Dangerous times lie ahead for NRL as latest skirmish with rugby union ramps up | Nick Tedeschi
The long-awaited R360 threat has finally hit the NRL with Storm fan favourite Ryan Papenhuyzen and Kangaroos three-quarter Zac Lomax quitting their clubs and the sport.While the first salvo has come under the shroud of mystery with neither player revealing their future plans, this war over the elite talent of the NRL is far more likely to escalate than it is to evaporate over the next two years.It is the first truly external threat to the NRL’s hold on its talent in nearly a quarter-century, since a newly professional and cock-a-hoop Rugby Australia (then known as the ARU) used its brief surge in relative popularity – spurred by the public’s disenchantment with rugby league following the Super League War – to sign big-name NRL players Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri.It is a threat the NRL should take extremely seriously, even if R360’s attempt to sign a host of rugby league stars will not truly cut at the heart of the 13-man game and its ongoing viability.This, of course, is not the first skirmish between the two codes.
League was born out of union 130 years ago and for the century that followed, league poached union players and union leveraged its establishment power to threaten those tempted by the money of the 13-man game,League established itself as the football code of choice in two of Australia’s three most populous states while union found itself increasingly marginalised, viewed as elitist and unnecessarily confusing,Due to a general absence on free-to-air television, it has been considered generally irrelevant outside of private schools and well-to-do enclaves in Sydney and Brisbane,The latest attack on rugby league though is very different in two ways: it is not coming from the union establishment, and the money in the hands of the antagonists is far more plentiful than Rugby Australia – or World Rugby for that matter – has ever seen,This is far more akin to LIV – a major disruptor with unending sums of cash, grand ambition and a disregard for the conventions that typically limit how sporting organisations operate – going after the PGA Tour than the ARU pinching a star or two.
While the rebel union competition fronted by ex-England international Mike Tindall has not publicly named its investors, it is believed to have already attracted funding for three years with investment firm 885 Capital – the UAE-based investment firm that has major stakes in the Baller League and the Professional Fighters League – and sports advisory firm Albachiara among those Oakvale Capital have put together to fund the venture.This is not some fly-by-night project.This is well-considered and well-funded.When LIV took a similarly aggressive approach to signing golfers, it was not only big names in the sunset of their careers and young talent with potential they went after, but stars in their prime like Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann.Unsurprisingly promises of large sums of cash trump any fears over competition viability, concerns over bans and worries about a diminished public profile.
Papenhuyzen and Lomax – if they do indeed sign – would be no significant loss to rugby league, if that was where the raids were to end.Even if those that have been linked but have not made any formal moves to sign with R360, such as Payne Haas and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, were to defect, the NRL will move on without losing a single viewer.But the more players who depart, the more the NRL’s shine wears off.The league’s greatest strength is its production line of talent.When Roosters rep duo Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii left for union, their absences were hardly noted – the duo were replaced by Dally M Rookie of the Year Robert Toia and the competition’s top tryscorer Mark Nawaqanitawase.
There is a tipping point though.The concern for the NRL is when the talent drain reaches that point, with fans actually missing the departed along with the increased belief that the NRL is fertile ground to continue farming talent.It is telling that almost no Australian rugby union player of note has been linked with R360 – clearly the strategy is to chase NRL players.Sign up to Sport in FocusSign up to Sport in Focusafter newsletter promotionPart of R360’s plans is to run a parallel women’s competition, and a likely raid on the NRLW should be of far greater concern as it has the capacity to significantly damage the quality of the competition.The NRLW has been carefully developed over the last decade, and the ARLC has been careful to ensure the competition grew with the talent available.
But the well of talent is not as deep at the moment and losing names like Tamika Upton and Olivia Kernick would be devastating.NRLW players remain part-time and many of them have a history in rugby union, making them more susceptible to R360 overtures.The NRL has talked big with its threats of 10-year bans for players and agents who deal with R360.Actions have not backed this up though and the clubs have not fallen into line, with the Storm and Eels both dealing with agent Clinton Schifcofske to release Papenhuyzen and Lomax.The NRL has not pulled the trigger on any suspensions yet and given the game’s history of walking back long bans – from Sonny Bill Williams being allowed back to the NRL after walking out on Canterbury to Victor Radley’s 10-game club suspension being halved – fans are rightly sceptical that the NRL is anything more than tough talk.
These are dangerous times for the NRL.The league needs to be tough and they need to stand firm on their hefty suspensions or R360 is going to cherry pick the NRL’s best players and continue to do so.This is not a drill.
2210 By Natty Can Cook, London SE24: ‘Much more than just posh jerk chicken at fancy prices’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
There’s an attention to detail in every dish that makes this place more than fit for a special occasionIt’s 6pm in Herne Hill, south-east London, and I’ve popped out for some Caribbean food wearing fancy athleisure wear. Yoga trousers and a smart hoodie, but PE kit nonetheless. And, once I arrive at 2210 By Natty Can Cook, I realise I am severely underdressed.When chef Nathaniel Mortley announced that he was opening a restaurant that aimed to celebrate Caribbean culture “in style” and to win a Michelin star, his loyal Instagram following, as well as their families and friends, took the brief and dressed accordingly. As fancily plated ackee and saltfish spring rolls passed by, as well as a lot of rum punch, I rustled in my handbag for some bigger earrings and more makeup
‘Simple, well-crafted and excellent’: supermarket chutneys, tasted and rated | The food filter
Our resident taster dipped, spread and dolloped his way through 10 chutneys in time for Christmas, so you don’t get in a pickle choosing one for yourself The fair price for 14 everyday items, from cleaning spray to olive oilThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Chutney is a heritage recipe that’s been largely unchanged for a century, and some of the best versions are the simplest and most traditional. That said, even when it’s made on an industrial scale, chutney usually features just fruit, sugar, vinegar and perhaps some pectin
It’s not all about roasting on an open fire – there’s so much more you can do with chestnuts
If I’d ever spared a thought for how chestnuts – the sweet, edible kind, not the combative horsey sort – were harvested, I would probably have conjured rosy-cheeked peasants bent low in ancient forests and filling rough-hewn hessian sacks by hand. Back-breaking labour, sure, but so picturesque!I was delighted, therefore, while on a writing retreat in Umbria last month, to get the opportunity to watch an elderly couple manoeuvre a giant vacuum around their haphazard orchard, followed by their furious sheepdog. The fallen crop was sucked into a giant fan that spat their bristly jackets back out on to the ground, and the nuts then went to be sorted by other family members on a conveyor belt in the barn – the good ones to be sold in the shell, the less perfect specimens swiftly dropped into a bucket for processing.Later in the week, a lorry turned up in the village square to pick up bags from other small local producers, and that evening I roasted a pan of chestnuts on the fire with new appreciation, while loudly bemoaning the disappearance from the streets of London of the chestnut sellers of my childhood (though this makes me sound positively Dickensian, I can confirm that I’m talking about this century. Note also that Nigel Slater is less starry-eyed on the subject
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for apple, brown butter and oat loaf | The sweet spot
I adore a good loaf cake. There’s something about them that’s just inherently cosy and wholesome, and this one in particular is perfect for the colder months, not least because it’s simple and sturdy in the very best way. It’d be right at home with a coffee for breakfast, as well as gently warmed in a pan with butter and served with hot custard on a rainy evening. A real all-rounder.Prep 5 min Cook 1 hr 25 min Serves 8180g unsalted butter 200g light muscovado sugar 2 large eggs 50g soured cream 210g plain flour ½ tsp cinnamon 40g porridge oats, plus extra to finish1½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 2 eating apples 2 tbsp demerara sugarHeat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
Kids have a wobble in the face of rabbit jelly | Brief letters
I sympathise with Tim Dowling and the challenges of releasing blancmange from a rabbit mould (Jelly’s back! Here are three worth making – and three that should wobble off to the bin, 12 November). My mistake was adding chopped pineapple to the jelly mix, with the resulting jelly looking as though we were seeing the undigested contents of a rabbit’s stomach. My children refused to eat it.Dee ReidTwyford, Berkshire Tim Dowling has missed out one important ingredient from his otherwise commendable recipe for blancmange rabbit: the two sultanas you stick on for the eyes.Jane GregoryEmsworth, Hampshire Regarding concerns over Epstein Road in Thamesmead (Letters, 12 November), spare a thought for those unfortunate residents of Savile Row in central London
Think autumn, think Piedmont – wine from ‘the foot of the mountain’
By the time this column comes out, it will be Big Coat weather, so those collars will be getting higher and the scarves thicker. And, when there’s a chill in the air, I like to eat food than leans towards smoky and earthy flavours: charred vegetables, stews, sausages and mushroom everything.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
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