History of Rugby League
Rugby League is a sport played with a prolate spheroid ball and, it is a version of football where full-contact is allowed. This sport is played between two teams with thirteen players each. Rugby league is one among the two formats of rugby football, the other being rugby union. This team sport is considered to be physically demanding and tough. The history of rugby league can be traced back to 1895 when the Northern Rugby Football Union split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU). In the course of time, the Northern Union came to be known as the Rugby Football League (RFL). Rugby league is very famous in Australia, New Zealand and England. It is also the national sport of Papua New Guinea.
The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is the highest governing body for the sport. The National Rugby League (NRL), the top league of professional rugby league clubs in Australasia, is contested by sixteen teams. The State of Origin is the best of three series of rugby league matches played in Australia between the Maroons of Queensland and the Blues of New South Wales. The Super Cup, held once a year, is an international rugby union tournament contested by national teams from Canada, Japan, Russia and the United States. The Super League is played between 14 teams from England, Wales and France. The RLIF organizes the Rugby League World Cup for men’s national teams to determine the best national team.
Previous Rugby League season(s)
Australia is the most successful team in the World Cup having won it nine times. Great Britain has won the tournament twice and New Zealand won it for the first time in 2008. Rugby league is also competed at the club level and some of the popular clubs are the Bradford Bulls, the Catalans Dragons, the Harlequins, the Adelaide Rams, the Gold Coast Titans, the Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand Warriors. Leeds Rhinos or The Rhinos are one of the most successful rugby league football club, and they are the current Super League champions. Brisbane Broncos is one of the most successful clubs in the NRL having won six premierships. Darren Lockyer, Jarryd Hayne and James Peacock are some of the popular names associated with the sport.
