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.

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.

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.

​On Friday the 3rd of February 2017 Dr. Frans Erasmus,SARL Board Member and Frans Parsons, SARLA CEO had the privilege to meet with Mr. Farnaud the French ambassador in South Africa. The function was to promote France for the 2024 bid for the Olympics. The evening was based around a worldwide photography competition where all the winners were exhibited.


​
During this sport evening we had the opportunity to discuss rugby union as well as Rugby League with the ambassador. He is very keen on both codes and the forthcoming Springbok tour against France later this year sparked a conversation where the possibility for a league test series against France was discussed.
We planned this for 2018 and the ambassador will set up a meeting with us to introduce us to all the relevant role players. This was a great opportunity for SARLA. " It is imperative that we build relationships with foreign Embassy's in South Africa to enable SARL to develop the game in South Africa and assists with awareness of the code of Rugby League in South Africa Frans Parsons the CEO of SARL said."

IT’S something only the bravest of men would shout in the streets of Jean Coetzer’s native Pretoria.
It would probably draw derision at it’s mildest and pose a threat to one’s person at it’s most extreme, but for Corrimal recruit, Coetzer, there is no doubt – rugby league is the greatest game of all.
“It’s a lot better than union, it’s faster quicker, tougher,” Coetzer says.
League writers Mitch Jennings and Tim Barrow talk NRL and Illawarra Coal LeagueLike most boys growing up in Pretoria, Coetzer was brought up in the 15-man game with no knowledge of rugby league.
“When I was young it was non-existent. I didn’t even know about it,” Coetzer said.
“I grew up playing union and started playing [league] in 2009, with my brother just for a bit of bonding with friends. I got straight through to provincial [championship] and straight to International and I’ve played ever since.”
The game is faced with many hurdles in his homeland, not the least of which is the the South African Sports Confederation’s stubborn refusal to recognise the game as separate from rugby union; the battle the league fought in other countries more than 100 years ago.
Despite that the competition continues to grow with the premier Rhino Cup featuring teams from Gauteng Province and another competition based around Cape Town.
“When I started I don’t think we were even on the map but it’s really coming up now,” Coetzer said.
“The Rhino Cup is our top comp and it’s based mainly Gauteng [province], so between Pretoria, Johannesburg and Mpumalanga. This year we started a comp in Cape Town so hopefully if the money gets good we can combine and make it a big [national] comp.”
Coetzer first played his first Test for South Africa in 2009 and captained the Rhinos in their World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon last year, a tournament that saw the climb as high as 25 in the world rankings.
“It was a very great experience, especially with all the young boys I had under me. It’s was a really big honour,” he said.
At 26, he felt the time was right to seek out a tougher challenge. He got a quick initiation in the Cougars last-start loss to Collegians and Saturday promises a massive step up against league leaders Dapto.
“This is the first time I’ve come abroad to play and I’ve definitely come here for a step up,” he said. 
“I came straight off the plane and got straight into the two practice sessions and played [against Collegians]. It’s a lot quicker than I’m used to but now, after three weeks, the body’s more used to it so we’ll see how I go this weekend against Dapto.”
Elsewhere in the Illawarra Coal League, Wests host Thirroul at Parrish Park while Berkeley will travel to Helensburgh to take on the Tigers at Rex Jackson Oval.

Full Article

To understand the bizarre and baffling situation the South African Rugby League finds itself in, you must first understand its history in this country. Back in the 1960s, a rag-tag group of South Africans travelled to Australia to represent the country in rugby league. Back then, league was one of the first sports that had started to professionalise in England and pay players for their services.
Upon their return, players knew that if they were to ever play league again, they would be banned from playing union. Even kids at school level who were interested in the sport were told that they would not be allowed to play union should they sign up for league.
And so, rugby league was effectively banned. Even back then, this was so typical of rugby’s elitism and a small-mindedness which persists to this day and which is quite evident in the struggles of the South African Rugby League (SARL) trying to be recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
For the uninitiated, rugby league is a 13-man sport that’s like rugby, but not quite. The rules are somewhat different and some call it the most physically demanding of all forms of rugby. Play is brisk and there is little time wasted on contesting possession. Think of it as Sevens on steroids. While it has the pace and the flair of sevens, it also carries on for a full 80 minutes. 
Since returning to the South African sporting fray in 1994, South African rugby league has struggled to find its identity in the South African sporting landscape. While the governing body has had its administrative ups and downs in the last few years, at the heart of its struggle is Sascoc’s refusal to recognise the sport as a federation separate to rugby union.
Despite rugby union and rugby league being governed by different bodies internationally, they refuse to budge in South Africa. At the heart of the issue is the Sascoc constitution which dictates the recognition of members. Article 8.1.6 says: “Sascoc does not recognise more than one National Sport Federation of a similar or same sport type.”
Thus Sascoc is saying that rugby league is not currently considered a distinct sport and that, despite it being governed by a different international body, it cannot get independent recognition.
But here is the contradiction: Article 8.1.2 of Sascoc’s constitution says members of “national sports federations affiliated to other major International Federations governing sports presently not included in the programme of the Olympic Games” can also be recognised. Since Rugby League is not an Olympic sport and SARL is affiliated to the Rugby League International Federation, surely it should be recognised independently?
It’s a challenge that has been hindering the sport’s progress for many years and Kobus Botha, the current SARL president, is all too familiar with the battle.
“We’ve had negotiations at all levels. We’ve had discussions with Tubby Reddy (Sascoc), Jurie Roux and Oregan Hoskins (both Saru) on numerous occasions,” he tells the Daily Maverick.
“Sascoc insist that we should fall under Saru which would essentially mean that they would determine what we can and can’t do and which funding we can receive. We even have letters from the IRB stating clearly that we are different, but they cannot make room for us,” he adds.
It is a baffling situation made even more so by the fact that Sascoc seem to contradict themselves in a way. For example, Sascoc recognises ice hockey and hockey separately. Karate and Judo are both recognised separately as members despite both being considered “martial arts” – which is also recognised separately. Even sheep sheering is recognised as a federation.
SARL is a registered sporting association in the country and has support from the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF). At one stage during the ongoing saga, Roux even sent a letter detailing that union and league are two different things, but Sascoc refused to budge. Through all of this, the Department of Sport and Recreation shrug their shoulders saying they cannot give Sascoc any instruction, they can only advise them on a number of aspects. 
For SARL, this is an immense challenge and it stops the sport’s development dead in its tracks. Currently, because it is not recognised by Sascoc, SARL cannot receive financial assistance from the government. It can’t be played in schools and corporate support and sponsorship is even harder to come by. Technically, the caps the players earn when playing internationally don’t even count since Sascoc is responsible for awarding national colours to athletes. Those representing South Africa at all events also have to fund these trips themselves. Event rips to World Cups – at junior and senior level – are largely paid out of the pockets of those called up to play. The organisation endorses the applications for bidding and hosting of international events, providing that specific criteria are all met.
Last year, SARL was willing to give up the fight for independent recognition and be absorbed by Saru. While far from ideal, it seemed the only way to go forward.
“We were pushed into that hole because of the refusal to be recognised independently, but to grow the sport, we had no other choice,” Botha says.
Saru and SARL agreed that the two sports would be overseen by one committee while having separate constitutions and created a memorandum of understanding which had to be approved by a two-thirds majority at Saru’s annual general meeting. Botha says Roux had told Botha he was confident of the memorandum of understanding passing, but developments hit another snag.
SARL is not just fighting a battle for independent recognition, but an ongoing court case, with a group of former SARL officials claiming they are actually the recognised governing body of the sport in South Africa also causing a hindrance. This rebel body is not registered or recognised by the RLIF, but Botha says that Roux felt that the vote on the memorandum of understanding could not progress until the court case was settled. 
All things considered, it seemed a rather convenient excuse because SARL seems to be fighting against the self-interest and self-preservation of the powers that be in rugby union. Botha says that at one stage during the many years of negotiations – now dragging on for over five years – Hoskins had told SARL that the “financial cake is only so big”. The men in charge of Saru and Sascoc are, of course, big rugby union men and protecting the code is to their financial benefit. 
“They see us as a threat. We are the sleeping giants of sport. I think people are getting a bit tired of Rugby Union. So imagine a new sport arrives that’s more exciting than union, people will be intrigued,” Botha says.
He’s not wrong. The 2013 Rugby League World Cup, held in the UK, smashed all records, drawing an aggregate crowd of 458,463 with 74,468 of those being international visitors. There were eight sell-outs and eight stadium record crowds for rugby league matches. Tournament director Nigel Wood confirmed profits of at least £3.7-million with the towns and city that hosted the matches pocketing a pretty penny.
This kind of money can greatly benefit not only the sport of rugby league in South Africa, but also boost the tourism industry. South Africa is already a tourist favourite and becomes even more so when there is an international sporting event for fans to flock to. But without Sascoc’s endorsement, being awarded a World Cup is difficult. 
But the fight is not confined to the boardrooms. Union’s elitism has spilled out onto the playing fields too. SARL is recognised by sports councils in both Gauteng and the Western Cape, but Botha says the players have often run into trouble when trying to practise or play.
“We are often bullied by union clubs where we are told that we cannot play here or there because it’s their turf, but these are municipal fields. Saru has even gone so far as to write a letter to Gauteng’s sport’s council telling them they cannot support us,” Botha says.
“Sascoc and Saru have killed us at point blank range,” Botha adds.
A fledgling rugby league in South Africa can only be a good thing for sport. Just last week Saru president Oregan Hoskins bemoaned the overload of professionals in the country’s professional rugby union franchises. A fully functional league system could provide more playing opportunities for professional rugby players as it is not unheard of for players to switch between the two – Sonny Bill Williams being the most famous example of a player who has done so successfully. That Saru and Sascoc are unable to see its value because of its self-interest is a crying shame. DM

Via http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/​