Expanding into Union territory
Healing continues as League aims at expansion
Posted: Tuesday January 05, 1999 04:55 PM
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Quentin Pongia led New Zealand to be the second-ranked team of the League Tim Matthews/Allsport |
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Rugby league tried to get well again in 1998 after Rupert Murdoch's divisive intervention, but the sport was still struggling to emerge from the shadow of rival code union.
A new world governing body, the Rugby League International Federation, was launched in August with leadership shifting from England's Murdoch Super League main man Maurice Lindsay to Australia's John McDonald.
The Super League split brought through Murdoch's breakaway league in Australia continued to have rumblings as Australian officials axed two sides.
One of those, Adelaide Rams, owed everything, good and bad to Murdoch.
Adelaide existed through money from Murdoch's News Limited, based in the city, and was formed as a plank of his national league. But when peace came, Murdoch cut the club's financial lifeline and it died.
While the loss of the Rams and the Gold Coast, plus mergers moved Australia towards 16 teams from 20, the game was looking for ways to expand elsewhere.
Australian tours to Great Britain will return following the Super League split while the annual matches between the winning club sides from Australia's National Rugby League and Great Britain's Super League competitions will also resume.
"We are trying to rebuild the international calendar and every country has been enthusiastic in finding the best way to do so," McDonald said in August. "We are looking at a two-year cycle for the first two World Cups so we can return this level of competition to both hemispheres as soon as possible."
Great Britain will host the 2000 World Cup and Australia will host the 2002 tournament before it reverts to every four years.
McDonald announced a tri-series tournament involving Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand to start in October-November 1999.
In what was either an arrogant move or an act of concession, the first tri-series has been put up against the rugby union World Cup to be hosted throughout Britain at the same time.
Rugby Union is played in more countries than the 13-a-side game and there is a huge disparity between the tri-series competitors and the next level of countries.
The RLIF will begin its world crusade in South Africa, a Union stronghold, in February when the international 9-a-side competition is hosted at Johannesburg's Ellis Park.
As part of the federation's plans to raise the profile of rugby league in South Africa, Britain will play a test match against New Zealand at the same venue on the way home from the tri-nations series in November.
Australia remains the undisputed leader in League having continued its winning run at international level with a 2-1 series victory over New Zealand. The Kiwis won the opening match and were looking for their first series success over their neighbors since 1953.
But led by Wayne Bennett, who took over from long-serving Bob Fulton, Australia rebounded for two strong wins.
New Zealand showed itself to be the second-ranked team when it won two and tied the other in a three-test series against Britain.
There was little change in the established order in the world's two main club competitions either. Brisbane Broncos, led by evergreen scrum-half Allan Langer, lived up to expectations by winning the reunified Australian title after claiming the Super League crown in 1997.
A club was successfully launched in AFL-crazy Melbourne, and the team made the finals. But the season was clouded by a series of positive drug tests, especially at the 1997 ARL title winners Newcastle, who had Robbie O'Davis, Adam MacDougall and Wayne Richards suspended. Melbourne's Rodney Howe and Wests' Ben MacDougall, brother of Adam, were also punished on drug charges.
In England, Wigan made it 15 titles in 15 seasons by overpowering Leeds in the inaugural British Super League Grand Final.
Since the 1984-85 season, Wigan has dominated the game in Britain, winning nine first division championships of the former league, two Super League Premiership titles and nine Challenge Cups.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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