Very rarely will you have heard Namibian rugby union and Cornish rugby league mentioned in the same breath: but then again, very few people have a story to tell quite like Neil Kelly. The 59-year-old’s journey has taken him from the heartlands of rugby league, playing for clubs such as Featherstone and Wakefield with great distinction, to a coaching career that has included stints in Ireland, America and Namibia.
This Saturday, Kelly begins arguably the most intriguing challenge of his rugby career as he takes charge of Cornwall in their inaugural match as a rugby league club. They were founded last November after a successful bid acquired the professional licence initially earmarked for a Canadian franchise in Ottawa that never materialised, and the Rugby Football League’s approval of the Cornish bid marks the first time in history the region has had a professional rugby league team.
