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League v Union

Haffa

Guest
Messages
16,605
Australian Toffball so desperate they once again need to use League to get some publicity.
 

RHCP

Bench
Messages
4,784
This will be an embarrassment to both games if it goes ahead, especially if it's played under the oft suggested one half of the field union/one half of the field league rules.
 

Sir Biffo

Bench
Messages
2,610
Surely they couldn't play yawn yawn rules with the scrums? Don't they have to train with Matt Dunning at KFC for a few years first? Rugby League forwards would get monstered by the fat useless deadshits, and the kick and clappers would just constantly run scrums and kick goals for 40 minutes.
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/wh...-clash-next-year/story-fndujljl-1226777891743

What's the Buzz: Rugby League versus Rugby Union in code clash next year

Phil Rothfield Sports editor-at-large
The Daily Telegraph
December 08, 2013 12:00AM

THE Wallabies have agreed to play the Great Britain rugby league team in a $10 million hybrid-game spectacular at Wembley Stadium next year.

London's most famous football venue has been booked for December 6, a week after the Wallabies' last game on their 2014 spring tour.

The game will pit the likes of Israel Folau and Quade Cooper against the Burgess brothers, Gareth Widdop and Sam Tomkins in front of an anticipated full house of 92,000 fans.

All up, organisers are expecting to raise $20 million through gates, corporate sales, TV, sponsorship and merchandise.

An agreement was reached between the two football codes at a secret meeting in London last month.

The codes will be paid $5million each and the players will earn around $50,000 each for a one-off appearance.

On November 11, English Rugby League boss and World Cup tournament director Nigel Wood secretly met with Wallaby supremo Bill Pulver at London's swish Grange Holborn Hotel.

They both agreed to the game, subject to commercial terms, which will be finalised by the new year.

Wood was desperate for the opportunity to promote rugby league in London on the back of the recent World Cup.

The London Broncos are struggling to stay afloat in the Super League because of lack of interest.

A global media company is in the process of selling world-wide television rights and major sponsorships.

A consortium of Australian businessmen and rugby legends Bob Dwyer and Mark Ella were involved in the talks in London that secured the historic agreement.

One half will be played with 15 players with rugby union rules and the other half with 13 players with NRL rules.

The plan was to originally stage a Wallabies v Kangaroos game at ANZ Stadium in December.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith met with Pulver and the promoters but, after showing initial interest, knocked it back.

So the promoters took their $10 million proposal to England.

London based promoter Steve Berrick has been hired to oversee the game.

He has previously been in charge of Barbarians games and major events in the UK.

This will be the first of what organisers believe will become a regular showpiece on the football calendars.

The All Blacks have also been approached and showed initial interest in a game against the Kangaroos.

Previously, Wigan played Bath in a hybrid game in the UK and two Australian school teams played in a trial game at Brookvale Oval.
 

Kurt Angle

First Grade
Messages
9,729
What is to be gained out of this in reality.

A game will have a lot of commonalities, except one team used to play the balls, and the other used to scrums, lineouts, mauls and rucks.

You can't have a hybrid PTB or a hybrid lineout. Putting one in disadvantages the other side, there is no 50-50 split. The outcome is an array of mutually exclusive skills.

Thus one team at the outset of the game will be advantaged, and in reality is an already plausible excuse for losing.

However, it has greater benefit to a team with a smaller profile... in this case the chinless rah-rahs.
 

roughyedspud

Coach
Messages
12,181
the NRL clubs won't release the burgii & tomkins for a non-test....never gonna happen..

plus englans will be in australia next november for the 4nations..


not thought out very well this..
 

CC_Roosters

First Grade
Messages
5,221
the NRL clubs won't release the burgii & tomkins for a non-test....never gonna happen..

plus englans will be in australia next november for the 4nations..


not thought out very well this..

i seriously doubt this will happen. And i also seriously doubt that this sorry excuse of a journalist would be handed details by british RL officials or the ARU.

Straight up i think he is lying

As you point out spud the english players will be finishing the four nations maybe a fortnight before the date he gives for this phantom cross-code game, plus the NRL based players will then be on leave before going into pre-season camp. Not sure about super league clubs pre-season, but given the likes of Leeds play a friendly on boxing day they would be in pre-season earlier than the NRL
 

CC_Roosters

First Grade
Messages
5,221
Rothfield must be allergic to facts. Not one quote in that story, which reeks of bullshit to me.
 

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