Super League 360

Host Lee Addison had a similar memory to Adrian Morley, former Sydney Roosters, Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain star of a July day in 1988. 

Great Britain were playing Australia in a match, in a sport neither had fallen in love with yet. Britain were ahead with only moments to go and would go on to win. A seed was sown then for both Lee and Moz. 

A love for rugby league.  

Have no doubt, that win ignited a flame in so many children who went on to play rugby league in the UK. Great Britain went on to defeat Australia 26–12 in the third and final test of the 1988 Rugby League Ashes series, ending a 15-game Australian winning streak and a 10-year losing run against the Kangaroos.  

Today, GB or England have not won a match v Australia since 2006.  But this shouldn’t be a shock. 

There are some disturbing statistics that outline a half-century of British failure against the top rugby league nation.  

 In this podcast, we look at the reasons why this may have happened, looking at clues from history. Whilst also looking back on some of the more memorable moments, some of the close shaves and of course, some of the tonkings!    

The Rugby League History Podcast is a weekly or bi-weekly pod about exactly what it says in the title!   

Reflecting what is going in during each stage of the season, renowned historians Andrew Ferguson (Aus) and Prof. Tony Collins (UK) join host Lee Addison to reflect on all that happened in rugby league history around the time each podcast is released!  So, expect historical World Cup content during World Cup times, club content during domestic league times and...well you get the picture!  

Andrew Ferguson is a much-published author / writer on the subject of rugby league history, is co-owner of the amazing Rugby League Project and co-host of the Fergo and the Freak podcast.   

Professor Tony Collins is the DOYEN of rugby league history. He’s a professor of history, fourth generation Hull KR supporter, and the author of 'Rugby’s Great Split', 'Rugby League: A People’s History', and last year’s ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’.   

Host Lee Addison is a former coach at NRL clubs, World Cups and Elite High Schools. He is the owner of Rugby League Coach. Please email Lee with questions or suggestions for the podcast on [email protected] You can also message and follow us @rugbyleaguehistorypod on Facebook, Instagram and X  

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

New Zealand, they well and truly smashed Tonga,

After weeks of doubt, they even used Ponga!

Will they be hoping they’re linked to the fortunes of Spain?

As it could be an omen why they’ll win the cup again!

Australia stand in their way, they’re now a bit of a goer!

After they well and truly dismantled Samoa!

Super League 360 covers the top tier of the British game, as well as some lower division and NRL news, but now it is also covering the WORLD CUP! 

Intrepid scribe John Davidson, a UK based Australian journalist, provides analysis whilst Lee Addison, a UK born coach in Australia, hosts the podcast, and also brings plenty of opinions.

Lee has coached at NRL clubs and World Cups and owns rugbyleaguecoach.com.au. He can be found @rugbyleaguecoach on Facebook and Instagram and also hosts the Rugby League Coach Podcast. John is on X at @johnnyddavidson

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

THE KIWI COUP! When the Kangaroos LOST Their World Crown!

2008. 

Because the year starts with a 2, it doesn’t seem long ago does it? But it was 18 Years ago!  

The iPhone 3G arrived in Australia in July. We are currently on Iphone 18 Pro  

YouTube was only three years old. It now has 2.6 BILLION Users  

Netflix was still a DVD-by-mail company in the US. People still tended to watch television at scheduled times rather than streaming – Netflix is now the top streaming service in the world with 325 million users in 190 countries.  

Newspapers, radio and television were still enormously influential. All three are now in severe, long term decline as digital platforms and social media take over.  

People used taxis and Ubers were still 5 years off being widely used  

Australia were the reigning world rugby league champions and had been since the mid 1970’s. On paper they looked almost unbeatable.

New Zealand, meanwhile, had never won a World Cup. They had come close. But when it came to the biggest stage, Australia had usually been the team standing in their way. Then came the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

There’d not been a World Cup for 8 years. 10 teams played in 12 Australian venues to determine who would be champion of the 13th Rugby League World Cup   

And nobody quite knew what was about to happen. Because over the next few weeks, a New Zealand team containing players like Benji Marshall, Sonny Bill Williams, Nathan Cayless and a host of other stars would begin to believe that they were there to win.

And in the final in Brisbane, the Kiwis did something that had never been done before. This is the story of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup... The year New Zealand shocked the rugby league world.  

The Rugby League History Podcast is a weekly or bi-weekly pod about exactly what it says in the title!   

Reflecting what is going in during each stage of the season, renowned historians Andrew Ferguson (Aus) and Prof. Tony Collins (UK) join host Lee Addison to reflect on all that happened in rugby league history around the time each podcast is released!  So, expect historical World Cup content during World Cup times, club content during domestic league times and...well you get the picture!  

Andrew Ferguson is a much-published author / writer on the subject of rugby league history, is co-owner of the amazing Rugby League Project and co-host of the Fergo and the Freak podcast.   

Professor Tony Collins is the DOYEN of rugby league history. He’s a professor of history, fourth generation Hull KR supporter, and the author of 'Rugby’s Great Split', 'Rugby League: A People’s History', and last year’s ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’.   

Host Lee Addison is a former coach at NRL clubs, World Cups and Elite High Schools. He is the owner of Rugby League Coach. Please email Lee with questions or suggestions for the podcast on [email protected] You can also message and follow us @rugbyleaguehistorypod on Facebook, Instagram and X


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

England won but failed the mission too,

The op was successful, the patient didn’t pull through.

 It’s left questions about the state of the game,

With 15 teams in the comp, we will have much of the same.

Kiwis and Kangaroos are warming up,

Samoa and Tonga could win the World Cup  

Super League 360 covers the top tier of the British game, as well as some lower division and NRL news, but now it is also covering the WORLD CUP! 

Intrepid scribe John Davidson, a UK based Australian journalist, provides analysis whilst Lee Addison, a UK born coach in Australia, hosts the podcast, and also brings plenty of opinions.

Lee has coached at NRL clubs and World Cups and owns rugbyleaguecoach.com.au. He can be found @rugbyleaguecoach on Facebook and Instagram and also hosts the Rugby League Coach Podcast. John is on X at @johnnyddavidson

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

The pod will be out a day later this week …

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

It was a period that started with no mobile phones, everyone scared of sharks thanks to Jaws and were soon to learn of an evil empire ruling the galaxy in Star Wars. By the end of the period, we were all connected by the internet, the Jedi once again ruled the galaxy and one nation established themselves as kings of the rugby league world.  

From 1975 to 2000, Australia established an extraordinary record on rugby league’s biggest international stage. But what made the Kangaroos so dominant, and who were the players and teams that helped shape this remarkable era?

In this episode of the Rugby League History Podcast, we look back at the World Cups that defined a generation of international rugby league.  We revisit the legendary players, memorable matches, fierce rivalries and defining moments that helped Australia maintain its position at the top of the world game.

From the unique 1975 tournament through to the 2000 World Cup, we explore the history, the heroes and the opposition that challenged the Kangaroos along the way.   

Join us for a trip back through 25 years of rugby league history, celebrating the people, performances and moments that made this era so memorable. If you love rugby league history, legendary players and the stories behind the game, this episode is for you!   

Listen, share and join the conversation about one of the most fascinating periods in international rugby league.

The Rugby League History Podcast is a weekly or bi-weekly pod about exactly what it says in the title!  Reflecting what is going in during each stage of the season, renowned historians Andrew Ferguson (Aus) and Prof. Tony Collins (UK) join host Lee Addison to reflect on all that happened in rugby league history around the time each podcast is released! So, expect historical World Cup content during World Cup times, club content during domestic league times and...well you get the picture!  

Andrew Ferguson is a much-published author / writer on the subject of rugby league history, is co-owner of the amazing Rugby League Project and co-host of the Fergo and the Freak podcast.   

Professor Tony Collins is the DOYEN of rugby league history. He’s a professor of history, fourth generation Hull KR supporter, and the author of 'Rugby’s Great Split', 'Rugby League: A People’s History', and last year’s ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’.   

Host Lee Addison is a former coach at NRL clubs, World Cups and Elite High Schools. He is the owner of Rugby League Coach. Please email Lee with questions or suggestions for the podcast on [email protected] You can also message and follow us @rugbyleaguehistorypod on Facebook, Instagram and X

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

None of us doubted the outcomes we’d see,
But we didn’t know how one sided the France game would be.
England turned up after a scratchy start,
Herbie, Litten and AJ tore the French apart.
The format itself is copping some grief,
And these one-sided games just fuel that belief

Super League 360 covers the top tier of the British game, as well as some lower division and NRL news, but now it is also covering the WORLD CUP! 

Intrepid scribe John Davidson, a UK based Australian journalist, provides analysis whilst Lee Addison, a UK born coach in Australia, hosts the podcast, and also brings plenty of opinions.

Lee has coached at NRL clubs and World Cups and owns rugbyleaguecoach.com.au. He can be found @rugbyleaguecoach on Facebook and Instagram and also hosts the Rugby League Coach Podcast. John is on X at @johnnyddavidson

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

When we talk about Rugby League World Cups, it’s easy to think about the modern tournament — decent crowds, professional athletes, modern stadiums and between 10 and 16 nations from all around the world competing on the biggest stage.

But go back more than 50 years to 1972 and you enter a very different world of rugby league. The game was still largely played by working men, international tours could involve extraordinary travel, and the World Cup itself was a much smaller, more intimate affair.

Yet for all those differences, the passion, pride and fierce rivalry were every bit as real. The 1972 World Cup, staged in France, would become one of the most memorable tournaments in the history of the game.

And while the tournament ultimately produced a dramatic finish that has become part of rugby league folklore, there is so much more to this World Cup than simply who won the trophy.

So, in this podcast, we're going back to 1972 — to the background, the players, the characters, the matches, the controversies and the stories behind one of the great Rugby League World Cups, particularly if you are British.

The Rugby League History Podcast is a weekly or bi-weekly pod about exactly what it says in the title! Reflecting what is going in during each stage of the season, renowned historians Andrew Ferguson (Aus) and Prof. Tony Collins (UK) join host Lee Addison to reflect on all that happened in rugby league history around the time each podcast is released!

So expect historical World Cup content during World Cup times, club content during domestic league times and...well you get the picture!

Andrew Ferguson is a much-published author / writer on the subject of rugby league history, is co-owner of the amazing Rugby League Project and co-host of the Fergo and the Freak podcast.

Professor Tony Collins is the DOYEN of rugby league history. He’s a professor of history, fourth generation Hull KR supporter, and the author of 'Rugby’s Great Split', 'Rugby League: A People’s History', and last year’s ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’.

Host Lee Addison is a former coach at NRL clubs, World Cups and Elite High Schools. He is the owner of Rugby League Coach.

Please email Lee with questions or suggestions for the podcast on [email protected] You can also message and follow us @rugbyleaguehistorypod on Facebook, Instagram and X.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

England got well and truly battered in Perth
Their World Cup hopes crashing down to earth 
The Kiwis and Aussies put on a show 
England against those ? We fear how it would go 
Samoa and Tonga in no mood for messin’
France too were taught a really tough lesson

Super League 360 covers the top tier of the British game, as well as some lower division and NRL news, but now it is also covering the WORLD CUP! 

Intrepid scribe John Davidson, a UK based Australian journalist, provides analysis whilst Lee Addison, a UK born coach in Australia, hosts the podcast, and also brings plenty of opinions.

Lee has coached at NRL clubs and World Cups and owns rugbyleaguecoach.com.au. He can be found @rugbyleaguecoach on Facebook and Instagram and also hosts the Rugby League Coach Podcast. John is on X at @johnnyddavidson

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.

Between 1957 and 1970, rugby league didn't just change on the field. It changed as a product, as entertainment, and as an international sport.   And a lot of the rugby league we recognise today starts taking shape right here.  

In just 13 years, rugby league went from a four-team World Cup with no final to international tournaments, television, massive club rivalries and some of the most famous moments in the game's history.  

And there's something else happening during this period that would be almost impossible for a modern rugby league fan to appreciate.  

 
The period between 1957 and 1970 was one of the most volatile, transformative, and momentous eras in modern human history. It was defined by the Cold War, the race to the moon, the collapse of global empires, and a massive societal upheaval driven by civil rights and youth counter-culture. Rugby league was also coming into people's living rooms for the first time.  

Britain was already televising rugby league before Australia really got regular television coverage of the game. The first televised rugby league match in Australia came in 1961. And by the late 1960s, major rugby league matches were becoming regular television events. But Britain was ahead of the game. The BBC had shown the Challenge Cup Final as early as 1948. Great Britain against New Zealand from Swinton was televised in 1951. And by 1965, the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was bringing rugby league into people's homes on a regular basis.

And that matters. Because this is the beginning of rugby league becoming something different. It wasn't just something you WENT to watch anymore. You could sit in your living room and watch it. You could hear the commentators. You could see the stars. You could follow the big games without actually being at the ground.

And by the time we get to 1970, Eddie Waring's voice is becoming synonymous with British rugby league, television is changing the way people consume sport, and the game is beginning to look much more like the professional entertainment product we recognise today. This is the story of how rugby league came into your living room.

1957. 1960. 1968. 1970. Four years. Thirteen years of change. And by the end of it, rugby league would never quite be the same again.

Oh, and the World Cup Trophy got STOLEN! 

Two of the game's finest historians, are taking you back to relive the story of the Rugby League World Cups between 1957 and 1970.

The Rugby League History Podcast is a weekly or bi-weekly pod about exactly what it says in the title!

Andrew Ferguson is a much-published author / writer on the subject of rugby league history, is co-owner of the amazing Rugby League Project and co-host of the Fergo and the Freak podcast.

Professor Tony Collins is the DOYEN of rugby league history. He’s a professor of history, fourth generation Hull KR supporter, and the author of 'Rugby’s Great Split', 'Rugby League: A People’s History', and last year’s ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’. 

Host Lee Addison is a former coach at NRL clubs, World Cups and Elite High Schools. He is the owner of Rugby League Coach.

Please email Lee with questions or suggestions for the podcast on [email protected]

You can also message and follow us @rugbyleaguehistorypod on Facebook, Instagram and X.  @rugbyleaguehistorypod

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/super-league-360--6807749/support.