Leeds Rhinos 39 Canterbury Bulldogs 32 — World Club Championship

Leeds are the world club Rugby League champions but as the great Duke of Wellington said about his victory at Waterloo ‘it was a damn close run thing’.

Leeds dominated the first half and the try by Danny Maguire could yet become the try of the season by an individual player. On the other hand it is possible that the final try of the half, finished off by Rob Burrow, could be voted the try of the season involving team-work. The ball went through nine pair of hands in one long sweeping movement to score the try. Leeds built up a twenty six point lead. Then in the second half Canterbury came back with brilliant sustained attacking play. By the end of the game Leeds were desperately defending a seven-point lead, but they held out to take the cup.

Why was there such a difference between the two halves of the game? We can only guess. Canterbury can point to the long journey over here, the cold conditions, playing on an away ground and the presence of so many youngsters who in the first half found the sound of the huge crowd unnerving. Leeds can claim that they were so self-confident after their first half domination that they came out for the second half in too relaxed a mood. They certainly began dropping passes and missing tackles. Of course really, no one will ever know. But then what is important is that it was a magnificent game and for those of us who are Rhino fans it was a great win.

And having won the match the Rhino fans will, like all rugby league fans, be turning their attention to the new season which starts on Friday. And guess who will be featuring on Sky sports on Friday night with an eight-o-clock kick-off? Why none other than Leeds Rhinos who will be visiting their old rivals Hull at the Kingston Stadium. Who will win that game? Leeds will be favourites to win. They are world champions and on paper they have the stronger team. But it is no forgone conclusion. Twice Bradford Bulls won the world championship and then went on to lose in the next league or cup game and we know that playing at home the strong Hull side can beat any side on the day. Anyway let’s wait for 9.45 GMT on Friday evening, then we will all know.

“Its (sic) acceptable for teenagers to get drunk every now and again, but a forty year-old working man can’t have a cigarette and a pint on a Friday night.”

Taken from a story headlined Publicans’ Call to bin Smoking Ban on icperthshire.co.uk. Look out for more quotes like this as the UK smoking dilemma continues.

But eventually, all you are going to see are stories like these from The New York Times: In Barrooms, Smoking Ban Is Less Reviled.

We interrupt this weblog to bring you something completely different: Lew on League.

All right, so rugby league might be a minority sport within a minority sport, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of fans from around the world (well, Australia, France, GB, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, and the United States) from playing, watching, shouting, arguing, and generally having a good time in such renowned beauty spots as Wigan, Warrington, Wakefield, Bradford, and of course, Headingley, Leeds.

Lew’s rugby league claims to fame may be restricted to the time he almost played rugby with Peter O’Toole in the Navy, the years he coached Ellery Hanley (as a schoolboy), or the time he predicted that Don “He’s missed it…the poor lad” Fox would fluff the infamous last kick of the match which sealed the 1968 Challenge Cup Final for Leeds at Wembley–but he’s also well known in north Leeds for imparting his rugby league knowledge to anyone who cares to listen.

But why should only the people of north Leeds have the benefit of Lew’s wisdom? Therefore, starting today and continuing throughout the 2005 season, Lew will be sharing his rugby league expertise (from a decidedly Leeds Rhinos-biased point of view) with an even wider audience. Take it away Lew…

Leeds Rhinos v Canterbury Bulldogs – World Club Championship – Friday, February 4. KO 8pm GMT

Leeds Rhinos are the favourites for this game. Although the Australian national side has dominated the international game, the international players in their teams are drawn from a wide number of sides, whereas in England the majority of top players play for a few big clubs. When you add the top name foreign imports who bolster these top teams (Marcus Bai for Leeds – Leslie Vainicolo for Bradford, are examples), then it is clear that the top English clubs can match the talent of the best from Australia.

Last year Bradford Bulls, coached by Brian Noble who also coaches Great Britain, were worthy winners. This year the Canterbury Bulldogs were worthy winners of their league in Australia with a team full of internationals. However most of these are unable to play due to injury. Even a few of those who are due to play are carrying injuries. There are a number of youngsters in the side who are lacking in experience.

Leeds too have young players but these are experienced in playing at the highest level. What is more, Leeds are have a full complement of players except for one outstanding omission. Matt Diskin was unfortunately injured playing in his first international. Although young, he is one of the most influential players in the side, scoring the game-breaking try, which helped Leeds to win the grand final. If there is anything which could lose Leeds the game, it is the absence of their star hooker.

Even so the Australian youngsters will be future stars and with a leavening of seasoned professional, will prove to be worthy challengers. In particular look out for New Zealand international Sonny Bill Williams playing for the Bulldogs. In the internationals, he was brilliant against the British side. For Leeds, scrum half Danny McGuire is one who the Australians will watch for his speed and elusive side-step.

Whatever happens it will be a match worth watching whether you are a fan or have never seen a game of rugby league before.

An interesting story in the New York Times today about the lack of evolution education in US science classes. Not a lot new here, you might think–lots of teachers afraid of offending parents and prinicipals, or not believing in evolution themselves. But the story does make a few interesting points such as the National Science Foundation’s 2001 survey which found that:

Polls consistently show that a plurality of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form about 10,000 years ago, and about two-thirds believe that this belief should be taught along with evolution in public schools.

Better still are the thoughts of Dr Jon Miller, director of the Center for Biomedical Communications at Northwestern University, who says that the United States lags way behind other industrialized nations when it comes to belief in evolution:

In Japan, something like 96 percent accept evolution. Even in socially conservative, predominantly Catholic countries like Poland, perhaps 75 percent of people surveyed accept evolution. It has not been a Catholic issue or an Asian issue.

So what kind of a country is this when the New York Times reports that only:

53 percent of Americans agreed with the statement “human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals.

I think the answer is: God’s country.