A good news read

[G@v]

At last! Someone speaks up for our sport in a national daily! The following is a piece by Peter Wilson that apparently appeared in today's Daily Star. Well done to him for writing it, the paper for printing it and I think itis worth reproducing so you can all have a read too.
The lions may have failed down under but union’s well oiled propaganda machine is in full working order. According to Peter Wheeler, Leicester chief executive, the 13 man code is set to fold and Super League clubs are queuing up to join union.
It’s all rubbish and just another union bid to upset their poor cousins as they have tried to do for more than 100 years.
Wheeler and co should get one thing straight, the 50,000 fans who follow Bradford, Leeds, Wigan, Saints and the rest don’t want to watch rugby union.
They are League fans who are not interested in a 15 a side game no matter how many Jason Robinsons are lured away by the mythical riches of a club like Sale, who struggle to pull in more than a couple of thousand spectators every week.
League has always been a community based northern sport. There are enough people inside the game who have tried and failed to destroy it without Mr Wheeler-Dealer planting ideas of a mass transfer of allegiance.
Could it be that he has looked at a map and noticed that the north of England is a union desert?
Professionally his game is no more a national sport than rugby league. They have an outpost at Newcastle Falcons while League has its London Broncos.
The people of Leeds will make their choice when the Tykes join the Zurich premiership next month. The same ground as the Rhinos, same city name, same level of competition.
The only difference will be about 12,000 spectators.

 

[imported_EskimoRichy]

Yes, atlast, someone have actually stuck up for Rugby League for once! I just wish I could do an article i9n a national newspaper, I would makesure that Rugby League gets postitive back page headlines! The only thing I can keep doing is promoting Rugby League on my website as often as I can! For the last couple of months I have been making a fool out of myself asking adults what their favourite sports are then telling them how good Rugby League is and how crapp Rugby Union is and lukely, they all agree with me! I have managed to so far, get atleast 10 people who hated Rugby League altogether, well not hated it but wasn't keen on it and didn't take much of an interest into loving the sport and often talking about it, I am trying to get as many people as possible to know just how good Rugby League really is! You lot should do the same! If ya hear anyone slagging our sport off, then put em straight, straight away!

cheers, rj!

 

[Willow]

It's good to see some fair minded press Gav.

On the subject of the Lions. It received huge publicity but quickly became yesterday's news despite the so called historical achievement.
Like most Australians, I thought it was good to see the National side win but to be honest, I soon forgot about it all.

The main talking point after the match was about the poor sportmanship of the Lions some of whom wouldn't swap jumpers and in particular the stupid pre-match comments made by Austin Healey who only served to riled hs opponents. You may have heard that he went on and on in the press about how crappy Australian people were and pulled out all those old cliches about being a backwater and so on...
I think he had a few people in the British touring party cringing.
While everyone was having a laugh, I have to admit that I was interested to see what the Aussie players would do to him on the pitch.
However, the idiot couldn't even back up his talk on the football field because just before the match hepulled out injured, forcing him team mates to cop it all without him.

Did any of this get press in the UK?

 

[G@v]

Willow, the Austin Healey case made big news over here (I still think he faces a possible firing squad at RFU headquarters), although being anything to do with the Lions, I tended to ignore it. There's an article here from last weeks Guardian, which one mightview as an excuse for his comments.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/rugbyunion/theobserver/story/0,10541,525764,00.html

 

[G@v]

Fallout from the Lions defeat which appeared last week from England coach Clive Woodward, a major critic of the Lions management.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/rugbyunion/story/0,10069,523082,00.html

 

[G@v]

Doomsday scenario is pure fantasy
By John Whalley. IT IS January 2004 and chaos rules. Rupert Murdoch's interest in rugby league is over after the plug is pulled at the end of the multi-million pound five-year television contract. Rugby league is, effectively, finished. The haste to join rugby union is indecent. Wigan, Leeds, St Helens and Bradford lead the exodus from the sinking ship. Salford are desperately trying to merge with Sale while Warrington and Widnes are joining forces in an attempt to follow suit. It is the same with Castleford and Wakefield, while Huddersfield merge with Halifax. Most are destined for disappointment. There is not enough room in union's top flight to accommodate all the sides as headlines abound about the prospect of too many games and too big a cut in the share of television money. That ludicrous view of the future is a rough conclusion of the various rumours and reports knocking around since rugby union went professional six years ago. The latest comes after comments attributed to Peter Wheeler, the Leicester chief executive, in a Sydney newspaper, claiming that some clubs are considering a switch to rugby union. Add to that a whole list of players who apparently cannot wait to move for vast sums, and let us not forget that league clubs have largely squandered £87 million worth of television money on players. Then there was last year's World Cup, which lost about £500,000 and proved a public relations disaster. It does not give an impression of stability. It looks like a sport ripe for a takeover. Whether Wheeler has been quoted accurately or not is irrelevant in that many people believe - perhaps plausibly - that clubs will have to switch. But the odds are stacked against that happening. Leeds and St Helens both have strong links with rugby union, with the former's sister side in the Zurich Premiership next season. But, even with the likes of Bath, Leicester and Northampton as opposition, they will struggle to get within a third of the league club's average attendance of 13,500. Any of the 12 Super League clubs would be hard-pressed to match their current gates after switching to union. The public have the choice at present. There are enough union clubs in the vicinity of league clubs and some league fans watch union. Many more do not. The thought, therefore, of what the league clubs' income would be if they were to opt for anything outside union's top division would be too horrendous even for the most obtuse of league administrators to contemplate. But you never know what is going to happen next. On the evidence of the last few years, yesterday's nonsense is tomorrow's policy. We live in strange times. Hands up those who could have envisaged Jason Robinson, less than two years after playing in Great Britain's humiliating 26-4 defeat by New Zealand in Auckland, being the outstanding success for the British Lions. It is true that the games have never been closer in terms of rules but they remain so vastly different that, unless union reduces its number of players from 15 to 13, they will either stay apart or only one will survive. Try telling the 60,000 or so who watch league each week that their code is the one which will become extinct. As the Supporters' Association puts it: "You can take your club out of rugby league, but you can't take rugby league out of your community." It is a certainty that any club announcing a switch to union will find themselves deserted by their fans. Any suggestion of mergers between league clubs, before the Super League started in 1996, provoked enough public outrage - a switch of codes will pale in comparison. Rugby league supporters are renowned for their complaints about the state of the game, but when its survival is threatened they can be downright belligerent.

 

[Willow]

I guess the RU machine is running on the idea that if you peddle enough bullshit, sooner or later a few will begin to go along with it.

 

[legend]

Well, I would have to say that is one of the best articles about RL that I have ever seen and makes me think that Henry Paul is a bloody idiot for switching.

As RL is played primarily whilst soccer is on hiatus will the sport grow on people as a summer competition and what is the chance of the game expanding throughout the U.K. It is of foremost importance the game in the U.K gain rightful recognition as a professional sport played at the highest level.

 

[imported_kier]

Time for Leaguies to stick by their code of conduct
Andy Wilson
Thursday July 19, 2001
The Guardian
What's the difference between betraying 106 years of class struggle, and acceptable and necessary financial pragmatism? In the case of rugby league, and specifically the top four Super League clubs who according to the Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler are interested in switching to rugby union, probably about two years. The current television deal for the Super League with BSkyB expires at the end of the 2003 season. The clubs' annual handout is already down to around £600,000 from its initial £1m, and seems likely to fall again. So Leeds, whose chief executive Gary Hetherington spoke yesterday of a positive future for both codes, would be receiving far more TV money for their rugby union operation, assuming the Tykes can survive in the Premiership, than for the Super League Rhinos. With Paul Caddick, the chairman of Leeds Rugby Ltd and owner of the Headingley complex, a diehard union man, it is not hard to see where the club's priorities would then lie. These are "the basic economics driving professional sport" to which Wheeler referred in his Sydney speech last week. The players employed by Leeds Rugby Ltd would also see a contrast between union, with its national profile, European Cup and big-event internationals, and league, with its trips to Castleford, Warrington and Halifax. Iestyn Harris, the current Rhinos captain and, for all his Welsh heritage, a league lad from Oldham, has already opted for the former, his mind apparently made up by the sight of a near-empty Stradey Park when Wales played Lebanon in last year's ill-fated league World Cup. There would be nothing to stop bright young talents such as Kevin Sinfield and Chev Walker following suit without even moving house. So far, so logical. Wigan could formalise their informal discussions with Leicester, St Helens could snuggle up to Sale, and bingo, in the winter of 2003-4 you would have a national rugby competition which even the league-loving Bradford Bulls supporters could not resist. But that's where the logic falls down. It's not just the fact that rugby league supporters had to spend a century being sneered at by union, the rugby code of Vichy France and apartheid South Africa, (so maybe not, as it is described on the Sydney Morning Herald website, the game they play in heaven) for being open about professionalism rather than sharing the high moral ground of boot money and shamateurism. It's the fact that rugby league is a different game. Not quite as different as it used to be, because union is evolving slowly towards league - it has had to now that there are wages to pay, and therefore punters to entertain. But those few Leeds league supporters who have popped down to Headingley for a look at the rah-rahs in the last couple of winters have largely been unimpressed, not to say bored rigid. That sums up the scale of the task facing Hetherington and Wigan's Maurice Lindsay if they really want to take their clubs to the other code - which they, of course, deny. Wheeler also spoke of how similar the games have become, pointing out that the defensive formation for rucks in the Lions series was the same as league's flat line at a play-the-ball - unsurprising as each team's defence was organised by a leaguie. But now that union players can tackle, there are just too many of them on the field; and surely there has to be some limit on the number of times a team can recycle the ball. Get rid of the flankers, limit each attack to, say, six rucks and scrap the lineouts, which might as well be marked for artistic impression these days with all that dancing and lifting - and then there might be a hybrid code which Wigan, Leeds, Bradford and St Helens could join without standing accused of betrayal. Unfortunately, as Wheeler said, the economics will decide, at least at the top level, and that's where union has it over league. All very depressing. Bring on Leigh v Widnes this Sunday in the semi-finals of the Northern Ford Premiership. In a couple of years, it could be all league has left - and it's still worth fighting for.
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Another great article - maybe the change in attitudes in the media that have been forcast are beginning? It will be years before the playing field is even close to being level, but it's good to see that RL writers are at last able to get some of the much needed vitriol past their sub-editors. Oh yes..........hello everyone - what a great forum!

 

[Willow]

Welcome kier. Great to have you aboard.

 

[G@v]

Yes, welcome aboard kier, great to have you here!

I noticed that Bulls coach Brian Noble stated yesterday that he was tired of hearing about Union.

 

[legend]

The question I have is how come all of a sudden league is starting to receive positive press from the U.K? I am all for it and think it's great but we could have used this type of press all along to help our game grow in the U.K as this type fo journalism can be thougth provoking and may influence a lot of the impressionable types.

 

[G@v]

Legend, I don't know if it's what I'd call positive press or the fact that one or two League friendly journalists could see through the obvious inaccuracies in Wheelers comments, and were allowed to report this by their editors. Maybe there has been a slight sea change in attitude, only time will tell.

As to your earlier question about the growth of League. I think that since the move to summer, there has been a growth in Rugby League across many regions of the UK where the game was previously virtually uknown. The RLC (summer conference) is a shining example to all who doubt League's ability to spread beyond the M62 corridor, with 30 teams in places like Oxford, Ipswich, Sunderland and Birmingham spreading the Rugby League message.

http://summerconference.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=1433

 

[legend]

That is great to see. My next question is does the Union season run parralel to the league season or is Union played in autumn/winter?

Kier or Gav, why will sky cut it's funding to the ESL clubs if the game is growing at a good rate when there is a real chance the game is about to take off? Also, what channel has the tv rights for the union competition? I am just trying to ascertain the exact situation in the U.K as the role of the ESL is just as important as the role of the NRL in nurturing and fostering development of the game.

 

[G@v]

Sky also have the rights to Union's club competition, the Zurich Premiership, which runs parrallel to the football season here in England, and they had the rights to the Lions tour of Australia. They also show other internationals like the tri-nations and the Super 12 comp. The BBC have right's for the Heineken Cup, which is a European RU club competition, as well as the six nations internationals.

 

[imported_kier]

SKY funding is a tricky one.........

RL is never going to get the origional sums paid in 1995 for the foreseeable future.....(£87million for 5 years).

The problem in the UK is that it is not a pure meritocracy - viewing figures for RL have always been high.......and continue to be so. Companies however will nearly always employ some form of audience discrimination when focusing their sponsership.

What this means is that a financial company (for example) will be happy to sponsor a sport/team/broadcast if they are confident of attracting the 1-2% of the very highest earners.

Sports such as golf, polo, sailing, tennis.....etc do very well as a result of the skewed support that these games get in the "top" parts of UK society.

International RU also falls into this catagory - hence the marketable nature of RU at the moment.

Unfortunatly for RL it is perceived as a "mass appeal" sport but with little support in the "ABC1" bracket that advertisers love.

The only way that this will be changed is with time.........eventually the student RL in the UK will turn out countless - teachers, accountants, lawyers, architects.......etc........so many that people will not find it odd to discover that these "types" play RL (as is the case now).

When advertisers realise that RL carries this kind of support then attitudes will change.

As for SKY money - in the short term it could be of benefit to the RFL if the money offered for the ESL drops.

The BBC (or other terrestrial companies) will be able to afford to enter bids...........I reckon that less money but regular nationwide coverage could bea reasonable trade-off.

 

[imported_kier]

After writing the earlier post I became curious and decided to do a bit of research.........

I've sent out emails to try and find out what careers the ex University of York RL players are now involved in..............I think it could be a useful set of data to present to potential sponsors (or even just to use in arguments against those who want to denigrate RL )

btw (including me) I have 6 replies already

2 teachers
1 solicitor
1 chartered accountant
2 unversity lecturers (one at Norwich uni, one at York St John College)

 

[imported_EskimoRichy]

That Andy Wilson talks absolute SHITE! There is no way any League clubs would switch codes, they may field a Union team but would never switch codes, they wouldn't get much money from gate reciepts and the stadium would probably get vandalised especially if it happened to Hull. In 10 years time, there won't be only the NFP left, I think there will be more ESL clubs, I am sick and tired of all this crap comong out. Rugby League's gone through worse tumes than this before even without money and Union is no threat at all. On the field, League rules and always will do, Rugby League still have better stadiums eg: McAlpine, JJB, Headingley, The Valley, Boulevard, Don Valley, Spotland - even NFP clubs have better stadiums than some of the Premiership clubs. The only thing Union has over League is that it's played in more countries, it gets better media and worldwide TV COVERAGE AND IT'S INTERNATIONAL GAME, EVERYTHING ELSE lEAGUE RULES AT AND ALWAYS WILL DO, anyway, it's not what happens off the field, it's on the field that matters. I think it would be great to have Australia RL v Australia RU or an all stars game to settle all this arguing, we need to somehow settle this matter and after RL have won, then everyone will soon realise which code rules, don't get me wrong, I like Union, I like any sport but anyone who dubs my game, has had it.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

Just a question gav, kier or anyone else who is in the know, what would be the rough comparisions between attendances at the Zurich Premiership and the ESL?? I would be quite interested to know, and even the viewer numbers if you have them please
MFC.

 

[G@v]

MFC, the crowds for SL are higher than those for the ZP comp. Last season, Bradford were the biggest crowd pullers with 14,520, with Leicester RU in second place with 12,691.

The average SL crowd last season (2000) was 7,415, whilst the average for the ZP (1999-2000) was 5,702.
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<u>Average crowds for SL 2000 and ZP 1999-2000</u>

Bradford - RL - 14520
Leicester - RU - 12691
Leeds - RL - 12673
Wigan - RL - 10533
St Helens - RL - 8828
Castleford - RL - 7980
Northampton - RU - 7282
Saracens - RU - 7251
Bath - RU - 6973
Warrington - RL - 6872
Gloucester - RU - 6820
Hull - RL - 5943
Halifax - RL - 5741
Bristol - RU - 4958
Wasps - RU - 4918
Wakefield - RL - 4615
Salford - RL - 4448
London Irish - RU - 4373
Harlequins - RU - 4314
Huddersfield - RL - 3438
London - RL - 3419
Newcastle - RU - 3367
Sale - RU - 2763
Bedford - RU - 2718