The coach of Australia’s Rugby League team has quit his post after intense and widespread criticism regarding his behaviour at the recent World Cup.

Ricky Stuart behaved inappropriately towards match officials after the tournament’s final, which Australia lost after an impressive performance from New Zealand.

Stuart did later apologise for making offensive remarks to the officials and was fined over eight thousand pounds but this did little to calm the feelings of those offended by his outrageous actions.

Numerous rumours have been circulating ever since the incident, which occurred after the final match of the tournament on the 22nd of November in Brisbane.

There has been mounting speculation that Ricky Stuart made actual physical contact with the match officials from England, Ashley Klein and Stuart Cunnings, the day after the World Cup defeat to bitter rivals, New Zealand. Furthermore, the verbal abuse was said to be disgusting and entirely inappropriate.

The Australian Rugby League revealed that Stuart would not be applying for the job as national coach for next season and the ex-coach has now stated that this was a “difficult decision to make”, particularly in the light of the “honour and enjoyment that comes from coaching our national team”.

However, he believes that the tough decision will suit both the game as a whole and his own needs. Stuart apparently remains aware of how important it is to protect and continue to enhance the image of the sport and, in such circumstances, it was clear that he had to quit.

Last weekend, the Rugby Football League revealed that it was to introduce major changes to the Super League play-offs. These changes will be introduced next season and officials revealed that all fourteen clubs have been informed of the alterations. One of the biggest changes will see the highest-placed team after the first round able to pick their opponents for the semi-final in week three.

Furthermore, following the expansion of the league to include two extra clubs, the series, which lasts for four weeks and ends in October, will involve the top eight teams.

The format will now be as follows: the eight qualifying teams will play on the opening weekend, with the leaders of the League meeting the team in fourth position, and the second and third teams competing against each other as well. In addition, the fifth placed team will play the eighth placed team and sixth will come up against seventh.

The winners of the games which involve the top four clubs will progress straight to the third week and the qualifying semi-finals. However, the losers will face the winners of the elimination play-offs.

During the third week, the teams successful in week one’s qualifying play-offs will come up against the winners from the second week. The highest-placed team will also be able to pick from one of two opponents.

The eight team play-off series is a “tremendous” alteration for both “the sport” in general and “the competition” as a whole. This is the view of the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, Nigel Wood, who also believes that the new format will increase the drama of a period of the season which is already extremely exciting.

The earlier stages of the season will also benefit from the format, since more matches will have additional significance as clubs struggle to give themselves a good chance at winning the title.

Officials for the National Rugby League in Australia are set to decide whether or not to start a groundbreaking trial which would see two referees involved on the field of play during a match.

The trial would start next season and one referee would monitor the action surrounding the ball whilst the other would constantly monitor the 10m line in defence. It would only be implemented in the National Rugby League, with the current system remaining in place for every other rugby grade and competition.

The officials on the National Rugby League board will meet in early December to decide whether to set the trial in motion and the chief of the League, Dave Gallop, is keen to see the scheme approved. He believes that having two referees on the pitch will lead to “greater consistency” and a game which flows and is generally more attractive and exciting for spectators.

As well as the aesthetic benefits of the proposal, it would also improve the accuracy of decisions made on the field. Gallop revealed that the board is currently keen to continue to raise the standards of such important decisions and the proposal has already been supported by numerous players and coaches in the National Rugby League, as well as individuals responsible for making important decisions in the world of rugby.

If the proposal is approved by the board but the game fails to benefit from two referees, Gallop has revealed that further reviews would be made and changes could be introduced if necessary.

This weekend saw an impressive New Zealand side beat a strong Australian team to win the final of the Rugby League World Cup for the very first time in their history. Australia were widely expected to beat the Kiwis in the match.

After all, they had held the World Cup trophy since the mid-1970s and had not been defeated throughout the entire tournament. Furthermore, the opposition they were set to face in the final, New Zealand, had been heavily crushed by the Australian side earlier in the tournament. Australia’s opening game saw the Kiwis defeated 30-6.

However, although Australia led at half time, impressive play from Lance Hohaia and Benji Marshall saw New Zealand quickly open up a 22-16 lead. Adam Blair confirmed the victory after Australia made a series of unforced, and extremely uncharacteristic, errors.

The strength and aggression which ran throughout the New Zealand side proved too much for the Australians, who seemed surprised by the Kiwis’ attitude. The Australian team should have taken advantage of the early lead but the side became complacent and allowed New Zealand to grow in confidence.

The captain of New Zealand, Nathan Cayless, believed that the victory was one of the finest moments of his career. He was ecstatic that the team had managed to take advantage of some sloppy play by Australia, since he has painful experiences of being in situations where the team has failed to build on leads and good play. He revealed that the team were looking forward to celebrating the win after working so hard to achieve success.

After New Zealand thrashed and truly humiliated the English rugby league team in the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup, the last thing that fans of the team needed was an anxious message concerning the national side’s future from the coach of Australia, Ricky Stuart.

England rugby fans have had to watch their side suffer humbling defeats during three out of their four World Cup matches and the loss to New Zealand was only surpassed, in terms of humiliation, by the defeat at the hands of an impressive Australian team.

Ricky Stuart’s team beat England 52-4 in Melbourne and the coach has since spoken of his shock at what he has “witnessed over the past month from England”.

He believes that the international game has suffered to a large extent and the national side has been negatively impacted by the “scramble from Super League owners, coaches and managers” to look after their own interests and disregard those of the England team.

Stuart’s words echo those made by some sections of the sporting media about football in England. The Australian coach believes that the “lack of focus” on developing home-grown talent and encouraging youngsters to try the sport has resulted in the national side declining in general form and skill over the past few years.

Almost 40% of the players in the English Super League have been imported and, sadly, the coach believes that the days of the United Kingdom producing “classy, seasoned footballers" seem very long ago.

Billy Slater, the Australian full-back who currently plays for Melbourne, has been awarded the honour of being the Rugby League International Federation’s world player of the year.

The recipients of the numerous awards were chosen by the media as well as former rugby players from Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain. The rugby players in contention for the honours were judged on their performances since October of last year.

England rugby fans will be all too aware of the talent possessed by Slater, who scored a hat-trick against the national side during the recent World Cup. The full-back, who is only twenty-five years of age, also scored a hat-trick against Fiji and has been invaluable to the Australian team throughout their World Cup campaign.

The news of Slater’s success is yet another blow for English rugby fans. After watching their team stumble at the World Cup, they have now seen several English players beaten to the award by Slater. Leon Pryce, Jamie Peacock, and Rob Burrow were short-listed for the honour but it was decided that the Australian full-back’s recent efforts on the international stage deserved to be recognised.

Australian rugby fans had further cause for celebration after it was revealed that several other members of the national team had been handed awards. Israel Folau was named the Young Player of the Year and the Centre of the Year. Folau became the country’s youngest ever international earlier this year, making his debut at the age of just 18 years and 194 days.

The coach of the national Rugby League side, Tony Smith, has spoken of his embarrassment at England’s record World Cup defeat.

Defending champions Australia humbled England during the match at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, winning 52-4. The Kangaroos managed to score an impressive total of nine tries, with Greg Inglis and Billy Slater both scoring fantastic hat-tricks.

Tony Smith has stated that England have been left feeling hurt and embarrassed and he believes the team needs to improve quickly.

Smith was quick to praise the Australian team, stating that the “speed” of their “exciting players” made a difference during the match. However, although nobody can deny the quality inherent in the Australian national side, England should simply have put in a more competent performance and should have had the ability to stem the flow of the Australian attack.

The coach believes that the team will not suffer psychologically from this potentially morale-damaging defeat. Rather, Smith believes that the match has brought the team together.

Furthermore, he was keen to point out that he had managed to take some positives from the experience. Smith was impressed by certain periods of the first half and revealed that at half-time there was a real belief in the dressing room that the match was not yet over.

Unfortunately for England fans, the players could not raise their game and Australia went on to set a record which beat the previous one set by New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2000 tournament.

England are set to face the Kiwis at the weekend and will hope to have put their disappointment and embarrassment firmly behind them.

John Kear, coach for the Wakefield Wildcats, has spoken of his desire to plan a fitting and “lasting tribute” to Adam Watene, the Cook Islands forward who died suddenly this week after collapsing whilst training. It is believed that he died after working out in the gymnasium as part of the team’s training schedule.

Watene was just 31 years old and his tragic death has shocked the club as well as the wider community. He joined the Wakefield Wildcats after playing for Castleford Tigers and Bradford Bulls. He excelled during Castleford’s successful promotion campaign in 2005.

The friendly, lively player was an instant hit among fans and he consistently showed a desire to be an integral part of the local community. Indeed, he became Deputy Mayor of Wakefield’s Consort, and worked tirelessly to further the cause of the Wildcats' Community Programmes.

Watene was also a devoted father and husband and Kear was quick to point this out: “Adam was very much a family man, and we are immensely sad that his wife Moana has lost a devoted husband and his children their doting father”.

Family was extremely important to Watene and he took compassionate leave earlier this year in order to visit New Zealand after the death of his father.

The Super League club released a statement on Monday revealing the tragic passing of their star forward: “The Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are sad to announce the sudden passing of Adam Watene”. The Wildcats have already been rocked by two tragedies this year, with the deaths of ex-players, David Topliss and Don Fox.

However, the untimely death of Watene, who still had so much left to give to the sport and to the community, has hit particularly hard. The club are now trying to think of a suitable tribute to a man who influenced so many and became such a key part of the local community. It is difficult, in many respects, to think of a tribute that could adequately show respect to such a brilliant player, described as “a true gentleman in every sense of the word”.

Ex-players and important figures in the sporting world have been quick to offer their words of sympathy. Dave Woods, a journalist for BBC Sport, spoke of Watene’s popularity, both at club level and in the city as a whole.

The chairman of Bradford Bulls, Peter Hood, spoke of the immediate impact that Watene had on his club: “although he was not here for long, Adam became part of the extended Bulls family”. Hood continued to state that his death had left all the players “shocked” and deeply saddened.

The Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League, Nigel Wood, also expressed similar sentiments. He spoke of his personal sadness at the news and paid tribute to the player by reminiscing about his impact upon the sport: “Adam served a number of clubs with distinction during his career and will be sadly missed. During his two years at Wakefield, he made a massive impression and was instrumental in helping the club”.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Dylan Hartley of Northampton is ready to enter the England squad according to coach John Wells.

Despite a chequered history and a six month ban which cost him a world cup place Wells is confident that he can play for the national squad Hartley has been very impressive in training and he will step up when asked to do so''.

About Wells discipline record he added:The important thing is to give him game time: he has not played for the last four weeks.

I have spoken to him in the past about his discipline and he has worked on that at Northampton with Dorian West.

He now plays in an organised and disciplined way. The rough edges have been eliminated from his game, but there is still a physicality and an aggression about the way he plays, and we need those in English rugby.

Welcome to the TalkRugbyLeague Blog

Here you’ll be able to submit articles to us that you’ve found interesting and think that fellow enthusiasts will enjoy. Just click on the ‘Submit a blog post to us’ link in the top right hand corner and fill out the form and we’ll review it here at TalkOn.it Network.

Also on the TalkRugbyLeague blog you’ll be able to read blog posts from fans around the world. Here you’ll be able to read and form opinions on what is going on in the world of Rugby League and enjoy a bit of banter.

You’ll also be able to Sign Up to the forums where you’ll be able to chat about the sport with fellow fans.

We hope you enjoy TalkRugbyLeague.