2021 RLWC Men's Semi Finals

[Smug Panther]

Agreed. Scrap Origin or reduce it to one game a year like 80-81. It's boring compared to what we've seen this weekend.

I'd love this but the money involved means it will never happen

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Wow what did I just watch the last couple of mornings? Unbelievable. What a result for Rugby League.

 

[taste2taste]

What's more embarrassing:

England losing to Samoa in RL?

Or

Australia losing to Italy in RU?

At least England can say they lost to a team of professionals from Australia and NZ who represent Samoa on heritage grounds.

Wallabies loosing to Italy for the first time in thier history is far more embarrassing. Especially when you consider what a tiny sport it is in Italy, the fact the game was played in a small stadium and was half empty shows you all you need to know about the standing of the sport there.

 

[taste2taste]

I'd love this but the money involved means it will never happen

It's such a shame the way Origin and the NRL holds back the international game. There is a real opportunity to have internationals as the pinnacle of the game.
Even in this world cup we had players putting clubs over country ( Shulster, Pangia Jnr,, Siafiti, Ponga..etc )

 

[Wb1234]

This argument is ridiculous, you're basically forcing players to play for Australia when they don't want to.
No player is going to choose Samoa over NSW while they get paid .. what ? 30k a game ? You're asking them to give up about 300k over thier careers.
The days of SOO being a selection for the Kangaroos is a very 1995 mentality, in fact Origin itself is very outdated, it was formed when we had no one to play internationally and those days are gone, it's no longer the best Vs the best.
Having said that, I don't understand why it's so hard for some people to wrap thier heads around the fact players can be passionate about playing for NSW and Samoa. They are proud of where they were born and proud of thier Samoan bloodline.

I agree with all of this and it’s an excellent post

one minor thing though is nsw vs Queensland has always been played since the game was created in Australia

it wasn’t created bc international football had died

indeed some would say the gb vs Australia tours from the early 90s were close to as good as internationals got since the 60s

 

[Wb1234]

It's such a shame the way Origin and the NRL holds back the international game. There is a real opportunity to have internationals as the pinnacle of the game.
Even in this world cup we had players putting clubs over country ( Shulster, Pangia Jnr,, Siafiti, Ponga..etc )

It doesn’t hold back the international game

end of the day origin gets 3 million approx watching each game

league tests get 1 mill tops, bledisloe doesn’t even get a million any more

plus between tv rights and gates / sponsorship origin generates close to 100 million a year for rugby league

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Gobsmacked]

Australia vs New Zealand on ANZAC day. = Origin no longer the pinnacle.
During Origin:
Samoa vs Tonga. ×3
Fiji vs PNG. ×3
England vs France. ×3

End of year 8 nations.

Your welcome.

 

[taste2taste]

It doesn’t hold back the international game

end of the day origin gets 3 million approx watching each game

league tests get 1 mill tops, bledisloe doesn’t even get a million any more

plus between tv rights and gates / sponsorship origin generates close to 100 million a year for rugby league

I'm not disputing SOO does better figures than Internationals, but because of its success it holds up the International game. There's no room for mid season tests because we have Origin and 26 rounds of NRL.
We are then forced to have internationals at the end of the season when fans interest is low , players pull out needing off season surgery or rest and most players are rusty having had 3 or 4 weeks off while semis are played. This results in some very low quality footy played in front of small crowds, not the spectacle they would be if played mid season.

 

[taste2taste]

Australia vs New Zealand on ANZAC day. = Origin no longer the pinnacle.
During Origin:
Samoa vs Tonga. ×3
Fiji vs PNG. ×3
England vs France. ×3

End of year 8 nations.

Your welcome.

Bringing back the Anzac Test ( and actually playing on Anzac day ) would be a spectacle right up there with origin or NRL Grand final.

 

[taste2taste]

Some incredible scenes comming out of Samoa, Auckland and even Utah in the good old USA with packed streets of flags, music and dancing.

Lets hope the final is close and the stadium isn't half empty.

 

[Coastbloke]

The Nah sayers will say its a final of Aust A V Aust B, there's only 3 players in the Samoan team that were born there...most are Aussies.
It would have been great for the game over there if England won. It would have been great seeing the final in a loud packed Old Traford, we'll probably have alot of empty seats with out England playing.

There are more Kiwis in the Samoan team than Aussie’s but yeh. I agree England would have been a better result for the Final.

 

[Matua]

Australia vs New Zealand on ANZAC day. = Origin no longer the pinnacle.
During Origin:
Samoa vs Tonga. ×3
Fiji vs PNG. ×3
England vs France. ×3

End of year 8 nations.

Your welcome.

Do you work for the NRL/ARL? You've devised a schedule that screws NZ.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Chahoooo

 

[Gobsmacked]

Do you work for the NRL/ARL? You've devised a schedule that screws NZ.

Ahh didn't realise that?
Australia vs New Zealand on ANZAC day being the biggest event of the year.

 

[JamesRustle]

What's more embarrassing:

England losing to Samoa in RL?

Or

Australia losing to Italy in RU?

At least England can say they lost to a team of professionals from Australia and NZ who represent Samoa on heritage grounds.

Wallabies are basically 95% pacifica, so I'll call it a draw.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Some incredible scenes comming out of Samoa, Auckland and even Utah with packed streets of flags, music and dancing.

Lets hope the final is close and the stadium isn't half empty.

In my home town of Porirua, the Samoan population are going nuts. Apparently they were letting off fireworks at 5am and driving around with their flags flying. They are the most populous people in Porirua East where I grew up.

Congrats to them. I didn't think they could get over having the most unprofessional coaching staff and administration, but I'm guessing the players got together after game 1 and decided they had to drive the culture.

 

[Matua]

Ahh didn't realise that?
Australia vs New Zealand on ANZAC day being the biggest event of the year.

That's always a terrible game for NZ as we like time together to build.

Meanwhile you'll have us twiddling our thumbs during Origin which will see us lose players to both the PIs and Origin as they actually get games.

 

[some11]

Well, tbh, I’m gutted. Fair play to Samoa. England had opportunities. Not sour grapes at all, but surely a semi-final should be extra time, not golden point. Not crying about that, England should never have got themselves into a situation to think past 80. It’s a blow for the game here. But, tomorrow the sun will rise…

Absolutely agree, most people would. NRL changed the rules because the right of reply just makes sense.

 

[some11]

They've just turned IRL into NRL.

NRL doesn't have golden point in finals until extra time has been completed.