The Kangaroos’ 14-8 win over New Zealand was their fourth under the experienced coach as they took another step towards the Four Nations titleBarring a huge upset against England in London next weekend, Australia have booked their place in the Four Nations final with a 14-8 victory over New Zealand.Who can stop this Australia side? Since Mal Meninga has come on board theKangaroos have romped to four straight wins, three over the Kiwis and one overminnows Scotland. They have racked up 110 points and conceded just 26 in anumber of dominant performances in both hemispheres. Related: Australia defy New Zealand grandstand finish for Four Nations triumph Continue reading...
Five teams have featured as the ‘fourth nation’ in the tournament without any managing a win but Scotland will benefit by playing England and the sport should give smaller nations more regular opportunitiesWhen Scotland take to the field in Coventry on Saturday to face England in the Four Nations – a sentence that would have been barely computable in rugby league circles a few years ago – it is not only their winless run in the tournament they are trying to end as the sport breaks new ground in the Midlands.Since the Tri-Nations was extended to a four-team tournament in 2009, five teams have taken part alongside the traditional big three of Australia, New Zealand and England – but France,...
Australia’s dominate win over Scotland makes you question the merits of a Four Nations tournament in which only three nations provide a contestIn the original version of The Longest Yard (1974), starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert and James Hampton as “Caretaker”, Reynolds’ character, former NFL quarterback Paul “Wrecking” Crewe has a conversation with Albert’s prison warden Rudolph Hazen.Crewe, for a slew of reasons, has ended up in Hazen’s jail. And Hazen wants some advice from Crewe about how to improve his prison football team, otherwise he’ll further imprison Crewe because he’s been bad. Related: Australia open Four Nations with comfortable victory over Scotland Related: Rugby league Four Nations: team-by-team guide Continue reading...
The failed switch to union, played out amid huge publicity as England were knocked out of the World Cup, has forged a better man and a better playerAs the world asked what was next for Sam Burgess after England’s miserable exit from last year’s Rugby World Cup, the wheels were already turning behind the scenes. Within weeks he was shuttling through Sydney airport. Returning to rugby league felt like the only logical answer to the question.To describe Burgess’s time in rugby union as a whirlwind is an understatement. He made his debut as a substitute centre for Bath against Harlequins on 28 November 2014. By 30 January he was playing for England Saxons against the Irish Wolfhounds; on 10 April...