Archives for June 2010

The £40,000 fine given to Castleford Tigers for failing to prevent their supporters chanting homophobic abuse at Crusaders winger Gareth Thomas serves as a big wake-up call to rugby league.

Castleford acknowledge that homophobic chanting went on during the Super League game between the Tigers and the Crusaders at The Jungle on 26 March but strongly reject the Rugby Football League's ruling that they failed to act to prevent it.

They are adamant that the "evidence does not support the decision and does not in any way support the scale of the penalty" and are expected to appeal.

In the meantime, they have been warned that their fans are doing them "no favours" in their bid to retain a Super League licence.

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I've been the butt of a few wind-ups in my time - in fact, it's quite a common occurrence. So when I emerged from the 5 live sports extra studio after three hours of athletics chat with decathlete Dean Macey on Sunday and received a text telling me champions Leeds Rhinos had lost 32-26 at home to Crusaders I wrote it off as inane banter. More fool me.

A few days later, I was chatting to Brian Noble, the coach who has transformed the Welsh side from Super League whipping boys to real play-off contenders.

"That win at Leeds was absolutely awesome," said Noble, whose side are now within touching distance of an historic top-eight berth - and with a game in hand. "We knew we had a chance, but to go to Headingley and do what we did was very special. It ranks right up there with some of the best results of my club coaching career."

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Speaking to me on his hands-free telephone as he drove home from Wakefield training this week, club captain Jason Demetriou admitted his head was in a spin.

In the week it emerged that the Wildcats were calling time on Demetriou's seven-year stay at Belle Vue, I discovered a 34-year-old absolutely gutted to be leaving the club he calls his family.

"I wont lie, it's been a very tough week in my life," said the Australian-born Greece international. "I don't want to leave Wakefield - I never have - and this has hit me hard in the stomach, but I completely understand and respect Wakefield's decision. I'm getting on in age, and it's their call not to keep me on."

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So, on the day that one of the most hyped football World Cups ever starts, how on earth do you write a compelling rugby league blog?

One colleague suggested we put it to England coach Fabio Capello that if he is fed up with all this media attention in South Africa he could always swap places with his rugby league counterpart, Steve McNamara.

While an irate Capello was lambasting excitable photographers for pursuing his squad around South African game parks, McNamara has been preparing to lead England for the first time in absolute anonymity.

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So as the England coach made his crunch phone calls this week, there was one big surprise looming for a 21-year-old as his address book reached W.

But as Steve McNamara handed a shock call to the Halifax-born, Melbourne-based full-back Gareth Widdop, the news went largely unnoticed as Signor Capello axed his own 21-year-old Theo Walcott, at the same time.

Widdop's rise to prominence was the standout selection in what looks like an exciting first England squad from McNamara, with deserved selections also going to Joel Tomkins, elder brother of Sam, and Bradford prop Nick Scruton.

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