I question whether RL is being allowed to do well in South Africa? The government will not recognise RL as a sport and wont fund RL for that reason. Has something changed?
Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
What did he do for RL when he was minister for sport? In fact I don't even remember him apart from when he was mooted as Labour leader.
I was talking about where we could take NRL matches.. Serbia as the country which was doing well. We could also take matches to India, China, other parts of Asia and of course South Africa.. Even just holding trials there.. As you mentioned it might struggle to gain any footholds in those countries because of RU and that has always proven a stumbling block.
Do you think a pro rugby union Sports Minister would have to be asked?
From the fans’ perspective, interest in the international game is at an highest.
The resurgence of England, the rise of Tonga, the birth of genuine competitive rivalries. The game needs to capitalise on it.
But rugby league is at risk of watching the wave of momentum pass by without riding it in.
The NRL last month announced Tonga would face Samoa, while Papua New Guinea would take on Lebanon in the 2018 Pacific Test Invitational. Two teams are still to be confirmed.
But the league hadn’t checked with the Tongans, who were keen to cash in on their rivalry with the Kiwis and face them instead — in New Zealand.
A Tonga-New Zealand rematch is a must for next season.
With the Kiwis set to play Australia before a three-Test series against England in the UK at the end of the season, the midyear Test is their only window to reignite their clash with Tonga.
Instead, the Pacific Tests will be again played at Campbelltown Stadium, likely in front of 15,000 fans. If Tonga do end up playing Samoa, they would attract double that crowd if the game were played in New Zealand.
The NRL stages the Pacific Tests, bearing in mind it has no obligation to do so, and has done a good job building the concept to this point.
But the landscape has shifted.
Make no mistake, 2017 was a watershed year for the international game. But it threatens to be washed away just as quickly as a missed opportunity if the momentum isn’t harnessed.
New Zealand v Tonga is a no-brainer. It is a cash cow waiting to be milked.
Having watched the Kiwis and the Mate Ma’a play out a thrilling pool match at a sold-out Waikato Stadium, it beggars belief the game hasn’t capitalised to make the sport’s newest international rivalry an annual event.
Tonga attracted an incredible following during the World Cup.
The cash-strapped New Zealand Rugby League could certainly benefit from it.
Hamilton City Council, whose town enjoyed a boom when Tonga played Samoa and then New Zealand at Waikato Stadium, has indicated it wants to host matches.
The World Cup proved a tourism winner for the area.
Yet there’s a real chance rugby league’s latest grudge match won’t appear on next year’s rugby league calendar.
Thanks to Jason Taumalolo’s pre-tournament decision to choose Tonga over New Zealand, rugby league now has an international fixture to match the intensity and passion of State of Origin.
The scenes at Waikato Stadium where Kiwi fans were drowned out in a sea of red, or where Tonga and Samoa packed the stands a week earlier, are proof these games belong in New Zealand, not Campbelltown.
International rugby league needs someone to take control.
Officials from southern hemisphere nations have little faith that the Rugby League International Federation are the ones to lead the charge.
Even though they’ve been gifted the ideal product: a genuine grudge match between New Zealand and Tonga built on bad blood.
The rivalry between the two Pacific nations is as real as it gets.
It isn’t manufactured. It’s real.
It’s not then-NSW captain Paul Gallen calling Queenslanders two-heads to help sell the remaining few thousand Origin tickets at Suncorp Stadium.
Sports’ coffers are filled from the revenue of derbies and rivalries.
Cricket Australia sees dollar signs every time England visit for the Ashes. Local derbies are the events that make the turnstiles click over.
The international game is broke. Not broken, although it needs work, but broke.
More Test matches will generate increased revenue if they’re played between the right teams at the right venues.
Kudos to Australia and coach Mal Meninga for looking to play Tonga in a one-off Test at the end of next season in Hawaii. Anything that helps keep Taumalolo in Tongan colours and encourages increased competition should be seized upon.
But even Meninga admitted they needed funding from the NRL and RLIF because there was no money in the Kangaroos’ coffers.
“We’ve got no money in the bank, but we are talking and ideally we’d like to play a Test match against Tonga at the end of the year,” Meninga told The Daily Telegraph this week.
“We’ve got a Test against New Zealand already, but I’d like to think we can do something special with Tonga as well.
“On the back of the World Cup, I believe we’ve got to play more games.”
And that will lead to increased competition and help further bridge the gap between the traditionally top nations Australia, New Zealand and England, and the chasing pack.
Rugby league can’t waste this chance.
After their surprise World Cup quarter-final exit, New Zealand feel threatened by the new world order. And well they should.
Tier-two nation Tonga have aspirations to be the No. 3 rugby league team by the time the next World Cup rolls around.
The Kiwis have already lost Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma’u, David Fusitu’a and Tuimoalo Lolohea to Tonga. They may not get them back
Now Samoa could benefit from the Taumalolo effect. There’s talk New Zealand fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was so inspired by Tonga’s Kiwi contingent switching allegiances that he is considering joining Matt Parish’s Samoan team.
Samoa with RTS, Anthony Milford, Josh Papalii, Junior Paulo and Joey Leilua would create further competition and be help promote the game further.
But to continue international rugby league’s surge, the game needs dollars and sense.
In 2013, players from the Pacific Test nations received $100 a day from the NRL. Five years later, despite the growth of the concept, they still only collect a daily $100 allowance. Top-ups through national team sponsorships match that.
The players represent their countries for love, not money.
It’s time someone showed the international game the love it deserves.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...p/news-story/37d76fe00ed14735ccbcdd0fb28abf37
http://www.rugby-league.com/article/51630/ghana-rugby-league-seek-volunteer-manager
GHANA RUGBY LEAGUE SEEK VOLUNTEER MANAGER
AN EXCITING PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY.
Rugby League European Federation (RLEF) and Rugby League Federation Ghana (RLFG) are seeking to partner with a small number of UK universities who share a desire to contribute positively to not only a substantive advancement in the sport's nascent West African presence but also to their students' life experiences.
Rugby League in Ghana was established in 2012, it is recognised by the National Sport Authority of Ghana and the RLFG (Rugby League Federation of Ghana) has run club and university competitions annually, supported by sponsors and a Rugby League Planet grant.
But the board feels that if the sport is to progress it needs expert oversight drawn from the international Rugby League community.
The Project
Although Rugby League is already played in Ghana and some club teams exist, there is a lack of structure at the grass-roots level.
However, the passion for Ghanaian sport spreads into Rugby League and there are many young players who want the chance to develop their skills.
Through this Rugby League volunteer Manager placement, the volunteer can experience the African game while making a positive difference to the advancement of Ghana's next up-and-coming sport.
The project is envisaged to span five years:
Candidates
- 2-3 months summer placements available to current students
- Longer placements can be developed for recent graduates or interested parties
- Selected candidates will be expected to pay for their return flight ticket to Accra, their visa and
- any spending money
- RLEF will provide accommodation, transport, fixed contract mobile phone, three meals per day and insurance coverage
- The project will see volunteers work in two areas: administration of RLFG, answerable to the board and responsible for implementation of strategy; and grassroots coaching, managing coaches and referees and organising the competitions.
Volunteers will need to be confident, flexible and personable, with a good level of knowledge of Rugby League, time management and also an ability to react to the unpredictable nature of working in Ghana.
Applicants will need to have 1 year of relevant experience in Rugby League and preferably have a coaching and/or match officiating qualification.
Duties
To express your interest in the role, contact the RLEF on: remond.safi@rlef.eu.com.
- Supporting RLFG Board
- Liaising with RLEF MEA Regional director
- Liaise with Ghanaian NSA officials
- Implement championships
- Support and help establish new sports placements and internships
- Updating the in-country federation & team's social network accounts and relevant websites with new content
- Supporting local volunteers
- Helping to set up new placements and communicating with local sports clubs, schools and NGOs
- Making weekly schedules for social activities and placements
- Managing and coaching training, lessons, matches and trials scheduling for the national team academy
- Getting involved with fundraising activities and increasing funding and donations to the FRLG
NRL Photos
