Loving life in Paris, Mark Gasnier has categorically ruled out ever returning to the NRL but also laughed off the suggestion he may one day choose France over Australia to become a dual international.

Watching the Rugby League World Cup, I have seen some great football from minnow nations. And I can’t help but think what a shame it is that Australia is so dominant and no one can come close to them.

The Rugby League World Cup is more Amco Cup than World Cup. Tonight, we were supposed to watch and enjoy a delayed broadcast of a semi-final of the Rugby League World Cup.

Gutted England captain Jamie Peacock believes it could be time Super League teams adopted the southern hemisphere style of rugby league to compete internationally.

Petero Civoncieva - Fiji’s greatest rugby league recruit, will be the man standing in the way of ’the Bati’ claiming test football’s biggest scalp at the SFS tomorrow night.

Papua New Guinea prime minister Sir Michael Somare provided the Kumuls with extra motivation for their clash with the Kangaroos tonight, revealing his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd had given his support to PNG’s bid to join the NRL.

PNG coach Adrian Lam will unleash the “white Kumul” Jay Aston on the Kangaroos in Sunday’s World Cup clash at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Match-winner Jamie Soward has called for the Indigenous Dreamtime team to be included in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup after securing an entertaining 34-26 win over the New Zealand Maoris today.

The Brisbane Broncos are taking the unprecedented step of recalling their players from holiday to an emergency meeting to reinforce the NRL club’s tough new behavioural guidelines.

Test halfback Johnathan Thurston believes he is only a bad game away from losing his job to Queensland teammate Scott Prince.

Kangaroos hooker Cameron Smith has declared his public row with coach Ricky Stuart over a grapple tackle will not add to an already controversial start to Australia’s World Cup campaign.

With the World Cup coming up, and the understandable talk about its legitimacy, I’ve put together a few ideas for some representative tournaments or games that can be played after the NRL and Super League seasons.

Exasperated Tongan coach Jim Dymock has branded the Rugby League World Cup’s rules a “joke” after two more NRL stars were rubbed out of his side a day after it lost Anthony Tupou to Australia.

So whilst we didn’t quite get the 3pm kick-off that traditionalists - and plenty of players - wanted, it would seem to me that the first twilight grand final has made little or no difference to the general experience of Grand Final Day.

Manly coach Des Hasler has been building the necessary foundations for this moment in history to arrive. The suffering has finally ceased and the celebrations across the peninsula are about to begin.

The game was 18 minutes old when Steve Menzies eased himself out of his sideline seat and stretched that well-worn piece of leather across his skull.

New Zealand Warriors coach Ivan Cleary sat on the sidelines near fulltime, knowing the dream was finally over for season 2008. Yet when you observed the 30 year old mentor, one can understand why he has become a man the Warriors enjoy playing under.

He might not be considered the best footballer in his own family but Manly lock Glenn Stewart has become the most dangerous attacking forward in the NRL.

The New Zealand Warriors have been the Cinderella story of season 2008. But when reality took it’s course last night, the Manly Sea Eagles were always going to meet the Melbourne Storm in next week’s NRL Grand Final.

NRL chief executive David Gallop meted out $50,000 worth of leadership today as the league imposed a record fine on Melbourne for comments from their coach Craig Bellamy and chief executive Brian Waldron following the club’s 28-0 preliminary final victory over Cronulla last night.