ANZAC Test axed?

[Evil Homer]

Wow. With your overreaction you'd think the NRL just set fire to your house, f**ked your wife and kicked you in the nuts.

Does this really affect your life one iota?

As for New Zealand winning the last match, yeah that's true (not like I ever denied it, I told you the stats). But they also lost the 13 before it. Like I said, even the NZRL were looking at scrapping it after the Centenary test as they admitted they're at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the mid-season test.

So it's finally happened. It's going to happen. I guess you have a choice really. Accept it or suffer an early heart attack. Maybe you can write a strongly worded letter to the NRL which they'll put straight in the shredder. I'm just saying, the amount of anger you seem to have over this is both illogical and unhealthy.

As for the Bledisloe comparison, I already know about the TV ratings and stats, I've talked about them long before this decision.

As for crowds, you can't tell me they can't improve. They will when the perspective changes. It would please the NRL if the Trans Tasman matches became as big as Origin, if not bigger. So really, I think you're just jumping the gun here.

Edit: I'll just add, like I said before, if their post-season plans are shit or don't come to fruition, then I'll probably be as annoyed. But I'm giving them the time to implement them first.

It doesn't affect my life at all, this is an international rugby league forum and the fact is that the ARL have once again done something that is completely insular, stupid, illogical and counter-productive as far as international RL is concerned. If you're not expecting discussion of that on an international RL forum then I don't know what to tell you.

Excuse-making is just that. The fact that NZ considered scrapping the match 7 years ago is utterly irrelevant. Origin is ridiculously uncompetitive and nobody talks about scrapping that. There is no logical basis for the ARL to scrap the ANZAC match apart from the fact that Australia lost this year and they don't want to cop a hiding in future years. I can literally think of no other reason given the success of this year's event.

 

[hutch]

Scrapping the mid season test is wrong in my opinion, but thinking it has anything to do with New Zealand winning a few tests of late is one of the most idiotic things I've heard. NZ have been f*cked over it, I don't know what they're going to be able to do now.

 

[RoosTah]

Australia already play NZ at the end of the season, apart from this year when they aren't bothering to play at all. Australia will be wrapped up in post-season tournaments for the foreseeable future (unless they decide to back out again which wouldn't be a surprise TBH). There is a perfectly good opportunity to play an international match in this mid-season rep weekend and it's being scrapped for the sake of f**king Origin. Once again, complaining about NZ not winning enough matches is just a pathetic, feeble as f**k and typical Aussie excuse. NZ won the last match and it outrated the Bledisloe.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ns-bledisloe-cup/story-fni3fh9n-1227328098391

Look at this. Yet you're scrapping the match. f**king morons.

Still couldn't fill a stadium though mate, and frankly with Bledisloe having been on a massive ratings slide for years it's not that impressive.

Don't know what you're so upset about... most people have felt for ages that a one off mid year test just didn't make sense. Tests should come after Origin, and hopefully we'll see them come out with a good plan to build the international season into something great.

 

[docbrown]

Scrapping the mid season test is wrong in my opinion, but thinking it has anything to do with New Zealand winning a few tests of late is one of the most idiotic things I've heard.

At least you're a bit more logical about it.

 

[donny donny]

The problem with this decision is that even if we get nz v png, sam v ton and fij v coo on the same weekend, in Australia those matches will be treated as warm ups to the soo game.

Soo is an insular irrelevant match and should not be regarded as something on par with or better than international rugby league, because it isnt. International rugby league can take this sport forward, soo is just holding it back.

 

[paulmac]

The trouble with the Anzac test over the years was that it was always played on a Friday limiting the kiwis to 2 maybe 3 training sessions before the game.Hardly enough time to get some combinations going.Last year the match gets played on a Sunday and look what happens.If I was scheduling next years match I would play it 6.30 Sunday night in Brisbane before the May Day holiday.Would get massive ratings and still get a decent crowd.ch 9 could show the women's test match live at 4pm break for their news and come back at 6.30 for the main event.

 

[docbrown]

The problem with this decision is that even if we get nz v png, sam v ton and fij v coo on the same weekend, in Australia those matches will be treated as warm ups to the soo game.

Soo is an insular irrelevant match and should not be regarded as something on par with or better than international rugby league, because it isnt. International rugby league can take this sport forward, soo is just holding it back.

I agree with Origin overshadowing matches.

The NRL don't want a Sunday Origin match with no material on TV in the days leading up to it. Ultimately with 18+ teams we're likely to see the full move to Sunday Night Origin matches with 3-4 games of 1 split round on those weekends. The domestic season would therefore be reduced in length again and all internationals played in an extended post-season. It will be done in incremental stages.

 

[roughyedspud]

I see brad walters is lifting my ideas for his articles again...

 

[Wilson1]

Australia already play NZ at the end of the season, apart from this year when they aren't bothering to play at all. Australia will be wrapped up in post-season tournaments for the foreseeable future (unless they decide to back out again which wouldn't be a surprise TBH). There is a perfectly good opportunity to play an international match in this mid-season rep weekend and it's being scrapped for the sake of f**king Origin. Once again, complaining about NZ not winning enough matches is just a pathetic, feeble as f**k and typical Aussie excuse. NZ won the last match and it outrated the Bledisloe.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ns-bledisloe-cup/story-fni3fh9n-1227328098391

Look at this. Yet you're scrapping the match. f**king morons.

No. The last stand alone end of season test between NZ and Australia was 2012. You are the only one who is going on about the game being scrapped. Most indications suggest it will just be moved to the end of the season and be played in addition to the 4 nations.

 

[Evil Homer]

No. The last stand alone end of season test between NZ and Australia was 2012. You are the only one who is going on about the game being scrapped. Most indications suggest it will just be moved to the end of the season and be played in addition to the 4 nations.

Yeah, because they've been playing in the Four Nations or World Cup for the past two years. So what, in the future we're going to get a 'standalone' Aus vs NZ match and then a 5/6 week tournament involving Aus vs NZ matches straight afterwards? What is the point, where's the logic in that? I can tell you right now that the 'standalone' Aus vs NZ fixture isn't going to happen, or is going to be treated as a warm-up match. And rightly so because it's a f**king ridiculous time to schedule the fixture.

European soccer leagues (all of which absolutely dwarf the NRL in terms of publicity, attendances, finances and pretty much every aspect) have a co-ordinated break for internationals three times during their season, in addition to the end-of-season internationals. Do you know why? Because if they tried to cram all the international fixtures into a short window at the end of the season it would be an absolute clusterf**k. Now granted, the soccer season is longer than RL, but the fact that we can't have at least one mid-season international break is absurd. And what's even more absurd is that we do have one, but the Aussies have simply decided not to play an international in favor of playing some domestic trial game in that window instead.

 

[hutch]

While you do make good points EH, how many mid season tests have the English played recently? How many are planned for the future?

 

[Evil Homer]

While you do make good points EH, how many mid season tests have the English played recently? How many are planned for the future?

I couldn't care less about what the English do. But England's only real mid-season option is a one-sided Groundhog Day-like match against a weakened France team that does nothing for either country and really only serves to reduce interest in international RL. The ANZAC test on the other hand was a competitive fixture between two evenly-matched teams with relatively good crowds that outrated its RU equivalent.

 

[siv]

Moving Australia test matches to after SOO is common sense

Simple solution is NZ play England annually

Weekend could look like

Thu France v Lebanon
Fri NZ v England
Sat 3pm Cook Is v Niue
Sat 5:30pm PNG v Fiji
Sat 7:30pm Samoa v Tonga
Sun 4:00pm City v Country
Sun 6:00pm NSW v QLD U20s
Sun 8:00pm SOO

 

[Foreign Legion]

Id rather see france v south africa

 

[docbrown]

I see brad walters is lifting my ideas for his articles again...

These came out of the NRL submission 2 years ago. Most were posted on this site.

 

[emesssea]

Yeah, because they've been playing in the Four Nations or World Cup for the past two years. So what, in the future we're going to get a 'standalone' Aus vs NZ match and then a 5/6 week tournament involving Aus vs NZ matches straight afterwards? What is the point, where's the logic in that? I can tell you right now that the 'standalone' Aus vs NZ fixture isn't going to happen, or is going to be treated as a warm-up match. And rightly so because it's a f**king ridiculous time to schedule the fixture.

European soccer leagues (all of which absolutely dwarf the NRL in terms of publicity, attendances, finances and pretty much every aspect) have a co-ordinated break for internationals three times during their season, in addition to the end-of-season internationals. Do you know why? Because if they tried to cram all the international fixtures into a short window at the end of the season it would be an absolute clusterf**k. Now granted, the soccer season is longer than RL, but the fact that we can't have at least one mid-season international break is absurd. And what's even more absurd is that we do have one, but the Aussies have simply decided not to play an international in favor of playing some domestic trial game in that window instead.

The big difference is European countries need to play those games, as they serve as qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championship. Very rarely do any of the UEFA members have an international break devoted solely to friendlies (not including pre-tournament warm up matches), and when they do it usually countries that arent involved in playoffs, thus they have a free week.

If there is going to be a comparison to soccer make it like for like, and this would be equivalent of england pulling out of the annual home championships, then to later pull out of the annual scotland fixture.

 

[Evil Homer]

The big difference is European countries need to play those games, as they serve as qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championship. Very rarely do any of the UEFA members have an international break devoted solely to friendlies (not including pre-tournament warm up matches), and when they do it usually countries that arent involved in playoffs, thus they have a free week.

If there is going to be a comparison to soccer make it like for like, and this would be equivalent of england pulling out of the annual home championships, then to later pull out of the annual scotland fixture.

Nah. France qualified automatically for Euro 2016 as hosts, they haven't had a competitive match since the 2014 World Cup and in that time they've played 10 international friendlies with a further 5 lined up this year. It's not done on an ad-hoc basis like in RL. The international breaks are standardized, and if nations aren't involved in tournament qualifying then they always play friendlies. That's just the way it is. You would never, ever find a soccer nation ducking out of playing international matches, it wouldn't even be considered. They play them because international matches are good. They make money, boost exposure and are the pinnacle of the sport. Something everyone in RL seems to realize apart from Australia.

 

[deluded pom?]

These came out of the NRL submission 2 years ago. Most were posted on this site.

By 'spud.

 

[roughyedspud]

These came out of the NRL submission 2 years ago. Most were posted on this site.

Nz playing england mid season instead of the anzac test was posted 2 years ago??

Think you'll find i chucked it up for discussion half a hour after it was released australia jacked it in

He wrote something last oct/nov which was verbatim what i said on here

 

[emesssea]

Nah. France qualified automatically for Euro 2016 as hosts, they haven't had a competitive match since the 2014 World Cup and in that time they've played 10 international friendlies with a further 5 lined up this year. It's not done on an ad-hoc basis like in RL. The international breaks are standardized, and if nations aren't involved in tournament qualifying then they always play friendlies. That's just the way it is. You would never, ever find a soccer nation ducking out of playing international matches, it wouldn't even be considered. They play them because international matches are good. They make money, boost exposure and are the pinnacle of the sport. Something everyone in RL seems to realize apart from Australia.

Again, they are standardized because they serve as qualifiers for the WC and European Championship. And congrats you found one european team that has dedicated friendlies, the host of the tournament.

And yes you will find a soccer nation ducking out of international matches, I used them as an example: England leaving the home championship matches, and I wouldnt say international matches are the pinnacle of soccer, the world cup yes, but not them as a whole.

And again, Australia isnt ducking anything, they are just changing the date.