The Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC) will hold its Annual General Meeting for members in Parramatta, Sydney on Thursday June 20th. The confederation is the Associate Member of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) which represents the nations in the southern hemisphere.
 
 
As this year is a voting year, the meeting will elect a Chair and Vice-Chair who will serve for the next three years. The current Chair and Vice-Chair are Tagaloa Faafouina Su’a (Samoa) and Charles Carlson (Cook Islands)

The RLIF Southern Hemisphere General Manager, Jeremy Edwards recognises that this is an exciting period of history for rugby league in the region saying:
 
“This is a really important gathering for the rugby league community in the Southern Hemisphere. We will have delegates at the meeting from four continents, Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. A truly inspirational gathering.
 
“The game in the Pacific region has developed immensely in the past 10 years to the point where, arguably, some of the great stars of our sport have their roots in the Pacific Islands. 
 
“After the very strong showing from the Asian nations at the RLIF Emerging Nations, it will be a pleasure to welcome contributions from that region to our conversations.
 
“As General Manager for the Southern Hemisphere, I am looking forward to working with the chair and the board to deliver the most exciting programme of competitions, games and development ever seen in the region.”
 
Upcoming fixtures
Rugby League World Cup Qualifier 2021

• Cook Islands vs South Africa - Wentworthville Rugby League Ground, Wentworthville, Western Sydney - Friday 21st June 2019 KO 19:00

Oceania Cup

• New Zealand vs Tonga - Mt Smart, Auckland New Zealand - Saturday 22nd June 2019 17:40

Women’s International

• Kiwi Ferns vs Samoa Women - Mt Smart, Auckland New Zealand - Saturday 22nd June 2019 – 15:10
• Kick off time: 3.10pm 

Pacific Tests -Leichardt Oval - Saturday 22nd June

• PNG Orchards vs Fiji Women’s
• PNG Kumuls vs Samoa
• Fiji vs Lebanon

In the lead up to the second Middle East and Africa Championship, to be held in Nigeria for the first time from 2-5th October 2019, bids have been received to host the 2020 tournament from four nations.

They are Lebanon - who won the first MEA tournament; South Africa - who are following up their 2015 involvement,  debutants Burundi; and Nigeria who will participate t=for the first time this year.

Competing this year in Lagos are the hosts, Cameroon, Ghana and Morocco, whilst the 2020 Championship will see the competition revert to a regular two-year cycle.

“South Africa can be significant for rugby league internationally,”  said SARL president Frans Erasmus. “We have the potential to become a major player and a lot to offer as a destination. Hosting the MEA Championship will support developing our presence on the sporting landscape here.”

Chairman of Burundi Rugby League XIII, Jean de Christ Rusiga noted: “Sport is our nation’s best ambassador and staging the 2020 MEA Championship would see all the people get behind us and the game of rugby league, we have some special things planned for our guests if we were to be selected.”

Chris Thair, RLEF general manager and responsible for the organisation of the Championship commented: “The strategic importance of the 2019 and 2020 MEA Championships is two-fold. Firstly, to establish a strong competition which is the flagship international tournament for the region and, secondly, to help move a number of the national federations from observer status to affiliate members in preparation for 2022. 

“The 2022 MEA Championships will form part of the 2025 World Cup qualification process, which will only involve affiliate or full member nations. It is therefore essential that the next two years of competition go well and, most importantly, aspiring nations can progress.”

Thair added: “Having just completed the annual audits for 2018, early indications are that Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Morocco are on track to achieve that before 2022, and therefore join Lebanon and South Africa. With Burundi and Congo also showing the potential to progress, then the MEA region is becoming an exciting place for rugby league.”

Karl Bistany, Lebanon Rugby League Federation international committee chairman said: “This is the way to increase our global reach and improve inclusivity within our community and key partners. Commercially, hosting the MEA Championship will provide more sponsor interest and supporters with opportunities to get further involved in the sport.”

The decision on hosting will be taken in 30 September 2019 by RLEF Board.

It was June 2006 when the  South African Rhinos left their shores for a two test tour of Italy 
The Rhinos were successful back then but that was 12 years ago 
This October in Sydney, South Africa and Italy meet again in test match rugby league 
The match will be played at Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park on Friday October 12  with a
7 30 pm kick off.

Italy will be fielding a team of talented young players of Australian /Italian heritage
As was the case with the South Africa  / Malta test back in June, the Rhinos will be drawing on players from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Both countries will be looking at developing their players for their respective  RLWC 21 campaigns
This test recognises the great relationship that both countries share and it is another step forward  to an ongoing partnership on and off the field.

The match will be live streamed. The link will be posted shortly before kick off on the South African Rugby League  and Italian Rugby League facebook  pages

Game day schedule  

Italy Heritage u13s v Aust Indigenous U13s - 4  pm 

Italy Heritage U16s v Malta U16s  - 5pm

Italy Heritage   U18s  v Malta  U18s - 6:15 pm 

Italy v South Africa  7:30 pm

via Malta Rugby League Facebook Page

​24-6 down at half time, Malta left their comeback too late with South Africa holding on for a 30-24 victory at St Marys yesterday afternoon. 

A tough passionate performance by both teams with big contact and end to end action.

Malta officials whilst disappointed with the result, were impressed with the outstanding debuts from the Cronin brothers Peter and Jesse.

The Rhinos are very chuffed in the feat that they Ranked 34 beat a team that Ranked 18th. 

After the match, Rhinos head coach,Jon Wilson said that he was extremely  proud of his players for the effort they put in and the passion and tenacity that they showed out on the field. He also mentioned the great support he received   from Assistant  coach Isaac Thomas and the rest of the coaching staff. Wilson said it was the best win he has been involved in , in his four years with the Rhinos .

The Rhinos lost two players for the match in the first half,being Wicus Boshoff (ankle 4th minute) and Byron Hutchinson , ruled out with HIA concussion  at half time. 

In addition  to this, Seth Buckley (hamstring) and Chelsea Michael Adams  (shoulder) shouldn't  have returned but with no other options both players returned and  toughed it out.

With the Rhinos  having only one player on the bench for 2nd half ,the forwards played the house down with the  entire pack playing big minutes.

South Africa's scrambling defence got them over the line in front of a fast finishing Malta.
Malta  were a tough, well drilled side that never gave up which was evident till the final whistle .

Africa United U18s showed their continued improvement,  narrowly going down to Malta U18s in the earlier match Unavailable for the match were Rhinos regular starting  prop,Shane Gillham  (knee) Tweed Heads Seagulls, Mitchell Frei (Wynnum Seagulls), Brendan  Frei (Wyong Roos ), 
Jackson Frei (Wyong  Roos), Kamren Cryer (Blacktown Workers ),Coby Thomas(Roosters ) and Eddie Proudler  ( South Perth).

The South  African players and management  would like to thank Malta  for the match and wish them  all the best in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
​
Rhinos Tries: Juan Benadie, Byron Hutchinson, Will Smith, Darren O'Donovan, Jason King

Malta Tries: Zach Borg, Cameron Mazzelli, Jono Dallas 2
Malta Goals: Nathan Benson 4/4

View the 1st Half HERE
View the 2nd Half HERE

This year’s International Representative weekend will feature the inaugural clash between the South African Rhinos and the Malta Knights in a test that Rhinos coach Jon Wilson describes as being about “building our talent pool up.”​

The Rhinos will have a strong Queensland flavour, featuring Tweed Heads Seagulls prop Shane Gillham, Halvor Harris (Lock, Townsville), Ashley Bull (Second row, Cairns), Jason King (Hooker, Emerald Cowboys), Byron Hutchinson Centre, Runaway Bay) and Andre-Carl Joubert (Five Eighth, Springsure Mountain Men) as well as former Queensland based players Brendan and Jackson Frei.
South Africa’s long-term aim is to increase their international ranking points (they are currently ranked 35th) and push for World Cup qualification, however this test is about bringing the team together, establishing a culture and getting an idea of where they sit compared to a more established and experienced side like Malta, who are currently ranked 17th.

“We want to keep this group together and hopefully get them playing more regularly, perhaps with annual fixtures” Wilson said “We’ve picked a fairly hard first up test for this group, Malta have been together a long time and have a large talent pool of players playing at a high level” he said.
One of the key people in building that culture is former Ipswich Jet and Brisbane Bronco Gideon Mzembe. Mzembe, who has previously played for South Africa is the teams’ strength and conditioning coach and described representing his homeland as an honour. “My grandmother grew up in the apartheid era, it is truly an honour to represent South Africa, for all the people from those generations that never got the chance.” He said.
The Rhinos is a heritage team, with the majority the players having been born in South Africa before emigrating to Australia. It is one of the strongest South African sides assembled. Previous Rhinos sides have been picked from players playing in South African competitions, whereas this squad consists of players with plenty of A Grade, under 20’s, Intrust Super Cup and Intrust Super Premiership experience.
As well as the Queensland contingent the side will include five players from NSW, five from Western Australia, one from New Zealand and two (Marcelle Viljoen and Zach Van Loggerenber) who will fly over from South Africa.
The test is being played on Sunday 24th of June at St Marys Rugby League stadium and will be live streamed. Go to the South African Rugby League Heritage Association Facebook page or the Malta Rugby League page for details of the stream.

Sun June 24
St Marys Stadium ,  Sydney ,  Kick off -  3 pm Australia    - 7 am South Africa
 
With just over two weeks to go ,final preparations are being put in place for the South Africa  v Malta  test match in Sydney Australia on June 24.

The South Africa side is made up primarily of South African heritage players in Australia ,with two domestic players from South Africa and one from New Zealand.
​
Players in Australia are from Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
A special mention to the two South African players ,Marcelle Viljoen and Zach Van Loggerenberg who were identified by South African Rugby League (SARL) selectors for outstanding performances in recent matches
 
Curtain raisers on the day are Africa United U-18s v Malta u-18s at 11pm. Africa United is made up of players  throughout Africa. This is followed by QLD Universities v NSW Universities at
1 pm .QLD and NSW will play for the  Tas Baitieri shield.

After the Universities match an Australian Universities side will be selected to tour South Africa in late October this year .The day has a real African feel about it and we encourage  South Africans and people from all  African nations  to get out to the game and support rugby league and your country.
 
Due to South Africa’s rugby league isolation ,the SARL formed a division within their structures,  the South African Rugby League Heritage Association (SARLHA) where the South African side will play test matches in Australia , New Zealand etc using  players born in South Africa and with South African heritage. With Australia being so multicultural there is an abundance of International sides to play  that use  heritage players.

With rugby league being a major sport in Australia, International matches between over seas countries gives great exposure and  can be played a lot more regularly and at a much cheaper cost to the National bodies in regards to international airfares and accommodation.
 
Also these International matches are played with Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) world ranking points on offer to improve the countries overall ranking which leads to much more exposure in regards to the media, a dedicated  fan base and will build great  sponsor relationships in Australia and South Africa.

This is why we see many small nations with an above average world ranking as they are playing regular matches in Australia using their heritage players. The SARLHA is dedicated to growing the South African Rhinos brand name around the world by playing more regular test matches leading to a  much improved RLIF world ranking that will have more international sides wanting to tour  South Africa . With such a large amount of South Africans raising their families in Australia today ,the SARLHA will play their part to develop a pathway for South African juniors  to want to play rugby league and aspire to play in the National Rugby League (NRL) and ultimately for South Africa 
This allows the SARL to focus on incoming International tours ,playing tests against other African nations and building a stronger South African domestic competition that will greatly  strengthen the Rhinos .
 
It was not that long ago that South Africa was the only African nation to play rugby league. Today we have Ethiopia ,Ghana, Kenya, Burundi, Nigeria, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and the DRC Congo developing and playing the game. With South Africa the only national side to have full membership status ,the RLIF see the SARL as the “big brother type nation” to assist in developing the game with these nations in playing matches , coaching clinics etc 
Lastly, by forming strong sponsorship relationships it will eventually lead to flying the  most talented, skilful and  hard working Rhinos from the SARL competition to  Australia for test matches and to send the best heritage players to South Africa for important matches such as for the world cup qualifying matches in October 2019 .
Our opposition for the two matches will be the 7th placed Asia Pacific nation and the 3rd placed Americas nation.
In playing these matches the SARL will need the best players ,coaches and support staff on deck to give them the best possible chance of qualifying for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup   in England
 
South African  squad :
 
Benadie, Juan                            New Zealand
Boshoff, Willem                        Perth, Australia
Buckley, Seth                             Sydney, Australia
Bull, Ashley                                Brisbane, Australia
De Vries, Bevin                          Sydney, Australia
Frei, Brendan                             Sydney, Australia
Frei, Jackson                               Sydney, Australia
Gillham, Shane                           Gold Coast, Australia
Harris, Halvor                             Townsville, Australia
Hutchinson, Byron                     Gold Coast, Australia
King, Jason                                   Emerald, Australia
Louw, Johan                                 Perth, Australia
Luyke Jnr, Eugene                       Brisbane, Australia
Mzembe, Gideon                        Brisbane, Australia
Smith, Devyn                                Ipswich, Australia
Smith, Jean-Charl                        Perth, Australia
Smith Jnr, Willem                        Perth, Australia
Thomas, Tyler                               Perth, Australia
Tubbs, Joel                                    Sydney, Australia
Van Loggerenberg, Zach            Johannesburg, South Africa
Viljoen, Marcelle                         Johannesburg, South Africa

​Private schools in South Africa are renowned for teaching the wealthy elite. Pure Hope Primary however, is a small private school which operates from the premises of the Moreleta Park Congregation. This little school started off as a private primary school but is now expanding into secondary school level as well. Pure Hope Primary is a level 4 BEE Not for Profit organisation that depends entirely on sponsors and donors for its operations costs. Children that attends this school are by no means wealthy. Most of them are from the adjacent informal settlement and are all in fact destitute. Due to the poor environmental conditions in which these kids live, the school provides all the children with three nutritious meals per day, all of which are paid through the sponsorships they so gratefully receive.

You would think that the Pure Hope Primary School is already doing so much for the wellbeing of their pupils that nobody would expect them to walk the extra mile for these children, but that is in fact exactly what they do.  The school enrolled 16 of their pupils on a One Community Programme presented by South Africa Rugby League in cooperation with the Automotive Training Association.

SARL received a donation of R100 000.00 from the Australian Ambassador in South Africa for the development of Rugby League as a sport in the country. SARL approached the Automotive Training Association for assistance in developing a training course that will help youngsters to set goals for themselves. These skills should be thought to the kids in such a way that it promotes the sport as well as the setting of goals.  A daunting task you would think, but the ATA did an extraordinary job in developing a programme for SA Rugby League that will do exactly that. Teach youngsters how to set goals for themselves using the sport field, and in particular rugby league, as reference. This programme is called OCP or rather One Community Programme.

OCP have been successfully rolled out at other schools in Pretoria as well. In the piloting phase of the programme schools like Prestige College from Hammanskraal  as well as Oos-Moot joined in the initial testing. SARL now intends to roll out this programme to really walk the extra mile for the development of young kids of all walks of life in South Africa. At the same time, SARL also hopes to promote rugby league as a sport in South Africa amongst these young kids.

​Riana Anderson, principal of Pure Hope Primary school, said the programme was very useful for her pupils. It thought them a little bit about discipline and leadership as well as setting goals in life. Even the younger primary school pupils benefitted from the training. These kids will certainly be able to set goals for themselves and grow up to become successful adults. The staff of the school converted the training programme into a fun event with the kids by sleeping over with them at the school and made sure they were all available for completing the programme on Saturday. 
The programme is aimed at pupils of all walks of life preferably of age between 14 – 18 years old. They would benefit the most from this extraordinary programme says Frans Erasmus the President of SA Rugby League
​
If you would like more information on the OCP programme please contact Franswa Smit, SARL Director of Schools at 0829084318

Source: http://www.asiapacificrl.com
​
The Malta Rugby League have today confirmed that the Malta Knights will feature in this year’s International Representative weekend when they return to Sydney’s west to take on the South African Rhinos at St Marys Rugby League Club Stadium on Sunday 24th June. 
The inaugural Test between the two nations will take part on the NRL / Super League free weekend and will be the Knights final hit-out prior to the Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship starting in September.
The match will be South Africa’s first Test Match since playing Niue in Pretoria in 2016 and will be the Rhinos first Australian tour since 2015.
As curtain raisers to the Test Match, the 2018 annual Tas Baitieri Interstate Challenge Cup between NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League and Universities Rugby League Queensland will take place, as well as an Under 18s clash between the Malta Heritage team and an African United side.
The Malta v South Africa Test is the fourth Test Match confirmed for the International Representative weekend, with England set to take on New Zealand in Denver, whilst Campbeltown Stadium in Sydney will host a Double Header featuring Tonga, Samoa, Lebanon and Papua New Guinea.

A big thank you to all that participated in the Nines Festival , yesterday on the 24th of February. The Nines Festival is an effort to promote Rugby League among the public and especially school children. We hope to host three more such festival days during 2018. Information  regarding these days will soon be available.
Tuks, BVR, Mustangs and  two teams from Mpumalanga, Panthers 1 and Panthers 2 entered the competition of the day with the Panthers coming out tops and won the competition of the day.
I have to remark on the sportsmanship of the day when Tuks and also the Panthers made players available to Mustangs, who was short on players. 
Jean Coetzer had a quick training session with the two teams of Prestige College before their game. The boys enjoyed their game and told me that they are looking forward to the next Rugby League Festival. 
Hein Roos of Roos photography took photos of the day. One can view this photos on Hein’s webpage, Roos Photography. Please support Hein the way he supports Rugby League. Click HERE
We would love to hear from you on Facebook. Please place you photos and comments. Do not forget to send Deo Botha your photos and comments for our webpage.
Deo can be contacted at;
info@deodatadigital.co.za
or his cell phone:
0829284080
At last and not the least, thank you to the Pretoria Task Team and Prestige College who made this event possible. Let us all support future events like this in an effort to promote Rugby League.