International Rugby League - Looking healthy ..

[NRLMad]

I think we're really setting up nicely for the next World Cup in 2013. France not being in next four nations will give PNG a shot in the arm.

1. Australia - very succesful as always - NRL / State of Origin / Toyota Cup breeding ground
2. NZ - plenty of players; won the last world cup; will always be strong in the forwards; need better options in a few positions to challenge australia in every agme.
3. England - know their previous failings & tried to rectify by blooding lots of juniors. Can only improve further. Should send more players to the NRL & should poach some quality union halves to bolster competition with Tomkins & others.
4. France - within a few years a 2nd team will join either the SL or NL1 - their power is definitely in their forwards; need composure - will only come by playing more international games. They should poach some quality union halves to bolster competition for spots with Bosc/Greseque.
5. Wales - hopefully over the next few years with Brian Noble at the helm of the Crusaders, the national team will rise.
6. PNG, Samoa, Tonga - all teams that have plenty of potential to win games against 1-5
7. Ireland, Scotland - will cause an upset with 4-6.

 

[thommo4pm]

I think you'll find Lebanon might cause more headaches than Ireland / Scotland.
Lebanon seem to be rising quite quickly.

I would also put PNG ahead of France and Wales at this stage....at full strength I think PNG would beat both of them and also beat Samoa / Tonga.

There will be 12 competitive teams at the next world cup.
Will be some blow outs as the big 3 get a hold of some of the emerging sides, but the rest will all be competitive with each other.

 

[Hallatia]

I would also put PNG ahead of France and Wales at this stage....at full strength I think PNG would beat both of them and also beat Samoa / Tonga.

I remember someone (might have been Gus) talking about introducing a PNG team to the NRL, PNG is geographically closer to Australia than New Zealand is and they add a beautiful element to our game. I think it would really strengthen PNG rugby league if they did have a team in the NRL, and having more PNG guys afforded the opportunity to compete in the NRL will make their side a lot more competitive. They are pretty solid at the moment compared to a lot of the others, but the better the standard of the international competition the better off the game is

 

[Steve Davy]

If you have the chance to watch England rugby union, I suspect that you would lose interest in the idea of getting players from there. Certainly, our current half backs are a class above anything in English RU and, depressingly, our backs are generally better too.

 

[morgan123]

Give over. The Union players in the UK are of a higher standard than in SL now. Sure they still have the rolly polly forwards but their backs are better.

Union is a much bigger sport in the UK too, so the chances of signing a Union player already attached to a club is bordering on the impossible. If anything we'll see more league players moving to Union.

Kyle Eastmond is rumoured to be the next one.

 

[Hallatia]

Give over. The Union players in the UK are of a higher standard than in SL now. Sure they still have the rolly polly forwards but their backs are better.

Union is a much bigger sport in the UK too, so the chances of signing a Union player already attached to a club is bordering on the impossible. If anything we'll see more league players moving to Union.

Kyle Eastmond is rumoured to be the next one.

where's the money? Super League is pretty cashed up ... well it is compared to the NRL, I am not sure how it compares to English rugby

 

[morgan123]

where's the money? Super League is pretty cashed up ... well it is compared to the NRL, I am not sure how it compares to English rugby

Union has a bigger salary cap and compensates any marquee signings from league. We're just lucky there hasn't been anyone worthy of it.

SL has no money at all, relying totally on the payments from Sky television, which given the economic downturn will be disasterous when the TV deals are next negotiated. The only reason SL was considered cashed up compared to the NRL was that the exchange rate was in our favour and there were several loopholes that enabled NRL players to pay very little tax. For example several clubs would pay players a measly, taxed, salary then transfer a whopping great amount of money to them as they were in the air on the plane back to Australia.

We are weak because the size of the sport here compared to Australia is at different ends of a scale. Greg Inglis can grow up in Australia and choose league as his sport. If he was born in England, in the heartlands of the sport, such as Warrington or Leeds, he'd probably never even touch a rugby league ball. He'd be picked up at a young age by a football team and spend his youth trying to be Wayne Rooney, probably ending up playing for The Flying Duck in the local pub league. When there are so few people playing the game at junior level it's hard for the SL clubs to pick up any real quality. The average SL youngster is a sparrow legged runt, where as the average NRL youngster is a far better athlete.

IMO there is nothing wrong with the youth systems or the SL clubs. People say the coaching is poor, but as most of the coaches come from the NRL or copy techniques from the NRL it's a mute point. When the depth of quality at academy level is so poor, it's an impossible task to turn them into anything special. There are individuals of course who are good enough, Ellis and Burgess and Morley for example. But there needs to be more of them.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Realistically since union went pro about 1995 you could count the number of union internationals on one hand that have crossed over to league in the last 15 years. Compare this to the decade 1985-1995 previous.

The days of union internationals switching are over.

 

[roopy]

If we seriously wanted Union backs, and i'm not sure we do, then there are heaps playing for peanuts for the PI teams for instance.
The roosters have been looking at some South African kids, but the problem is that they are probably better off sticking with a sport they know than take the risk of failing in a foreign sport.
I notice that there seems to be a lot of kids signing for the NYC under 20s sides from Union for next season, and that is probably because Union is running out of money in Aus.

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

If you call England getting buttf**ked 46-16 "healthy".

 

[coach]

I am not sure that international Rugby League is as healthy as you think. Its still clearly the top 3 (Aust, NZ & Eng) that rule the world. Followed by a long way 4th either PNG or Fiji. In my opinion I don't see that changing anytime soon.

While many new countries like Lebanon, Russie, Serbia and Jamaica are now playing the game internationally they are just minows. I don't expect to see these countries being able to challenge the Pacific nations or France let alone the top 3 nations.

The scarey part about the inetrnational game is that I believe Australia has dropped of a bit in recent years. Our forward pack in this years event isn't up to our standard of the past.

 

[Goddo]

I remember someone (might have been Gus) talking about introducing a PNG team to the NRL, PNG is geographically closer to Australia than New Zealand is and they add a beautiful element to our game. I think it would really strengthen PNG rugby league if they did have a team in the NRL, and having more PNG guys afforded the opportunity to compete in the NRL will make their side a lot more competitive. They are pretty solid at the moment compared to a lot of the others, but the better the standard of the international competition the better off the game is

NO NO NO NO NO in the words of gus.

The NRL is in the business of making money. If it doesn't the whole thing colapses. PNG adds nothing to the NRL's media rights or advertising, hence adds no real monetary value other potential clubs do. Thats the key to getting an NRL francise - proving it will add value to the comp like Gold Coast did and the Bears are doing.

Where is the money and use for a stadium in Port Morseby going to come from? Their UN aid money (which largely comes from Australia)?

Give PNG a side in the QLD Cup, which would be cheaper to run and would still give their players an avenue to be picked up by NRL clubs. Then make Port Moresby the home of the Pacific Cup. That gives them a domestic team to cheer, and an international event.

With those oportunities, they can then take their time and grow as a side to NRL level.
NO PNG FOR NRL PLEASE. At least not yet.

 

[hutch]

If you call England getting buttf**ked 46-16 "healthy".

im yet to see you post anything constructive, why are you even on here?

 

[flamin]

I am not sure that international Rugby League is as healthy as you think. Its still clearly the top 3 (Aust, NZ & Eng) that rule the world.

I don't think there has been a time besides the last few years where the future international rugby league has looked this good. Even when there were 4 top tier nations (when France was a power decades ago) there still wasn't the structure and spread that we have today. Of course there is a loooooooooong way to ago but we are mostly on the right track.

 

[coach]

I don't think there has been a time besides the last few years where the future international rugby league has looked this good. Even when there were 4 top tier nations (when France was a power decades ago) there still wasn't the structure and spread that we have today. Of course there is a loooooooooong way to ago but we are mostly on the right track.

The game internationally is heading in the right direction. But as you say it has a very long way to go.

The big problem still is that Australia wins 99.9 percent of its matches. Until that turns around then the game internationally will suffer.

 

[Dummy Spit Johns]

The game internationally is heading in the right direction.

No, it's screwed

But as you say it has a very long way to go.

Always will whilst England breed their players in their Supercrap comp.
NZ has caught up a little by having most play in the NRL.

The big problem still is that Australia wins 99.9 percent of its matches. Until that turns around then the game internationally will suffer.

Don't hold your breath.
That was a crappy team and a crappy preformance by Australian standards this morning and they still won by 30.

 

[JasonE]

It annoys me why some people are coming on here and bagging the International game and bagging England etc but i thought it was a great game with some high quality football. It was hard and fast.

International RL has it's challenges and has a long way to go but we should just enjoy that game and also some of the other games in this tournament.

 

[LeagueXIII]

The big problem still is that Australia wins 99.9 percent of its matches. Until that turns around then the game internationally will suffer.

In fact Australia's winning percentage from 2004-2009 is 78.8%

 

[chrisc101]

You cannot be serious to think the English game is going in the right direction? (BTW NZ is a totally different issue)

The game is dire in England, they were bad in the 08 World Cup, they were bad in the 4 Nations. Now while they have some great talent coming through, I find it hard to see how it will get better.

On another point what the hell has happened to the crowds for internationals in England? We used to get 40-60K at Wembley!!

 

[LeagueXIII]

They were disillusioned after the WC, however their performances from HT in the Wigan game is restoring their faith.