Historianhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mkrnaqtypc2kInteresting and insightful article in ‘The Times’ from Elgan Alderman about the state of British rugby league and potential NRL involvement (declaration of interest: I’m quoted in it). https://www.thetimes.com/article/58cff653-cdd1-4b44-82fe-48da22ead7a0?shareToken=ff572aa3c8fd39a3a57fb1969eb61e9001 May 2026 07:48 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrnaqtypc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mhpprk3yo22xThe new Rugby Reloaded talks to Mike Meehall Wood about what Antonio Gramsci has to do with rugby league, why the game underplays its complexity and why Jonny Lomax and Todd Carney might be 'organic intellectuals'. Listen on: https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/211-todd-carney-antonio/s-xcK6A561Ja4?si=a751d2dfe36545638bfc265da82c49f1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing23 Mar 2026 09:12 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhpprk3yo22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mh625giogk25Here’s my article exploring France’s expulsion from #rugbyunion 5 Nations in the 1930s and return in the 1940s. Big thanks to the excellent ‘Football(s)’ journal. (It’s in French but translation apps are available): journals.openedition.org/footballs/479 https://journals.openedition.org/footballs/47916 Mar 2026 08:30 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh625giogk25https://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mfqscwbavs2hTerrible news that Sydney rugby league historian Terry Williams has died. A great bloke, a good friend, and a man who brought the history of the game to life. He was a huge help when I wrote my Roy Francis bio. He’s a massive loss for us all - the game is poorer for his passing.26 Feb 2026 08:40 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfqscwbavs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mccbqkvipk2xBefore Andy Gregory, before Alex Murphy, there was Jonty Parkin of @wtrinityrl.bsky.social the man who defined the rugby league scrum-half as a cocky, rebellious, trickster; and a leader. 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Lee Robinson about his new biography 'Jonty': https://on.soundcloud.com/DThmiJkKEFiBILhcNX https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/podcast-210-jonty-parkin-11-0113 Jan 2026 09:50 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mccbqkvipk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3mccbqkvipk2xBefore Andy Gregory, before Alex Murphy, there was Jonty Parkin of @wtrinityrl.bsky.social the man who defined the rugby league scrum-half as a cocky, rebellious, trickster; and a leader. 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Lee Robinson about his new biography 'Jonty': https://on.soundcloud.com/DThmiJkKEFiBILhcNX https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/podcast-210-jonty-parkin-11-0113 Jan 2026 09:50 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3mccbqkvipk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m7s3fzk5w22pThe Scots revolutionised football, but did Scotland invent soccer? It's complicated... The new episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' unravels the tangled origins of the round-ball game north and south of the border: https://on.soundcloud.com/jfgUfdyTeFiEHYPMjX https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/209-did-scotland-invent12 Dec 2025 12:24 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7s3fzk5w22phttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m7fc6uu56c2uIf you want to find out more about Roy Francis, race, and #RugbyLeague I'm talking about my new book on the Progressive Rugby League podcast, which you can listen to here: https://shows.acast.com/the-progressive-rugby-league-podcast/episodes/prl-book-club-roy-francis-rugbys-forgotten-black-leader-by-t07 Dec 2025 10:21 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7fc6uu56c2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m6ovs3j47k2zIf you haven’t yet read “Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader” a certain major online retailer is offering the hardback for just £6.99 - it also makes a great Xmas gift (or so I’ve been told).28 Nov 2025 12:40 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ovs3j47k2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m6ehdhwlnc2eIf you’re interested in the origins of American football - or any of the football codes - I’m discussing the birth of the gridiron game on the new ‘Who Invented This Sport?’ podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-invented-this-sport/id1759077024?i=100073765751724 Nov 2025 08:55 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ehdhwlnc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m5nromno3k2nThe new 'Rugby Reloaded' asks 'what the hell is going on in British rugby league? Listen to a historian's view of the state of the game in Britain: https://on.soundcloud.com/wJ3BsqOt4TxI0lgfDm https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/207-what-the-hell-is-going-on15 Nov 2025 08:29 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5nromno3k2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m4znem4k7k2vThe new episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Kevin Fitzpatrick about his new Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust Hall of Fame documentary, and updates us on plans for the club's 150th anniversary next year. Listen now via: https://on.soundcloud.com/QXB7G78bsQNZPwcAFX https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/206-oldham-rugby-league-hall07 Nov 2025 08:18 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4znem4k7k2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m4fppidl3c2vWith just two days before the decisive second Ashes Test at Everton, relive the excitement of the 1986 Kangaroo tour with author Mark Flanagan in this classic 'Rugby Reloaded' episode: https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/142-once-were-kangaroos-mark-flanagan-on-the-1986-tourmp3?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing30 Oct 2025 10:07 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4fppidl3c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m4ao2rtobc2qCould Germany have become a rugby-playing nation? Or could the US have been a bastion of soccer? Join me and Thomas Adam on the new 'Rugby Reloaded' as we discuss his new book 'The Global Spread of Football from the 1860s to the 1880s': https://on.soundcloud.com/jxKxLGPf5sgUM24n94 https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/205-the-global-spread-of28 Oct 2025 09:54 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4ao2rtobc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m3zatibwfc2lBefore rugby league’s Ashes series kicks off this afternoon, watch the brand new documentary from @lucy_itv about Scotland’s rugby codebreakers and the struggles they suffered: https://youtu.be/S9jcj5k2pIA?si=o5ikHUJ4lPzICgBJ25 Oct 2025 11:09 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3zatibwfc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m3mgdn2lvc2kThe Countdown to the rugby league Ashes begins - and to kick it off here's a 'Rugby Reloaded' classic episode charting the incredible story of the 1946 'Indomitables' and the first post-war Ashes series: https://on.soundcloud.com/EMF3GoRrQUuDUCmcrT https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/127-the-1946-indomitables-rugby-league-tour20 Oct 2025 08:43 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3mgdn2lvc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m37qxtbe5k2bWith the rugby league Ashes' series almost here, 'Rugby Reloaded' resumes its look at the cultural and social history of Anglo-Australian league, exploring how Australia turned the tables on England to become the game's dominant world power. Listen now via: https://on.soundcloud.com/qkAQwcAbifusG4HBvb https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/204-a-cultural-history-of-the15 Oct 2025 07:48 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m37qxtbe5k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m37qxtbe5k2bWith the rugby league Ashes' series almost here, 'Rugby Reloaded' resumes its look at the cultural and social history of Anglo-Australian league, exploring how Australia turned the tables on England to become the game's dominant world power. Listen now via: https://on.soundcloud.com/qkAQwcAbifusG4HBvb https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/204-a-cultural-history-of-the15 Oct 2025 07:48 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m37qxtbe5k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3m2lmkaiczc2fWhy have American football and American soccer shared the same origin story from the 1860s? Find out more about the Boston Game and its curious afterlife with me, Mike Cronin and Kevin Tallec Marston on the new 'Rugby Reloaded': https://on.soundcloud.com/eZysXDAFx0x25MCML8 https://soundcloud.com/rugbyreloaded/203-the-boston-game-and-the07 Oct 2025 07:36 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2lmkaiczc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3lzdsxb6vtc2sIf you’re able to get to London on Monday 29 Sept, come to the launch of the new edition of one of the foundational texts of the history of sport in Britain (and I’m very chuffed to be invited as a panellist) - details below: [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Sep 2025 11:44 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzdsxb6vtc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3lycwy745jc2hHeads Up! You can now listen to ‘Rugby Reloaded’ and its back catalogue via YouTube. Just search ‘Rugby Reloaded’ and every episode is available conveniently at your fingertips!08 Sep 2025 09:58 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3lycwy745jc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/collinstony.bsky.social/post/3lyacdm6sbs2pAhead of today’s Hull rugby league derby, find out about the sliding doors moment that could have turned this afternoon’s match inside out! https://curiosityhull.co.uk/why-is-mersey-street-so-important-for-the-history-of-rugby-league-in-hull/07 Sep 2025 08:44 +0000at://did:plc:4cxrcqazcswmdmraozcodqce/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyacdm6sbs2p