Duel code rugby clubs?

[yankeerugger]

in the spirit of duel code brotherhood that seems to be invogue here in the US... does anyone know if there would be anything prohibiting a rugby club from playing both codes of rugby?

Would a Local Area Union (RU adminstrative body above club) be ale to sanction a "Summer Rugby League" competition? Would RU refs be able to get certified to officiate RL matches? Would USA Rugby's liability insurance cover matches played by member clubs, with CIPPed players, who were playing a "modified set of rules" (Rugby League)...

Just currious if this would be possible.

As far as I'm conserned, rugby league has more to do with Rugby Union then does RU 7s... why not have every club playing RL in the off season (summer) rather then dancing around playing 7s... this would IMHO help develop better rugby players, and also help work on fitness, both of which are lacking in lower level rugby here in the states...

Maybe then AMNRL "scouts" could travel the country watching these matches, pick up the best players from across the country, and the next year have work arainged for them during the AMNRL season in the area of their club on the east coast... This would greatly up the level of play for the AMNRL, and allow them to market a better product... maybe some of these blokes could be getting semi-pro contracts...

Any thoughts.

 

[deluded pom?]

In the UK this would be highly unlikely to happen. We have the RFL to develop League and the RFU to develop Union. I'm sure one or the other would either be up in arms or delighted that the other code was promoting their own version. Maybe in virgin League territory the two codes could work hand in hand but the two games carry a lot of baggage between them in the UK.

 

[Quidgybo]

I agree it is highly unlikely but whenever a discussion of merging the codes comes up, this sort of administrative level merger, with the games themselves remaining distinct entities, strikes me as the only possible compromise. In the same way cricket has multiple versions of the game - Test, One-day and now 20/20 - all with different rules but all still under the one governing structure, I could picture a structure where both the 13 man and 15 man versions of Rugby where administered under the same auspices. With players free to play one or both versions and free to be selected for unified rep teams from competitions playing either version. Again highly unlikely, especially the more Union moves to become League-like, but at least conceptually possible without destroying the two games and their existing fan bases.

Leigh.

 

[yankeerugger]

I don't see this happening world wide... but in "virgin" territory as DP put it, why not...

7s, 9s, 13s, 15'.... All rugby, why not have one administrative body, with one liability insurance, one of everything... allow clubs to field what ever they want...

Imagine if we had the top US eagles (national RU side) playing in the AMNRL, and also reprsenting the US tomahawks? (and visa versa...)

 

[deluded pom?]

I read a guy from Canada on the American rugy site who was complaining about the type of insurance Union players in the States have to pay, he'd recently moved to the U.S. and was looking to get a game there. He basically siad that the cover he'd have to have would simply price him and any other "regular" guy out of playing Union and that this was why the Eagles will never get much further on the World stage then they already are and that only wealthy players could afford to play.

 

[yankeerugger]

DP,

I read that post ( I believe on American Rugby News) as well...

What he was talking about is the fact that USA Rugby offers NO insurance to players for injuries they sustain while playing rugby, only liability for the club, and owners of the pitch/park. So when I tore my ACL playing rugby at a play off match in Springfield MO, MY medical insurance company, and me were responsible for paying for the surgery and rehabilitation.

USA Rugby requires that EVERY athlete playing rugby be CIPPd (registered). Along with this they require that every athlete provide proof of insurance. If I didn't have medical insurance provided by my employer, I would not be allowed to play.

We had a situation in Nebraska a few years back where a <19 kid, who's father was VERY VERY wealthy joined our <19 club I coached at. His family was "self insured", and didn't have any health insurance. They had their family lawyer draw up a legal document stating that they accepted full medical responsibility for all injuries that may occure, and even had coppies of IRS tax forms stating the amount of assets they had to back up any medical claims... I didn't see them, but I would reccon they were up there with most medical insurance companies...

Long story short, he was still not able to play. The father got very pissy with USA rugby, who said that if he wanted to play, he would have to purchase a medical policy for the 2 month season. Out of spite (rightfully so) the father refused. Kid never played, and our club missed out on a great opportunity to court a very wealthy benofactor...

I knew of guys on our club who were "working class" or poor college students that didn't have health coverage. They would have one of the club members who sold insurance sign them up for a policy, get the papers, get a copy of them (to give to USA Rugby) and then cancle in the 30 look period, for a full refund. They then played rugby, knowing that if they tore their ACL, or had any other injury, they were out a boat load of money...

Happens all over in this country. Medical insurance is pricy, and not by any means universal.

 

[macavity]

infiltrate them

then kill them

seriously, anyone with any knowledge of the history there knows that union is THE enemy. they have been trying to kill us since we started.

I guess its a bit different over in seppoland, but here we never forgive, never forget.

 

[International RL]

infiltrate them

then kill them

seriously, anyone with any knowledge of the history there knows that union is THE enemy. they have been trying to kill us since we started.

I guess its a bit different over in seppoland, but here we never forgive, never forget.

Exactly, I would be very sceptical of union involvement. They might mean well over there in the USA, but the IRB is just a phone call away, threatening to cancel funding.

 

[yankeerugger]

very true... I could see that last scenerio happening... IRB funding for developing nations is crutial. Subsidies for World 7s series, world cup, sponsorships for the NA4 series, arainging tours... They could put pressure on England to stop their mentorship with USA / Canada in the Churchill Cup, which has done so much to up our game in so many ways...

If Dublin (IRB HQ) wanted "duel code cooperation" to stop, it would overnight, and any talent in RL here would be instantly "adsorbed" ala vichy france sirca 1941...

That said, I still plan to do my part within the RU body in my rural part of the states to bring an understanding and appreciation of RL to the youth. Maybe some day theses kids I'll be teaching will realize that RU is not the only code, and will push to form a grassroots RL body for the US...

 

[deluded pom?]

Someone has to find out about RL from somewhere yr. Best of luck to you.

 

[Chicago Saints]

Are there no insurers/schemes for other sports such as Football that provide insurance for players protection that RL could tap into? Just because US Rugby don't offer such a scheme, could Rugby League not set the standard in doing this? I realise however that the expense would probably be too great.

BTW Where are you based YankeeRugger?

 

[yankeerugger]

Omaha Nebraska. Cornhusker born and raised!

Saint, what's the inside scoop on RL in the windy city?

Problem with the insurance, is I'm sure it could be done, but to do so would be too costly for the "working man" to afford, and it is these same people were talking about... a real catch 22 so to speak.

This problem is more of a "universal healthcare" / "national healthcare" problem that is being faced by millions nationwide, not just the rugby world.

 

[yankeerugger]

for you AMNRL folks out there on the east coast....

who do you folks get to ref your matches? Does the AMNRL have a RL refferees certification course that they could offer if say some group of RU clubs wanted to start a local grass roots summer competition amongst RU clubs...

Nothing against RL, but the number of "laws" and the degree of interpretation is quite smaller in RL as compared to RU. I'd think that if you took an experienced local RU reff, and they studied, and went through a RL reff course, that it would not be that difficult.

A mate once told me "the laws or rugby union are enough to fill a large book, the laws of rugby league are enough to fill a stack of index cards, and the laws of soccer could be put on the front and back of a napkin..." a bit of an over-generalization, but somwhat accurate.

This is part of the attraction of RL, it is much simplier. None of the vague interpretations that go with rucks and mauls (hands in, entering from the side...) line outs (too many men, not strait, pulling the man down...) or the ENDLESS resetting of scrums and tedius violations of rules... RL allows you to simply play the game, and not get bogged down with the finer points that slow the game down.