High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Rugby League in the Czech Republic was started in 2006. The Czechs received government funding before a game was played there, and in their first game on August 5, 2006 in Prague, the Czechs went down 34-28 to the Netherlands. In 2007 the Czech Republic took part in the European Shield tournament. This included two other 2nd tier nations; Germany and Serbia. Czech national team lost the both matches, v Germany 22-44 in Prague (4 August) and v Serbia 16-56 in Belgrade (18 August), and finished third. Rugby league football, usually called simply rugby league, is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, following rugby league's split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895 its rules were changed, resulting in a faster, more spectator friendly sport. Frequently cited as the toughest and most physically demanding of any team sport in the world, the primary aim in rugby league is to carry or kick the ball towards the opponent's goal line where points can be scored by grounding the ball; this is called a try.