Reclaiming the name 'RUGBY'

[Lockyer4President!]

Growing up it was always called league or union. No-one where I lived called either code just rugby because it'd just cause confusion.

 

[RL1908]

Rugby clubs were formed and played the game before the formation of the RFU in 1871.

Not every rugby playing club/Union formed after 1871 immediately tied itself to the RFU (including the NSWRU & QRU), yet they are still regarded as having played rugby.

Joining and/or leaving the RFU isn't the making or breaking of determining if a club/Union/League is a rugby club or not.

Take for example the Hull FC rugby league club...
Formed in 1865, playing rugby against other non-RFU clubs (because it did not yet exist!).
Joined the RFU in 1872 (or thereabouts), playing rugby until the 1895 split.
Leaves the RFU, but keeps playing rugby against other NU clubs.

I agree RL should never allow RU alone to own the name "rugby". But, I fear, most fans, players, officials, & media in Aust & NZ don't see this as an issue, and are happy for the game to go on just as "league". To me, the word "league" is a meaningless non-descriptor.

I raised this issue back in 2002, but few people were interested or saw it as a genuine concern for the game. I don't think the public mood has changed - few "league" fans care about the issue.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Rugby clubs were formed and played the game before the formation of the RFU in 1871.

Not every rugby playing club/Union formed after 1871 immediately tied itself to the RFU (including the NSWRU & QRU), yet they are still regarded as having played rugby.

Joining and/or leaving the RFU isn't the making or breaking of determining if a club/Union/League is a rugby club or not.

Take for example the Hull FC rugby league club...
Formed in 1865, playing rugby against other non-RFU clubs (because it did not yet exist!).
Joined the RFU in 1872 (or thereabouts), playing rugby until the 1895 split.
Leaves the RFU, but keeps playing rugby against other NU clubs.

I agree RL should never allow RU alone to own the name "rugby". But, I fear, most fans, players, officials, & media in Aust & NZ don't see this as an issue, and are happy for the game to go on just as "league". To me, the word "league" is a meaningless non-descriptor.

I raised this issue back in 2002, but few people were interested or saw it as a genuine concern for the game. I don't think the public mood has changed - few "league" fans care about the issue.

If John O'Neill can get soccer changed to football with all the controversy it involved then there shouldn't be any problem for the NRL/ARL to force the media to use rugby league and rugby union instead of just league and rugby. That's how it used to be in the media anyway, I dunno why it changed.

 

[Hanscholo]

Our brand name is pathetic, it really is. When you refer to the game to an outsider they call it Rugby and i need to correct them. We should refer to it as NRL, league has no marketing strength outside of those of us that get it, and Rugby is Rugby Union that isnt about to change. I think by calling the game NRL very much like the NFL it will be a good brand to use.

 

[mark123]

Well you don't have to be worried about losing the name Rugby.

Rugby as a name has so many bad associations.

I would actually prefer to be known as just League eventually.

But this is not a thing that is going to happen overnight. It will take many years if indeed it is happening.

It is nothing to worry about, and not to be feared.

 

[mark123]

Then i wrote this:

In actuality, in an idealistic way, that too may be practical, we could have people refer to us saying "The 'Rugby League' "

RU is the rugby Union, and we are the Rugby League.

In Australia we are the National Rugby League.

Oh dear, we have that already.

Everything is fine


Then I read the post a couple above me


NOW I AM DISGUSTED.

LEAGUE IS A GENERIC TERM....HOW CAN WE CARVE OUT AN IMAGE FOR OURSELVES, IF WE HAVE A GENERIC TERM? I ASK FOR THE TOTAL USE OF NRL OR RUGBY LEAGUE FOR OURSELVES, AND FOR RUGBY UNION FOR THEM AND IN ENGLAND WHERE WE HAVE NO POWER, AND EUROPE, I WOULD ASK FOR THE SAME COURTESY

There are two games of rugby, one sux and through manipulation and market-control they are squeezing us. we need to be more well known, we need to become microsoft.

honestly, think about that, stopping just short of a monopoly

 

[Shorty]

so... do you think the NRL should change its name to National League League (NLL) to more clearly indicate what sort of sporting league it is?

I don't see how something I'm doing is going to have an impact.
I mean,there are a number of sports under the name of football,but we don't see names getting changed do we.

It's not an issue.

 

[Tom Shines]

why not reclaim the word "Union"
From a proud supporter of Northern Union

And I'm a proud supporter of Farmer's Union:

 

[*Paul*]

League has been shorthand for RL, and rugby for RU, for some time. Don't know why it's suddenly an issue.

 

[International RL]

League has been shorthand for RL, and rugby for RU, for some time. Don't know why it's suddenly an issue.

Rubbish. RU as Union and RL was league.

To me that was ok, But as soon as union has tried to claim 'Rugby' as its own, well then I'm afraid I do have a problem with it.

Sport is about market awarness and branding, like any business. To have our biggest historical competitor seize naming rights in such a fashion is totally unacceptable.

I agree, if Soccer can try and claim 'Football' (which I have said in other threads is simply outrageous given it is a generic term for ball sports in Australia), then we should be able to dictate to the media they were demand to be called RUGBY league.

It is our right and our heritage.

Of course, with our cap in hand, please-sir-can-I-have-some-more attitude towards media organisations I can't see this happening.

 

[KalgoorlieRed]

It is RUGBY League, always has been and always will be! It's a disgrace to the game to call it 'league'! I mean league what? Arab League?

 

[RL1908]

In the early 1980s, we were called the "NSW Rugby Football League", and the QRFL and ARFL.

We gave up "football" in the early 1980s, "Rugby" came to mean RU alone in the mid-1990ss, and now soccer is hanging off the use of "A-League".

 

[International RL]

In the early 1980s, we were called the "NSW Rugby Football League", and the QRFL and ARFL.

We gave up "football" in the early 1980s, "Rugby" came to mean RU alone in the mid-1990ss, and now soccer is hanging off the use of "A-League".

And yet we do nothing.

Cheers Gallop.

 

[Shorty]

Oh get a grip.

 

[hutch]

we are rugby league, they are rugby union. in short we can be called league, in short they can be called union. there is no sport that is just called rugby.

 

[dallymessenger]

good thread

we have every right to call ourselves rugby as union do.

most current english RL clubs in england are older than when the game split from union in 1895, and are older than some current GP union clubs.

whilst playing RU the strongest clubs were all in the north of england, most of the rep. players came from the north as well.

for the first 10 yrs of Northern Union football, the rules were rugby union rules. indeed the name northern union of our governing body says they still considered themselves playing the same game as before.

the idea of rugby from william web ellis was to run with the ball. which game today has the most running and which is dominated by kicking?

RL is the true version of rugby which continues to this day. union is an elitist sport which is mainly dominated by kicking whilst RL is a game open to all and which embraces running with the ball

 

[dallymessenger]

Well how much further could it go? And what's the worst that could happen if it did?


Has league ever been played at the Rugby school? I don't think we can claim the name 'Rugby' as our own.

We really are going after the big issues here today aren't we.

union people call our sport illitimate or a bastard offshoot of the true game.

thats BS.

RL clubs have a right to their history, they made union grow when they were there.

RL has as much right as union to the name rugby. indeed id say more so

 

[dallymessenger]

I think you need to do more than assert you that you see it is important. Why is it important?

Even if we were called "international sticking fingers up your nose sport" we'd still be a rugby code and clearly so.

claims by the other mob that our sport doesnt really count, they are the true game.

 

[russ13]

League has been shorthand for RL, and rugby for RU, for some time. Don't know why it's suddenly an issue.

It is with me. When I was growing up the short form for both codes was union & league.

Look at the Oxford dictionary's definition of rugby. Both codes are a form of rugby. RL isn't a branch or form of RU.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

It is with me. When I was growing up the short form for both codes was union & league.

Look at the Oxford dictionary's definition of rugby. Both codes are a form of rugby. RL isn't a branch or form of RU.

Me 2, it only started to change around 1995, I wonder if the SL war had anything to do with it? :roll: