Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[Valheru]

There's a big difference travelling 2 hrs from the UK to France to treversering the globe to get to Australia.

Crowds in Australia will be at least 50% smaller....and that's being generous.

Definitely but the poms like to travel for an event especially if this exchange rate holds and a tonne of kiwis will come over too. Each of the main nations will have their dedicated supporters travelling over.

I'm not suggesting Namibia and Georgia will get 70k but even 20k is a good result. Any game featuring the top 8 playing each other will surely sell out 40k plus venues.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

I said country

nice shifting of the goalposts

Your initial point was about crowds in certain parts of England.

Sydney is supposedly the centre of the RL universe. If your fumbling compatriots had an end-of-season international calendar, inconceivable they wouldn't be playing any games in Melbourne.

how’s England knights vs France going

England Community Lions women played Serbia in Belgrade on Sunday. Second test this Saturday.

 

[Diesel]

Because whether people on here like it or not the RUWC is a big deal and a premium event. 10s of thousands of people are willing to travel for it too.

That's why the suggestion on here that the next edition in Australia won't be well attended is laughable even with the current state of the wallabies.

As the NRL will likely be played at the same time as the RUWC, it’ll be interesting to see if the NRL markets to these RU fans travelling from overseas or if a number of them check out the NRL product

 

[Perth Red]

God you pommies come up with dumb arguments

if the nrl stops sending teams to tour in England what test matches would they have

Talk about dumb, if England hadn’t agreed to play a test way back when you’d be watching union in australia now instead of the swans lol

 

[Wb1234]

Talk about dumb, if England hadn’t agreed to play a test way back when you’d be watching union in australia now instead of the swans lol

1910

last time England did something iseful to grow the sport

 

[Wb1234]

 

[taste2taste]

Was talking to a Doctor today who lives on the very posh Rose Bay, says a few years ago he jumped ship to the NRL ( supports the Panthers ) as the NRL is more skilful, entertaining .... he's sick of watching the Wallabies loose by 50.

This is echoed through out the comments section of the Rugby paper the SMH, fans no longer watching due to poor results and a sport boged down by unnecessary rules.

It'll be interesting to see how RA not only dig themselves out of 90m dept but win back the fans they are currently haemorrhaging ? Looks like they won't be bailed out with TV money, Stan have said they are disappointed with thier returns and will be offering less for the next TV cycle

 

[CAS]

How does Rugby League get a World Cup like Union has? a few thoughts.

First of all, unlike our Union loving chums, we are not scared of that game, good on em, they get good crowds because they market them as events, you have to see these games, they are events, the fact we think 99% of the games are shite is irrelevant, people buy into it and want to see it.

Negativity
There can seriously be no Fan base of a sport that bags its own sport like RL fans, a 30 thousand crowd should be a 40 thousand one, I am not watching that it will be a blowout, I don't like that team I am not watching them, that player is playing for Tonga but he was born in Australia, its a joke, etc,etc,etc, try selling that to non fans looking to go along and give it a go when your hardcore fan base whine like crap about it.
Competitiveness
RU Fans don't seem to mind one sided score lines but RL fans don't. Sadly the Aussies winning 95% of the time puts folk off but that's not their fault, others need to raise their game, you get 4/5 teams all as good as each other and people will be interested, I remember early 90's the Ashes games were Awesome, so tight and crowds reflected in sell outs, get that back on folk will turn out in big numbers for it.
Rugby Union
Like it or not we are compared to their version of a world cup, I have played and coached RL abroad and it wasn't France or Australia, Rugby league is played in more places and countries than most will acknowledged and some of the people involved are die hard RU people, I have seen RU people put more into developing our Game believe it or not that RL people, they are not all alike, and often become disillusioned by the lack of a f**k from RL Authorities and so RU benefits in these places.
The game of Rugby League
Our biggest plus, our game is better and more open, it should be our biggest selling point, we will never usurp Union as the bigger code, definitely in Australia and just as much in other areas we do but overall around the world, it wont happen so don't try to, just champion our game and players more. I mentioned a while back I totally fell out of love with the game, Teams trying to wrestle and slow the game down, wasn't exciting, this season the increase in record crowds isn't a fluke, folk are been entertained and excited and they want to see these games in the flesh and not just on TV, cant wait till the new season starts, we criminally under sell our game.
Financial Investment
We simply do not have the same kind of Budget as Union does so make sure we put more in and make it work better, Internationals generate money, the more you do and the better they are generate even more, domestically in a lot of Countries Union is struggling but Internationals/World cups fix that, not permanently, but imagine what that kind of money coming into our game could do?

 

[taste2taste]

How does Rugby League get a World Cup like Union has? a few thoughts.

First of all, unlike our Union loving chums, we are not scared of that game, good on em, they get good crowds because they market them as events, you have to see these games, they are events, the fact we think 99% of the games are shite is irrelevant, people buy into it and want to see it.

Negativity
There can seriously be no Fan base of a sport that bags its own sport like RL fans, a 30 thousand crowd should be a 40 thousand one, I am not watching that it will be a blowout, I don't like that team I am not watching them, that player is playing for Tonga but he was born in Australia, its a joke, etc,etc,etc, try selling that to non fans looking to go along and give it a go when your hardcore fan base whine like crap about it.
Competitiveness
RU Fans don't seem to mind one sided score lines but RL fans don't. Sadly the Aussies winning 95% of the time puts folk off but that's not their fault, others need to raise their game, you get 4/5 teams all as good as each other and people will be interested, I remember early 90's the Ashes games were Awesome, so tight and crowds reflected in sell outs, get that back on folk will turn out in big numbers for it.
Rugby Union
Like it or not we are compared to their version of a world cup, I have played and coached RL abroad and it wasn't France or Australia, Rugby league is played in more places and countries than most will acknowledged and some of the people involved are die hard RU people, I have seen RU people put more into developing our Game believe it or not that RL people, they are not all alike, and often become disillusioned by the lack of a f**k from RL Authorities and so RU benefits in these places.
The game of Rugby League
Our biggest plus, our game is better and more open, it should be our biggest selling point, we will never usurp Union as the bigger code, definitely in Australia and just as much in other areas we do but overall around the world, it wont happen so don't try to, just champion our game and players more. I mentioned a while back I totally fell out of love with the game, Teams trying to wrestle and slow the game down, wasn't exciting, this season the increase in record crowds isn't a fluke, folk are been entertained and excited and they want to see these games in the flesh and not just on TV, cant wait till the new season starts, we criminally under sell our game.
Financial Investment
We simply do not have the same kind of Budget as Union does so make sure we put more in and make it work better, Internationals generate money, the more you do and the better they are generate even more, domestically in a lot of Countries Union is struggling but Internationals/World cups fix that, not permanently, but imagine what that kind of money coming into our game could do?

Good post, and yes you're right. No one hates Rugby League as much as a Rugby League fan

Great piont about the games potential growth outside the tradional rugby countries. Personally i think we are pissing money away trying to take on Union in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, South Africa....the horse has already bolted ( I excluded France because I think there is still huge potential in the south East corner were league is traditionally strong ) It looks like the IRL are targeting areas for most growth potential where union isnt already the dominat code. The IRL have scheduled dozens of internationals over the next 2 months and nearly all games are being contested by countries where Union isn't already well established ( Czech Republic, Serbia, Spain, Netherlands, Kenya, Ghana, Philippines USA, Jamaica...etc ) Jamaica is a good example of the game flourishing when it doesn't have to take on Union.

One of the biggest knocks on the League World Cup is the over reliance on heritage players. Again using Jamaica as an example, they qualified using local talent but then those players were booted for the World Cup and replaced with British born heritage players, you don't see this as much Union, Nambia, Chile, Portugal..etc squads are made up mostly by amateurs. The reason Union is more forgiving to the 90-0 floggings is because they are at least players born, bred and living in thier country.

I sound like a broken record, but even having a tiny foothold in the USA will do wonders, as soon as America plays a sport it gets instant global credibility. 15 seconds a night on Sports Center takes the sport into every market on the planet.

Abdo made some interesting comments in the Sunday telegraph, the NRL is the world's premier Rugby comp, he said how important it is to give the NRL more global exposure ( he didn't go into details but I think he was eluding to Vegas/america and future TV rights ) in the next 5 to 10 years the NRL salary cap will overtake every union comp, it might be possible to attract the best rugby players, this will have a knock on effect making internationals more competitive with players that are famous in non league markets .

Right now this is pie in the sky stuff, but who knows what the landscape will look like in a decade

 

[Chins get the wins]

Good post, and yes you're right. No one hates Rugby League as much as a Rugby League fan

I'd also add, the areas for most growth potential are countries that aren't already dominated by Union, Jamaica is a good example of the game flourishing when it doesn't have to take on Union. I sound like a broken record, but even having a tiny foothold in the USA will do wonders, as soon as America plays a sport it gets instant global credibility. 15 seconds a night on Sports Center takes the sport into every market on the planet.

Abdo made some interesting comments in the Sunday telegraph, the NRL is the world's premier Rugby comp, he said how important it is to give the NRL more global exposure ( he didn't go into details but I think he was eluding to Vegas/america and future TV rights ) in the next 5 to 10 years the NRL salary cap will overtake every union comp, it might be possible to attract the best rugby players, this will have a knock effect making internationals more competitive with players that are famous in non league markets .

But no "best" union players exist

 

[taste2taste]

But no "best" union players exist

I like bashing Union more than most but even I'd admit there are a dozen players in the RUWC who would be beasts in the NRL.

Even the Walabies have Tongan Thor, the guy with the big Afro and thier centers can play a bit ( I honestly don't know any of thier names and couldn't be bothered googling )

In All Blacks Stevenson, McKenzie, Suva, Calab...and that fullback who Bennet tried to sign for the dolphins and that hooker Robinson tried to sign for the Roosters ( cant rember thier names either )

A Union insta post recently put together a team of England's best team with players from both codes, they'd be beating Australia more often than they would loose.

 

[Wb1234]

If we want a World Cup like union then we need to be parasitic like they are

getting union banned from a few countries and getting it banned from the Olympics would be a good start

claiming to be the sole rugby code also

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

claiming to be the sole rugby code also

Many NRL journos and fans also appear to believe Union deserves sole ownership of the word "Rugby". The language used would lead an impartial observer to think NRL is a Union comp and another, lesser comp exists called the NLL.

The Kiwis on here who say "Union and League" are clearly Union fans first and foremost. From their perspective it makes sense to portray Union as the standard and League as an offshoot. Makes precisely no sense on the part of genuine RL fans.

 

[Wb1234]

Many NRL journos and fans also appear to believe Union deserves sole ownership of the word "Rugby". The language used would lead an impartial observer to think NRL is a Union comp and another, lesser comp exists called the NLL.

The Kiwis on here who say "Union and League" are clearly Union fans first and foremost. From their perspective it makes sense to portray Union as the standard and League as an offshoot. Makes precisely no sense on the part of genuine RL fans.

1895 was a schism not a breakaway. The new body was called the northern union and the game they played was the same as before

it’s a shame league fans perpetuate union bs

 

[Wb1234]

 

[greg]

Wow, if that's fair dinkum then it sheds a very bad light on Hamish and his administration. Though it's well known Hamish and his mates are very good at spelling which may help in any future endeavours.

 

[bazza]

Lmao blame England the crowds for the last World Cup were awful esp at st Helen’s Leeds Warrington and hull

I get the feeling that RL in England is trying to get the same people that turn up every week for their local RL team game to also go to the rep games
Sports like soccer and union appear to have more casual fans that will go to international matches but maybe not attend many regular season games

 

[bazza]

Definitely but the poms like to travel for an event especially if this exchange rate holds and a tonne of kiwis will come over too. Each of the main nations will have their dedicated supporters travelling over.

I'm not suggesting Namibia and Georgia will get 70k but even 20k is a good result. Any game featuring the top 8 playing each other will surely sell out 40k plus venues.

they get plenty of english tourists over to watch their cricket team get flogged every 4 years so no reason they wouldn't come for this one

 

[bazza]

Your initial point was about crowds in certain parts of England.

Sydney is supposedly the centre of the RL universe. If your fumbling compatriots had an end-of-season international calendar, inconceivable they wouldn't be playing any games in Melbourne.

The latest "international rules" series between Australia and Ireland in 2017 was a 2 match series with games in Adelaide and Perth

List of International Rules Series results - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Munky]

The current crop of Wallabies should be thanking Eddie Jones.

He knew they're shit so he made the entire World Cup about him as far as the media is concerned.

So little blowback on the lack of talent in the team with players embarrassing themselves with their on field output.

Masterful leadership from Eddie, but he knows he can't keep up the act for more than a few months.