Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Rugby league category. Noteworthy entries are filed topmost.
Superleague countdown - 8 days to go
Well, whether it’s 8 or 9 depends on what part of the world you’re in. I, for example, will be getting up at around 4:45am on the morning of Saturday 10th February to listen to GMR online and coverage of Wigan’s first Superleague match of the 2007 season. It will be a home fixture against Warrington Wolves and there is a huge crowd expected. Most think around 20,000 and there are some saying it could be close to a sellout. That would be an awesome start for the season and would set the tone for the rest of the year. It’s very possible though: last year was a struggle as any Wiganer would confess, but the crowds were there every week supporting the team, even when it looked like relegation was on the horizon for us. Now that we seem to have the makings of a decent team, they should get even better and I can see the team pushing for silverware, or at the very least get to a final this year.
But what is the Wigan team of 2007 going to be? Well, judging by squad numbers I have tried to show you below. Bear in mind that I’ve been out of the country for 2 and a half years now, so if I make any mistakes with my details or judgments about players, please comment and let me know! The player pictures are courtesy of the Wigan Warriors official club website
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1. Chris Ashton - Came out of nowhere last year after Kris Radlinski’s shock retirement. It has to be said that he did a sterling job too at full back. Good, if not outstanding in defence, and excellent in attack, his pace and good running on angles brought him 14 tries in 200. He’s only 19 though, and will need to improve his defence (hopefully learning from Michael Withers) if he is to become a great. I think we should get Kris Radlinski to coach him in defensive positioning as he was one of the best in the game. Maybe a season in the centres would do Ashton a world of good.
Wigan Rugby League - the other love of my life
As most of you regular readers know, I spend a lot of time here on my blog talking about diving here in Japan. It’s true, diving is my main passion in life at the moment and something I could go on and on (and on and on and…) about. But it’s been far too long since I’ve mentioned the other passion in my life, and one which still takes up a fair amount of my time here in Japan: rugby league.
I’m a big Wigan supporter and have been since around 1995. My first game was actually a Challenge up Final in 1992 against Castleford, and although winning, the passion that my father was hoping to instill in me in that event didn’t transpire for some reason. And the less said about the next match I attended (the 1993/4 Regal Trophy Final against Castleford at Headingley), the better. Memories of that still haunt me! But then on December 26th 1994 I went to Knowsley Road for the big local derby game against St Helens. A full house of 17,300 was in attendance, and myself, my father, uncle and 2 of my cousins (one of whom now plays for St Helens) were all at the game supporting Wigan. I remember it pretty clearly that we were stood in the middle of the St Helens supporters at the home end of the ground, but unlike football matches, we never felt uneasy about where we were. Wigan won the game 32-25 and I recall Gary Connolly getting either sin binned or sent off (I think it was the latter). I don’t know exactly what clicked inside me that day, but from then on I was hooked. That year was also the year I went to see my first Ashes Tests between Great Britain and the Aussies. I also managed to see us beat them in a single Test (something not too many people can say these days!) - a great win at Wembley following Shaun Edwards’ attempt to decapitate Bradley Clyde resulting in him being sent off in the first half, and a Jonathan Davies try in far left hand corner from where we were sat. I remember as Edwards made that tackle the entire stadium inhaled in a “oh dear… that’s not good” kind of way!