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Clarkent

Clarkent

Juniors
Messages
831
Perth Red said:
Problem is the dont have any great depth and need their very best 17 eligible players to be on the field for them to have a chance.
England are no world beaters at moment but won the series 3-0 last year v Tonga
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The problem isn't depth because there's 50% of pacific island players in the nrl. The problem is the lack of international games. Yes England beat Tonga 3-0 but all 3 of those games were pretty well contested, in the past all of those games would've been won by England 50-0.
 
Thatwasnthighref

Thatwasnthighref

Juniors
Messages
794
Clarkent said:
Samoa and Tonga will never be Tier 1. Rugby Union is the main sport there and they're not even Tier 1 in that sport as we'll
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Depends on how Tier 1 is defined in an RL context I guess.

If financial strength is a consideration (as it is in RU), then yea I agree, neither will ever be Tier 1. But if on-field competitiveness is the main driver, then its possible. From memory, Mal already floated the idea a little while back.

I know Tonga got swept last year, and there'll always be issues like timing and player availability that influence on field results, but Samoa showed in the WC what they can pull off if things align.
 
Clarkent

Clarkent

Juniors
Messages
831
Thatwasnthighref said:
Depends on how Tier 1 is defined in an RL context I guess.

If financial strength is a consideration (as it is in RU), then yea I agree, neither will ever be Tier 1. But if on-field competitiveness is the main driver, then its possible. From memory, Mal already floated the idea a little while back.

I know Tonga got swept last year, and there'll always be issues like timing and player availability that influence on field results, but Samoa showed in the WC what they can pull off if things align.
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Tier 1 is judged by the level of the local competition and Samoa and Tonga won't get to that level. Samoa and Tonga both have Rugby Union domestic competitions and they still couldn't get the tier1 status in union. Tonga did get swept by England but they were competitive most of those games. In the past, Tonga would've lost those games by a huge margin.
 
Thatwasnthighref

Thatwasnthighref

Juniors
Messages
794
Clarkent said:
The problem isn't depth because there's 50% of pacific island players in the nrl. The problem is the lack of international games. Yes England beat Tonga 3-0 but all 3 of those games were pretty well contested, in the past all of those games would've been won by England 50-0.
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The lack tests and the timing of them too. Having them at the end of a full season will always affect availability. For all teams.

Whether its due to injury, pre-planned surgeries, or even a desire to commit to a full offseason if they've just signed for a new club (which could become a thing for Utoikamanu for instance).

So I think limited depth is still a valid challenge for Samoa & Tonga because while the Roos can cover Cleary and Munster missing their YE tests, Samoa dont have the same luxury if Luai has to miss theirs.
 
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