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Contents

November 2011 Volume 1 Issue 5

The man on the telly

5 League’s Wembley return 19 Beef on the menu

7

Inside your next generation rugby league monthly

Front Row 4 Out of Africa Phil Caplan has news of a remarkable international development

5 A try for mine Andy Wilson of The Guardian profiles Sky Sports’Mike ‘Stevo’ Stephenson 7 Five Drives and a Kick This month’s stories brought to you by Dave Hadfield,

Peter Smith, Rod Studd, Jonathan Doidge, Chris Wilson and Steve Kilgallon

Prizes

13 Old Trafford recall Relive Super League’s biggest day by winning a Grand Final DVD

Columns 6 View from the Back Richard Mathers on the bittersweet parting of good friends

12 The Reality Is... Brian Noble pays tribute to Darren Lockyer and Gareth Thomas 25 Married to League Penelope Davidson returns to earth with a bump 34 Louie the Lip Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook sings the praises of life in a caravan 42 Irvine’s Indigestion Christopher Irvine of The Times refuses to pack for Dubai

Articles 19 Wembley wonderland Phil Caplan and Steve Mascord on London’s big double-header

22 A year of progress Steve Kilgallon of The Sunday Star Times on a huge year for Kiwis 24 Radio ga-ga Neil Barraclough of The Daily Mail investigates worrying local radio trends 26 Young knights Gareth Walker of The People and Lindsey Cuthbertson contrast how the next generation of international players are produced in England and Australia 28 Match of the month Brett Frawley watches the USA qualify for the 2013 World Cup... 30 Azzurri march on...while Joanna Lester sees Italy do likewise against Lebanon 34 Welcome back AJ Carr reports from the capital launch of the reborn London Broncos 36 Leap of faith Phil Caplan has doubts about a revolutionary Championship restructure 38 Running Bath Forty-20 hears of exciting plans for a brand new club in the spa city

Postcards 14 Avignon Andy Wilson was sur le pont for England’s warm-up clash with France

32 Padova Joanna Lester saw the 2013 World Cup qualifiers kick off with Italy v Russia

Interviews 16 Billy whizz Angela Powers of Sky Sports meets injured Australian full-back Billy Slater

28 American guru Thomas McCooey sounds out USA assistant coach Marcus Vassilakopoulos

Heritage 48 Yearbook delight Tony Hannan recalls the rugby league annuals of ‘Big Jim’ Windsor The Culture 40 New kit syndrome Forty-20 gets the inside story on Super League strip manufacture

43 Bald Eagle Peter Smith goes on tour with rugby league autobiographist Keith Senior 44 Sheer brilliance Andrew Quirke on the story behind his biography of James Lomas 45 Spinning a yarn Dave Hadfield takes his Good RL Pub Guide to Huddersfield

Broncos are back

35 Kiwi season of polish

22 Kit and caboodle 40

November 2011 Forty-20 3