RL/RU Merger

[Parra]

RL does not need lineouts at all, but quick throw ins when a ball is kicked out would be a great option.

Better use of the video ref. Union does this much better.

Have tacklers release and roll away - this is a no-brainer for league. It would speed up the game and completely remove the wrestle from the game.

If scrums are to be retained then have some formality. The practice of backs packing in scrums is a farce. RL does not want union scrums. But it is an area that needs to be fixed.

Get rid of two refs on the field and increase the status of touch judges to assistant referees.

Ban shoulder charges in every level except NRL. I'd ban them there as well, but a lot of people like to see cheap shots.

Introduce the bonus point system from Super Rugby to the NRL.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

The referees. Anything would have to be better than the dribblers controlling the NRL matches.

The small things are what separates the game on the big picture and the only thing that could be taken from Onion to improve league would be some kind to lineout (not in the Onion form though) to replace scrums from kicks for touch.

I do however love the rule in Onion that if the attacking team kicks the ball dead the opposition have the choice of a scrum or a restart and I'm all for more pressure on the kickers.

 

[Parra]

I do however love the rule in Onion that if the attacking team kicks the ball dead the opposition have the choice of a scrum or a restart and I'm all for more pressure on the kickers.

That is a good one. If a player kicks the ball dead the defending team gets a scrum restart from where the ball was kicked. This penalises the negative long range kicks to dead-in-goal.

 

[little_aza]

RU has nothing to offer RL beyond its International structure and ability to attract serious corporate support. On the field RL is 100 years of RU evolution, why would you want to go back in time?

Exactly right. 90% our game, plus their international game and their sponsorship.

Imagine a "Super Rugby" Competition in a similar format to the current Super 15 with the top clubs of each code, in five conferences of five teams each, giving a total of 25 teams (meaning 5 Aussie teams would be lost). The SA and NZ conferences would be the two fixed conferences, while the three Australian conferences would be rotated each year - meaning all Australian teams would be able to play each other every three years. Hence, there would 15 Australian teams, having: 8 NSW teams, 4 QLD teams, 1 ACT team, 1 Victorian team, and 1 WA team.

WESTERN (SOUTH AFRICA):
1. Pretoria Bulls (RU)
2. Johannesburg Lions (RU)
3. Cape Town Stormers (RU)
4. Bloemfontein Cheetahs (RU)
5. Southern Kings (RU)

CENTRAL x3 (AUSTRALIA) (ranked in a holistic value of team as a part of the 15-team conference, based on brand/success/value/crowds/history/region):
1. Brisbane Broncos (NRL)
2. St George-Illawarra Dragons (NRL)
3. Wests Tigers (NRL)
4. Brisbane Reds (formally QLD Reds) (RU)
5. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (NRL)
6. Parramatta Eels (NRL)
7. Canberra Brumbies (merger of Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies) (NRL/RU)
8. South Sydney Rabbitohs (NRL)
9. Western Force (RU)
10. Melbourne Storm (NRL)
11. Gold Coast Titans (NRL)
12. Newcastle Knights (NRL)
13. NQ Cowboys (NRL)
14. Manly Sea Eagles (NRL)
15. Penrith Panthers (NRL)

NEW ZEALAND:
1. Canterbury Crusaders (RU)
2. Auckland Blues (RU)
3. Wellington Hurricanes (RU)
4. Manuwera-Hamilton Warriors (Merger of NZ Warriors and Hamilton Chiefs) (NRL/RU)
5. Otago Highlanders (RU)

Miss out:
-Sydney Roosters (NRL)
-Cronulla Sharks (NRL)
-NSW Warratahs (RU)
-Melbourne Rebels (RU)


And then after the Super-25 Regular season, there would be State of Origin, and then the International Season, between the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks. But obviously, as the OP stated..it'd never happen, as there's too much history to be lost, and too many compromises to be made by each side. Warratahs wouldn't fold, and we obviously wouldn't want the Kangaroos name lost. But if it could be done, it'd be a MASSIVE international game...

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Lineouts? No thanks. Lineouts just encourage sides to kick for touch and give unfit players a rest. Add the fact that you would have to have specialist lineout jumpers.

As for scrums, they were absolutely dreadful when they were contested - constantly screwing around, ball popping out from the side, collapsing, reset every ten seconds. Woeful. Get the players to bind and put the ball in straight and they serve their purpose of holding players for a few seconds.

 

[sting]

i like the idea of lineouts to restart play (in some situations)

Why on earth do you like that idea? Just picture it happening and tell me what are the positives?

 

[Eels Dude]

The problem with such an idea is that everything league fans love about league they isn't in rugby, and everything rugby fans love about rugby isn't in league. So while the are similar sports in one way, in another way they are complete opposites.

 

[Eels Dude]

Why on earth do you like that idea? Just picture it happening and tell me what are the positives?

Exactly. You can't have contested scrums or lineouts when we have a 10 metre rule and limited tackle count. You'd need to change all those back to the old rules or the game just wouldn't work.

 

[maccattack]

Anyone who says RL is "stop start" and union isnt either has problems with comprehension or is a Troll.


Here, have something to eat:



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[user_nat]

No way. I hope contested scrums never come back to league. It means that kicking for touch is alot more attractive. So instead of the game flowing, we would see scrums after just about every set. Personally that isn't an attractive option.

That's true.
I don't so much want to have contested scrums, I just really don't like the embarrassing things we call scrums at the moment (or the way they are over refereed anyhow).

So if I HAD to take a rule from Union..

 

[Canard]

Just finished watching two games of Rugby. On what f**king planet does the OP live to claim Rugby is more free flow

 

[Parra]

Watch the second half of Japan v France. Japan held the ball for long periods and the quick phases are fasted than any play-the-ball. The offside line is the last feet in the ruck, so there is no wait for defences to get set. When rugby teams do not commit forwards to the breakdown the tackles/phases flow one after another much quicker than in league. When union teams do commit forwards to the ruck it is much slower. There are also more stoppages in rugby union, which results in a stop-start game. There is often less kicking in a union match though, and much less predictable kicking.

 

[user_nat]

Less kicking in Union? Would be somewhat surprised if that were true.

 

[maccattack]

watch the second half of japan v france. Japan held the ball for long periods and the quick phases are fasted than any play-the-ball. The offside line is the last feet in the ruck, so there is no wait for defences to get set. When rugby teams do not commit forwards to the breakdown the tackles/phases flow one after another much quicker than in league. When union teams do commit forwards to the ruck it is much slower. There are also more stoppages in rugby union, which results in a stop-start game. There is often less kicking in a union match though, and much less predictable kicking.

lol

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Less kicking in a union match? Less predictable kicking? Lay off the pipe son.

 

[Raiders_Premiers]

Watch the second half of Japan v France. Japan held the ball for long periods and the quick phases are fasted than any play-the-ball. The offside line is the last feet in the ruck, so there is no wait for defences to get set. When rugby teams do not commit forwards to the breakdown the tackles/phases flow one after another much quicker than in league. When union teams do commit forwards to the ruck it is much slower. There are also more stoppages in rugby union, which results in a stop-start game. There is often less kicking in a union match though, and much less predictable kicking.

strong onion troll

 

[Red Bear]

Introduce the bonus point system from Super Rugby to the NRL.

Rugby League doesnt need that. The game encourages and rewards the scoring of tries. Union needs it because penalty goal/drop goal are worth a greater percentage of what a try is

 

[Burwood]

Surprised no one has mentioned this- scrap the double movement rule in league. If you are within reach of the try line you should be able to promote the ball over the line before the tackle is completed.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

No way. The double movement rule constitutes a tackle.

Less kicking in Union? Would be somewhat surprised if that were true.

I wouldn't be surprised tbh. How many sets in a game of RL, about 60 or 70? At a minimum 3/4 of them would end in a kick. I think people underestimate how much kicking there is in rugby league because teams aren't kicking the ball in to the stands for a lineout.

 

[Pete Cash]

When we get the dollars with the next TV deal we should start raiding Rugby Union and stealing all their players. Not the fatties or the shit players or the guys who can't tackle at all but im sure that would leave like one or two players