RUGBY LEAGUE

I was first started in the year 1895 in Huddersfield, England.I am now played in many countries throughout the world but im most popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.Heres a little more about me thanks to WikipediaRugby league is played in more than 30 countries, though it is most commonly played in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Of these two areas Oceania is generally thought to be the stronger region. Rugby league is most popular in the north of England, Eastern Australia, parts of New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, where rugby league is recognised as the national sport.Australia have won every world cup since 1975. Until November 25, 2005, they had also not lost an international tournament or series of any kind for twenty seven years. This record was finally broken when they lost to New Zealand in the final of the 2005 Tri-Nations Series at Elland Road in Leeds.In the United Kingdom, rugby league has traditionally struggled to become accepted outside of the "heartland" towns of northern England where the game originated. This has sometimes been blamed on the lack of media coverage given thus Neumann's Spiral of silence theory applying. The balance is changing with the advent of Super League on Sky Sports.The game is also attempting expansion in Europe. Despite having had many strong teams historically, rugby à treize in France has struggled to compete with rugby union since the Vichy government banned the sport and illegally seized all their assets during World War Two. However the French reached the finals of the 1954 and 1968 rugby league world cups.Early 21st century developments have seen Georgia, Holland, Germany, Estonia, Malta, Serbia, Argentina, Jamaica, Samoa, Tonga and others take part in international rugby league tournaments or matches.