Keep Your Eye On The Ball
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday March 9, 2002
Get all the latest footy news - off or on the field - from these bookmarks, writes Steve Meacham.
RUGBY UNION
Australian Rugby Union
www.rugby.com.au
The official site, with all the basics you would expect including news agency stories on the Australian teams. Reasonably comprehensive on women's rugby, with one of its strengths being its focus on children's rugby. Easy to navigate, but don't expect anything too controversial. The place to go if you want to buy Wallaby or Waratah merchandise online.
Rugbyheaven
www.rugbyheaven.com.au
You'd expect us to praise this site, since it's part of Fairfax, publishers of The Sydney Morning Herald. But it really is the best, with no topic too contentious to grapple. Apart from the Herald's columnists - FitzSimons, Zavos, Growden et al - you can read considered reports on international rugby from the London Daily Telegraph. Lively, opinionated, comprehensive. The one they want to beat.
Planet-Rugby
www.planet-rugby.com
One of the best. Quirky, informative, but doesn't take itself too seriously. Authorative, provocative columnists including the pugnacious (and virulently anti-Southern-Hemisphere-rugby) Stephen Jones of the London Sunday Times, former Springbok coach Nick Mallett and Michael Lynagh. Better-than-average news service and a good database. The rugby lookalikes section is fun - our own Bob Dwyer is apparently the spitting image of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.
Scrum.com
www.scrum.com
Bills itself as "the greatest rugby arena in the world", though the suspicion is that it is not quite as energetic as it used to be. Much better on the Northern Hemisphere than it is on our side of the globe, particularly useful if you want to follow the British club scene. The scrum fitness section is a worthy feature, though it hasn't been updated for a while.
New Zealand Rugby
www.nzrugby.com
Cluttered official site, but it's all there - somewhere. Australian readers will find it most useful for its player profiles, though they are understandably pedestrian. Reasonable updates on most aspects of the game the other side of the ditch.
South African Rugby
www.sarugby.net
The official site, and therefore a trifle dull. But useful if you're looking for a South African view of Super 12 or the Tri Nations.
International Rugby Board
www.irfb.com
Basic information such as rules of the game as well as a short history of the board.
RUGBY LEAGUE
National Rugby League
www.nrl.com.au
The starting point, given that there are links to each of the individual clubs. But don't expect anything imaginative. Merchandising figures strongly, and there is a link to Ray Hadley's continuous 2GB call. And, of course, if you're into seeing pictures of the referees, then this is the site for you.
World of Rugby League
www.rleague.com
This site is useful for international stats and scores. If you hadn't heard, the Toulouse Spacers defeated the Villefranche Wolves 32-18 in the French league the other day. Will appeal most to those who still believe league can be a global sport - although significantly the link to "emerging nations" no longer works.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
www.souths.com.au
The official Rabbitohs site, and you'd think it would be jumping given the unprecedented interest this season in the club's return to the NRL competition. It's disappointing, then, to have to report that it doesn't appear to have been updated for a while (they've been too busy partying, I suppose). George Piggins' message to fans, for example, was written last July, and there's no report from the thrilling charity shield encounter with the Dragons.
OzLeague
www.ozleague.com
Probably the best site dedicated to league since the lamented LeagueHQ was reincorporated into the Herald's general sports site at the end of last season. Perky, irreverent and opinionated, with its own editorial column and plenty of stats. One of the most useful features is the way it has organised its links to the unofficial club sites - an easy way of finding out what the fans are really thinking.
Brisbane Broncos
www.broncos.com.au
Regarded as one of the more professional of the club sites. Easy to work your way around, and covers all angles. Even so, when we last looked it was in desperate need of an update. The columns by coach Wayne Bennett and captain Gorden Tallis date from last season, though the news section is reasonably current.
Bulldogs
www.bulldogs.com.au
Again, some experts thought this was one of the better club sites in 2001. The slick-looking site should keep avid Bulldogs fans happy.
Jubilee Avenue
http://dragons.rleague.com
At least this fan site has the grace to declare up front that "there's not much happening at the moment". That said, it features a reasonably balanced view of the Charity Shield match, given that it is written by a dyed-in-the-wool Dragons fan. The chat page is suitably chirpy.
Rabbit power
There's no wonder such a fuss was made when South Sydney was expelled by the National Rugby League and News Limited from first grade competition for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Few clubs have as rich a history. A foundation club, the Rabbitohs played their first game on April 20, 1908, defeating Norths 11-7 at Birchgrove Oval.
The club went on to claim 20 first-grade premierships, more than any other team, and enlisted many of the games greatest footballers, from Clive Churchill to John Sattler.
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald