A delegation of six rugby stars from Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL), one of the world’s top professional rugby leagues is in the country for a 10-day working visit.

The trip is an initiative of Paul Osborne, a former NRL star with Raiders, one of the top clubs in the Australian league.

Osborne also heads the six-man team which includes Nathan Hindmarsh who features for Parramatta Eels, Tod Carney who plays for Huddersfield Giants, Justin Poore who plays for St. George Illawarra Dragons, Todd Payten who features for the West Tigers and Jared Waerea Hargreaves, considered to be the brightest teenage talent in the NRL.

During their stay, the international stars will work in the village of Hope.

They will help widows build an orphanage amongst a series of other humanitarian activities like visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, visit local schools.

According to the Canberra Times, the trip is also meant to help Todd Carney turn his life round after recent troubles.

It is reported that the half-back recently found himself on the wrong side of the law when he was arrested at a Goulburn pub in Australia after being accused of smashing the window of a mobile phone shop.

The wayward playmaker was however released later pending further inquiries.

Osborne was quoted in an Australian newspaper saying that he thought the 10-day trip to Rwanda "would be a very good chance for Carney to turn his life around”.

Carney, 22, is also said to have been recently deregistered from the NRL until 2010 after a string of alcohol-fuelled misdemeanors.

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