Fiji 22-4 Samoa

Fiji will meet Australia in the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals at Wembley next Saturday after a battling win over Samoa in Warrington.

A full match report can be found here.

Fiji gear up for Samoa

Fiji's RLWC2013 squad are using UCLan Sports Arena as their base camp ahead of Sunday's Quarter-final clash with Samoa.

The players are also utilising UCLan's new Physiotherapy Clinic for treatment and sports massage, with second and third year Sports Therapy students on hand to look after the team.

Mick Reid, Strength and Conditioning Coach for Fiji, said: "We've had a warm welcome from the staff and students at UCLan and it's great that everything we need is practically in one place. Access to physiotherapy and sports massage treatments is vital for the players' well-being and it's great that in return we're able to provide practical experience for the students carrying out the massage sessions."

UCLan's Academic Director of Sport, Dr Adrian Ibbetson, commented: "We're happy to welcome the Fijian team to the Arena to use our first-class facilities as part of their training process, particularly as this builds on our friendship having hosted athletes from the country for their Olympic preparations.

"UCLan helped bring the spirit of the Rugby League World Cup 2013 to the local community during Ireland's recent stay by working with the team to hold a coaching master class, school tag tournament and open training sessions. The Irish team did a great job of boosting rugby league interest in Lancashire and we aim to continue this by supporting Fiji in their World Cup campaign."

More images from the physiotherapy session can be found here.

Public warming to RLWC2013

The official viewing figures from last Saturday's live coverage of Rugby League World Cup 2013 on the BBC show a peak audience of 2.2m watched England's final group game against Fiji. The match, which England won 34-12, had a 15% share of the total viewing audience across all channels.

These figures compare very strongly with other sports available to audiences and show how RLWC2013 is capturing the interest of the British sporting public.

For example, the ATP Tennis World Tour Finals on BBC2 at the same time had a 1.2million peak audience, the rugby union England v Argentina international had a peak of 571,000, while the live Premier League football on Sky peaked at 810,000.

This weekend sees the Quarter-finals get underway. Full tournament details can be found here.

Australia 50-0 Ireland

RLWC2013: Ireland start as major underdogs

Ireland will start as major underdogs for their final Group A match against Australia in the Rugby League World Cup 2013.

The game takes place at Thomond Park, Limerick, kick-off 8.00 pm.

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra will have full match commentary. A preview of the game can be found here.

Ireland 0-42 England

Ireland's Liam Finn and Mark Aston at their press conference following Saturday's RLWC2013 loss against England.

Ireland face England test

Action from Ireland's opener v Fiji

Ireland will be without experienced full-back Scott Grix for tomorrow's RLWC2013 clash with England. Warrington's James Mendeika takes his place, while Widnes prop Eamon O'Carroll is out with a shoulder injury.

Former Huddersfield second rower Simon Finnigan is back in contention after a hamstring problem and Warrington second-rower Ben Currie is set to line up at stand-off.

The Irish squad is as follows: Dave Allen, Luke Ambler, Bob Beswick, Damien Blanch, Danny Bridge, Ben Currie, Liam Finn, Simon Finnigan, Kurt Haggerty, James Hasson, Rory Kostjasyn, Stuart Littler, Tyrone McCarthy, James Mendeika, Anthony Mullally, Apirana Pewhairangi, Pat Richards, Joshua Toole and Brett White.

The game takes place at John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield, kick-off 2.30 pm, and will be screened live on BBC One.

Irish host open training session

Ireland are hosting an open training session ahead of this weekend's big RLWC2013 clash with England.

The squad will be at UCLan Sports Arena on Thursday 31 October from 10.30 am - 12.00 noon. Ireland began their tournament on Monday with a gutsy performance against Fiji and Coach Mark Aston believes they will be competitive with England: "If they give 100 per cent commitment and be just a little bit smarter towards the end of the sets, I'm sure we can challenge England," said Aston.

"We've only been together for 10 days, so in a very short space of time we've had to mould a team together. We've got a short turnaround but we'll dust ourselves down, train hard and turn up on Saturday."

Ireland 14-32 Fiji

Ireland put up a spirited display in their opening RLWC2013 game against Fiji, eventually falling to a 32-14 defeat.

Damien Blanch, James Hasson and Tyrone McCarthy were the Irish try scorers, with Pat Richards adding one conversion.

Match highlights can be viewed here.

The Irish squad have returned to Preston and will continue to use UCLan Sports Arena in preparation for Saturday's big clash with England at Huddersfield.

Ireland begin RLWC2013 campaign

Following their successful training camp at UCLan Sports Arena, Ireland kick-off their RLWC2013 campaign against Fiji later today.

The Irish squad for the game is as follows: Dave Allen, Luke Ambler, Bob Beswick, Damien Blanch, Danny Bridge, Ben Currie, Liam Finn, Scott Grix, Kurt Haggerty, James Hasson, Rory Kostjasyn, Stuart Littler, James Mendeika, Tyrone McCarthy, Anthony Mullally, Eamon O'Carroll, Apirana Pewhairangi, Pat Richards, Brett White.

The game takes place at Spotland Stadium, Rochdale at 8.00 pm.

Coverage is avalaible on BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra. For an in-depth preview please click here.

RLWC2013 starts tomorrow

The Rugby League World Cup 2013 kicks off in style on Saturday with Australia v England and Wales v Italy live on the BBC.

The Irish squad are continuing their preparations for their opener against Fiji on Monday with training sessions scheduled at UCLan Sports Arena over the weekend.

A full guide to the tournament can be found here.

Irish team support school tournament

Players from the Ireland Rugby League World Cup squad were at UCLan Sports Arena yesterday for a School Tag Tournament.

The four-team event saw the players sign autographs, pass on advice and hand out awards and mementoes of the occasion to pupils. Longridge High School Year 7 were the eventual winners.

Some squad members are expected to attend Preston College open evening later today. Pictures from the tournament and other events from the Irish stay at UCLan can be viewed here.

Coaching Masterclass is a big hit

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) teamed up with Rugby League Ireland to host a hugely successful Coaching Masterclass event.

Head Coach Mark Aston and his staff conducted a Q & A session before staging a practical coaching session with UCLan staff and players at UCLan Sports Arena.

The Irish squad are training at the Arena in preparation for the Rugby League World Cup 2013 which starts this weekend.

Pictures from their visit can be viewed here.

UCLan welcomes Irish rugby squad

Last night saw the Ireland Rugby League team enjoy a Civic Reception at the Harris Museum, Preston.

The squad are training at UCLan Sports Arena ahead of the Rugby League World Cup 2013 which starts this weekend.

Pictures from the event and this morning's open training session can be found here. Please follow @RLWCPreston2013 on Twitter for regular updates.

UCLan and Ireland team up for Masterclass

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Rugby League Ireland are teaming up later this month to host a Coaching Masterclass event.

Head Coach Mark Aston and his staff will take part in a Q & A session before staging a practical coaching session with UCLan staff and players at UCLan Sports Arena.

The event begins at Westleigh Conference Centre, Preston on Tuesday 22 October at 5.30pm.

Places are limited so please book early by calling 01772 761000 or emailing Sarena@uclan.ac.uk.

Ireland announce RWLC 2013 squad

Ireland Head Coach Mark Aston has announced his 24-man squad for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.

The final squad includes a total of 10 Super League players and four players from Australia's NRL competition, with the remaining players coming from the Championship and the NSW Cup.

Wigan and Catalan Wingers Pat Richards and Damien Blanch have been included in the squad alongside the Grix brothers, Simon and Scott, who return to the squad for the first time since 2010.From the NRL Brett White (Canberra Raiders), Rory Kostjasyn (North Queensland Cowboys), James Hasson (Manly Sea Eagles) and Api Pewhairangi (Parramatta Eels) have all been included in the squad.

In total nine players who competed in the 2008 World Cup have been included and will be looking to form a rare club for players who have represented Ireland in two Rugby League World Cups. The squad will continue to be led by Featherstone Rovers scrum half Liam Finn who was confirmed as captain in 2012.

Aston is looking forward to the competition: "I'm really pleased with the squad we have named, which is a combination of experience and younger up and coming players from both hemispheres.

"I am confident we're fully equipped to be competitive in what is a really tough group and we're really looking forward to the challenge ahead against three of the best teams in the world."

The Irish squad arrives for their training camp at UCLan Sports Arena, Preston on October 19, with their World Cup campaign set to get underway nine days later against Fiji.

The full squad is: Dave Allen, Luke Ambler, Bob Beswick, Damien Blanch, Danny Bridge, Ben Currie, Liam Finn, Simon Finnigan, Scott Grix, Simon Grix, Kurt Haggerty, James Hasson, Rory Kostjasyn, Stuart Littler, Tyrone McCarthy, James Mendeika, Anthony Mullally, Eamon O’Carroll, Apirana Pewhairangi, Pat Richards, Colton Roche, Marc Sneyd, Joshua Toole, Brett White.

Rugby League World Cup hidden ball found on UCLan campus

Fans of two of the region's rival rugby league clubs have snapped up two free tickets to the Rugby League World Cup 2013 (RLWC2013) thanks to a competition run by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston City Council and the tournament's organisers.

Jamie Jackson and friend Chris Warren, St Helens and Wigan Warriors fans respectively, were the lucky winners of the #findourballs competition which marked 100 days until the start of the tournament and gave fans the opportunity to win tickets to their respective local RLWC2013 matches.

UCLan and Preston City Council teamed up to hide one of 100 specially-branded RLWC2013 balls in Preston, using social media to provide hints and clues as to where fans could find their ticket winning ball.

Jamie and Chris, who both play for their local club Bamber Bridge ARLFC, hunted down the sought after prize at the Final Whistle Cafe at UCLan Sports Arena. The duo almost missed out on the winning ball after Jamie's phone lost its battery power during his social media sleuthing.

Jamie said: "Chris came to the rescue and between us we found the prize. We've already got tickets to see England play Australia so we may use these free ones for the England versus Ireland game or maybe Australia versus New Zealand.

"We're both really looking forward to the tournament and think England have a good chance of doing well against the southern hemisphere teams."

UCLan and Preston City Council also hid three official Wigan Warriors rugby balls around the city that were signed by the entire Warriors squad. One was won by Dave Dawson at West View Climbing and Leisure Centre, Lesley Woodruff found another one at the Marriott Hotel and Leisure Club while one hidden in Avenham Park was not found.

Rugby League World Cup ball hidden on campus

To mark 100 days to go to the start of the Rugby League World Cup 2013 the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has teamed up with the competition's organisers and Preston City Council to help hide 100 specially-branded RLWC2013 balls across the country, offering those who find them the opportunity to win tickets to their respective local RLWC2013 matches.

To support the campaign UCLan and the City Council will be hiding a specially branded ball somewhere in Preston, using social media to provide hints and clues as to where fans can find their ticket winning ball.

UCLan Sports Arena will host the Irish squad ahead of the World Cup. The University beat off tough competition to be one of only two universities chosen as a host venue for the 14 nation tournament that will be held in England and Wales in 2013.

Jan Peace, Manager at the Arena, said: "This is the biggest year in the history of rugby league and we're delighted to be bringing the Irish team to Preston and hosting them at our Sport Arena. We want to get the entire City behind this event, so in addition to the specially-branded RLWC2013 ball we have three others, signed by the entire Wigan Warriors team, which we'll be hiding at secret venues across Preston."

So follow @RLWCPreston on Twitter and crack the clues to be in with the chance to win tickets.

Ireland Rugby League officials visit Preston for World Cup preparations

Ireland's Rugby League World Cup 2013 (RLWC2013) campaign has begun in earnest with a visit to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston where the squad will train during the competition.

As the countdown to the World Cup continues, the University welcomed Ireland's Head Coach Mark Aston, General Manager Gordon Matthews and Assistant Coach Ged Corcoran to its multi-million pound UCLan Sports Arena (USA) which has been selected as the team's official training venue.

The squad will use the Arena's rugby pitches and strength and conditioning suite, which is fully equipped with the new Keiser pneumatic machines and Eleiko free weights equipment, whilst the University's recently refurbished Westleigh Conference Centre will be available to the team as an area for relaxation.

Head Coach Mark Aston commented: "We've had a warm welcome from UCLan. The facilities at the Arena are fantastic and I'm looking forward to bringing the full squad back with me in October where we'll be based for the entire World Cup. The first game is against Fiji in Rochdale on October 28 and the facilities at UCLan will enable us to be fully prepared going into the opening game.

"I hope our presence will boost interest in rugby league within the local community and we want to give something back to Preston by linking up with local schools and clubs during our stay."

UCLan is one of only two universities and the only venue in Lancashire to be chosen as a host venue for the 14 nation tournament being held in England and Wales in October and November. UCLan, in partnership with Preston City Council and the Marriott Hotel, beat off tough competition from other venues in the selection process.

The Academic Director of Sport at UCLan, Dr Adrian Ibbetson, commented: "We are proud to host the Irish Rugby League Squad as they prepare for the Rugby League World Cup 2013. The World Cup organisers were thoroughly impressed with our multi-million pound facilities, including our first-class pitches and strength and conditioning area and we look forward to welcoming the full squad in the build-up to the competition."

Leyland Warriors RLFC Coach Phil Roberts also met the Irish delegation at UCLan. He said: "Having the Ireland Rugby League team based in Preston will add to the growing popularity of the sport in Lancashire. Interest is increasing year on year and I'm sure with Preston playing such a big part in the competition it will provide a lasting legacy for rugby league in this area."

UCLan has a long and successful relationship with Rugby League and has an on-going sponsorship deal with Super League giants Wigan Warriors. The deal sees the Warriors benefit from fitness tests, video analysis support from UCLan and a number of University degree places for its accelerate squad players and staff.

RLWC2013 kicks off in Cardiff on October 26 when host nations Wales and England take on Italy and Australia respectively. 14 nations then go head-to-head in three groups for a place in the semi-finals double-header at Wembley Stadium in London. The tournament also visits France and Ireland as RWLC2013 looks to help the game develop in Europe.