"American Rugby"?

[Poul]

It would make zero difference to the players - call it a tackle, a down or a shit sandwich - it still hurts like a bitch.
It only makes a difference to the potential viewers on TV or youtube or whatever, and if it gets more fans involved, that's a good outcome.
Americans can make up all new words for everything if that floats their boat - they can call it murderball re name the ref a pink twinkie for all i care.

This, I believe is the crux of the matter. I believe it WOULD make a difference to potential fans and importantly potential sponsors.

I believe it WOULD get more fans involved.

I would like to see the USARL test this hypothesis.

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

This, I believe is the crux of the matter. I believe it WOULD make a difference to potential fans and importantly potential sponsors.

I believe it WOULD get more fans involved.

I would like to see the USARL test this hypothesis.

ISSUES -
Rugby Union teams call it Rugby Football

League - the most rediculous classification of the Code of the game to Americans who never seen it before (takes like 5 minutes to explain that the version of the sport is called LEAGUE)

If you were to call it NFL RUGBY - we will get sued by the NFL

I think the most realistic solution is to continue to brand Rugby League Using the USA RUGBY LEAGUE having its own "different" rules than Rugby Union.

Also people who attend the game who never saw a game of Rugby Before (i believe this made up a majority of my crowd) Just think that League is the way Rugby is played.

so in summary - USA RUGBY LEAGUE = our version - creating other terms will confuse current fans and it seems too messy to me IMO

 

[jasonstevenswedgie]

In Canada every time you mention the words rugby league every one thinks of rugby union. Name change is in order to help the game grow.
Maybe a tagline of something like "Football for real Men"

 

[spooky]

It doesn't help matters that the kick n clappers seem hell bent on dropping the word 'Union'.

I wouldn't be averse to some sort of rebranding to help differentiate but we also have to be careful not to alienate the union players. A lot of the Wolverines still play union and they enjoy both codes. That may change once we have a longer running domestic league competition, but I don't have an issue with encouraging duel code players for now.

For the record I make a point of saying rugby league to my fellow Canadians and I make a point of explaining that it's different from the rugby the may have seen. Everyone who knows me knows that there are two codes and they know which one I watch

 

[spooky]

ISSUES -
so in summary - USA RUGBY LEAGUE = our version - creating other terms will confuse current fans and it seems too messy to me IMO

But how does that translate to the other teams over here that play it? I think we need a unified approach for North America & Carribean. If we're all calling it different things it'll be a nightmare!

 

[bender]

I like the idea.

American People are unbelievably patriotic. The use of the word American would really help the game grow, imo.

By the way, Grid Iron was originally called American Rugby. I have not been able to find the rules of the game on line, but I dare say that the first american rugby games would have been much more like rugby league than grid iron even.

 

[The Green Mushroom]

I like the idea.

American People are unbelievably patriotic. The use of the word American would really help the game grow, imo.

By the way, Grid Iron was originally called American Rugby. I have not been able to find the rules of the game on line, but I dare say that the first american rugby games would have been much more like rugby league than grid iron even.

I have read the first rules for American football. They were taken almost word for word from the then current rules of Rugby (1876ish). When they first introduced the scrimmage in 1880, the scrimmage was essentially a stand up, unbound scrum. It was uncontested in the sense that the defenders could not play the ball and there was no pushing between the packs (there being no real packs). Players on both sides were free to push their opposites to open holes for running or to get into the offense's backfield.

 

[NRL-TGG]

'USA Rugby League' sounds good to me.

For Canada some good marketing is required. Perhaps take a Super League game there.

 

[***MH***]

Needs to be called Super League in northern America. There is too much stigma with Rugby and the 15 man game to work with any title worded with Rugby.

 

[bender]

I have read the first rules for American football. They were taken almost word for word from the then current rules of Rugby (1876ish). When they first introduced the scrimmage in 1880, the scrimmage was essentially a stand up, unbound scrum. It was uncontested in the sense that the defenders could not play the ball and there was no pushing between the packs (there being no real packs). Players on both sides were free to push their opposites to open holes for running or to get into the offense's backfield.

Very interesting.

If i remember correctly, California stuck with English Rugby for a while and the midwest used American rugby and ended up winning the battle. This was around the 1880s With the 1880 line of scrimmage introduced, it surely must have been very close to rugby league, or did the forward pass get allowed right from this time. To be honest, if we could outlaw the forward pass from grid iron, the games would be essentially very very similar.

 

[billy2]

The name that seems to be getting some traction in europe is Rugby XIII or Rugby thirteens.
I tink that could work in America too.

 

[adamkungl]

I like Rugby XIII. I suspect Rugby League makes little sense to someone who hasn't grown up with the term League being used as the name of a sport. Outside of Aus NZ Eng Fra the distinction surely isnt all that relevant anyway

 

[DINGb@T]

How about 6-Tackle rugby? Or 6-Down rugby?

People will immediately get the idea that it's a form of rugby but different to the one they may be used to. Will also explain pretty much the biggest rule mechanic you have to get your head around if you're a new viewer, the idea that there's only 6 downs before you hand over the ball. Wouldn't have to explain it because just using the name of the sport would fill you in.

 

[Knownothing]

How about getting rid of the name "rugby" altogether? So much money, time, tradition, etc has been invested in it, that it is highly unlikely that RL can get any mileage at all out of it.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

How about getting rid of the name "rugby" altogether? So much money, time, tradition, etc has been invested in it, that it is highly unlikely that RL can get any mileage at all out of it.

:lol:

Nice troll there.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Just call it Rugby XIII

 

[The Green Mushroom]

Very interesting.

If i remember correctly, California stuck with English Rugby for a while and the midwest used American rugby and ended up winning the battle. This was around the 1880s With the 1880 line of scrimmage introduced, it surely must have been very close to rugby league, or did the forward pass get allowed right from this time. To be honest, if we could outlaw the forward pass from grid iron, the games would be essentially very very similar.

The forward pass wasn't legalized until 1906. One could say that the game was similar to league between 1880 and 1906, but I wouldn't. In my view, the main difference between American football and both codes of rugby isn't the forward pass its the legality of blocking and other forms of obstruction and interference.

Before the forward pass was legalized, gridiron was even more open to blocking:

• Both teams could approach the line of scrimmage at full steam in certain periods
• The defense was known to try to steal the ball (literally) as it was being snapped. At one point it was so bad that the powers that be considered giving a point to the offense after any form of defensive offside on the line of scrimmage
• Their was no neutral zone.
• The flying wedge was a key tactical element. (Think a pushing scrum just driving down field free to run over whoever gets in their way.
• Off course the defense could make their own fling wedges against undefended ball carriers.

 

[Big Picture]

In Canada every time you mention the words rugby league every one thinks of rugby union. Name change is in order to help the game grow.
Maybe a tagline of something like "Football for real Men"

Call it International Football then, meaning "the international ball-control game with defined periods of offense and defense where the objective is to keep possession and march down the field to score touchdowns." Picture American football with no-huddle offenses, two-way players and no blocking or forward passing and you essentially have RL.

 

[Poul]

ISSUES -
Rugby Union teams call it Rugby Football

League - the most rediculous classification of the Code of the game to Americans who never seen it before (takes like 5 minutes to explain that the version of the sport is called LEAGUE)

If you were to call it NFL RUGBY - we will get sued by the NFL

I think the most realistic solution is to continue to brand Rugby League Using the USA RUGBY LEAGUE having its own "different" rules than Rugby Union.

Also people who attend the game who never saw a game of Rugby Before (i believe this made up a majority of my crowd) Just think that League is the way Rugby is played.

so in summary - USA RUGBY LEAGUE = our version - creating other terms will confuse current fans and it seems too messy to me IMO

I think Rugby League needs to be more differentiated from union , especially for uninitiated or potential fans or sponsors.

I don't think that the term USA Rugby League will do this, as it will be interpreted as a League (i.e., collection of teams) of USA Rugby (i.e., union :evil: ).

If Rugby League were to be renamed American Rugby in the American market, I believe that this would immediately differentiate it from union as a distinctly different game, and not just a variant of the same game. By giving it the descriptor "American", it gives the American audience part "ownership" of the game.( In much the same way as Rugby XIII or Rugby a treize, gives the French part "ownership" of the game)

IMO words ARE VERY IMPORTANT and POWERFUL.(Marketing companies base their existence on them)

I would like to see this issue brought to the attention of the USARL board to be opened up for discussion.(I guess too late for this year )

Lawrence, I would like to see you do some exit polling of your game day fans, to get their opinions on matters such as this. I believe that people such as yourself have the opportunity to make our great game even greater in the USA. One day history books may write you up as one of the pioneers who popularised Rugby League in the USA, by renaming it ........
AMERICAN RUGBY.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Rugby XIII

13 stands out around the world for various reasons, be it bad luck, evil or what ever, that's fact. Calling it Rugby XIII will stand out and there's so many ways to promote it.

Just look at this T Shirt and tell me you don't like it.

Yes, it says XIII, no maul no ruck, just RUGBY!