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Laws of Rugby League
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History Of Rugby League (English)
While there were other versions of the rugby game prior, the official birthplace of rugby league is The George Hotel in Huddersfield, England where in 1895 a historic meeting between the respective delegates gave way to two new sports - Rugby League and Rugby Union. The Northern Rugby Union was formed- it is now known as Rugby League. Within a few years there were more rugby clubs affiliated to the Northern Rugby Union than with the Rugby Football Union. Playing rules did not immediately change, however before long teams were reduced to 13, line-outs were abolished and the play-the-ball was introduced.

Thanks solely to the efforts of expat Englishman Tom McCabe in the early 1900’s, the players of Sydney's new Rugby League were able to be versed in the rules of the NU game.

On March 21, 1908 the New South Wales Rugby League kicked off a competition with nine clubs. It is predominantly this same competition, which is now these days known to be the best rugby league competition in the world.

Basically the game is played over fields 100 metres in length and 50 metres in width, with the scoring sections being on either ends of the 100 metres where teams must ground the football with their hands to score 4 points, known as a ‘try’. Players then aim to kick the ball between the posts at the end of which the try was scored to score a further 2 points.

Over the years, test matches have brought us some of the best rugby league matches, thanks to the games test playing nations in Australia, New Zealand & England.

In this day and age, it is believed that rugby league is played in over 30 nations, through countries such as Fiji and Tonga in the Pacific, Russia and France in Europe, while South Africa, Canada and the USA have also taken the game on.

It is hoped that one day in the not too distant future, Malta will join this growing list as the MRLA pushes to begin a domestic competition on the Maltese Islands.

L-Istorja tar-Rugby League (Maltese)
Filwaqt li qabel kien hemm tipi ta’ loghob ta rugby, il-data ufficjali ta’ meta beda ir-Rugby League kien fl-1895 meta waqt laqgha storika go The George Hotel gewwa Huddersfield, fl-Ingilterra, delegati rispettivi taw bidu ghal zewg tipi ta’ sport godda – ir-Rugby League u ir-Rugby Union. Dak iz-zmien ir-Rugby League kien imsejjah Northern Rugby Union. Wara ftit snin kien hemm iktar timijiet jilghabu man-Northern Rugby Union milli mar-Rugby Football Union. Ir-regoli tal-loghba ma nbiddlux mill-ewwel, madanakollu qabel it-timijiet gew imnaqqsa ghal 13, il-“line-outs” gew imnehhija u ddahlet ir-regola imsejha “play-the-ball”.

Kien grazzi ghall-Ingliz Tom McCabe fil-bidu tas-seklu ghoxrin, li l-plejers ta’ Sydney tan-Northern Rugby Union bdew jilghabu bir-regoli godda tal-loghba gdida hekk imsejha Rugby league.

Fil-21 ta’ Marzu 1908 bdiet kompetizzjoni ta’ Rugby League bejn disgha timijiet fi New South Wales. Huwa l-istess kampjonat li llum il-gurnata jista jitqies bhala l-aqwa kampjonat ta’ Rugby League fid-dinja, jew kif inhu maghruf ukoll bhala National Rugby League (NRL).

Il-loghba tintlaghab fuq grawnd ta’ 100 metru tul u 50 metru wisgha, u 10 metri ohra fuq kull naha tal-100 metru fejn it-timijiet ipoggu l-ballun b’idejhom biex jiskurjaw 4 punti, maghruf ahjar bhala “try”. Wara li jaghmlu “try” il-plejers jixxutjaw il-ballun bejn iz-zewg arbli halli jizdidulhom zewg punti ohra.

Matul is-snin rajna loghob ta’ Rugby League ta’ l-aqwa kwalita’ specjalment f’nazzjonijiet bhall-Ingilterra, New Zealand u l-Awstralja.

Bhalissa ir-Rugby League qed jintlaghab f’aktar minn 30 pajjiz madwar id-dinja, bhal Fiji u Tonga gol-Pacifiku, gor-Russia u Franza fl-Ewropa, fil-Libanu fil-Lvant Nofsani, u fis-South Afrika, Canada u fl-iStati Uniti ukoll.

Nisperaw li fi ftit zmien, permezz tal-MRLA, il-gzejjer Maltin ikollhom kompetizzjoni domestika ta’ Rugby League.