What's the Buzz: League v Rah Rahs

Sam Burgess of England in action during the Rugby League World Cup. Source: Paul Thomas / Getty Images

THE Wallabies have agreed to play the Great Britain rugby league team in a $10 million hybrid-game spectacular at Wembley Stadium next year.

London's most famous football venue has been booked for December 6, a week after the Wallabies' last game on their 2014 spring tour.

The game will pit the likes of Israel Folau and Quade Cooper against the Burgess brothers, Gareth Widdop and Sam Tomkins in front of an anticipated full house of 92,000 fans.

All up, organisers are expecting to raise $20 million through gates, corporate sales, TV, sponsorship and merchandise.

An agreement was reached between the two football codes at a secret meeting in London last month.

The codes will be paid $5million each and the players will earn around $50,000 each for a one-off appearance.

On November 11, English Rugby League boss and World Cup tournament director Nigel Wood secretly met with Wallaby supremo Bill Pulver at London's swish Grange Holborn Hotel.

They both agreed to the game, subject to commercial terms, which will be finalised by the new year.

Australia's Quade Cooper in action kicking a penalty. Source: AP

Wood was desperate for the opportunity to promote rugby league in London on the back of the recent World Cup.

The London Broncos are struggling to stay afloat in the Super League because of lack of interest.

A global media company is in the process of selling world-wide television rights and major sponsorships.

A consortium of Australian businessmen and rugby legends Bob Dwyer and Mark Ella were involved in the talks in London that secured the historic agreement.

One half will be played with 15 players with rugby union rules and the other half with 13 players with NRL rules.

The plan was to originally stage a Wallabies v Kangaroos game at ANZ Stadium in December.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith met with Pulver and the promoters but, after showing initial interest, knocked it back.

So the promoters took their $10 million proposal to England.

James Graham im the World Cup semi-final. Source: Getty Images

London based promoter Steve Berrick has been hired to oversee the game.

He has previously been in charge of Barbarians games and major events in the UK.

This will be the first of what organisers believe will become a regular showpiece on the football calendars.

The All Blacks have also been approached and showed initial interest in a game against the Kangaroos.

Previously, Wigan played Bath in a hybrid game in the UK and two Australian school teams played in a trial game at Brookvale Oval.

SAINT

THE NRL's appointment of Sandy Olsen as communications manager - hopefully she will deliver a far more positive message than her predecessor.

SINNER

THE 2014 NRL season draw that leaves fans with only one live free-to-air game each weekend.

SHOOSH

DISTURBING rumours of a serious rort by a senior NRL club official and a player manager are doing the rounds. Their scam apparently involved shaving thousands of dollars off a player's contract and then sharing the ''profits''.

The player found out and sacked the manager. The official remains in his job.

Adam Scott of Australia talks to his caddie Steve Williams. Source: Getty Images

OPEN WATCH

THE incredible drawing power of superstar Adam Scott saw Channel 7's golf ratings increase by 69 per cent year-on-year for the Australian Open coverage last weekend.

GREAT SOUTHERN LAND

THE Shire is still the area of choice for Australia's most famous sporting names.

The latest arrival is former Australian captain Steve Waugh, who has purchased a prestige waterfront property on Port Hacking.

TIGER TAMED

STOP the presses. Benji Marshall is back in Tigers territory. Sadly for Wests Tigers fans it's just a stopover for the wedding of his great mate Keith Galloway. Big Keith tied the knot last night with his long-time partner Serena.

Benji and his stunning wife Zoe flew across from New Zealand for the wedding.

SPOTTED

STEVE Waugh's old manager Robert Joske working on the fairways as a marshal at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney, holding up a "quiet please'' sign.

DYNAMIC DUO

MANLY halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans have lots in common. Foran's partner is about to give birth to their first child. They already know it's a girl. It fits in well because Cherry-Evans also has a baby girl.

Dustin with Cristiano Ronaldo. Source: News Limited

A PLANE TO SPAIN

MEET Sydney's luckiest and bravest 13-year-old boy. Dustin Villareal was struck by a car in September last year and spent three weeks in a coma. The very talented Macarthur Rams junior soccer player spent much of the year in hospital, undergoing five brain operations.

While recovering, Dustin had only one wish - to meet Cristiano Ronaldo. The Bossley Park school student made the trip to Spain last week

READY TO GO

SHARKS prop Bryce Gibbs retired from NRL two months ago because of an achilles injury that wouldn't heal.

Last Monday, he marched back into Sharks training and declared he'd give it another go.

Coach Shane Flanagan says it's a massive boost for player morale to have him back.

CARING COUPLE OF KNIGHTS

NOT all rugby league players are ratbags like those who have recently been in the headlines for off-field atrocities.

This is a lovely story about the compassion and kindness of a couple of Knights stars.

Chris Houston and Kurt Gidley recently purchased two Knights family memberships for next year's games.

They will donate one to a local family who have just lost their young dad
to heart disease.

The second one will go to another fan or family who might be struggling to pay for their own membership.

They are running a competition on the Knights' website from tomorrow.

Simply show you are more dedicated than the two boys (with a photo) to win a family membership, judged by the players.

Both memberships will be delivered to the families by Gidley and Houston themselves.

It is something they came up with on their own.

No PR people involved.

Just a couple of caring and considerate fellas doing the right thing by the game and their fans.

Anthony Mundine wins the WBA International super welterweight title bout between Anthony Mundine and Shane Mosley at Allphones Areana, Homebush, Sydney. pic Mark Evans Source: News Limited

CHOC'S OFF TO MEET BIG-HITTERS

ANTHONY Mundine is off to Panama next week for a meeting with WBA heavyweights to map out his future plans.

He says he wants to fight again next month and in March as part of the plan to get a super-fight in the US.

"Mayweather, Pacquia, Cotto, and Alvarez are the big four I eventually want to get to," Mundine said.

"But I can't just sit around for 10 months and wait and wait and wait like I did after the Geale fight.

"I'll meet with the WBA and work on a schedule. I need to stay active. My body and my mind is fresh.

"My goal is the same as it's always been - to be the first man to win three world titles descending in weight."

GALLOP GLOBE-TROTTING

NO wonder David Gallop has no regrets about leaving the NRL.

Since his switch to soccer a year ago, the FFA boss has added lots of exotic stamps to his passport.

Mauritius, East Timor and Malaysia are not spots that were ever included in his NRL travel.

This weekend Gallop is leading the Socceroos delegation at the Costa de Sauipe, a resort on Brazil's tropical Atlantic coast, and a world away from damp, miserable Manchester.

VERY NICE TO MEET ROO

THERE was a nice moment at the FIFA World Cup draw in Brazil when Socceroo coach Ange Postecoglou was sought out by Fernando Santos, the Portuguese-born coach of Greece. The Greek media has made much of Ange's ancestry and hailed him as "the only Greek coach at the World Cup".

Make no mistake, Ange is an Aussie through and through, while his new mate Santos has to make do with honorary Greek status.

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