Bringing up Vichy is weaksauce in this context, it's just an attempt to deflect on this specific point. For many many years certain rugby league types have been squealing about rugby union having bans on players once they left rugby union to go to rugby league, playing up the angle on the person looking to make money and ignoring the IP/protection of the game point that was part and parcel of the decision by rugby union to have those bans.
Of course it's amusing this was always brought up when rugby league themselves already had bans. The RFL successfully lobbied international rugby league authorities to ban British players who moved to Australia in the 1970s. This was a logical reaction by the RFL, who saw the game in England going backwards as they did not have pokies money to pay players like in Australia.
Similarly the PVL and ARLC decision here is logical and not one I'd disagree with. But the hypocrisy should be called out in the context of this narrative from some of you for years. This quote could have been attributed to rugby league for decades as they hoovered up Welsh rugby union talent to play for clubs- whereby they came in, offered the player a cheque and left Wales without much thought of the impact of rugby union grassroots but also nourishing the pathway which rugby league was plucking from themselves.
"Unfortunately, there will always be organisations that seek to pirate our game for potential financial gain," said ARLC chairman Peter V'landys in announcing the ban.
"They don't invest in pathways or the development of players. They simply exploit the hard work of others
"They are, in reality, counterfeiting a code.
If it were the case that "shamateurism" was paying all of the players anyway in Wales, they wouldn't have left. But dozens and dozens did leave, something that all but stopped once rugby union went professional. Why is that? You can do some mental gymnastics on that, but that's what happened.
In the decades where players did leave, Welsh rugby union suffered massively. Performances on the field in the 1980s were dreadful. It is actually a bit of a miracle that Welsh rugby union kept going and providing players for rugby league and rugby union, because rugby league was not far off the French in Haiti in terms of stripping the resources of the place without nourishing the sod.
This "morals" stuff is very amusing, you keep telling yourself that everything is black and white...
I understand why you feel uncomfortable as a union supporter (and I used to be one)Vichy has left a stain on rugby union historically. That's plain & simply ,denial.
The difference which you cannot seem to grasp ,is when Vichy happened union was supposedly amateur but in France that was whole lot of garbage , it was shamateur ,the very reason they wanted rugby league to wither & die.
That's hypocrisy playing the union shining white moral tune. They not only banned their players they effectively banned the code which never recovered to its former glory.
The bans in rugby league have involved professional rugby league players in England with professional rugby league players in OZ. IOW within the code itself.
French rugby union did not have poker machines either they had a complicit Nazi installed Vichy govt and used their influence to do inflict damage to rugby league.
I didn't bring up Vichy during the argument Perth Red did.
The reason players left from union in England & Wales they could earn more playing rl in England or Australia, because the money being paid under the desk or brown paper bags by wealthy supporters was not enough.Others were content either because they were happy with the kickbacks or didn't want to play rl full stop.
Because rugby union had denied paying players up til 1995/7 becoming fully professional and that started thanks to the SL war.
Have you heard of David Campese going to play in Italy during the amateur pretending it was on an amateur basis.It was known as Spaghetti Rugby because anyone with half brain knew he was being paid.
A former NZ PM Robert Muldoon made the comment during the "amateur years". "It Never ceases to amaze meet see All Black players driving he most expensive cars, wear the finest clothes, yet not being paid".
The comment I used to hear all the time from union officials & my private school sportsmaster ."Rugby union being played for love not money".
Quite frankly me lad you are in zero position to talk about morals when a major country of your code, sided with a Nazi collaborated govt to set out to destroy rugby league & secure its assets(never to be returned).The French Govt admitted the dirty deeds that were done (not me), but offered no reparations.
The current situation is all codes in this kerfuffle are professional (including the latest kid on the block R360).
Both rugby union and the NRL have spent monies on pathways from schools ,weekend footy to bring players up to the professional level at the top of their sport.There are no issues once a union or NRL players is off contract, he can play anything he wants.The real issue is trying to before these players hav refinished their contract to start offering deals that may well involve breaking a contract and grabbing players with no financial input to the two codes who have developed these players.
Hell the NRL/ARL were comfortable allowing the Roosters winger (ex ru) who has told the Nrl he is going back to union to be. a Kangaroo for the Ashes series in the coming months.
, I mean education camps, the " re" doesn't apply to this situation.
