Mainstream Media and International growth - Embarrassed not Embraced !

[East Coast Tiger]

Hardly. Union is bigger, has much more credibility and this has only increased since then. RL is still tiny, farcical and has actually gone backwards in Russia. There's no point trying to fight the attitude against IRL by shooting ourselves in the foot. The 2000 WC was seven weeks of this. We should be somewhat grateful the players even remember games like that.

 

[hutch]

As a postscript i have sent an email to NRL360 putting in a request for the guys to acknowledge the growth of the international game in the week leading up to the May 1 - 3 rep round.

Suggested they could discuss the merits of the rise of the internationals and its positive impact on the NRL / SL.

Sent info re the incoming South African ' experiential expedition' too !


Nothing ventured nothing gained !

It's a good suggestion and I hope they do something like this, but the reality will be that paul Kent will spend the entire week bagging the international break on radio, TV and in the newspaper. He will say that it interrupts the flow of the regular NRL season, that nobody wants to watch Samoa v Tonga and that it gives the other codes a free kick. This is what he did last year.

 

[hutch]

Like Japan playing the All Blacks in the 1995 rugby union WC and getting roasted 145-17.

This. It wasn't ridiculous that Russia competed in the 2000 rlwc! What's ridiculous is that they haven't been in one since and that there wasn't even follow up World Cup in 2004. That is the real joke!

 

[The Partisan]

I've got to know a former RL journo of late and he actually covered the Roos v Russia game in 2000.

Reckons the Ruskies genuinely tried their hearts out and were able to make some good hits in defence.

Like many others he is disappointed with the failure of those in power to capitalise on their inroads into our game.