SpaceMonkey
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well yeah but then it’d basically be league…If union got rid of scrums and lineouts it would improve immensely
All conversions two pts and drop goals one
well yeah but then it’d basically be league…If union got rid of scrums and lineouts it would improve immensely
All conversions two pts and drop goals one
It wasn't through the military, it was through mission work.Yep was spread through the British military to the commonwealth countries, which, surprise, surprise the military didn't allow RL at the time. Where we did manage to spread (France), we were more popular than Union, so they had the resigme confiscate our assets... permanently
wouldn't the All Blacks who want a change be more risk free moving to Europe to play the same game?All Blacks putting the cleaners through Argentina in their semifinal.
there will doubtless be the usual post RWC exodus after next weekend, if the Warrior want to build even further on this years hype and success they could do worse than look at a few of them.
damn there’s some enormous units in RU these days too, the All Blacks have a 196cm, 144kg prop (Tamaiti Williams) and he’s not fat, though I doubt anyone that huge would be much use in modern league.
44-6 to NZ and they missed 4 conversions. Back to pool stage score lines
Not everyone wants to move to Europe, some of them may be content living in NZ and already be RL/Warriors fans.wouldn't the All Blacks who want a change be more risk free moving to Europe to play the same game?
Means every long kick to touch is going to go to the bunker though as it'll be next to impossible for the ref/touchies to get right accurately.The only rule change I want to see is a general 40/20 rule expanded to anywhere on the field up until a 50/10. Basically kick it over 4 of the 10m lines inside the field of play then out.
Defensive teams don't drop players back to cover can get punished and it creates an 13 on 11 attacking advantage for teams coming out of their own half's, encouraging more passing early on in sets to find gaps.
It gives team down on the scoreboard and stuck in their own half a new attacking option. It'd only happen a couple of times in a game but enough to lead to more attacking style of rugby league.
Yup! That’s why rugby is a one country sport and league is played all over the world.If the good people of England watched the union sht then the great England v tonga test tonight they must surely realise just how inferior a product union actually is?
Union having that debate
All over the world ??? I can just imagine everyone in Asia, Africa, Europe and right across the America's GLUED to thier TV watching RugbyYup! That’s why rugby is a one country sport and league is played all over the world.
Reality of Union's claim to be a global sport:All over the world ??? I can just imagine everyone in Asia, Africa, Europe and right across the America's GLUED to thier TV watching Rugby![]()
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Having lived in Argentina for years, you'd be shocked by how little the average Argentinan cares, they do have niche pockets of Union support but the average Jose in the street doesn't even know what it is.British colonial empire of the 1880s ex india is the definiton of global for rugby union
and even then in most countries dwarfed by soccer
You're right but using global spread as the criteria, what actually qualifies as a global sport?Reality of Union's claim to be a global sport:
USA - no meaningful presence
China - no
India - no
Middle East - No
Russia - No
Europe outside of France and the UK - no meaningful presence
South America outside of a couple of cities in Argentina with a niche interest - no meaningful presence
Africa outside of SA and a Namibian side full of South Africans, no meaningful presence
The world number 1 Irish side needs NZers to top up their national squad as do half a dozen other nations.
A world cup where the average margin of victory is 30 pts
Hmmm...
Completely agree they've maximised what they do have to make a very commercially successful world cup, but a global game it is not.
In terms of global sports nfl would beat union so would any American sport imo in terms of actual number of fansYou're right but using global spread as the criteria, what actually qualifies as a global sport?
Soccer obviously. Anything else?
Cricket is largely popular in the same places as Rugby except cricket has south Asia (a huge population no doubt) and rugby has France/Argentina. Basketball would be the other candidate I suppose
As far as team sports go, rugby union is the next tier in terms of global appeal below soccer whether we like it or not. I guess individual sports like golf, tennis and F1 would be the other ones that get closer to soccer than the other team sports.
I don't disagree but the post I was responding to was not using actual number of fans, it was citing popularity in the various regions of the world.In terms of global sports nfl would beat union so would any American sport imo in terms of actual number of fans
union is a nieche sport except in nz and sa and mid tier in France and Ireland
It's the same in South Africa, to watch rugby you need pay TV and ontop of that pay extra for the rugby channel, its similar to the Stan Sport set up we have in Australia.Having lived in Argentina for years, you'd be shocked by how little the average Argentinan cares, they do have niche pockets of Union support but the average Jose in the street doesn't even know what it is.
I was in England I think it was 2008 the union World Cup was onIt's the same in South Africa, to watch rugby you need pay TV and ontop of that pay extra for the rugby channel, its similar to the Stan Sport set up we have in Australia.
In a dirt poor country like South Africa, outside of the rich gated communities, can you imagine how few people watch rugby ? Soccer is thier religion, cricket and rugby are a distant 2nd and 3rd.
It's the same in Ireland, Rugby is dwarfed by Gaelic Football and soccer.
Rugby is the 1 sport in NZ and Fiji and nothing more than a niche sport every where else.
It's official, Rugby is the 9th most popular sport in the world !I don't disagree but the post I was responding to was not using actual number of fans, it was citing popularity in the various regions of the world.
To your point of fan numbers, here are some sources that try to quantify it
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The Most Popular Sports In The World
Discover the top 10 most popular sports in the world, their history, and what makes them so captivating — from soccer and cricket to basketball and golf.www.worldatlas.com
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The 10 Most Popular Sports in the World: Fan Numbers and Participation Analysis — The Sporting Blog
The 10 Most Popular Sports in the World: What is the most popular sport in 2024? We detail the world's most popular sports to play and watch. This list includes fact-based evidence about the popularity of various sports across the globe, such as attendance figures, viewing figures and participationthesporting.blog