标签： Oceania

The National Rugby League’s polarizing disrupter rule has sparked weeks of fierce backlash after a string of widely criticized officiating calls — but one of the code’s most respected star players has broken with popular opinion to offer rare public support for the controversial regulation.

Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco has stepped forward to defend the rule, just days after the NRL publicly admitted officials misapplied it during a high-stakes weekend clash between his side and the Cronulla Sharks, a mistake that cost the Roosters a guaranteed try. The incorrect call came when match officials ruled Roosters forward Robert Toia had illegally disrupted Sharks winger Sam Stonestreet as Stonestreet attempted to catch a high kick, adjudging Toia’s contact enough to invalidate what would have been a Roosters try. Post-match review confirmed the contact was minimal and the ruling wrong, yet the NRL has confirmed it has no plans to scrap the rule despite growing outcry from fans, coaches and players.

Luckily for the Roosters, the officiating error did not shift the final result: the Sharks scored a try of their own just a minute after the disallowed Roosters four-pointer, but Trent Robinson’s side held on to secure the win. Speaking at a promotional event for Greyhound National Adoption Day on Thursday, Tedesco said he believed the core purpose of the rule — which is designed to protect players jumping to catch high kicks — is sound, and that most confusion stems from inconsistent application rather than a flaw in the rule itself.

“I think I understand it,” Tedesco said alongside Parramatta Eels star Mitch Moses at the launch event. “I thought there was nothing wrong with that challenge on the weekend but they thought it was, and now they’ve said they got it wrong. So as long as it’s clear going forward and consistent with the calls, then I’ll be happy.”

Tedesco went on to break down his reading of the rule, explaining that it properly targets dangerous, unawares contact rather than fair contests between two players both focused on the ball. “The main thing it brought in was to protect the catcher. If there’s contact before the ball is coming down and (the offender) weren’t looking at the ball, then that’s a penalty, that’s a disrupter. Whereas two guys looking at the ball competing for the ball is always going to be contact.”

The Roosters fullback added that the rule does not change his own approach to aerial contests, noting that he keeps his eyes on the ball on both attack and defense, a habit that aligns with the rule’s core intent. “Let’s hope there’s consistency going forward and it’s all cleared up, because you don’t want them coming out after the game saying that was wrong and it costs us a try,” he said.

Off the field, Tedesco also shared his thoughts on this weekend’s upcoming clash, where the third-placed Roosters will host the resurgent Newcastle Knights at Allianz Stadium on Sunday. The Knights have been one of the NRL’s biggest surprise packages in the 2026 season, transforming from having the league’s worst attack in 2025 to a top-performing offensive unit under new head coach Justin Holbrook — a man who served as an assistant coach at the Roosters over the past two years before taking the Knights top job.

Holbrook’s return to a head coaching role comes three years after he was sacked by the Gold Coast Titans in 2023, and Tedesco said he is thrilled to see his former mentor finding success in his new role. “We’ve had chats over the years, obviously it was pretty difficult for him going in there (to the Titans) and the sort of situation he was in. So I definitely felt bad for him in that way,” Tedesco said. “I was very happy for him that he landed with us (as an assistant). He’s a very high energy guy, very positive, and definitely brought out some of my best attacking footy as well. So I’m very happy for him to get another chance up there and to see them doing really well even with injuries to key players.”

Despite his personal respect for Holbrook, Tedesco made clear that any goodwill will be put aside when the two sides run out on Sunday. “But there’ll be no feelings from playing on the weekend, we really want to go after a win and if that’s going to affect Justo, then that’s just how it is.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has issued a definitive confirmation that Iran will compete in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, pushing back against growing speculation that the nation’s participation would be derailed by ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East. Speaking Wednesday at an economic conference hosted by business broadcaster CNBC in Washington D.C., Infantino left no room for ambiguity about Iran’s spot in the global tournament. “Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,” Infantino told attendees.

In justifying the governing body’s position, Infantino emphasized that national teams represent their civilian populations rather than political leadership, noting that the Iranian squad earned their qualification through standard tournament pathways and that the players themselves have expressed overwhelming desire to compete. This stance marks a repetition of commitments Infantino made back in March, when he appeared in person at an Iran-Costa Rica friendly match held in Antalya, Turkey. That appearance came even after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether Iranian athletes would be able to compete safely on U.S. soil during the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup, a historic edition as the first to expand to 48 participating teams, is co-hosted by three North American nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Iran was drawn into Group G, with all three of its scheduled group-stage matches set to take place across U.S. venues — two contests in Los Angeles, one in Seattle — with the team planning to base its training camp in Tucson, Arizona. Iran’s participation has faced uncertainty since large-scale conflict broke out across the Middle East involving the U.S., Israel and Iran in late February.

Initially, Iranian officials raised the possibility of a full boycott of the tournament, before formally requesting FIFA relocate its U.S.-hosted matches to Mexico, a petition that global soccer’s governing body rejected outright. After weeks of cross-border air strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and regional partners, a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 8. Tensions remain high, however: Tehran has restricted access to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, and since Monday the U.S. has enforced a full naval blockade on all vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.

Sticking to FIFA’s long-standing position that sport should remain separate from political tensions, Infantino reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to using soccer as a unifying force. “If there’s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job,” he said. The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to kick off on June 11, bringing 48 teams together across 16 host cities in the three co-host nations.

The Melbourne Storm’s NRL season has hit a dramatic rough patch, and a surprise guest appearance at the club’s recent training session has brought a mix of hope and uncertainty to the embattled outfit. Veteran Fijian prop Tui Kamikamica, who has not played since the club’s round four away match in Townsville, showed up unannounced to watch his teammates train this week, months after a life-altering suspected stroke that forced him to immediately step away from the sport.

Kamikamica was discharged from hospital following the medical incident earlier this year, but he has not been cleared to join any on-field training with the squad, and no timeline has been set for his eventual return to the NRL. His presence on the training sidelines ahead of Friday’s do-or-die clash against the Canberra Raiders is more about morale than a comeback, according to long-time Storm head coach Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy explained that he hopes the sight of Kamikamica recovering well after such a severe health scare will give his struggling side a much-needed emotional boost. The Storm have dropped four consecutive matches, a slump that has sparked widespread public debate about whether the club’s 20-year run of consistent dominance at the top of the NRL is finally coming to an end. After opening the 2025 season with blistering, lopsided wins over the Parramatta Eels and St George Illawarra Dragons, the Storm’s attack has stagnated, and their defense has leaked tries at a rate that has caught even seasoned observers off guard. Last week, the team suffered a humiliating home defeat to the New Zealand Warriors, where the Storm was outmuscled and overpowered in front of their own fanbase.

Beyond Kamikamica’s absence, the Storm has been crippled by key forward departures and injuries that have gutted their traditional physical edge in the middle of the field. Star big man Nelson Asofa-Solomona left the club and retired from rugby league entirely in the off-season, while elite edge forward Eli Katoa was ruled out of the entire 2026 season after suffering repeated concussions. The club has been forced to shift rookie Cooper Clarke out of his natural position to cover the gap, but there is some positive injury news on the horizon: forward Shawn Blore is in line to make his return from a foot injury for the Canberra away game.

Addressing the ongoing lack of size in his forward pack, Bellamy said the team has no choice but to adapt to the hand they have been dealt. “It’d probably be handy to have another big body, but we haven’t got it so we have to go with what we’ve got and work out what we need to do well,” the coach said. Speaking about Kamikamica’s return to the club, he added: “He has been through a really tough time. To see him back looking as good as he looks is good. He’s still got a little way to go, but it’s great to see him back. Hopefully having him back here for the training session can lift the boys’ spirits a little bit. We’re probably down on that a little bit, but hopefully that will give us a bit of a lift.”

Heading into Friday’s match, the Storm faces a steep challenge against a Raiders side that is coming off a thrilling upset win in Perth. Bellamy acknowledged that his side has produced inconsistent performances through the first half of the season, pointing to a string of injury disruptions and off-field upheaval as contributing factors to the current slump. “You don’t look back too much, you look forward and hopefully work out where we need to improve and get better,” he said. “We train for that and hopefully we do that. We’ve had a few disruptions with injuries and a few other things that happened off the field, so it’s been a bit of a tough time with that. On the field, we’ve been good in patches but then not so good in other patches so we need to be a bit more consistent.”

Despite the team’s struggles, there are bright spots for the Storm’s future. Fullback Sua Fa’alogo, a homegrown club product, has emerged as a consistent standout performer through the slump. And another young Victorian talent could make his NRL debut on Friday: exciting young prospect Hugo Peel, who recently scored a hat-trick in the NSW Cup, has been named to the Storm’s extended 20-man bench. Bellamy praised Peel’s work ethic and fitness, noting that while the NRL’s current substitution rules only allow four interchange players to take the field from a six-man bench, the young forward has earned his call-up through his reserve grade form. “He’s great in the effort areas. He’s fit as and he just wants to be involved in the game,” Bellamy said. “With how the system works these days, you’ve got six on the bench but can only use four, so whether he gets a run or not, that’s another thing. It’d be good for him to get his debut because he certainly deserves it with the effort he’s put in in reserve grade.”

As Parramatta Eels captain Mitchell Moses navigates the toughest leadership test of his professional rugby league career, a potential mid-season addition of star forward Jaydn Su’A sits firmly on the back burner, with an unprecedented injury crisis taking every ounce of his focus.

Speaking at an event launching Greyhound National Adoption Day alongside Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco in central Sydney, Moses opened up about the unprecedented challenges his side has faced through the opening six rounds of the NRL season. The Eels are coming off a demoralizing 52-point defeat to the Gold Coast Titans, a result that saw the under-strength side booed off the field by frustrated fans at full-time. But Moses made clear the club has a valid explanation for its poor form: an injury toll that has gutted the playing roster unlike anything he has experienced in his career.

Three key first-team players – J’maine Hopgood, Bailey Simonsson and Matt Doorey – have already been ruled out for the entire 2024 season. For this weekend’s clash against the Canterbury Bulldogs, the list of unavailable talent grows even longer, with rising stars Jonah Pezet and Isaiah Iongi among the multitude of sidelined players. This has forced the Eels to field a roster heavy with inexperienced rookies, who are still learning the ropes of top-flight NRL football.

That youth-driven lineup has forced a shift in Moses’ approach to on-field leadership. Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and not holding back when challenging teammates, the captain said he has had to rein in his outward frustration to avoid undermining the young players getting their first opportunities at the top level. “That’s the core challenge I’m facing right now as skipper – I’ve never encountered anything like this, even before I took the captaincy,” Moses explained. “I’ve never been part of a team that’s been hit this hard by injuries. It’s already unprecedented, but add the captaincy on top, and you have to figure out how to lead the right way. With all these young kids coming in, you don’t want to lose your temper and let that negativity filter through the group. I’m taking lessons from how I’ve led in the past and working to get better at this.”

The brutal 52-point defeat exposed major flaws in Parramatta’s defensive structure, with the side conceding a massive 226 points across the first six rounds of the season. A tough post-match video review only confirmed how far below the club’s standard the performance was. “To be honest, it was really tough to sit through that review,” Moses admitted. “It didn’t feel like us, as a team or as a club. This isn’t one person’s fault – it’s on all of us, and we all have to step up to fix this. This week’s match against the Bulldogs isn’t going to get any easier, either. There were moments in the Titans game where we could have clawed our way back into contention, and we failed to take those chances. We have to do better.”

A mainstay of the New South Wales Blues Origin squad for several years, Moses has been a consistent standout for the state side. But right now, he said, even thinking about Origin selection is impossible – every bit of his energy is focused on righting the ship at Parramatta. “My full attention is on this club right now, it’s the only thing I can focus on,” he said. “I’ve never been through anything like this injury crisis in my career, and as captain, I’m actually excited for the challenge of pulling us out of this slump. We’re not hiding from how bad the last performance was. We weren’t happy with it, we don’t want to see that again, and we’re going to step straight into the pressure to fix it.”

With the injury crisis mounting, speculation has grown that the Eels will look to the mid-season transfer market to bolster their thin roster. The most high-profile name linked with a move to the club is St George Illawarra Dragons forward Jaydn Su’A, who has already confirmed he will leave the Red V at the end of his contract, with a 2027 move to Parramatta already widely reported. Moses made clear he would jump at the chance to add a player of Su’A’s quality to the Eels’ right edge immediately, but stressed that any transfer deal is out of his hands as he focuses on leading the injury-hit side. “There’s no point hiding how bad our injury situation is right now,” Moses said. “If the club’s recruitment team decides bringing in someone like Su’A is the best move for us, I fully support whatever they think is the right fit for this team. When you talk about Su’A, any club would jump at the chance to add a player of his calibre. I’d love to have him here, but this decision isn’t up to me.”