1. ^ “IRB World Rankings November 2009″. IRB.com. 11 November 2009. http://www.irb.com/rankings/full.html. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
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3. ^ Frank Keating (27 February 2007). “How Ravenhill rebels made an issue out of an anthem”. The Guardian. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,2022097,00.html. Retrieved 31 Ocotber 2008.
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5. ^ “Ireland 16-11 Italy”. BBC Sport. 2 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7224116.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
6. ^ “France 26-21 Ireland”. BBC Sport. 8 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7236787.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
7. ^ “Ireland 34 Scotland 13″. BBC Sport. 23 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7260841.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
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9. ^ “Ireland 55-0 Canada”. BBC Sport. 8 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/7715003.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
10. ^ “2009 Six Nations”. BBC Sport. 22 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7954758.stm. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
11. ^ “Wales 15-17 Ireland”. RTE Sport. 21 March 2009. http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/sixnations/2009/0321/ireland.html. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
12. ^ “Fans hail Grand Slam heroes”. RTE Sport. 22 March 2009. http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/sixnations/2009/0322/ireland.html. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
13. ^ “Ireland 27-12 Wales”. BBC Sport. 13 March 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8566020.stm. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
14. ^ “Ireland 20-23 Scotland”. BBC Sport. 20 March 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8578135.stm. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
15. ^ “Ireland’s Call”. BBC News. 29 October 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/learning_centre/newsid_2369000/2369769.stm. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
16. ^ Barry, Kevin (10 March 2005). “‘Ireland’s Call’ is the right anthem”. University College Cork. http://www.ucc.ie/students/unixpr/0405/11/20a.html. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
17. ^ “Ireland Anthem”. planet-rugby.com. 18 May 2001. http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,5067_,00.html. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
18. ^ “Rugby bosses reject unionists’ anthem argument”. BreakingNews.ie. 21 August 2006. http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/08/21/story273217.html. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
19. ^ “You’re off key over claim on anthem, says rugby body”. News Letter. 21 August 2006. http://www.newsletter.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=3425&ArticleID=1709861. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
20. ^ “SA to play in Aviva rugby opener”. BBC Sport. 8 October 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/8296992.stm. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
21. ^ “Scotland looks to give up World cup matches at Murrayfield”. WorldCupWeb.com. 2 December 2005. http://www.worldcupweb.com/WCrugby/content/show_article.asp?id=461&cat=2. Retrieved 21 April 2006.
22. ^ “Ireland 32-17 Namibia”. BBC Sport. 9 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/6984269.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
23. ^ “Ireland 14-10 Georgia”. BBC Sport. 15 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/6995087.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
24. ^ “France 25-3 Ireland”. BBC Sport. 21 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7005286.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
25. ^ “Argentina 30-15 Ireland”. BBC Sport. 30 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/7018298.stm. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
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42. ^ “Statsguru / Player analysis / Brian O’Driscoll / Test matches (filter: as captain)”. Scrum.com. http://www.scrum.com/statsguru/rugby/player/13120.html?captain=1;class=1;template=results;type=player;view=match. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
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44. ^ ^{a b c d} No demands made on Ashton to go, say IRFU Irish Examiner, 18 February 1998

National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition (sometimes referred to as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship purposes) is contested by 16 teams, 15 based in Australia and one based in New Zealand, and is the Southern Hemisphere’s elite rugby league championship.

Sea Eagles vs Rabbitohs

Match scheduled:
Date: 19-06-2010
Time: 09:30 until 11:30
Round #15 – NRL Telstra Premiership 2010

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Manly played their first official game in the NSWRFL senior competition on 12 April 1947 against Western Suburbs club, at Brookvale Oval. Their first win was against Parramatta and the club finished their first season in second last place.

Old Manly-Warringah club logo

Their first Grand Final appearance was in the 1951 season, which they lost to South Sydney. Manly-Warringah played in five Grand Finals before winning their first in 1972.

After the Super League War of the mid 1990’s, Manly agreed to a joint venture with the North Sydney Bears for the 2000 season, as the Northern Eagles. The joint venture collapsed in 2001 and Manly retained the Northern Eagles licence until returning to the competition as Manly for the 2003 season.

Manly Sea Eagles in action against the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval in June 2008

A meeting of the Football Club in 3 June 2004 saw the club members vote for the privatisation of the Football Club.

In 2007, Manly played in their 15th grand final against Melbourne after defeating North Queensland at the Sydney Football Stadium 28 – 6. Manly were beaten 34 – 8 by the Storm on September the 30th at Telstra Stadium, the game being notable for the sickening^{[citation needed]} but legal tackle of Manly fullback Brett Stewart by the Storm’s Michael Crocker. Melbourne was later stripped of the 2007 title for salary cap breaches. Manly will not gain the trophy as a result of this, despite calls by the fans and the Manly MP, nor will Parramatta (who lost the 2009 decider).

In a repeat of the 2007 grand final, Manly again played Melbourne in the 2008 decider. The story was very different for the Sea Eagles this time around as they decimated the Storm 40–0 to win their seventh premiership in front of 80,388 at ANZ Stadium. Manly Prop Brent Kite was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal after a powerhouse display which included a class try in the 58th minute. This is the largest winning margin in a grand final in NRL history.

The 2009 season boded poorly as a result of two incidents on the day of Manly’s season launch. Second-rower Anthony Watmough was assaulted by a sponsor after allegedly making innapropiriate comments to his daughter ^[2]. Brett Stewart later that night, allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year old girl outside his apartment block, an incident which led to the dammning Four Corners investigation, “Code of Silence”. Stewart’s case is current

ly before the courts.

Manly paid a $100,000 fine for failing to adequately punish Stewart for his offence. Stewart faced a brief trial at the time, and a further, more comprehensive trial began in March 2010. As a result, Manly lost their first four games of the season before a 23–10 win against the Tigers. The Sea Eagles managed to recover and snared fifth place at the end of the

All kind of International Rugby Events, like June Tours, Pacific cups and all others.

Australia vs England

Match scheduled:
Date: 19-06-2010
Time: 09:30 until 11:30
June Internationals


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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is very commonly sung at England fixtures — especially at Twickenham. The song arrived in the rugby canon through the Welsh male voice choirs who sang many spirituals. It was a popular rugby song at clubs during the 1950s and 1960s and was sung every year at Twickenham during the end-of-season all-day Middlesex Sevens tournament. During the 1970s the Twickenham crowd also sang it during England matches then coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against the Irish, England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the Five Nations Championship. The Twickenham crowd had only seen one solitary England try in the previous two years and at half time against Ireland they were 0-3 down. During the second half a remarkable transformation took place and England started playing an expansive game many had doubted they were capable of producing. A 0-3 deficit was turned into a 35-3 win, with England scoring six tries.

In the 35-3 win, three of England’s tries were scored by Chris Oti, a player who had made a reputation for himself that season as a speedster on the left wing. A group of boys from the Benedictine school Douai following a tradition at their school games sang Swing Low, Sweet Chariot whenever a try was scored. When Oti scored his second try, amused spectators standing close to the boys joined in, and when Oti scored his hat-trick the song was heard around the ground.^[68][69] Since then Swing Low, Sweet Chariot became a song to sing at England home games,^[70] in the same way that Fields of Athenry is sung in Dublin and Cwm Rhondda is sung at Cardiff. It has since became the anthem of the team as in 1991 the result of a plan of the then RFU marketing director Mike Coley for the team to launch a song leading up to that years Rugby World cup. He had wanted to use Jerusalem but it was used in the Rugby League cup final that year so the song was changed at short notice to Swing Low. there were a number of versions recorded including a ‘rap’ version with Jerry Guscott doing a solo. needless to say that was never released but the version released did reach the top 40 in the UK singles chart during the competition and was then adopted as the England rugby song.^[71]

[edit] Strip

England (white) playing Argentina (blue) at Twickenham.

England have returned to the traditional all-white shirts, white shorts with navy and white socks. (The emblem on the shirts is a red rose, rather than the Plantagenet Three Lions displayed on the shirts of the England football and England cricket teams. The strip is manufactured by Nike and O₂ is the shirt sponsor.^[72] Red was the change strip, although prior to the introduction of the red strip, navy blue was used. Purple was used as the change strip as of the 2009 autumn internationals, reflecting the traditional colour of the original England track-suits from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) had created the national side’s emblem prior to an English team being sent to Edinburgh to play a Scottish side. A red rose was chosen to be the side’s emblem.^[73] The white kit worn by the national team was taken from the kit used at Rugby School.^[73] Alfred Wright, an employee of the Rugby Football Union, is credited with the standardisation and new design of the rose, which up until 1920 had undergone many variations in its depiction.^[73] The Wright design is thought to have been used without minor alteration until the late 1990s.^[73] It was not until 1997 that the rose was modernised when Nike became the official strip supplier.

In 2003 England first used a skin-tight strip. This was intended to make it more difficult for the opposition to grasp the shirt when tackling.^[74] The home and away strips for 2007 were unveiled on 15 May that year. The materials used are superior, offering improved performance to the 2003 kit. However, a sweeping red mark on the base-white front which forms St George’s Cross on the top left, and a changed away-strip (dark blue to red), have received criticism because it is felt that emphasis has been placed on St George’s Cross at the expense of the traditional red rose.^[75] The new strip was introduced in England’s home game against Wales on 4 August, while the alternative strip was first used against France on 18 August.^[76]

The current england home strip is white with a strip of red around the neck, and the away strip for the first time is purple, both kits have a ground breaking new technology in the form of a gripper print. A special strip was worn during the match versus Wales in the 2010 Six Nations Championship which replicated that worn in 1910 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Twickenham.

[edit] Record

[edit] Six Nations

England competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which is played against five other European nations: France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The Six Nations started out as the Home Nations Championship in 1883 which England won with a Triple Crown. England have won the title more times than any other nation by winning it outright 25 times, and sharing victory ten times. Their longest wait between championships was 18 years (1892–1910). During the Six Nations, England also contests the Calcutta Cup with Scotland (which England first won in 1880) and the Millennium Trophy with Ireland (which England first won in 1988). The matches between England and France are traditionally known as “Le Crunch.” In the 2010 championship, England began with 30-17 victory over Wales on 6