VANUATU takes centre stage in the Nines universe this weekend while in Papua New Guinea an elaborate mini-season of the abbreviated form of rugby league has been announced. All stops have been pulled out for the island of Espiritu Santo to hold the Luganville Nines on Saturday, with teams from neighbouring Malo island competing and an administrative team flying in…
IN a major step forward for the abbreviated version of rugby league, the new French season will kick off with two entire weekends of Nines matches played at six venues. This weekend, Villeneuve, Carcassonne and Avignon will host matches while next weekend it will be the turn of St Gaudens, St Esteve and Limoux. The elite one season will commence…
Rugby Football League chairman Simon Johnson has given his opinion of Nines and the role they may play for the sport in Britain. Speaking on the BBC Rugby League podcast, Johnson said that the abbreviated version of rugby league was a significantly factor as his organisation looks to overhaul the sport in the months and years ahead “We’re different to…
ON the same day Catalans secured Super League’s minor premiership, Tokyo French Crusaders were crowned the first champions of a new Japanese Nines tournament. The Riverside Nines comprised five rugby union clubs as well as hosts Abiko Ducks and was the result of years of hard work by New Zealander David Canham. And a few hours before James Maloney’s extra-time…
Next year’s Super League season will include a mid-season ‘Nines festival”, according to Hull owner Adam Pearson. Speaking on the BBC Rugby League Podcast, Pearson stressed the need for the British game to come up with a new format for a younger audience – although he said in his mind, this would be third variant of the sport and not…
The Sepik Nines for 2021 have been confirmed for November 4-6 at Pora Oval in Wewak. Organisers have extended an invitation to every team in Papua New Guinea for the second staging of the event. Twenty men’s teams took part last year, with QPR Colts of Port Moresby taking the title. Meanwhile, a successful tournament in New Ireland was recently…
COLOMBIA will host the country’s first national Nines championship in November. The announcement comes as Sili Eels celebrate taking out the Palauli/Satupaitea Regional Nines in Samoa and Nane Brothers settle into their title as 2021 Port Moresby Suburban Nines champs. The Colombian Nines will run on November 13 and 14 and feature teams from around Bogota as well as the…
NINES action is reaching its crescendo in the Netherlands and Port Moresby while Papua New Guinea’s Central Province is bracing itself for a landmark series. The Hiritano Super Nines kicks off this Friday at Bereina Station with 32 teams taking part, the tournament moving on five subsequent weekends to neighbouring towns. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, the Nines have been played…
NO team survived the first day of the Netherlands Nines Series without a defeat as the sport got back underway in the European nation at the weekend. Harderwijk Dolphins and Den Haag Knights finished Saturday with four-from-five records during the Dordrect tour stop; host side the Griffins were the only team of six not to register a victory. The Knights’…
TOP rugby union teams in Samoa have crossed the code divide to play in the first ever Faleata Nines on the island of Upolu. Marist Saints, a union team not to be confused with a team by the same name that took out the Vailimia Marist Fantastic Nines earlier in the year, won the tournament and now all the union…
