How to develop nines internationally

[CC_Roosters]

The Auckland nines has been a success but it doesn't really acheive much outside of club land and a boost for the code in NZ.

How can the powers that be get a feasible nines going internationally. Perhaps a few tournaments running in the off season? An annual circuit is not feasible in the short term imo. Maybe a good starting point would be a seperate northern and southern hemisphere qualifying tournament and then the qualifiers from there play for a world title (say 8 teams).

In my mind it gives other NRL and esl players not involved in internationals more opportunities and provides developing countries the exposure to Aussie, kiwi and English teams they need to get better over time.

Say
Norhern
Eng, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, usa, Serbia, Russia and Jamaica, Canada.
Southern
Aus, nz, Fiji, png, Samoa, Tonga, cook islands, south africa

Top 4 from each progres to the world tournament which could rotate hemispherea annually. Alternatively somewhere like the emirates or Qatar who are event hungry.

Thoughts?

 

[blukablu]

No.

 

[expansionist]

yes

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

For me the start would be to make this tournament international instead of a domestic comp.

 

[expansionist]

seriously - i think it should be the standard pre season. The RLWC proved that international games are the way to get new areas interested, and international RL 7's (and 9's) have been proven methods of bringing in new nations to the RL fold.

 

[Titanic]

I have to disagree that these 9's only benefit NZ ... I haven't seen such off or pre-season activity since some moron started Stupid League and I'm in China. The concept and the promotion were great for a start-up and will certainly be bigger and better next year.

Sure, expanding the concept is a noble cause but don't spoil this effort, find another avenue. This is the NRL 9's and that's great. A Northern Hemisphere version and a South Pacific version and even a World version may well be excellent too but not at the expense of this competition because the fans and the other stakeholders should be allowed to enjoy what is obviously a success.

As a slight aside, I would suggest that the All Stars game could be played the weekend leading up to the NRL Grand Final like superbowl rather than pre-season.

 

[Kurt Angle]

The next step is commonwealth games.

It has the potential to boost the game immensely.

It can drag up

Canada and Jamaica from North America for example.

The non-English UK sides will have to be REAL Scots and Welsh.

 

[CC_Roosters]

I have to disagree that these 9's only benefit NZ ... I haven't seen such off or pre-season activity since some moron started Stupid League and I'm in China. The concept and the promotion were great for a start-up and will certainly be bigger and better next year.

Sure, expanding the concept is a noble cause but don't spoil this effort, find another avenue. This is the NRL 9's and that's great. A Northern Hemisphere version and a South Pacific version and even a World version may well be excellent too but not at the expense of this competition because the fans and the other stakeholders should be allowed to enjoy what is obviously a success.

As a slight aside, I would suggest that the All Stars game could be played the weekend leading up to the NRL Grand Final like superbowl rather than pre-season.

My idea is to keep club and international nines totally seperate. I also think an ESL nines would be perfect instead of the magic weekend as others have mentioned on the esl forum.

I will re phrasey first paragraph it has been a boost for the NRL in Australia and nz

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

We need a 4-year cycle with a World Cup at the end.

1-3: NRL and ESL run Club competitions.
4: World Cup.

Somewhere in that cycle would be the Commonwealth Games.

How would this help smaller nations?

Well, perhaps we go to stand alone weekends for Origin, play a NZ Origin and a Pacific 9s tournament?

***

I'd also consider Hoffman's idea of an IPL-style competition where it's not NRL Clubs but brand new franchises so we can mix-and-match players from across the NRL, maybe even grab a few Englishmen and bring them down for a month? Send a few of ours up there for a month?

Sydney, Western Sydney, South Qld, North Qld, Central Coast, Victoria, Perth, Auckland, Wellington plus one more?

Play it cross three or four weekends every year...

Not sure if it could work but I think it's worth considering, at least...

 

[Knownothing]

The Auckland nines has been a success but it doesn't really acheive much outside of club land and a boost for the code in NZ.

This event has been very successful. However, the success of an event like the Auckland Nines cannot be judged on one weekend. There is a huge novelty value, and that has been fully exploited. If this event is still drawing big crowds in five years time, it can be judged as a success. That will depend on how well the Warriors do. If they get into the finals every year it will do okay. If they don't, it will struggle. Local crowds need teams that they can identify with.

A competition that included national teams would probably be more successful, IMHO.

 

[roughyedspud]

i can absolutely see a "big bash style" 9s series evolving out of this....we'll defo see a brisbane 9s,sydney 9s (for example) as well as the auckland 9s...held over 6 weeks from mid jan to end of feb....maybe one of them could be a RLIF 9s?


likewise during the british summer we could organise a championship 9s, ESL 9s and a RLEF 9S

That'll give us six 9s tournaments featuring clubs & international teams....and a platform to lobby the commonwealths & olympics etc...

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Are you guys getting coverage of the Auckland Nine's spud?

 

[roughyedspud]

yep its on premier sports...ive got it on record cos im working at the moment....really pissed off theres no radio coverage though..would have listened live.

 

[roughyedspud]

right so im home on my laptop...


right so a plan to develop 9'sand get it recognised properly by the likes of the olympics & commonwealths.

three 9's events down under & three in the northern hemisphere..

southern hemisphere.

australia day 9's 16 clubs
auckland 9's 16 clubs
RLIF 9's 16 national teams (8 from pacific + 8 from RLEF*)

northern hemisphere

championship 9's number tba
magic 9's 16 club
RLEF 9s 16 national teams,that come under the RLEF* banner..plus the likes of *usa,jamaica,south africa etc


sounds a winner to me

 

[slickrabbit]

There already is an Intl nines, run by NSWRL, with a host of developing nations attending in early Feb at Cabramatta. NRL could just pick this up and move it to combine with the Auckland main event.

 

[roughyedspud]

a international 9s needs to be a RLIF thing

 

[deal.with.it]

The developing nations were emailed last year about having an emerging nations 9s running in the lead up to the NRL 9s, with the final being held before the final of the NRL 9s.
Not enough nations had the funds. Particularly with the Cabra 9s consistently held every year. Easier to plan for than a brand new unknown event.
...
I like Spud's idea.
I don't like people getting carried away and wanting a 9s circuit. And a 9s world cup.
There's nothing wrong with having a few well run events, like spud has described, that don't try and be bigger than the 13s game.
Did anyone watch the Rugby 7s World Cup? Dreadful.
It's also a waste of funds.

Can we just stick with a clear and concise calendar over a 4 year cycle?

The cabra 9s can stay as a NSW Cup, Ron Massey Cup 9s tourney as a prelude to the NSW Cup season. That's fine.

But, the RLIF should use world cup funds to source sponsorship needed to put on a RLIF 9s (i.e. hire a full time sponsorship executive that works within the full time event committee!!!).

-----

Then, you can have your domestic 9s, and it's up to the domestic body to decide if they want to invite a few other teams. The USARL 9s invites a few international teams. Most European domestic 9s invite the likes of a touring barla team or armed forces.

The NRL 9s shouldn't morph into an international 9s. It is the NRL's event!! If they decide they want to invite the winner of Super League and Challenge Cup, that's up to them!

 

[roughyedspud]

a RLIF 9s could be sold as the 9s world cup


plus it would be a valuable revenue stream for the RLIF & RLEF....it would stick a few million in the bank EVERY year instead of every 4 years...


just read the auckland 9s generated $10m in revenue....imagine if the RLIF had that amount to play with every year!!

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

If the NRL and ESL 9s gain traction then a World Cup is a no brainer.

Chuck it in the middle of the 13s WC and it gives more incentive to players to stick with smaller nations.

There are a thousand different ideas running around atm but, to be honest, the best is probably the simplest: NRL and ESL 9s for 3 years then a WC.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[roughyedspud]

a 9s world cup every year would give players even more incentive...

the "pinnicle" of 9s has to be,one day,the commonwealths & olympics....thats the only way to grab their attention...

we can get away with have annual 9s world & european cups....backed up with 3 or 4 club 9s comps thats how you demonstrate to the likes of the IOC & CGF that this variant of RL has the depth and the interest to be included in the olympics & commonwealths..

the IRB recognised this when setting up their 7s series