The Norwegian Rugby Union has sent out an email to the RLN (Rugby League Norway) requesting that the upcoming test between Norway and the British Student Pioneers be changed to say that it "is just a friendly get together". They requested this because if FIRA found out that national union team members were now playing in the national League team as well, they would be banned for life from representing thier country again! The Newly formed RLN had picked a team to play against The Pioneers comprising of only home grown talent (rather than picking a whole lot of expats like RU). This was thought to help lift the local players game time,as they only get about 6 matches a year as it is! But now the expats running the union in Norway are threatening to ban all the national union team players who play in the RL team. My question is if you do that,who are you going to replace all these players with if they dont bow to your pressure? More expats? Why bother calling it Norway if you have no Norwegians.

Surely they can't just ban them without just cause? Mind you they could just not pick them I suppose. Dirty tactics either way!

Der Kaiser has always said that there are people in RU who are putting spanners in the works of most efforts to get the game going in Europe.

If it was a "professional" game, then you could sue for restraint of trade, but as it's all amatuer, they seem to do as they please.

Nothing new really but just never gets reported! Germany had a player threatened 2 minutes to the National Anthem in 2006 that if he played RL for Germany he would never play Union for Germany again! The Dutch, Serbians, Greeks etc have all had similar experiences and the problems remain! Union is a disgrace and is scared stiff of League growing in Europe. The problems in the UK are still their to a degree but certainly a lot better than in Europe at the moment. It amazes me AMATEUR Union players are basically banned from Playing Rugby League but yet are allowed to play Touch Rugby, Handball, American Football, Aussie Rules for Germany!