his backing of the sport, most notably crediting the use of technology during the grand final, to his following of around 500,000 fans, “all the big decisions, correct…” His comments on the site since have seen his following almost double and as the former schoolboy rugby league player continues to support our sport and win the hearts of Rugby League’s tweeting community – a community which seemingly continues to increase with every passing day.

Facebook

Whilst Twitter is undoubtedly influential in the promotion of our sport, Facebook cannot be overlooked. With over 800 million active users worldwide, it is one of the most lucrative online platforms in the world, however, its influence on rugby league is yet to become pertinent with controversy such as Ryan Baliey’s jokes regarding the tragic earthquake in Japan back in March, overshadowing the positives.

For example Leeds’ bid to host a world cup game was based upon a Facebook campaign as Leeds Rhinos and United teamed up with Leeds City Council to support the proposal. In addition, it offers the chance for more reliable sources of news as official Facebook pages allow news sources to post the latest updates as it becomes a dominant force in the development of new media.

However, Ruby League’s impact stretches further than the relative confines of social networking. Canada Rugby League took to the internet in an attempt to boost their squad and one man to take advantage of this was Harlequins under 20’s player, Louis Robinson.

He was aware of his Canadian ancestry and Rugby League in the country came to his attention through a simple internet search! Whilst browsing the site, he was able to acknowledge the dedication of the small Rugby League community of Canada, and he decided to contact the team which quickly led to Robinson earning his first cap for the Canadian national team. In just his second game, on the back of a 40-10 victory over Jamaica, he played a key role in a closely fought 18-16 defeat of world cup qualifiers, the USA tomahawks.

Facebook is unquestionably popular, however, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the expansion of our game, but it can be a useful social tool which allows those who are fans already to get a good feed of Rugby League.

So, we must turn to twitter, and as it begins to rise in popularity, further interest can only develop for the sport and with the likes of Ferdinand and Barton on board, there seems to be a genuine opportunity for people to be introduced to Rugby league by simply logging on.

There are also developing attempts to use YouTube to our advantage. A channel was launched in January of 2009 and it has since gained almost 700,000 hits whilst a highlights channel for all games was launched at the start of last season and features all the tries form all rounds and internationals – gaining around a quarter of a million views since its introduction in February. 

For rugby league, if the future’s bright - the future’s online.

Rhinos Youngsters Given a Chance

Brian McDermott has rewarded three youngsters with a place in the 25 man squad for next season.

Firstly, prop Brad Singleton has been given a chance to prove himself in the first team. He is perhaps the most recognised name, as he made his debut earlier in the year against Salford. Singleton has been provided with an opportunity after he impressed with a string of strong displays with the Under 20's, and at just 18, he could prove to be a future leader of the forward and he could provide some healthy competition within the pack when considering the recent signings of Richard Moore and Darrell Griffin.

The second addition is 19-year-old hooker Liam Hood. He is likely to be second to Paul McShane in his preferred role, but could prove to be vital in the wake of Danny Buderus' return to Newcastle Knights. He has trained with the senior squad all season which should leave him with enough mettle to make a realistic push for first team action.

The final addition of the young trio is the surprising inclusion of loose forward, Stevie Ward. The 17-year-old has already shown ability beyond his years with some strong performances with the Under 20's. He may not play an influential role next term, but could well be a star for many years to come for Leeds as we look towards building an even more successful squad in the future!

Sven 'Leaves by Mutual Consent' - What Now?

Sven Goran Eriksson has left Leicester City by “mutual consent”, after just over a year in charge at the Championship club.

Despite heavy spending over the summer, the former England manager has seen his side’s form slump somewhat, which has left them sitting in 13th place, looking over their shoulders at League One rather than ahead to the Premier League.

The final straw for the club’s Thai owners is likely to have been Saturday’s unexpected 3-0 defeat at the hands of an out of form Millwall side, despite his dismissal, the 63-year-old has undoubtedly made a significant impression in his latest former role.

When the experienced Swede took the reins at Leicester city, Paolo Sousa had left the Foxes languishing in the relegation places – well below expectations. Sven’s appointment was well received and his high profile allowed for equally high profile loan acquisitions such as Yakubu and Diomansy Kamara. This, combined with Sven’s managing credentials, saw Leicester turn a disappointing start to the season, into a season which included a realistic assault on the play-offs, which eventually faltered, resulting in a 10th placed finish. 

Despite this, the experienced manager’s presence continued to be felt as, backed by the financial power of the club’s owners, £20 Million was spent on a number of high profile signings with the likes of Matt Mills coming in at a cost of £5 Million and Paul Konchesky joined up with the championship outfit from Liverpool, for a seven figure fee.

The former Manchester City, Ivory Coast and Lazio manager was sacked as his high profile team has produced numerous below par performances, ultimately costing Sven his job. So, what does the future hold for both parties?

The current favourite for the vacant manager’s position with City is Martin O’neill. The Northern Irishman has been without a job since his ill-fated departure from Aston Villa last August and may want to build on the success he had with Leicester between 1995 and 2000, which included two League Cup triumphs.

Also in the running is, Billy Davies. The Scot lost his job as Nottingham Forest manager on the back of successive play off disappointments and has shown his knowledge of the Championship, most notable in Derby County’s promotion to the premier league in 2007.

Whilst big names such as Mark Hughes, Rafael Benitez and even former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti are the early favourites for the latest managerial vacancy as Leicester will be looking to appoint the successor to Sven. Either way, their next appointment will become Leicester’s fourth manager in as many years. A fact which will only fuel criticism concerning the lack of stability at the east midlands club.

Sven arguably has the more positive outlook for the future. The Swede has been known for his ability to find employment quickly, suggesting he seems highly likely to find another job soon, whether it be internationally or across Europe. A premier league opportunity may also be on the cards as Blackburn fans continue to voice their objection to Steve Kean’s employment, raising the likelihood of the under fire manager being ousted from his current position.

All Credit to Catalans

Their 44-0 defeat to Wigan was a disappointing way to end the season for the Dragons, but there are many positives to take from the 2011 campaign. Firstly, they improved their final league position on last year by eight places. This was impressive as many followers of the game expected this term to be a time of transition, with the French club looking to build a consistent squad under their new and relatively inexperienced coach. This was made more impressive as they finished comfortably above big-spending clubs such as Bradford and Hull F.C. Also, they were a realistic threat on the top four throughout the season.

37-year-old Steve Menzies has been key to their success this term

Another positive is that they were the only team to complete a Super League double over Wigan. In the process of doing this, they recorded their biggest ever away victory at the D.W Stadium, scoring 47 points against the league's second best defence and limiting the second best attackers to just 12 points in their home victory.

All of this success came with a team dominated by French nationals, with 21 of their 30 man squad holding a French passport. This not only leaves French rugby with a feeling of optimism, but gives evidence for success in the expansion initiative of the sport, in spite of the demise of Toulouse and Crusaders from the forefront the English game.

I hope this undeserved defeat does not overshadow the significant strides that have been made by this rapidly improving team.

Barton Ponders QPR Switch.

Newcastle midfielder, Joey Barton is set to make a decision on his future later today. The one time England international has completed the second part of his medical at QPR's training ground as he moves closer to a departure form St. James' Park.

The talented midfielder, who signed for Newcastle from Manchester City in 2007, has been granted permission to leave on a free transfer regarding critisizm he launched at the Newcastle recruitment initiative on Twitter. Which, seems valid given the £39M revenue of the Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan sales is yet to be re-invested in big-name replacements.

However, Barton has made his reluctance to leave clear, stating on Twitter ''Don't want to leave Newcastle.....I've made that clear but my hands are tied.'' Also, many United fans have expressed their support for the player with various banners at the Sunderland match stating their respect for the 28-year-old.

Also, manager Alan Pardew has claimed that he would be happily welcomed back to the club saying,

"He knows he can come back here and we'll take care of him.'' Going on to say, ''At the same time he's got an offer that is making him think to go elsewhere."

So, Barton is currently considering his future options with his latest tweet stating, ''Going to have to make a decision today, its only fair to all parties.'' Which implies to me that he will move for the sake of convenience.

Premier League New Boys Fail to Progress in League Cup

All three of the Premier League's promoted sides failed in their attempts to progress to the next round of the League Cup.

Firstly, Swansea City faced the seemingly innocuous test of League 2 outfit Shrewsbury Town. However, they made wholesale changes, with only defender Ashley Williams and striker Danny Graham managing to retain their places in the side. Though Brendan Rogers' men did start positively, they failed to build on a 10th minute lead provided by a Shane Sherriff own goal. Shrewsbury launched a spirited fightback and, to their credit, closed out a 3-1 victory, with January recruit from Torquay United, Nicky Wroe, scoring in stoppage time.

The second premier league casualty was Norwich City. The Canaries made 11 changes from the team which drew 1-1 with Stoke on Sunday. They paid the price for their complacency and made an ignominious exit from the competition with a 0-4 thrashing at the hands of League 1 MK Dons. The Carrow Road defeat forced boss Paul Lambert to brand the match the ''worst'' of his two year tenure.

Warnock was 'pleased' with QPR's exit.

This was stark contrast to the reaction Neil Warnock gave after Rochdale inflicted a 0-2 home defeat on his weakened QPR side. He stated that he was ''glad'' to have departed from the competition and disregarded its importance and claimed the competition needs ''a revamp.'' The disappointing 4,755 attendance at Loftus Road does little to oppose his point.

Meanwhile, Brighton progressed to the next round with a 1-0 victory over a relatively strong Sunderland line up. Summer signing, Craig Mckail-Smith netted an extra time winner at the Stadium of Light, meaning that half of the premier league clubs in last nights games failed to progress to the next round.

These results give further evidence for claims the credibility of this competition is in decline. With 'bigger' clubs prioritising competitions such as the F.A Cup and European ventures. In the wake of Birmingham City's Carling Cup victory and subsequent relegation, the relegation candidates may now fear any distractions from the lucrative Premier League. A league cup run doesn't bring in significant revenue, so, who wants to win the Carling Cup?


elation...





...and dispair





Clarke Heads Open Leaderboard

Darren Clarke is in pole position ahead of the final round of the 140th british open Championship at Royal St. George's.

The 42 year-old Ulsterman is enjoying success in spite of a barren run of form which has seen his ranking plummet to 111th in the world. He has shown experience and composure throughout, whilst the world's top two, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, failed to make to cut on Friday and pre-tournament favourite Rory Mcilroy has failed to make an impact.

However, it will not be easy as 22-year-old American Rickie Fowler, a near novice in Links golf, has shown that age is just a number with a series of impressive rounds to leave him in contention on the final day. Also, world number six, Phil Mickleson will be in determined mood as he bids to become a 'complete player' in his opinion, by finally winning on a Links course, and if he finds some momentum early on, he will become a serious contender.

Despite the poor performances of the English contenders, there has been some success for the home fans to cheer in the form of 18-year-old Tom Lewis. The young hertfordshireman, named after veteran Tom Watson, is in a strong position to win the coveted silver medal to accredit being the best scoring amateur in the competition.

You can watch the golf over all BBC platforms from 11am GMT.