Leyland Warriors set to host Australia’s National team

The match is set to take place on Sunday, November 6 at 1pm and will be held at Leyland Warriors rugby club in Moss side way, Leyland.

The Warriors are going to host a warm up game for the Australian national team while they are here for the Rugby League world cup. The National team are based in Manchester during this time and it has presented a perfect opportunity for this local team.

Leyland warriors coach/ committee member Craig Hogan-Farnworth said: “For Masters rugby league this is huge especially after troubles the club had after covid.”

The club is hoping to bounce back with this event after the covid-19 pandemic. The club was started in 1993 and is an amateur organisation, this means volunteers fill all of the roles within the club. So when the club couldn’t play due to the virus they lost a lot of players and support around the organisation.

This match will bring together the local community with games being held in the morning for the younger age groups. The Masters game will also be followed by an event held at Fox Lane cricket club with food, drink and live music.

For those who have never heard of Masters rugby league there’s a few more rules than a regular rugby league match you need to know. The difference comes when you look at the colour of the players shorts. Masters rugby league provides the opportunity for players and officials over the age of 35 to continue their involvement in the game in a safe and active way.

The older you get the less physical the game becomes. If you are between the age of 35-40 years old you wear white shorts and the game is still full contact. 40-50 year olds wear black shorts with the same rules. 50-60 year olds wear red shorts, this is where the game changes as teams play with less contact. For those who are still playing at the age of 60 gold shorts must be worn and the rules change to tag rugby instead of contact.

Hogan-Farnworth also said: “This is a massive event for Leyland, it’s probably one of the biggest events we can remember in our club’s history. It’s not very often you’ll see Leyland versus Australia.”

Australia is famous for it’s rugby so to have the national team come to this local club is a huge opportunity. It’s the first time the Warriors have ever had the opportunity to host a national team. The club is expecting 250+ people to come to attend the event. Both the game and the after party are free and the club hopes to draw in some new members.