Sam Tomkins
Sam Tomkins (born 23 March 1989) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and occasional for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League and England at international level. He is the two time and current and reigning Man of Steel, a title earned in 2012 and 2021. He won three Super League Grand Finals with the Wigan Warriors in 2010, 2013 and 2018, as well as two Challenge Cup finals in 2011 and 2013. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League for two seasons before return to Wigan in the Super League. Background Tomkins was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. He is the younger brother of Joel Tomkins, and the older brother of Logan Tomkins. After his family moved north in the early 1990s, he started playing for Chorley Panthers when he was aged seven. To develop his career further, Tomkins' family moved to Wigan where he played for Wigan St. Patrick's, before receiving a scholarship from ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). In the 1960s, the UK government decided that a further generation of new towns in the South East of England was needed to relieve housing congestion in London. This new town (in planning documents, 'new city'), Milton Keynes, was to be the biggest yet, with a target population of 250,000 and a 'designated area' of about . At designation, its area incorporated the existing towns of Bletchley, Fenny Stratford, Wolverton and Stony Stratford, along with another fifteen villages and farmland in between. These settlements had an extensive hist ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joel Tomkins
Joel Andrew Tomkins (born 21 March 1987) is a former English professional rugby league footballer who last played forward for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League, and has played for England at international level. He has previously played for the Wigan Warriors and Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. He also played professional rugby union for Saracens in the English Rugby Premiership and the England Saxons and England at international level. Background Tomkins was born in Warrington, Cheshire, England, but he was raised in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. He is the eldest brother of Sam Tomkins and Logan Tomkins, who also both played rugby league. Rugby league career Early career Tomkins is a former St. John Fisher player, where he played in the Wigan Warriors' Academy at under-18's level in 2003. He was selected for the 2004 Academy Origin Series. Joel was one of the most highly rated talents in the Wigan Warriors' Academy. He primari ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Test Match (rugby League)
A test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation. The definition of a test match differs from that of an international match. An international match can be played "between senior/open age or restricted age-level teams from different countries". Recognition Members of the international governing body can make their own recognition of a match as having test status. It is possible for a match to be considered a test by one side but not the other. Matches may also be given test status retrospectively by their governing bodies. A notable instance of a different in opinions of the status of past matches is a consequence of the Super League war. The Australian Rugby League does not recognise the games played in 1997 by the Australian Super League side against Great Britain and New Zealand. The three sides were representing members of the Super League International Board, the ARL's rival. Th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2009 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (officially known as the Gillette Four Nations due to sponsorship) was the first Rugby League Four Nations since its expansion from the Tri-Nations tournament. Played in England and France over three weeks from Friday, 23 October until Saturday, 14 November, France and England competed for the first time, with Great Britain's permanent split into the home nations' national teams following the 2007 New Zealand All Golds Tour. The tournament culminated in a final between world number 1 side Australia and hosts England. After 60 minutes of highly competitive football, Australia ran away with the match, scoring a barrage of late tries to win 46–16. The 2009 series was the first of three Four Nations series planned before the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with the venues rotating between Europe and the South Pacific. The RLIF also stated that the next Four Nations would be held 2010. Qualification The Four Nations is run in partnersh ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wales National Rugby League Team
The Wales national rugby league team represents Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is ranked 17th in the IRL World Rankings. The team was run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from Cardiff. Six Welsh players have been entered into the Rugby League Hall Of Fame. As with other Welsh national sporting teams, Wales strip has been primarily red. However, in the World Cup campaign in 2000 they wore a shirt featuring the Welsh flag, adding a touch of green and white. The team is known as "The Dragons" and so the team's logo on the shirt is a red dragon. The team date back to 1907, making them the third oldest national side after England and New Zealand, and it was a touring New Zealand side that Wales first played against in 1908, winning 9–8 at Aberdare. Since then, Wales have regularly played England, since 1935 France, as well as welcomed the touring Australia a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rugby League International Federation
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League International Federation'', the IRL is responsible for the '' Laws of the Game'', the development, organisation and governance of rugby leagues internationally, and for the sport's major international tournaments; most notably the Rugby League World Cup. There are two regional associations affiliated to the IRL; the Rugby League European Federation (RLEF) and the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC). After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Rugby League and European Rugby League banned Russia from all international rugby league competitions. History 1895–1926: Rugby league foundations Rugby league, which had started in England in 1895 and spread to Wales in 1907 and Australia and New Zealand in 1908, was intro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Maguire (rugby League)
Michael Maguire (born 5 February 1974) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the Head Coach of New Zealand at international level, and a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a er and in the 1990s. After a playing career spent mostly at the Canberra Raiders, with a brief stint with the Adelaide Rams, he became assistant coach of Melbourne Storm under Craig Bellamy and in 2009 became a head coach in the Super League with English club the Wigan Warriors. He was previously the head coach for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Wests Tigers in the NRL. In his first year as Wigan Warriors' coach Maguire won the 2010 Super League Grand Final. In his second year he won the 2011 Challenge Cup and was then signed by the Rabbitohs. In his first year as an NRL head coach he took South Sydney deep into the 2012 finals series. In 2013, Souths finished the regular season in second place and in 2014 they won their first premiership in 43 years ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Super League Dream Team
The Super League Dream Team is an annually-selected rugby league All Star Team consisting of the players deemed to have been the best in their respective positions in the Super League competition. The team is selected by a panel of journalists and broadcasters at the end of each season. The inaugural Dream Team was selected in 1996, the competition's first season. The team is traditionally selected following the completion of the regular season, and so does not take play-off matches into account. 1996 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 1997 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 1998 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 1999 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2000 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2001 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2002 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2003 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2004 * † indicates that year's Man of Steel. 2005 * † indicates that year's Man of St ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harlequins Rugby League
The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegated to the Championship. They returned to the Super League after achieving promotion by winning the Million Pound Game against the Toronto Wolfpack in 2018, but were relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2019 Super League season after finishing 12th. The club was originally formed in 1980 as Fulham Rugby League Club and entered the Second Division for the 1980–81 season. The club has also previously been known as London Crusaders (1991–1994), London Broncos (between 1994–2005, and since 2012) and Harlequins Rugby League (2006–2011). Whilst the club has never won a major trophy, they were finalists in the 1999 Challenge Cup and finished the 1997 Super League season in second place. The first trophy the club has won ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Whitehaven R
Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is the administrative seat of the Borough of Copeland, and has a town council for the parish of Whitehaven. The population of the town was 23,986 at the 2011 census. The town's growth was largely due to the exploitation of the extensive coal measures by the Lowther family, driving a growing export of coal through the harbour from the 17th century onwards. It was also a major port for trading with the American colonies, and was, after London, the second busiest port of England by tonnage from 1750 to 1772. This prosperity led to the creation of a Georgian planned town in the 18th century which has left an architectural legacy of over 170 listed buildings. Whitehaven has been designated a "gem town" by the Council for British Archaeology due to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2008 Challenge Cup
The 2008 Challenge Cup (also known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 107th staging of the most prestigious knock-out competition in the world of Rugby league, featuring teams from across Europe, including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. It began in February 2008. Teams from the National League were given byes to round three, and teams from the Super League entered in round four. Teams from outside the UK were introduced at various stages. St. Helens successfully defended their title after beating Hull F.C. 28 - 16 in the final. Round 1 :''(week ending 3 February, 3 fixtures played Saturday 9 February (indicated with *), 1 on Saturday 16 February (indicated with **))'' *** - Match abandoned after Hunslet Old Boys had 4 players sent off. Hunslet Old Boys were subsequently thrown out of the competition. Round 2 :''(weekend of 23 – 24 February)'' Russian team Vereya joined in this round. Vereya were runners-up in the Russian Cha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wigan St Patricks
Wigan St. Patricks is an amateur rugby league football club based in the Scholes area of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The first team plays in the National Conference League Division One . In 1986, the club was one of ten founder members of the BARLA National Amateur League (now known as the National Conference League). The club is renowned for producing talented young players. More than 50 former St Pats players have gone on to play for the town's professional team, Wigan Warriors, including internationals Joe Egan, Liam Farrell, Sean O'Loughlin, Josh Charnley, Sam Tomkins and Tom Davies. In 2014, St Pats reached the third round of the Challenge Cup, and were drawn against Leigh Centurions. Although St Pats were drawn at home, the club played the fixture at Leigh Sports Village, as their own ground did not meet the RFL's minimum requirements to host the fixture. St Pats were defeated 6–74. In January 2015, the club announced that they would not be taking part in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |