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The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Embattled Salford players out to avoid tag of Super League's worst ever team
For much of last Friday's game at Leeds, no one could possibly think they were watching one of the worst teams in rugby league history. Salford eventually sank to a 40-6 defeat, a harsh scoreline given they were the better side in the first half and conceded 18 points in the 10 minutes they had a man sin-binned. Despite a week of huge upheaval – players threatening a strike, crisis meetings with the Rugby Football League and a squad stripped by injuries of another three senior players – Salford competed heroically. It was another spirited display after their victory over Castleford – just their second win of the season – but coach Paul Rowley is not expecting things to keep getting better over the remaining eight rounds of the season. Wages are due next week, with some players extremely concerned that, once they play the final game of the campaign at home to Wakefield on 19 September, they may not receive the final two paychecks of their contracts. Threats of a strike were quashed after a meeting with the RFL, but the players know they face an uncertain future. 'Distractions are not good for any team but for this team in particular,' says Rowley. 'We're trying to squeeze every last drop out of them every week. To be at their best and compete, they need to be focused and it's been very hard to have a clear mind and true focus on the job in hand. I was nervous, knowing what Leeds can do, so I was pleasantly surprised, but not shocked. I knew they were capable of it but pleased they did themselves justice.' Things are improving on the pitch but are almost certainly about to get worse off it. Salford have picked up four points from their first 19 games of the season but that will become minus four if, as expected, they are docked eight points for fielding 13 reserves and only three subs at St Helens on the opening weekend. The Red Devils will need to win a few of their eight remaining fixtures to avoid the dreaded nul points. There are many metrics by which to judge the worst team ever: fewest points, fewest wins, lowest win percentage, greatest points average deficit. In the 57 seasons there has been more than one division in rugby league, only one club has finished a top-flight season with no points: Halifax in 2003. They only won one of their 28 games all season – their first of the campaign – but were docked those two points for breaking the salary cap the previous year. No top-flight club has gone all season without a win, but four clubs have only won once. Halifax were in financial meltdown before 2003 began; London Broncos only just made it to the start line in 2014 with a team of kids; and both Barrow in 1989-90 and Rochdale the following season were over-promoted, having finished fourth in Division Two. They were never going to cope. Salford are different. Their disintegration since finishing fourth in Super League last September is both remarkable and dire. Half of the players who helped them beat Huddersfield four months ago have left the club – including Kallum Watkins, who played against them for Leeds on Friday – or are injured. Week after week Rowley has turned to inexperienced youngsters and 14 loanees. The return from injury of senior players such as Chris Hill and Joe Mellor has added experience, but Rowley acknowledges his resources could be further weakened after the 1 August transfer deadline. 'Everybody's having a look and worrying about what's next,' he says. 'We wouldn't judge anyone if they took decisions on their own futures. I've learned over this period to expect nothing and take every day as it comes.' After a chaotic six months, Rowley admits his squad has struggled to remain 'obsessed with being a professional rugby player, as you need to be' with too much on their minds. Having just one fixture in the next three weeks – against leaders Hull KR next Thursday – Rowley has sent everyone home to reset. 'If we had a normal squad it would be a chance to work on combinations, but our priority is to get people fit: healthy bodies and healthy minds,' says the former England hooker. 'The best thing for us to do is to have a break and enjoy some time with their families without the stresses they've been under.' Salford's best chance to pick up their third win of the season will come in September, when they host Castleford and visit Huddersfield. If they don't win again, the Red Devils will become just the 10th top-flight team to win just two matches all season. Dewsbury were the first, in 1977-78, and three more did it in the following seven years, all newly promoted sides in the era of four-up, four-down. The full-time realities of Super League brought a further flurry of flops, from Workington and PSG managing just 12 points between them in Super League's first season, to London Broncos and Hull doing the same last year. And still some people want to promote three clubs to Super League this winter. Salford are aiming to better their previous nadir, when they finished bottom of the 25-team league 104 years ago with just 9.4% of their available points, which is how the table was calculated when not everyone played the same number of games. Getting less than 10% of the available points is rare. Leigh Centurions did it as recently as 2021, when they were hastily promoted during the pandemic to replace Toronto. Ranking the worst sides in history is a tricky task. Even though Halifax finished the season with zero points in 2003, they did so with a higher win percentage than London Broncos in 2014, Barrow in 1990 and Rochdale in 1991. When it comes to average scorelines over a season, Salford's is a 41-8 defeat, which is marginally better than Barrow's average of 44-8. The worst ever defence belongs to the London Broncos team of 2014, which leaked 46 points per game. But Salford are scoring fewer points than any top division team before them: just 7.6 per game. But even in the darkest days, some bright lights shine. Young talent emerged from the humiliated Rochdale Hornets in Neil Cowie, Darren Abram and Martin Hall. Paul Crarey survived playing nearly every game for Barrow in their horror season and is about to coach them for a record-breaking 350th match. Josh Drinkwater, George Griffin and Mike McMeeken were on the receiving end of weekly batterings with London Broncos in 2014 but went on to have stellar Super League careers. It's a similar scene at Salford this year. Several unknown kids thrown into the deep end have managed to swim. Some are having a whale of a time. Kai Morgan, signed from Leeds last summer to be a backup halfback, has played at pivot nearly every game. Nathan Connell has gone from a sixth form college in Eccles to facing Super League's record tryscorer Ryan Hall – and survived. Their standout player on Friday night, full-back Declan Murphy, was making his senior rugby league debut having arrived on trial from New Zealand via Hertfordshire. After a shaky opening, Murphy settled and soon shone, safe under Jake Connor's aerial bombardment, dazzling with his footwork and speed. Three years ago, Murphy left school in Auckland to join Wasps academy. When they folded, Saracens gave him a chance. His only experiences of senior rugby have been on loan spells at Reading, Harpenden, Ampthill and, earlier this year, Bishop's Stortford – all in union. 'Out of all this tough situation, the shining light is that we get to give people opportunities that they probably wouldn't get,' says Rowley. 'It's a source of pride. We're pretty good at unearthing some decent talent. Hopefully Declan joins that list, along with Sam Hill and others. He's got some raw attributes: he's brave, he's fast, skilful. There's always something good to look for.' Red Devils fans can hang on to that. Follow No Helmets Required on Facebook
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Adam Hills not hiding passionate love for rugby league
The Australian comic, known for hosting late-night talk and sketch show The Last Leg, makes no attempt to hide his passion for the 13-player code either. After all, the 55-year-old was adorned in Australia's rugby league kit from the 2017 Rugby League World Cup on a traditional London bus kitted out to mark 100 days to go until the return of the ABK Beer Ashes. It will mark a revival of one of rugby league's most iconic series which last happened in 2003 when Australia toured the UK to play Great Britain. 'I'm so excited,' the Sydney native said. 'It's been 22 years since the last Ashes, and I've been shocked by that; this is something that should be happening all the time. 'I'm so excited to show rugby league off to my London friends and go, 'OK, guys you have to watch this. I know you don't know what it's about, or you might think you know, but this is five levels up, especially when it's an Ashes Test'.' The launch began in Clapham – London's unofficial Australian capital – and also featured England captain George Williams, international teammate Jack Welsby and rugby league legend Martin Offiah. But Hills' presence at the event goes beyond his celebrity status, he is also the Rugby Football League president, a role he has held since the start of the year, and one that fills him with enormous pride. 'I honestly got goosebumps when the email came through offering it to me,' he beamed. 'Initially I was a little bit hesitant because I thought, 'How's it going to look having an Australian as the president of the RFL?' 'But I think it's good to have an Australian shouting about stuff, because sometimes rugby league gets a little bit forgotten over here. 'I come from a city where you go, 'this is the best sport in the world' and I'm not ashamed to say that. 'So, I thought, okay, I'll take the role so I can shout about rugby league in a positive way.' And Hill's has been doing just that, trying to raise the profile of the sport in every way possible, from the national to the community game, to everything in between, including speaking to Artur Martirosyan, the president of Ukrainian Rugby League. 'Off the back of [a Last Leg episode where the plight of rugby league in Ukraine was highlighted] that, I was put in touch with the president,' he explained. 'I had a FaceTime with him, and I said, 'when's the best time to chat?' 'He replied, 'Sunday is, because I'm in the army.' And I was like, 'because you get Sunday's off?' He said, 'no, no, Sundays are when my commanding officer is off so I can make a phone call. 'I was amazed at this point. I asked him what he did, and he just sent me a picture of himself behind an anti-aircraft gun. I was like 'holy s**t!' 'When then ended up talking about rugby league for an hour. We asked them what they needed, which was kit, balls etc, so we put out a plea on the Last Leg and the guys from Keighley Cougars said they'd make the Ukrainian national kit for them. 'So, as we speak, they've flown out to Poland to then take a 15-hour bus to present them with the kit. I'm loving stuff like that.' Hills was a member of the Australian side at the inaugural Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup in 2022 and hopes, through his role as RFL president, to try a promote disability rugby league as much as he can too. 'Regardless of the sport, there has to be an England v Australia Ashes,' he continued. 'I've played disability rugby league, and since becoming president, and even before then, I'm doing what I can to make sure there's disability rugby league at the next World Cup. 'We did it once and it can't be a one off. And I also think there should be a disability rugby league Ashes too. 'I really want that to be a thing.' The series kicks off at Wembley Stadium on October 25, before heading to Liverpool a week later, where a sold-out Bramley-Moore Dock will take centre stage. Leeds Rhinos' Headingley Stadium is the venue for the third and final Test on November 8, which is also a sellout. More than 60,000 tickets were sold on the first day of the priority sales window, which was a record-breaking figure for any rugby league series launch. Hills predicted a close series and expressed his desire for a winner-takes-all decider come the third Test. 'It's going to finish 2-1 to someone,' he said. 'Rugby League will be the winner, and I think that final game at Headingley will be unbelievable. 'As an Australian, where do you not want to be playing? I'm absolutely pumped for that match.' Marking the milestone with a '100 days to go' London Trophy Tour were Rugby League legend Martin Offiah MBE, current England captain George Williams, star player Jack Welsby, and Aussie comedian and Rugby Football League President, Adam Hills MBE.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rowley 'unaware' of Salford player strike threat
Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley said he has not been made aware of any plans by players to go on strike ahead of Friday's Super League game at Leeds have swirled around the troubled club, who picked up only their second league win of the season against Castleford Tigers at the have been plagued by financial problems during a protracted takeover, leading to the late payment of wages. That in turn has led to a salary cap being imposed by the Rugby Football League (RFL), and an exodus of 11 senior players, severely weakening Rowley's has talked about "green shoots" of improvements on the pitch, but last week there was already talk of players agreeing to face the Tigers but then not turning out against Leeds in protest at ongoing problems. Rowley last month accused one player, Sam Stone, of "downing tools" by refusing to play against St Helens, leading to him departing for Warrington Wolves on was asked about the strike talk but said: "I read an article saying I'd been made aware of certain players not playing. "That's not true, nobody's approached me. I've not had any dialogue regarding that, that's utter bull."The RFL has confirmed that they are meeting with the club, players and the Rugby League Cares charity on Wednesday. Rowley added: "That was at the request of the players, they've not come in on a white horse. It's been at the request of the players just for some clarity and some good chat and they're kindly doing that, so that's all good. It's not the gravitas it's been made out to be."
South Wales Guardian
16-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Utter bull – Paul Rowley denies being told of strike threat by Salford players
It was reported earlier this week that some senior players had threatened to pull out of the Betfred Super League clash following renewed uncertainty around the Red Devils' financial position and had informed club officials, including Rowley, of this. A Rugby Football League spokesperson confirmed to the PA news agency on Tuesday that a meeting was due to take place on Wednesday with players, the club, the RFL and the Rugby League Cares charity in attendance. Rowley clarified his understanding of the situation prior to taking questions at Wednesday's press conference, saying: 'Just a couple of things so you can get it in early… One, I read an article saying I'd been made aware of certain players not playing, etc. 'That's not true, nobody's approached me. I've not had any dialogue or regard in that. That's utter bull. 'Second, RFL are coming in. That was at the request of the players, they've not come in like on a white horse or anything, it's been at the request of the players just for some clarity and some good chat. 'They're kindly doing that, so that's all good. That's not the gravitas that it was made out to be.' The 21-man squad for our trip to AMT Headingley! 🔒 — Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) July 16, 2025 Salford have been operating under salary cap restrictions since the start of the season following a drawn-out takeover process and the late payment of some wages. The club named their 21-man squad ahead of Friday's trip to Headingley, which remains unchanged from the group picked for last week's clash against Castleford – with the exception of three players absent due to injury. Jayden Nikorima, Esan Marsters and Loghan Lewis are all missing after picking up injuries against the Tigers, and Rowley provided an update on their progress. 'Loghan is obviously HIA so he can't play on Friday and the other two boys, they'll definitely be long term,' the head coach said. A second #SuperLeague victory of the season for @SalfordDevils 😈 — Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 13, 2025 'Jayden's got a fractured arm, Esan's got damage to his shoulder so we're just awaiting the appointment with a specialist to talk through the results of the scan. 'That's long term, we're not going to see Esan for a while.' In place of those players, Charlie Glover, Finley Yates and Sam Hill have been named in the squad for the Leeds game. Salford will be looking to build on last weekend's 26-22 victory over Castleford, their second Super League win of the season, which ended a 13-game losing run. However, they face a tough test against Leeds, who are fifth in the table.
Rhyl Journal
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Utter bull – Paul Rowley denies being told of strike threat by Salford players
It was reported earlier this week that some senior players had threatened to pull out of the Betfred Super League clash following renewed uncertainty around the Red Devils' financial position and had informed club officials, including Rowley, of this. A Rugby Football League spokesperson confirmed to the PA news agency on Tuesday that a meeting was due to take place on Wednesday with players, the club, the RFL and the Rugby League Cares charity in attendance. Rowley clarified his understanding of the situation prior to taking questions at Wednesday's press conference, saying: 'Just a couple of things so you can get it in early… One, I read an article saying I'd been made aware of certain players not playing, etc. 'That's not true, nobody's approached me. I've not had any dialogue or regard in that. That's utter bull. 'Second, RFL are coming in. That was at the request of the players, they've not come in like on a white horse or anything, it's been at the request of the players just for some clarity and some good chat. 'They're kindly doing that, so that's all good. That's not the gravitas that it was made out to be.' The 21-man squad for our trip to AMT Headingley! 🔒 — Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) July 16, 2025 Salford have been operating under salary cap restrictions since the start of the season following a drawn-out takeover process and the late payment of some wages. The club named their 21-man squad ahead of Friday's trip to Headingley, which remains unchanged from the group picked for last week's clash against Castleford – with the exception of three players absent due to injury. Jayden Nikorima, Esan Marsters and Loghan Lewis are all missing after picking up injuries against the Tigers, and Rowley provided an update on their progress. 'Loghan is obviously HIA so he can't play on Friday and the other two boys, they'll definitely be long term,' the head coach said. A second #SuperLeague victory of the season for @SalfordDevils 😈 — Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 13, 2025 'Jayden's got a fractured arm, Esan's got damage to his shoulder so we're just awaiting the appointment with a specialist to talk through the results of the scan. 'That's long term, we're not going to see Esan for a while.' In place of those players, Charlie Glover, Finley Yates and Sam Hill have been named in the squad for the Leeds game. Salford will be looking to build on last weekend's 26-22 victory over Castleford, their second Super League win of the season, which ended a 13-game losing run. However, they face a tough test against Leeds, who are fifth in the table.
