Rugby League: Pauls become international test case

By PETER JESSUP

The battle for the Paul brothers will continue at a special meeting of the Rugby League International Federation called for February 25 in Leeds.

The whole international programme and the eligibility of players to take part in it is the official agenda, but Bradford's insistence that Henry and Robbie Paul miss only one Euro Super League game if chosen for the Kiwis in the Anzac test is the test-case issue.

The Australian Rugby League has asked its Great Britain counterparts to consider reinstating Kangaroo and Kiwi tours there, with the Lions to reciprocate and the tours to take place in the middle of the Super League and NRL seasons. That conflicts with existing RLIF agreements that recognise October and November as the "international window of opportunity" and will interfere with an existing five-year programme that aimed to promote the tri-series.

The NZRL is still discussing the tour proposal but is set to go for Bradford's throat over the Pauls, threatening everything from court action to withdrawal from the World Cup if the Bulls renege on RLIF rules that require players to be available a five full days before a test.

Meanwhile, the match-up of Kiwi standoffs that British media called the World Cup trial was a non-event, Bradford's Robbie Paul running rings around Huddersfield-Sheffield opposite Gene Ngamu as the Bulls dumped the Giants 32-4.

Henry Paul was named man-of-the-match in his 200th game in England.