The hybrid plan to fill the coffers

[Y2Eel]

Aslong as the Australian League side doesnt have any eels players in it i am all for the game.. wont be watching it just found out that NSW made the semis in the super 12's good job

 

[Canard]

Aslong as the Australian League side doesnt have any eels players in it i am all for the game.. wont be watching it just found out that NSW made the semis in the super 12's good job

Just found out??

Up to date info there mate.

 

[cq]

The only thing missing from an article by Mr Proszenko, is a plug for his mates at Ozpunt.

 

[Y2Eel]

Just found out??

Up to date info there mate.

Yep when is it?

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Yep when is it?

Next weekend I think, down at the SFS. Should be an exciting game, plenty of tries and running football to watch.

 

[The Observer]

A Kangaroos-Wallabies game would attract enormous interest and generate a huge amount of revenue for the game, which needs all it can get, at all levels. The rules proposal to split PTBs and rucks/mauls to each side of the field isn't the best though, it would be better to have 3 or 4 PTBs then move to rucks/mauls. The teams picked in the article weren't the best either, the logical choice would be to choose players with some experience of playing the other code:

Rogers, Tuqiri and Tahu are obviously not the best back three in RL, but they have experience at the highest level in Union, the first two playing in a Rugby World Cup final, the latter playing 6 tests; Cronk is an Australian Schoolboys RU representative).

KANGAROOS: Rogers, Tuqiri, Inglis, Folau, Tahu; Lockyer, Thurston; Watmough, Gallen; Civoniceva, Smith, Thaiday. BENCH: Perry, Mason, Cronk, Slater/Hayne

The back three are former Wallabies. Cronk, and perhaps the centres, have also played Rugby Union

Here's a potential Wallabies team with plenty of attacking flair, pace and power, all but two players (TPN and Mumm) have experience playing Rugby League (current Rugby team, RL experience listed):

FULLBACK James O'Connor (Western Force, Parramatta Eels Junior RL)
WING Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs, Queensland RL junior)
CENTRE Ryan Cross (Western Force, Sydney Roosters NRL, City Origin)
CENTRE Will Chambers (Qld Reds, Melbourne Storm NRL)
WING Digby Ioane (QLD Reds, Victorian RL junior)
FIVE EIGHTH Matt Giteau (ACT Brumbies, Canberra RL junior)
HALFBACK Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs, Brisbane Broncos NRL)
LOCK Sam Harris (Western Force, Manly/Wests Tigers NRL)
SECOND ROW Rocky Elsom (ACT Brumbies, Bulldogs Jersey Flegg)
SECOND ROW Stephen Hoiles (ACT Brumbies, Eastern Suburbs RL junior)
PROP Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs, Dragons Jersey Flegg)
HOOKER/DUMMY HALF Brett Sheehan (Force, Souths NRL, Manly/Broncos juniors)
PROP Tatafu Polota Nau (NSW Waratahs)

BENCH:
PROP Leroy Houston (QLD Reds, Asquith Magpies RL)
PROP/SECOND ROW Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs)
HALVES/FULLBACK Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs, Mt Druitt RL)
CENTRE/BACKROW Tyrone Smith (ACT, Sydney Roosters)

Add to that guys like Gasnier, Gower, SBW, Wing, Anderson, Brad Thorn, Luke Rooney playing Rugby as well overseas.

 

[fourplay]

As soon as the RL team get into the other half they will probably lose possession. Where as when the RU team gets in the opp. half they will just ruck and maul to the try line. So the RL team will have to score from inside their own half or they lose possession. It would be better to kick the ball downfield than cross halfway because you don't want to let the union team past halfway or they'll score.

Anyway nearly all the RU team are failed league players so they will know how to play both games, but the RL team will have no union experience.

NRL players are all household names in Australia where as the RU players are unknowns. So why give them the publicity?

 

[maccattack]

what a f**kin crackpot

 

[lturner]

Great idea for an exhibition match. I'd watch it, the ratings would be huge.....just look at the emotion it generates.....all the code warriors have suited up.....;-)

 

[Teddyboy]

It happend in England when Sale beat St.Helens with one half being League and the other half being Union but Sale in the Union half just put the ball under there jumper.
The best example was When Wigan played Bath under Union rules at twickers and despite getting beat every try Wigan scored was from there own half and the best coming from behind there own goal line.

 

[Cletus]

I ask again, you don't think those blokes could handle it?

I beg to differ.

They would lose every scrum. No way would you want to have a contested scrum, it's a big part of forward play in Union and we never do it in league. They'd be hammered.
The rules they are suggesting are a joke though. Why not just have unlimited tackles instead of the rucks rather than changing rules at the halfway line.

 

[$$Poor Boy Blues$$]

Stupid.

Maybe, but if its going to make this kind of money its worth it to me.

 

[BIKER_DRAGON]

I think the idea is a ripper, the rules and number of the players on the field might need further fine tuning. Also i think it should be played as a multi nation tournament. Involving League and Union teams from Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, South Africa, France, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Italy and Argentina. Then just maybe the world might sit up and take notice.

 

[Sparky 74]

Ok what if we played 6 tackles 4 point try 2 point goal 1 point f/g 13 players backs numbered from 1 to 7 forward numbered from 8 to 13 .............screw Union

 

[otori]

Hopefully they can put Brendan Cannon and Tahu in there as pure exhibition so we can see them go at it.

 

[KING1319]

A Kangaroos-Wallabies game would attract enormous interest and generate a huge amount of revenue for the game, which needs all it can get, at all levels. The rules proposal to split PTBs and rucks/mauls to each side of the field isn't the best though, it would be better to have 3 or 4 PTBs then move to rucks/mauls. The teams picked in the article weren't the best either, the logical choice would be to choose players with some experience of playing the other code:

Rogers, Tuqiri and Tahu are obviously not the best back three in RL, but they have experience at the highest level in Union, the first two playing in a Rugby World Cup final, the latter playing 6 tests; Cronk is an Australian Schoolboys RU representative).

KANGAROOS: Rogers, Tuqiri, Inglis, Folau, Tahu; Lockyer, Thurston; Watmough, Gallen; Civoniceva, Smith, Thaiday. BENCH: Perry, Mason, Cronk, Slater/Hayne

The back three are former Wallabies. Cronk, and perhaps the centres, have also played Rugby Union

Here's a potential Wallabies team with plenty of attacking flair, pace and power, all but two players (TPN and Mumm) have experience playing Rugby League (current Rugby team, RL experience listed):

FULLBACK James O'Connor (Western Force, Parramatta Eels Junior RL)
WING Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs, Queensland RL junior)
CENTRE Ryan Cross (Western Force, Sydney Roosters NRL, City Origin)
CENTRE Will Chambers (Qld Reds, Melbourne Storm NRL)
WING Digby Ioane (QLD Reds, Victorian RL junior)
FIVE EIGHTH Matt Giteau (ACT Brumbies, Canberra RL junior)
HALFBACK Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs, Brisbane Broncos NRL)
LOCK Sam Harris (Western Force, Manly/Wests Tigers NRL)
SECOND ROW Rocky Elsom (ACT Brumbies, Bulldogs Jersey Flegg)
SECOND ROW Stephen Hoiles (ACT Brumbies, Eastern Suburbs RL junior)
PROP Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs, Dragons Jersey Flegg)
HOOKER/DUMMY HALF Brett Sheehan (Force, Souths NRL, Manly/Broncos juniors)
PROP Tatafu Polota Nau (NSW Waratahs)

BENCH:
PROP Leroy Houston (QLD Reds, Asquith Magpies RL)
PROP/SECOND ROW Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs)
HALVES/FULLBACK Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs, Mt Druitt RL)
CENTRE/BACKROW Tyrone Smith (ACT, Sydney Roosters)

Add to that guys like Gasnier, Gower, SBW, Wing, Anderson, Brad Thorn, Luke Rooney playing Rugby as well overseas.

WOW thats well thought out, you obviousely have interest and knowledge in both sports.BUT what do you think of Quade Cooper instea of K.Beale, Cooper has been named as the wallabies number 10 and I havent researched this to backup my statement, but I think he went to the same school as Benji Marshall, some school in queensland not sure weather it was league/union/touch that they played.

which brings me to another point, Benji Marshall played touch at early in his career and so did Quade Cooper, so they have naturally superior sidesteps compared to most other rugby players.Who's step do you think is better?

 

[LESStar58]

Stupid.

Agreed... and watch the NRL allow themselves to get arse-raped when it comes to getting their share of the profits if it goes ahaead.

 

[LazyDreamer]

They would lose every scrum. No way would you want to have a contested scrum, it's a big part of forward play in Union and we never do it in league. They'd be hammered.

+1.

Earlier on were statements re the RL guys having no hope with rucks & mauls. IMO, rucks & mauls are all about technique. Rugby scrums - particularly the tight 5 - are not only heavily technique-based, but there's different muscle development in (for example) a rugby prop's neck & torso compared to a league prop. In the same way that a few weeks of training would not see a Matt Dunning be able to handle the speed of league, those few weeks would not allow the physical changes needed for a Michael Weyman to be able to compete effectively in a contested scrum.

But all in all, a stupid idea. The 'Roos would tear the Wallabies new cornshutes.

 

[Nerd]

No! Bad idea, poorly thought out rules. This just gives Union a free leg up.

 

[The Observer]

Earlier on were statements re the RL guys having no hope with rucks & mauls. IMO, rucks & mauls are all about technique.

That depends on the refereeing philosophy and rule interpretations w/r/t rucks and mauls, and that allows a lot of variability in how they are policed. Technique is important, but so is power and intent. South African teams often rely on power rather than technique at the ruck - consider players like Stormers/Springbok openside flanker Schalk Burger, who is not a traditional fetcher at the ruck, doesn't use speed or guile like NZ All Black Richie McCaw, fellow Springbok Heinrich Brussouw, Wallaby George Smith etc to turnover the ball at the ruck. He uses power and strength to steamroll people out of the way. Also, consider Bulls/Springbok lock Bakkies Botha, one of the hardest forwards in either code: these clips are instances of power rather than technique:

Bakkies Botha cleanout of Gio Aplon 2010 Super 14, Round 14 Stormers/Bulls

Bakkies Botha injures B&I Lions prop Adam Jones in 2nd test 2009

Granted, these are examples of illegal, cited play, but they are indicative of the aggressive playing philosophy based on power and dominating the collision, a philosophy often employed in RL.

Rugby scrums - particularly the tight 5 - are not only heavily technique-based, but there's different muscle development in (for example) a rugby prop's neck & torso compared to a league prop. In the same way that a few weeks of training would not see a Matt Dunning be able to handle the speed of league, those few weeks would not allow the physical changes needed for a Michael Weyman to be able to compete effectively in a contested scrum.

This is true. Nevertheless, the Wallabies scrum was rated the weakest unit across the ten Tier 1 national teams for a decade. The Wallabies relative strength and competitive advantage has been its dynamic, creative attack, running, passing and clever kicking - in the backs AND forwards. The Wallabies would play football and not merely rely on gaining an ascendency in the set pieces.

Two options could allow the hybrid match to use contested scrums and have them be competitive (by contested, with a proper sequential formation, without the 'hit' between frontrows). The first is a contested 3 man scrum, as used in Rugby Sevens - English League teams like Wigan and Bradford played Rugby 7s and retained the ball. However, playing numbers could probably only be 10 a side at most though, and the Union team would only use backrowers. The other option is to borrow a couple of Rugby tight forwards.