NationStates Jolt Archive

Put your squad/team for the RL World Cup III up here. Any other information you want and RP should also go here.

I suggest making it so you can send a squad of 23 players to the cup, with 17 to be selected for each match (by default, unless specified) for first team and subs. This then allows better RP as players can be injured without a team losing out too much. If you only want to send 17 players then thats fine.

You can also let your opponents know what is/isn’t permissible when they write about your matches with the RP permissions box:

Choose My Goal/Try Scorers: Y/N
Godmod Events: Y/N
Injure My Players: Y/N
Put my players in Sin bin: Y/N
Send my players off: Y/N
Other: ...

Somewhereistonia Roster for RLWC III

Association: Baltic Sporting Association
Formation/history: 2009
Nicknames: Balts, Eagles.

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t38/unreal229/th_rlshirt-1.png First Kit
http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t38/unreal229/th_Adidasframe4-1.png Second Kit http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t38/unreal229/th_Adidasframe3.png Third Kit

Team Sheet:

Coach - Valdas Vähi

1 Burman
2 Hippius
3 Kuusik
4 Matteus
5 Kotli
6 Unekis
7 Korkinsky
8 Strazdos
9 Milosz
10 Kudirka
11 J. Skema
12 Vaitkus
13 O. Skema
------------
14 Zilinskas (Fwd)
15 Sauka (Fwd)
16 Galdikas (Fwd)
17 Zemtsov (Scrum-half/back)
18 Alda (Back)
19 Bilibin (Back)
20 Isakovs (Hooker/Fwd)
21 Kronbergs (Back)
22 Jahovics (Utility man)
23 Paskolov (Fullback/Wing)

Choose My Goal/Try Scorers: Y
Godmod Events: Y
Injure My Players: Y
Put my players in Sin bin: Y (No more than 2)
Send my players off: Y (No more than 1)
Other: Anything goes within reason.

I cant play tbh....i have way to much to do irl, and it's all just fallen on top of me. so i'm out. laters.

Starting XIII

1. Full back: Dan Taylor (Age:27 Caps:14)
2. Right wing:Mohammed Issa (Age:20 Caps:14)
3. Right centre:Geoff Williams (Age:31 Caps:57)
4. Left centre:Ike Yekini (Age:26 Caps:34)
5. Left wing:Ben Newman (Age:21 Caps:18)
6. Stand-off:Matthew O'Connor (Age:24 Caps:15)
7. Scrum-half:Tommy D'Alessandro (Age:22 Caps:2)
8. Prop:Achmed Khan (Age:22 Caps:11)
9. Hooker:John McVeigh (Age:29 Caps:69)
10.Prop:John Norton (Age:30 Caps:43)
11. Second row:Ronnie Walsh (Age:27 Caps:54)
12. Second row:Phil Hughes (Age:29 Caps:69)
13. Loose forward:Nelson Zuba (Age:20 Caps:6)

Bench

14: Forward:Lee Chapman (Age:25 Caps:30)
15: Winger:Phil Quinn (Age:25 Caps:20)
16: Prop:Charlie Thompson (Age:33 Caps:70)
17: Hooker: Dan Kowolski (Age:23 Caps:15)
18: Scrum-Half:Tom Brookes (Age:29 Caps:63)
19: Forward:Gareth Welsh (Age:18 Caps:1)
20: Second Row:Antonio Del Naachi (Age:26 Caps:40)


Choose My Goal/Try Scorers: Y
Godmod Events: Y
Injure My Players: Y
Put my players in Sin bin: Y
Send my players off: Y
Other: Pretty much anything goes.

Friendly match schedule:

Somewhereistonia v Kura-Pelland - Kalevi Keskstadion (12,000) on the 12th, result at 12 GMT
Somewhereistonia v Sorthern Northland - Zalgiris Stadium (15,030) on the 14th, result at 12 GMT

Result: Somewhereistonia 22-14 Kura-Pelland
Tries 4 - 2 Tries
Conversions 1 - 1 Conversions
Penalties 2 - 2 Penalties
Drop Goals 0 - 0 Drop Goals

---------------------------------------------

The main TV channel in the Baltics showed a well lit studio with two retired rugby captains seated in the usual positions.

“A win their first ever international, the new team are looking strong for the world cup, whoever hosts it!” Stated the larger of the the two pundits.

“I have to agree, they were strong in attack and showed a well organised defence, although they may need to work on it. Signs of weakness just showing near the end, culminating in the late second try for Kura-Pelland.” judged the second commentator.

“Well, a fantastic day for Kuusik, two tries, one in each half practically settled the match. He worked tremendously well troughout the duration of the match and he is my man of the match. Tries from Kotli and the substitute Zemtsov added to the scoreline. You have to worry about the kicker though.” said the first commentator, typically mixing the match details with the usual post-match analysis talk. The style of talk the second went on to continue:

“Yes, only getting one out of four conversions showed signs of pressure I think, but Zikoras has had a great season in the league. The injury he got late in the second half looked bad, we will have to wait and see what the scans show.”
“This win will give them a huge boost going into the tournament and into the friendly with the hosts of the first world cup, Sorthern Northland, which will be live here on BNC”

Later

“Scans have shown that Zikoras will be out for the world cup, through to the start of the next season!” said a shocked newswomen as she announced the breaking news on TV. Rugby league was big in the Baltic, and the loss of a first team player would be worrying to any team.

“He has reportedly torn a cruciate ligament in his knee and will take no more part in this competition, 19 year old Kabano bulls stand-off Balys Unekis has been called up to replace him. That's all we have now, back to the studio.”

Regretfully, Peisandros is unable to name it's squad again. Current events in Peisandros has lead to the purge on rugby league players getting more and more serious.

Friendly result:

Somewhereistonia 10 - 20 Sorthern Northland
Tries 2 - 3 Tries
Conversions 1 - 2 Conversions
Penalties 0 - 2 Penalties
Drop Goals 0 - 0 Drop Goals

Sorthern Northland National Rugby League Team

Starting XIII

1. Full back:Maliele Mofihli
2. Right wing:Stewart Stokes
3. Right centre:Harold Barrow
4. Left centre:Joel Manning
5. Left wing:Kevin Kimble
6. Stand-off:Kaassannquaq Zeeb
7. Scrum-half:Geoffrey McNamara
8. Prop:Ahmed Al-Dossari
9. Hooker:Alejandro Núñez
10. Prop:Charlie McNally
11. Second row:Danny Suckling
12. Second row:Antonis Semertzidis
13. Loose forward:Lee Min-Kook

Bench

14: Forward:Jelle Buijs
15: Winger:Fabio Rigoni
16: Centre:Luca Masini
17: Scrum half:Scott Hunt
18: Full back:Stanislav Volkov


Choose My Goal/Try Scorers: Y
Godmod Events: Y
Injure My Players: Y
Put my players in Sin bin: Y
Send my players off: Y
Other: Pretty much anything goes. Apart from killing/maiming players.

Kura-Pellandi RLWC3 team

All non-godmod RP permissions allowed: players marked with * are the best players in the team.

1. Wilson Casey
2. Taki Teua *
3. Te Seesay *
4. Ronald Cooper
5. Gunar Ketilsson
6. Neil Bailey
7. Russell Quigley
8. Stan Laybutt *
9. John Downes
10. Zia Wiki *
11. Rongo Rostom *
12. Dick Coulter
13. Andrew Cheney

14. Hotu Zakari (prop/hooker)
15. Victor Hugo Segarra (wing)
16. Lukas Dannenberg (utility back)
17. George Zallinger (scrum-half)
18. Noel Korolev (utility forward)
19. Dominic Welsh (full-back/wing)
20. Herbert Pernía (centre)
21. Brian Couric (utility forward)

-----------

The draw is taking place inside the next 10 minutes.

Draw for RLWC3

Teams are divided into two groups of six playing each other once. The group winners progress to the semi-finals, the second- and third-placed teams from each group move to the repechage round with the winners of that entering the semi-finals.

Teams have been sorted in three pots of four based on world ranking, with two from each pot in each group. The teams have then been shuffled for the purposes of scheduling.

And here is that draw!

GROUP A
Alversia
Sorthern Northland
Kemball Island
Lovisa
Somewhereistonia
Peisandros

GROUP B
Tom Griff
Norwellia
Kura-Pelland
Yorozuya
Lurikastan
Taeshan

Scheduling:
MD1: 1v6, 2v5, 3v4
MD2: 1v5, 2v4, 3v6
MD3: 1v4, 2v3, 5v6
MD4: 1v3, 2v6, 4v5
MD5: 1v2, 3v5, 4v6

Kemball Island ready for Lovisa challenge

Kemball Island coach Brian Keegan has talked up his sides chances of success in the opening game of the RLWC against Lovisa. Despite disappointing at the last tournament, KI qualified from their region again in style, wrapping it up with a 28-5 win over Tingi Pingi on the final day, and according to Keegan ae better prepaed than ever for this tournament. "We were poor last tournament, so we made sure to prepare hard for this one, and we've shown how successful that was in qualifying. Lovisa will not be easy, but we will not be scared of them either. It should be a god game and i'm confident we will win"

Kemball Island Matchday Squad:
1. Full back: Dan Taylor (Age:27 Caps:14)
2. Right wing:Mohammed Issa (Age:20 Caps:14)
3. Right centre:Geoff Williams (Age:31 Caps:57)
4. Left centre:Ike Yekini (Age:26 Caps:34)
5. Left wing:Ben Newman (Age:21 Caps:18)
6. Stand-off:Matthew O'Connor (Age:24 Caps:15)
7. Scrum-half:Tommy D'Alessandro (Age:22 Caps:2)
8. Prop:Achmed Khan (Age:22 Caps:11)
9. Hooker:John McVeigh (Age:29 Caps:69)
10.Prop:John Norton (Age:30 Caps:43)
11. Second row:Ronnie Walsh (Age:27 Caps:54)
12. Second row:Phil Hughes (Age:29 Caps:69)
13. Loose forward:Nelson Zuba (Age:20 Caps:6)

Bench

14: Forward:Lee Chapman (Age:25 Caps:30)
15: Winger:Phil Quinn (Age:25 Caps:20)
16: Prop:Charlie Thompson (Age:33 Caps:70)
17: Hooker: Dan Kowolski (Age:23 Caps:15)
18: Scrum-Half:Tom Brookes (Age:29 Caps:63)
19: Forward:Gareth Welsh (Age:18 Caps:1)
20: Second Row:Antonio Del Naachi (Age:26 Caps:40)

Alversia first up for 'Unknowns'.

This report is compiled by the Coach of the Sandrian contingent involved in the Rugby League World Cup and is a secret document unavailable in Peisandros.

Our first game is against Alversia, who we don't know much about to be honest. They played in WC I, but I don't know anything else. Because we played so well last World Cup, I'm quite confident in winning. We've retained most of the squad with a few more sons this time around. Even though the boys are constantly worried that the Government will find out, they play their hearts out. Anyway, I can't write too much more, but I'll try get a few more reports out during the cup.

Starting 13:

Fullback: Phillip Zayas
Right wing: Qiang Hsu
Right center: Katrijn Villadsen
Left center: Caitlin Hilton
Left wing: Tegan McCarthy
Stand-off: Amaury Bourgeois
Scrum-half: Katrin Breuer
Prop: Jacob Harris
Hooker (*snerk*): Antíochos Lékkas
Prop: Caroline Ramírez
Second Row: Mun Tā-gye
Forward: Catherine Johnson

Bench:

Fullback: Joachim Möller
Winger: Edgar Shaw
Center: Marie Anderson
Scrum half: Adrian Lee
Forward: Marka Kanamasa

Choose my goal/try scorers: Y
Godmod scoring: Improbable scoring is fine every once in a while, but please don't push believability
Godmod other events: N
Injure my players: Within reason
Put my players in the sin bin: Within reason
Send my players off: Within reason

In other news, the Norwellian Rugby League Association, NRLA, invites artists from around the globe to design a new logo for the Association and/or the team. Please send us your best work at:

National Rugby League Association
250 Elm Street
Oceanview, Norwellia

(OOG: please PM or TG me with the image and/or link)

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu303/Norwellia/update.png
INTERNATIONAL EDITION - SPORT - Page C1

Norwellia to make international sporting debut in Rugby League

KURA-PELLAND - Here in Atlantian Oceania, a sport slowly gaining in world popularity will meet the world stage for the third time, and a young nation coming into its own will play in its first international sports competition.

Most Norwellians probably know little or nothing about rugby; there is no professional league, the game is not taught in our physical education classes, and only among scattered immigrant families is the game even watched on television. Our informal poll shows that only 18% of Oceanview residents understand the rules of the game, and only 22% were aware of the distinction between Rugby League and Rugby Union. An even more informal poll of our editors showed 0% rugby literacy.

Still, a ragtag team of the country's few notable players has assembled and found a manager, Peisandros transplant Julien Bauché, to take on the rugby world in Rugby League World Cup III in Kura-Pelland. Bauché comes to Kura-Pelland fresh off his trip to the House of Policy in Winston to beg 120 registered attendees to fund the team's sojourn into foreign lands. With several months left before five Norwellian pro soccer teams explode onto the world stage at Champions' Cup, Globe Cup and Series B Champions' Cup, (Int'l. Edition note: many Norwellians refuse to use the names of corporate sponsors of foreign events, as private industry is illegal here and often considered immoral in our culture) and two years before our national soccer team begins qualifying matches for World Cup XLVI, the coach's colleagues ("colleague" is used as a synonym of "compatriot" and "civilian"; compare "comrade". - Ed.) agreed with him that entering the world stage in sports would bode well for the visibility of the nation, passing WP 294 by consensus as required for Workers' Proposals.

Thanks to his successful stand at the soapbox, the government will fund his team's Kura-Pellandian jaunt, providing a free flight to and from that country and fully subsidizing the food, travel and housing expenses incurred there. This is especially important after WP 248 failed by a wide margin. That proposal would have classified rugby as a profession, thereby making full-time rugby players, coaches and support staff eligible for the government paychecks that wage-earning workers enjoy. The game's few participants have been staging games on the weekends as a hobby since then, hopeful that success in the World Cup might bring them greater recognition.

Norwellia's chances are not considered high, as newcomers with no international experience and a team that would consider "glorified hobbyists" a compliment. Our team faces the host nation, a former champion, and two other teams with World Cup experience in the group stage, making a quick exit likely. The schedule:

Matchday 1: Lurikastan's rugby league team has the world's most storied history in the sport, finishing third in World Cup I in Sorthern Northland and winning World Cup II in their homeland. Now they travel to Kura-Pelland as heavy favorites. This Texan nation of roughly 1.7 billion, remarkable for having six official languages, is a World Assembly member. The rolling hills, deep valleys and snowy mountain peaks of this massive country boast a nearly crime-free culture, despite its weak economy and rampant corruption.

Matchday 2: Yorozuya did not play in World Cup I but made a decent showing at World Cup II, finishing in fourth place after a solid effort in the group stage with three wins and two losses. This is another expected loss for the Norwellian team. This huge, nearly crime-free nation is ruled by a capitalist dictatorship, but boasts an impressive record on civil liberties.

Matchday 3: As the tournament's hosts, Kura-Pelland cannot be discounted despite their 1-1-3 record in World Cup II. As the only team with homefield advantage, they are expected to beat Norwellia soundly.

Matchday 4: Taeshan has an abysmal record in the Rugby League World Cup, placing ninth out of ten in World Cup I and failing to advance from its group in both Cups. They have achieved a measly 1-0-4 record in both competitions, and present a theoretically beatable opponent after Norwellia is expected to be eliminated. Taeshan is a massive, environmentally stunning nation remarkable for its devotion to social welfare. The people of this economic powerhouse from the Q Continuum labor under total alcohol prohibition but otherwise enjoy a respectable degree of civil and political rights, and ranked first in the region for Most Compassionate Citizens in a recent worldwide survey.

Matchday 5: Tom Griff is a total mystery, appearing in neither the Factbook nor the rugby history books.

Scorination will take place at approximately 1900 UTC tonight and at the same time each day thereafter.

Where are the results going to appear?

OOC: OK, seriously, who the hell is Tom Griff? Also, I thought that was Matchday 5....must be all mixed up!...

OOC: blimey, I got mixed up. That matchday is now void... new scores coming in 15...

Don't worry about it, K-P. I woulda just rolled with it. :D

ACTUAL PROPER SCORES FOR MATCHDAY ONE

GROUP A
Alversia 12 - 34 Peisandros
Sorthern Northland 36 - 6 Somewhereistonia
Kemball Island 6 - 32 Lovisa

GROUP B
Tom Griff 7 - 6 Taeshan
Norwellia 20 - 26 Lurikastan
Kura-Pelland 18 - 18 Yorozuya

Matchday two coming at 1900 UTC (seven hours from now).

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu303/Norwellia/wintoncourier.png?t=1237726750

Norwellian international sport walks onto the scene with a slight limp

KURA-PELLAND - Workers all over the country dropped everything yesterday to hit the pubs in a celebration of Norwellia's first appearance in an international sporting competition. Few fans knew the rules of Rugby League, but all enjoyed cheering on a united Norwellian team for the first time.

Norwellia made its international sporting debut in Rugby League World Cup III with a close 26-20 loss to Lurikastan. We're told that this was measured in points. Just a few short weeks ago, a nation of new rugby fans, alerted to the game's existence by the national milestone taking place, waved goodbye to just over a dozen young men and women who claimed they knew how to play this mysterious sport. These brave souls would be the first to don the many-colored uniforms of Norwellia, representing a people who had no way to tell if they were lying.

They proved to be right, however; they do know how to play this exciting game. The Norwellian side, widely considered at the time of the opening ceremonies to be glorified amateurs at best, proved their mettle by staying competitive in a close match against the most storied national team in the sport. Lurikastan finished in third place in the first Rugby League World Cup, and then won the second edition at home; so far they are the only rugby league team in the world to finish in the top four more than once. They hope to repeat that feat with a second straight title, their first outside of their own country, and while Norwellia did not hinder their goal, they did give the reigning champions some food for thought.

The match got off to an inauspicious start for the defending champs when a Norwellian player caught the kickoff and did something with it that we didn't quite understand. The confused but excitable crowd at Channel Two Sports Bar in downtown Winston exploded with uproarious shouting and applause, once it was generally understood that the Norwellian side had scored first. Lurikastan proceeded to do something entirely different with the ball, which was widely regarded as a bad move because their player got hit really hard. These kinds of shenanigans went on for about another ten beers (Editor's Note: Twelve, according to the reporter's bar tab. It seems to be soaked in a combination of beer and either blood or ketchup.), and before we knew it the two teams were shaking hands and the Kura-Pellandian crowd began to give a standing ovation. The experienced Lurikastanian players, nearly beaten by a ragtag crew of hobbyists from an upstart nation, applauded the Norwellian side for an impressive start to their international career. The cheers from the stands only grew louder as the Norwellian team, gracious in defeat, began to chant "Lu-ri-ka-stan!"

Good sportsmanship was the order of the day, except back in Channel Two Sports Bar, where Courier reporters learned that the bartender does not accept bits of string as payment. A series of ensuing events that Courier staff do not precisely remember has left one barback, one staff reporter, and an off-duty police officer in the hospital with minor wounds--and smiles on their faces after a day for the history books.

A last-gasp field goal miss meant that Kura-Pelland had to settle for a draw in an enthralling encounter with Yorozuya in Harrington.

A capacity crowd of almost 43,000 filled the Walton Park stadium, and they were treated to a ding-dong opening that set the tone for the remainder of the match. Wilson Casey's 60m breakaway set the crowd alight and produced the first score after six minutes; Yorozuya replied in similar fashion three minutes later. After some defensive heroics on either side, Yorozuya eventually took the lead just before the half-time hooter courtesy of a penalty, making the score 8-6. Evidently the intention was to ensure a half-time lead rather than chance going six clear; they could not have anticipated the full ramifications of this decision at the time.

Kura-Pelland regained the lead courtesy of a punishing run from substitute prop Hotu Zakari setting up an easy score for Te Seesay, taking the score to 12-8. Yorozuya then regained the lead again just four minutes later with a converted try of their own - 14-12. Then they scored another try nine minutes from the end which appeared to settle the contest - but the conversion from out wide was missed, keeping the margin to six.

That proved critical, as Seesay's second try five minutes from time levelled the scores, and set up a grandstand finish. Only Kura-Pelland were able to set up a field goal attempt, seconds from the end, but it missed by a yard to the left, and both teams settled for a draw in a match neither really deserved to lose.

KEMBALL ISLAND HUMILIATED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS ON KEEGAN

Kemball Island 6-32 Lovisa
Kemball Isladn were taught a lesson today as Lovisa walloped them in the opening match of the Rugby League World Cup. 12-0 after 15 minutes via three Lovisa tries, the Islanders were outplayed throughout the match, crushed by the sheer strength of the Lovisa side's passing and attacking, and the score became 18-2 by half-time, D' Alessandro's penalty already looking like a consolation. A Newman try early in the second half gave the score a little more respect, but in the following 5 minutes Lovisa scored 2 more tries, and at 26-6 it was game over. Lovisa added an incredible 7th try and a penalty to make the final score 32-6.

Player Ratings:
Dan Taylor - 5/10 The only one to put in a decent defensive shift, but his passing was sloppy, a 33% success rate embarrasing at this level. Couple of fantastic tackles prevented Lovisa from making it 9 tries

Mohammed Issa - 4/10 The fastest player on the pitch didn't get to use it at any point. Muscled out of the game by the forwards, his confidence took a battering, making his already weak defensive play shamboic at times. Couple of good efforts to create chances for others, but overrall kept unnervingly quiet, and will probably lose his place in the team for the next match

Geoff Williams - 7/10 KI's best player, used his experience against the Lovisa front line to outmuscle them, preventing an utter embarrasment of a scoreline. Twice surged forward to create rare attacks, and his lovely pass at the start of the move leading to Newman's try was a particular highlight. Tired in the second half however, leading to a couple of very sloppy errors.

Ike Yekini - 4/10 His brains over brawn play whilst commendable was hideously out of place in this game. Overpowered right from the start, was unable to defend with anywhere near his usual class, and although the passing was as good as ever he got even quieter as he game wore on.

Ben Newman - 5/10 A very average preformance from KI's best young prospect. Able to use his pace against the slower half of the Lovisa team, was the only counter-attacking threat, and with no support from team-mates, was frustrated out of any meaningful action. His end product, never the best, was appaling today, twice failing to convert easy looking tries, and was also poor in defence.

Matthew O'Connor - 6/10 A mature performance in the middle prevented the defence geting overrun. Chased every ball and tackled superbly at times, but was let down by a couple of nonchalant kicks, way below his best, and some loose passing. Still one of the better players.

Tommy D'Alessandro - 6/10 Switched throughout the gmae between sublime and awful, a couple of runs and kicks early on really opening up the Lovisa defence, but then quietened down, producing some awful play as Lovisa eased into a comfortable victory. Exploded again in the second half, latching onto a fantastic ball to produce a great try for Newman, but then accidentally set up a Lovisa try. At least the passing was always good.

Achmed Khan - 4/10 Disappointing. Twice collapsed in the scrum, a few fantastic tackles aside he was completley outclassed by his opposite number.

John McVeigh - 5/10 Single handedly won most of KI's scrums, but frustratingly lost the ball almost every time he got his hands on it. Tackled like a particularly fragile glass statue.

John Norton - 5/10 Always considered by some critics too weak to be a prop, was outmucled here time after time. Tackled spectacularly though, and his running caused Lovisa problems in the build-up to Newman's try, but otherwise very average.

Ronnie Walsh - 6/10 Started well, tackling everything that moved and passing well, proving why he was runner-up NSA Player of the Year in 2008, but a long hard season with Yorke RLFC has clearly tired him, and Walsh was close to collapsing in the second half, barely tackling and a liability. If he can regain full fitness, should still keep his place.

Phil Hughes - 7/10 Average in the first half, missing a few important tackels, but was the best player on the pitch in the second, breaking up Lovisa attacks time and time again. If he had any pace would be a spectacular counter-attacking player, but his work on the counter after others caught him up let a lot to be desired. Possibly one of the best halves he'll ever play, summed up by 2 very near tries late on as Lovisa tired.

Nelson Zuba - 4/10 Zuba, Issa and Newman were meant to be the pacy counter-attackers who would win the match for Kemball Island, but the youngster never got going. Fumbled the first 3 passes to come into him, and after that seemed to lose confidence, barely even bothering in he scrum and missing tackles all over the field. One great counter-atacking run lead to a disallowed try for Hughes, but it was the only creative spark in Zuba for the entire game.

Bench
Lee Chapman - 5/10 replaced Zuba on 67 minutes, and did nothing until the end of the game except play a few easy passes and make one tackle.

Phil Quinn - 5/10 Replaced Issa on 58 minutes. Never stopped running, but most of it was chasing Lovisa forwards, and when he did try to attack was ineffective, his lack of pace compared to opposition players causing trouble for his own team. Did tackle well though.

Gareth Welsh - 4/10 Replaced Newman on 70 minutes and immediatley lost the ball. Barely touched it afterwards, so silent that it was easy to forget he was on the pitch.

Antonio Del Naachi - 7/10 Replaced Walsh at half-time. With the impressiv Hughes alongside him, was able to comfortably play the ball when handed to him, and impressed with his passing and tackling. After 3 years on the fringes, performances like this should help an immensly talented player regain his place in the starting line-up.

Far later than I planned, maybe I should just say I'll post in the evenings UTC.

GROUP A
Alversia 24 - 28 Somewhereistonia
Sorthern Northland 12 - 16 Lovisa
Kemball Island 22 - 40 Peisandros

GROUP B
Tom Griff 1 - 45 Lurikastan
Norwellia 0 - 34 Yorozuya
Kura-Pelland 28 - 18 Taeshan

Two from two, great start.

The Sandrian 'Unknowns' have started their Rugby League WC with a bang. Two big victories leaves them and Lovisa atop group A as the only two unbeaten teams. Firstly they easily outplayed Alversia, winning 34-12. Next was Kemball Islands who were also convincingly beaten 40-22. The big points have been a result of great halves play and some quality finishing by the wingers. Infact the left winger has five tries already, getting a hat-trick in the first outing and a brace in the second.

Peisandros now has a tough assignment against Somewhereistonia, who after a tough first game found some form to beat Alversia in a close affair. The Unknowns should aim for a victory in this game, to keep their unbeaten record in tack.

(OOC: KP, any chance of some tables for the groups? That'd be great.)

Norwellia was humiliated on the international stage today, put in their place by Yorozuya. Here are the standings for both groups:


Group A W D L PF PA PD
Peisandros 2 0 0 74 34 40
Lovisa 2 0 0 48 18 30
Sorthern Northland 1 0 1 48 22 26
Somewhereistonia 1 0 1 34 60 -26
Alversia 0 0 2 36 62 -26
Kemball Island 0 0 2 28 72 -44

Group B W D L PF PA PD
Lurikastan 2 0 0 71 21 50
Yorozuya 1 1 0 52 18 34
Kura-Pelland 1 1 0 46 36 10
Tom Griff 1 0 1 8 51 -43
Taeshan 0 0 2 24 35 -11
Norwellia 0 0 2 20 60 -40


(OOC: Will somebody please tell me who the hell Tom Griff is? Seriously! Please?)

OOC: TomGriff is my friend from school, he probably won't RP much. I'll have something up tonight.

OOC: Ah, there's no space in it. It's been written with a space here, so that's how I searched for it, and I couldn't even see the nation on the main NS site. That's why I asked. Thanks.

This post is brought to you by some capitalist post stealing feckers.

(OOC: Norwellia, your tables don't include the points awarded for wins and draws, (one for a draw, two for a win) mind you assuming that points difference is the tie breaker if teams have the same number of points, your tables are in the correct order anyway. And on another OOC note, NSwiki article (http://nswiki.net/index.php?title=Rugby_League_World_Cup_III) for the tournament.)

Lovisa win in controversial manner

Sorthern Northland's rugby league team last night fell to their first defeat at the third Rugby League World Cup after seeing a try harshly disallowed with just seconds remaining. The decision to disallow the try saw the Sortherners lose by a four point margin, just one try from a draw and a converted try from a win.

The last gasp disallowed try came after Fabio Rigoni caught an up and under from Scott Hunt on the left wing. Television replays show that Rigoni caught the balls just centimetres inside the touchline before sidestepping a Lovisan tackler before driving the ball over the try line. The touch judge though saw if differently, telling the referee that Rigoni had caught the ball with one foot out of touch. The referee then accepted the touch judges judgement without going to the video referee much to the anger of the Sorthern players and coaching staff. In the protests following the decision, Sorthern Northland's head coach, Eddy Chadwick was sent to the stands having allegedly shouted, “Ref is Greek!”

Well before any controversial decisions however, Sorthern Northland looked to be on course to winning the match, having gone into the half time break leading 12-0. An early try by Geoffrey McNamara came after a dominant opening ten minutes of rugby. Kaassannquaq Zeeb was given an opportunity to add two points to the Sorthern lead in the thirtieth minute following a spear tackle on Alejandro Núñez being penalised with a penalty and leaving Núñez unconscious. Zeeb's penalty though flew wide of the posts. The Sortherners though extended the lead minutes later when Geoffrey McNamara scored his second try of the game having taken advantage of a disorganised Lovisan defence following a scrum. Zeeb then successfully converted the try for a further two points.

The second half though saw a collapse, which started with Antonis Semertzidis being sent off after he headbutted the Lovisan coach following a slight disagreement of opinions. The sending off left holes in Sorthern Northland's defence. With greater numbers the Lovisans were able to get an upper hand in the game, and score three tries (converting two) in the final fifteen minutes to snatch the win.

(OOC: Norwellia, your tables don't include the points awarded for wins and draws, (one for a draw, two for a win) mind you assuming that points difference is the tie breaker if teams have the same number of points, your tables are in the correct order anyway. And on another OOC note, NSwiki article for the tournament.)

Cool, glad that's up.

Yeah, I didn't include points because I didn't know how many points a win counted for in this format, and frankly, I couldn't be arsed at the time to find out. I only did such a scant post because I didn't feel much like RPing and my RP would suck balls anyway since I know so little about the sport. I just thought I could do everyone a service by putting it all in easy table format, since I'd been wishing there was a table anyway. I don't mind taking on the duty in general, now that I know the points format, since I usually have several Excel windows open while I do NS sports anyway.

Two for a win, one for a draw, points difference is the tiebreaker.

A close win for Somewhereistonia kept them in the competition going into the next round of games. After the expected loss to Sorthern Northland it looked as though the team were going out after going behind to Alversia but a strong last 10 minutes saw two tries from Unekis and Kuusik put Somewhereistonia ahead.

In the post-match press conference the manager was quizzed over his teams chances. “I think our chances of getting to the next round look good. We need to concentrate and not slip up in our next games. Our team spirit is great and that's what got us through the last game, but you can never rely on that. We have a lot of work to do.”

OOC:Sorry if this is a bit late.

Nope!

Matchday three cut-off.

GROUP A
Alversia 0 - 12 Lovisa
Sorthern Northland 12 - 26 Kemball Island
Somewhereistonia 30 - 49 Peisandros

GROUP B
Tom Griff 18 - 48 Yorozuya
Norwellia 6 - 6 Kura-Pelland
Lurikastan 60 - 6 Taeshan

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu303/Norwellia/update.png?t=1237839240
INTERNATIONAL EDITION - SPORT - PAGE C1

Norwellian rugby side climbs up the ladder with spirited performance

KURA-PELLAND - They entered the world scene with a bang two weeks ago on rugby league's grandest stage, that sport's World Cup.

A ragtag band of oval-ball adventurers donned discount jerseys and sweated bullets before a sellout crowd in rugby-crazy Kura-Pelland, the weight of a nation on their shoulders as they made Norwellia's first appearance in any kind of international sports competition. They shone brightly on that day, graciously losing by only six points to a storied side from Lurikastan, and filling their nation's hearts with hope and pride from a game well played. The team had quickly earned the nickname "The Motley Crew", or "The Crew" for short, a bunch of carefree young spirits having the time of their lives and discovering themselves in front of the world.

And then it turned dark. A light-hearted party scene, a spectacle of sports history, a Cinderella story missing a slipper, but still captivating nonetheless, suddenly took a more sober note when the Crew was thoroughly outclassed by Yorozuya, the team that took fourth place in their first World Cup appearance four years ago. The 34-0 defeat seemed to remind a nation of everything wrong with it: a lack of drive, a juvenile unwillingness to take itself seriously, a nagging doubt that the youthful optimism which guided its daily existence was no longer cute and was starting to become pathetic. To the boistrous crowd in pubs across the country two weeks ago, the team that made them fall in love so quickly had become like your boyfriend who chews too loudly at your family's table, as players and coaches shifted nervously in television interviews, avoiding eye contact and stammering around direct questions that got just a little too real.

But the Crew turned it around yesterday, digging deep into their souls and tugging out a newfound passion tempered by the wisdom gained in last week's humbling rout. Heading into Matchday 3, they must have looked at their calendars and seen a fat red "L". Who could expect to send a team of hobbyists to face the host nation in their first World Cup and come away with points on the standings board?

Well, the Oceanview Selection did just that, leaving a nation in shock after an awe-inspiring defensive performance led to a 6-6 draw with the hosts Kura-Pelland. Run after run was stopped in its tracks by creative defensive schemes. The Crew advanced slowly and bended but never broke. Scoring just one converted try themselves, the team battened down the hatches after giving up a retaliation score and held on tight, ecstatic to take points away from a day they had written off months ago.

It turns out that a little youthful optimism can do a lot for you after all.

The Norwellian team faces perennial loser and current bottom-dweller Taeshan in a must-win match on Gameday 4.


Group A W D L PF PA PD Pts
Peisandros 3 0 0 123 64 59 6
Lovisa 3 0 0 60 18 42 6
Sorthern Northland 1 0 2 60 48 12 2
Kemball Island 1 0 2 44 98 -30 2
Somewhereistonia 1 0 2 64 99 -45 2
Alversia 0 0 3 36 74 -38 0

Group B W D L PF PA PD Pts
Lurikastan 3 0 0 131 27 104 6
Yorozuya 2 1 0 100 36 64 4
Kura-Pelland 1 2 0 52 42 10 4
TomGriff 1 0 2 26 99 -73 2
Norwellia 0 1 2 26 66 -40 1
Taeshan 0 0 3 30 95 -65 0

ooc:

Im still inactive till end of march, coz im on holiday. sorry 4 that.

btw. Lovisa won 3 matches excellent. go go Loviki

Cutoff...

GROUP A
Alversia 6 - 6 Kemball Island
Sorthern Northland 18 - 22 Peisandros
Lovisa 6 - 0 Somewhereistonia

GROUP B
TomGriff 16 - 10 Kura-Pelland
Norwellia 40 - 10 Taeshan
Yorozuya 6 - 36 Lurikastan

Remember, the group winners automatically qualify for the semi-finals, and there are two repechage matches to join them:

2nd A vs 3rd B (winner plays 1st B)
2nd B vs 3rd A (winner plays 1st A)

Hmmm a draw, not bad, iirc a win on the last game and i may take 3rd.

Mach reports for games 2,3 & 4 coming up tomorrow

This was a worrying situation for the Somewhereistonian manager. 3 losses would probably mean he would lose his job at the end of the competition; unless he could scrape through the group stage.

This seemed unlikely, first he had to get a win in the last match against Kemball Island, this was definitely possible, but with a demoralized squad, he would need to make one hell of a rousing speech before the match. This was something he was not particularly adept at, and he knew it. Second, Sorthern Northland, could not win if Somewhereistonia were to get through; they may have been struggling a bit, but they were expected to sweep Alversia out of the way. All the manager could do here was hope; as an atheist, praying wasn't even an option.

The only positive was that they had been very strong in defense against a strong Lovisa team only conceding six points in a tight match that had several late opportunities to gain the win that was so desperately needed.

So far, so good.

It's four from four and it's going to come down to the last match day. Peisandros will play Lovisa and the winner will automatically go through to the semi-finals. It's been a very good cup for the Unknowns so far, but there has been one worry for me, the coach. Our defence. It seems as soon as we get a few tries on the board the boys relax and we let the other team back in to it. That's exactly what happened against Southern Northland. After we shot out to 16-0 up within twenty, they all just relaxed. Ten minutes to go and we were 18-16 down, what a shock! Thankfully that left winger is in great form and got a lovely team try in the corner. If we're going to win this World Cup then we really have to work hard on D and not give away simple points like that.


Lovisa have looked very good so far, it's going to be very tough game. It's pretty important to win as I would rather avoid the repecharge round. That's mainly because Lurikastan are in extremely good form in Group B and if possible I would like to avoid them till the final.

We've been very lucky with injury. Considering we've only got 19 available players, injuries would cause some damge pretty quickly. Thankfully I've been able to use the same 17 for our first games. Anyway, the boys have been training really well and are excited to have a good crack at Lovisa and continue the great run.

If I've got this right:


Group A W D L PF PA PD Pts
Peisandros 4 0 0 145 82 63 8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lovisa 4 0 0 66 18 48 8
Kemball Island 1 1 2 50 104 -54 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorthern Northland 1 0 3 78 70 8 2
Somewhereistonia 1 0 3 64 105 -41 2
Alversia 0 1 3 42 80 -38 1

Group B W D L PF PA PD Pts
Lurikastan 4 0 0 167 33 134 8 Q
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yorozuya 2 1 1 106 72 34 5
Kura-Pelland 1 2 1 62 58 4 4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TomGriff 2 0 2 42 109 -67 4
Norwellia 1 1 2 66 76 -10 3
Taeshan 0 0 4 40 135 -95 0 E

Matches what I got; although I only worked out the points for world rankings. Counting in the matches so far from this tournament, the world rankings are looking interesting. TomGriff the real surprise, breaking into the top ten (on the current weighting i'm using).

Afraid I have to point out that my points for and agains in my group table are incorrect:
My results so far are 6-32, 22-40, 26-12 and 6-6
Tihs gives me a tally of 60 PF and 90 PA

Thought i should just point that out

Beningrad Morning Star

Sortherners disappoint again

Following a third defeat in a row for the Sorthern Northland rugby league team, coach Eddy Chadwick described his teams performance so far in the Rugby League World Cup as “disappointing”. Speaking after the final whistle of a 22-18 defeat to Peisandros, Chadwick said, “We've hugely underperformed so far, we needed to win this game and to not do that was disappointing. Especially as we threw away a win in the last ten minutes having come back from the disappointing start.”

Within twenty minutes of the start Sorthern Northland looked to have already thrown the game away as sloppy defending allowed Peisandros to race into a 16-0 lead. Having gained a large lead though, complacency seemed to set in for the unknowns of Peisandros as their defence made a number of basic errors. The Sorthern team though were unable to take advantage of the mistakes to put points on the board until the second half. With ten minutes of the second half gone, Maliele Mofihli sold the the opposition full back with a textbook sidestep into the try area to break the Sorthern breaklock. Kaassannquaq Zeeb, despite a tight angle, was then able to convert the try to bring the total up to six points. Just minutes later Zeeb, following a scrum was able to put the ball down under the posts for an easy conversion and a further six points. With ten minutes of the match left, a speedy mazing run from Stewart Stokes drew Sorthern Northland level, with Zeeb successfully converting to put his team into the lead for the first time in the match. With the lead, and victory in sight though, the Sorthern defence seemed to be standing resolutely until a try with four minutes left gave the lead back to Peisdandros, leaving Sorthern Northland too little time to reply.

The defeat leaves Sorthern Northland in fourth place in the group, one point behind third placed Kemball Island. To stay in the competition Sorthern Northland will either need a draw against Alversia and Kemball Island to lose their match with Somewhereistonia or a Sorthern win and a draw for Kemball Island. Without more composure from the Sorthern players though, staying in the competition looks unlikely.

Cutoff. Will post the correct tables, going through every result manually rather than just trusting Norwellia (but thank you anyway!), after the results.

GROUP A
Alversia 10 - 56 Sorthern Northland
Kemball Island 23 - 44 Somewhereistonia
Lovisa 7 - 6 Peisandros

GROUP B
TomGriff 0 - 12 Norwellia
Kura-Pelland 12 - 54 Lurikastan
Yorozuya 14 - 6 Taeshan

Group A
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Lovisa 5 5 0 0 73 24 49 10 Q
---------------------------------------------------------
2 Peisandros 5 4 0 1 151 89 62 8 R
3 Sorthern Northland 5 2 0 3 134 80 54 4 R
---------------------------------------------------------
4 Somewhereistonia 5 2 0 3 108 138 -30 4 E
5 Kemball Island 5 1 1 3 83 134 -51 3 E
6 Alversia 5 0 1 4 52 136 -84 1 E

Group B
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Lurikastan 5 5 0 0 221 45 176 10 Q
----------------------------------------------------
2 Yorozuya 5 3 1 1 120 78 42 7 R
3 Norwellia 5 2 1 2 78 76 2 5 R
----------------------------------------------------
4 Kura-Pelland 5 1 2 2 74 112 -38 4 E
5 TomGriff 5 2 0 3 42 121 -79 4 E
6 Taeshan 5 0 0 5 46 149 -103 0 E


Repechage matches

Peisandros v Norwellia @ St Margaret's Stadium, Marthley (capacity 41,093)
Yorozuya v Sorthern Northland @ Le Grand Stadium, Cardim (capacity 37,044)

Semi-finals

Lurikastan vs Peisandros/Norwellia @ The Octagon, Grayton City (capacity 45,692)
Lovisa vs Yorozuya/Sorthern Northland @ Walton Park, Harrington (capacity 42,888)

Final @ Shanvley Stadium, Trilan (capacity 96,536)

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INTERNATIONAL EDITION - PAGE A1

http://redsports.sg/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/08_rugby_sa_ac_39.jpg

Tears of joy for Cinderella national team

HARRINGTON, KURA-PELLAND - It doesn't quite seem real yet. It doesn't seem like it could possibly be true.

But the Norwellian national rugby team, the first Norwellian team of any kind to ever compete internationally, which started this Rugby League World Cup with two losses, are going to the elimination stage after a nearly unbelievable comeback.

First they achieved a totally unexpected 6-6 draw against host nation Kura-Pelland; and then they became the fourth team in a row to rout perennial losers Taeshan, in a 40-10 party of a game; then they did the unthinkable. They recorded a shutout.

Yesterday's 12-0 win left mannish scrum-half Katrin Breuer, prop Jacob Harris, and right wing Qiang Hsu in a tearful embrace, celebrating their victory not just over TomGriff but over the odds, with nobody giving this team of weekend rugby hobbyists a chance to leave a mark on this tournament.

"We have not earned any party yet," said manager Julien Bauché in a press conference after the game. "We've got a couple of huge games ahead of us, and it will take our men and women every last ounce of their heart and muscle to take down any more Goliaths. But", Bauché admitted, "It feels pretty damn good. Pretty damn good."

Hsu choked back tears to talk to a Daily Update reporter after the final whistle blew. "I don't believe it," gushed the winger, "it's not true yet, I don't believe it, it can't be true. Ask me tomorrow."

The team is not, by any means, out of the woods yet. The group affectionately nicknamed the Motley Crew faces powerhouse Peisandros at St. Margaret's stadium in Marthley next week, where a 4-0-1 team with a +62 points differential awaits them. Should they best that squad, they meet defending champions Lurikastan again in the semifinal, a team which has already beaten them 26-20 in this tournament.

Yorozuya (3-1-1) faces a disappointing Sorthern Northland team (2-0-3) in the other repechage match. The winner of that game will meet undefeated Lovisa in that bracket's semifinal. All games will be televised on OVS in North Coast and TSN elsewhere.

A heroic victory from the eagles, unfortunately it wasn't enough to secure a place in the next round, falling to points difference. The team had shown the promise all through the tournament but only really proved their potential in their last game against Kemball Island winning emphatically 44-23 against the favourites to claim third place.

Both teams started well, but it was Somewhereistonia that took the initiative in the first half leading 22-16 with tries from Kuusik, Kotli and J. Skema giving them the head start they needed for the second half, which they dominated throughout. Clever passing set up Matteus for an early try which was converted to send Somewhereistonia 28-16 up.

A drop goal and penalty soon afterwards gave Kemball Island a sight of winning but this was dashed when Hippius made a great run down the wing, to score his first (and only) try of the tournament giving the eagles an impressive 32-19 lead. The now brilliant looking Unekis scored three penalties against the frustrated Kemball team to push further ahead.

There were some signs of complacency that resulted in a brilliant try for Kemball's Ike Yekini. This was answered brilliantly by Somewhereistonia who made a resolute defence during the latter stages of the game, eventually breaking the weary Kemball team to score yet another try with 4 minutes to go, this time from substitute Paskolov, earning his first cap. The conversion left the score at 44-23, which was just not enough to overturn the points deficit and get to the repechage round.

The win may do little to keep the manager his job, the board clearly expecting the eagles to at least clear the group stage. The strength of the other teams in the group may just about keep him his job; at least until a suitable replacement is found.

Man, that was a hard game to watch. Our boys were so sloppy on attack, but shucks, Lovisa wasn't much better. Only the defence shone. At half time, it was nil all! After our very attacking and free flowing style we showed off in the first four games, it was a bit of a shock. I gave them a real talking to at the break hoping to install some passion and vigour back in them.

It worked to a degree, as they came out with a bit of mongrel in them. Although it didn't really work to our advantage. In their second set of the half we gave away a silly piggy-back penalty for a grapple. This lead to great field position and on the second tackle, one of our boys rushed out of line and put a big high tackle on their dummy half. Penalty right in front and we would be down to twelve men for ten minutes. They slotted the penalty and we were down 2-0. Let me tell you, he wasn't my favourite player in the sheds. To make matters worse, just four minutes later after we made a crucial error in our red zone, they turned possesion into points with a well rehearsed backline move, utilising the overlap and scoring in the corner. Thankfully they missed the kick and left us with a shot. 6-0 the score, but we hadn't looked close to scoring.

When we did finally get a breakthrough, it was all luck. With eight minutes to go they were again pressing hard on our line and if they scored it was all over. It came to a two on one, on the last tackle, down their right side. Their guy threw a no look pass and it somehow found it's way in to our left wingers hands. The rest is history. He dotted down under the sticks and our kicker added the extras. 6-6 and things not looking so dim.

The next six minutes I'm not so happy about. On receiving the kick, we got through a good set and put the ball out around the 15m mark to give the boys some time -- a draw would suit us fine. They had other ideas though and quickly set up a scrum to stop the clock. Four minutes twenty left and they had a good bit of distance to travel to set up a field goal situation. But, that's exactly what they did. First tackle from the scrum made them 5m -- 80m out. Then on the 2nd a bit of flair and an offload made 18m -- 62m out. A solid run from a big forward gave them an easy 11 -- now just 51m out. The fourth was the big one. The dummy half caught the markers napping and shot away. It looked like he would score but our fullback made a great tackle. However now they were just 21m out and the field goal was almost a given. The 7 slotted it, and put them 7-6 up. When our short restart failed, that was it and we were headed for repecharge footy -- not what I was hoping for going in to the Lovisa game.

Anyway now we face Norwellia, a team I have no idea about. I'll look at some tape though and hopefully we can come away with the victory. Thankfully we came out of the bruising affair with just a few minor injuries, but we'll see how they recover. At this stage there will be no changes to the 'Unknowns'.

Repechage results
Peisandros 12 - 6 Norwellia
Yorozuya 6 - 24 Sorthern Northland

Semi-final results

Lovisa 6 - 10 Sorthern Northland
Lurikastan 6 - 22 Peisandros


Final - Sorthern Northland v Peisandros @ Shanvley Stadium, Saturday 1930 UTC

Well, we made it. Got through the repechage, got through the semi-final against Lurikastan and now we have a rematch with Southern Northland to decide the title. We beat them earlier on in the comp, which should give the boys some confidence going in to this one, but it's a final of a World Cup so we really expect the SN lads to be on top of their game.

Our repechage game was a bit of a shock. We thought we would quite comfortably win it, but Norwellia played fantastically well. Their defense was admirable and we were quite lucky to get away with the win in normal time. At 6-6 with just four to go, I thought we were looking at some extra. But as it seems with this team, that hunger and desire kicked in and they found another level. We got a couple of sets at them after good kicks forced consecutive drop outs and we used the possession well. They were tired and we managed to get a try with just one minute twenty on the clock. With the conversation scored it was a done deal and we found ourselves in the daunting position of having to face Lurikastan in the semi-finals -- surely the favourites of the comp.

Going in to the game we were pretty nervous, I'll be honest. The guys were feeling a bit tired after the repechage game and I was forced to make a change to the team. One of our second rowers who had played 80mins every game, well, his body finally gave out. During a training run before the game he tore his hamstring. Luckily our two reserve players were close at hand as per usual, and our forward replacement was able to get kitted up for the first time and see some action. And action he saw. The first half was a hugely physical affair, with everyone bashing eachother. After 22minutes we were down to a three man bench, but we're used to having a smaller team. We took a narrow 6-4 lead in to oranges, battered and bruised for it though.

The Sandrian team who took the field in the second half seemed to be a whole new breed. Despite an early penalty which evened the scores up at 6 a piece, the Lurikastanians didn't have a chance. Our boys played confidently and extremely well. For once the defense really stood up and took control of the game. Instead of us scoring points on the back of luck, we forced mistakes and took advantage of them. Three more tries and a couple of conversations came in that great second half, with the full time score being 22-6.

After the game we were feeling good, but not great. The fatigue was really setting in and the ice baths were well used. They knew the job wasn't over and everyone was looking forward to running out on Shanvley Stadium. It would be a special moment for these boys and there's not much else I can do as coach. I think I've prepared them pretty well and it's all in their hands now.

Beningrad Morning Star
Excitement builds as final approaches

With just hours to go before the Rugby League World Cup final, the atmosphere in Trilan is steadily building as fans gather in and around the Shanvley Stadium. The Sorthern allocation of tickets sold out within minutes of the final whistle of the 10-6 victory over Lovisa. A number of other Sorthern fans have been seen trying to buy tickets for the match off the black market at prices astronomically above face value such is the desire to be at the match. The situation for fans of Peisandros is somewhat different due to the outlawing of Rugby League in Peisandros, despite that, a seizable number of Peisandros fans, possibly drawn from the expat community are expected to be at the match.

The final will be the second in successive tournaments for the Sorthern team, and despite losing the previous one, coach Eddy Chadwick is confident his team will fare better this time, telling reporters earlier, “Last time out we were playing against the host nation and were inexperienced. When you lack experience and you're going up against the home team in a final it's always going to be a tough ask to win. This time though, it'll be neutral for both teams and we have the experience now. That doesn't mean we can discount Peisandros though. They are just as experienced as us and they can play some of the best rugby in the world. I understand they've been disappointed at a couple of performances, but even if they play badly they can often still grind a result out. If it comes to it, we'll just have to do that better than them on the night.”

Sorthern Northland do however go into the game with fitness concerns, with influential full back Maliele Mofihli almost certain to sit out the game after receiving what has been described as “a pelvic injury” as he got out of bed this morning. Joel Manning is also out of the game, having fallen prey to a nasty bug after eating some dodgy eggs. Stanislav Volkov is expected to replace Mofihli whilst Luca Masini will make his first appearance of the tournament in the place of Manning.

Despite the absence of two key players, Sorthern fans in Trilan remain confidently hopeful of victory, and should their confidence prove true, the party in both Trilan and Sorthern Northland should last well past the early hours of the morning.

Wait, what the hell? Rugby league is illegal in Peisandros? How do they field a team?

Peisandros 10 - 6 Sorthern Northland

Congratulations Peisandros!

Wait, what the hell? Rugby league is illegal in Peisandros? How do they field a team?

ooc: I rp'd that last WC.

Peisandros 10 - 6 Sorthern Northland

Congratulations Peisandros!

again oocly, thank you. Very well run KP. RP to follow later today, SN feel free to do something if you want.

Beningrad Morning Star
Chadwick hands in resignation

A second final defeat for Sorthern Northland's rugby league team last night has led to head coach Eddy Chadwick handing in his resignation. Speaking after the match Chadwick told reporters, “It's the second time this has happened with me in charge. For the team to go forwards and win, perhaps a different boss and approach is needed, therefore I have offered to the Rugby League Association my resignation.”

However, despite handing his resignation in, it looks as though Chadwick could remain Sorthern Northland's head coach, with a number of players publicly calling for him to stay. Most vocal was team captain, Geoffrey McNamara, who reading a joint team statement said, “All of the players ask Eddy to reconsider his resignation. Without a manager of his ability we feel we would not have made two consecutive finals, and our confident that with him we can climb that missing step and become world champions next time round.”

Sorthern Rugby League Association spokesman, Dan Keeling also spoke about the resignation, amid claims that the SRLA will be rejecting it saying, “Certainly everyone on the SRLA board would like Chadwick to stay, and although a vote has not yet been held on the matter, we are confident that when it is there will be a unanimous vote to ask for him to stay. Should that happen then we will try and convince to change his mind. However if he truly feels he cannot carry on then it would be unfair on the man to block him from moving on.”

Whether or not Chadwick will stay or go remains but he seen, but if he does go then his final match will not be a positive note to go out on. Aside from it being a defeat, the Sorthern team can hardly claim it to be a glorious defeat. Neither team played the entertaining rugby they are known to be capable of, with neither side seeming to be willing to take risks with so much to lose. Before the match Chadwick had said, that it would perhaps come down to who was better at grinding out a result. Unfortunately for him, and possibly proving to be the end of his international management career, the team that was able to do that was Peisandros.

After finally finding the points difference errors for the first two world cups, I now give you the world rankings for rugby league.

The weighting used is 0.4 for world cup I, 0.8 for II and 1.6 for III. This seems a reasonably fair system as it means each world cup is worth double that of the previous one.


Country WC I points WC II points WC III points Total pts diff Total points
1 Lurikastan 8 17 10 229 32.8
2 Peisandros 0 13 14 99 32.8
3 Lovisa 0 10 10 6 24
4 Sorthern Northland 4 11 8 78 23.2
5 The Yorozuya 0 11 6 10 18.4
6 Dancougar 0 17 0 53 13.6
7 Kura-Pelland 0 4 4 -67 9.6
8 Norwellia 0 0 5 -4 8
9 Kemball Island 0 3 3 -68 7.2
10 Somewhereistonia0 0 4 -30 6.4
11 TomGriff 0 0 4 -79 6.4
12 Docky 12 0 0 42 4.8
13 West Zirconia 0 6 0 -14 4.8
14 Alversia 6 0 1 -111 4
15 Kjomasasopia 8 0 0 16 3.2
16 Draistania 0 4 0 -5 3.2
17 Taeshan 2 3 0 -135 3.2
18 Bost. Empire 6 0 0 0 2.4
19 Miroxia 4 0 0 17 1.6
20 Land de Wood 2 0 0 -37 0.8
Average → 2.6 4.95 3.45 0 10.36



The real life world cup 2008 average points was 3.2, so WCIII was the most real in this respect.

Thanks for that, looks good!

Woohoo! We're #8 in the world at something other than Radical Leftism and Molotov Cocktail Throwing!