Six months out from the biggest Rugby League World Cup in history organisers are forging ahead with the event, while other codes have got cold feet.
Kiwis Dallin Watene-Zelezniak leads the haka, during the rugby league Test match between Kiwis and Tonga in June 2019.
Photo: Photosport
The Rugby League World Cup for men, women and wheelchair athletes will draw teams from 21 nations - including several which are still struggling with Covid-19.
Thirty-two teams from countries within the United Kingdom, Europe, North, South and Central America, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean have qualified.
The tournament in England runs between 23 October and 27 November and for the first time, all three competitions will run concurrently.
The Broncos have received a blow to their Telstra Women s Premiership preparations with Raecene McGregor set to be sidelined for up to five months due to a shoulder injury.
McGregor will undergo a shoulder reconstruction next week after suffering another setback while playing for the Wests Tigers in the Harvey Norman NSW Premiership.
The 23-year-old originally dislocated her shoulder in a freak accident while celebrating her sister Page s try during the Harvey Norman All-Stars game in February.
After missing more than a month to manage the injury, McGregor made a successful return to the field on Easter Monday. However, she was taken from the field a week later with a recurrence.
Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has outlined his plans to turn the club s women s program into a powerhouse with Jillaroos star Botille Vette-Welsh set to be the face of their big ambitions.
The joint venture entered the Harvey Norman NSW Premiership in 2019 and have been consistent performers in the competition, led by Vette-Welsh and Kiwi Ferns playmaker Raecene McGregor.
Converting the current HNWP team into an NRLW side is the next step for the club with Vette-Welsh and McGregor among the priority retention targets, if they were to gain a licence.
Hagipantelis said 2023 was shaping up as the most realistic timeframe for when they d be ready to go but he would be guided by the ARL Commission on when the competition expanded.
Body of work: Krystal clear to see Rota s inspiration
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Next time you see Krystal Rota playing for the Manurewa Marlins, for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRLW or representing the Kiwi Ferns, keep an eye on her right leg.
As of last week, Rota has a new addition to her body; another Tā moko which is what we more commonly know as a tattoo. In Maori culture, Tā moko is an artform, an important expression of cultural heritage and identity.
For Rota, her latest Tā moko is about family and the patterns within it link to the tribal areas that she is from in New Zealand. On her paternal grandfather’s side, Rota is from Matatā. On her paternal grandmother’s side she is from the northern part of New Zealand near Cape Reinga.