Rugby needs to look at alternatives

[Twizzle]

Rugby needs to look at alternatives

23/10/2007 6:53:31 PM
Adam Lucius

Sportal

ARU boss John O'Neill says rugby union must swallow its pride and follow rugby league's lead by opening up the game with rule changes encouraging attack over defence.
O'Neill called on the IRU to fast-track the introduction of the innovative Stellenbosch Laws, declaring it a must following a largely dreary World Cup in France.
"Rugby league went from unlimited tackles to limited tackles, it went from three metres to five metres and reduced the value of a field goal to one," O'Neill pointed out upon his return to Australia on Tuesday.
"We need to create space, we need to create time, we want to create a philosophy that encourages try scoring.
"That's what people come to see."
"We had two very poor (World Cup) semi-finals and we had a final in which there were no tries scored."
"That will not bring the crowds back."
An expansive O'Neill also said Australia and New Zealand should make the Pacific Nations their priority after predicting World Cup giant-killers Argentina would turn down any invitation to join the Tri-Nations.
The Pumas, who stunned the rugby community by finishing third at the World Cup, are without top-class competition after being left on the outer by both the southern and northern hemisphere unions.
There is now a concerted push on to install Argentina into either the Tri-Nations or Six Nations and capitalise on the growth of rugby in the soccer-mad South American country.
O'Neill believes Australia and New Zealand owe it to their closest neighbours to embrace them rather than invite Argentina to join the Tri-Nations.
"Australia and New Zealand in particular have a very strong obligation to the Pacific Island nations," O'Neill said.
"We've got a lot of thinking to do and we shouldn't really close our mind to any option at this stage."
O'Neill is convinced Argentina would be better placed in the Six Nations -and believes that is also the Pumas' preferred option.
"Argentina's credentials are fantastic to play at a higher level, where they can be accommodated is yet to be determined," O'Neill said.
"Their players, as I understand it, would prefer to play in Europe and be based in Europe."
"Close to home, we have to say we have a big obligation to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga."



http://sportal.com.au/default.aspx/...lay/rugby-needs-to-look-at-alternatives-37693

totally agree

how come S14s can be so good and WC Rugby can be a so crap ?

 

[Clive Woody]

I shall have another shot at replying in the hope that this one isn't moderated off the board. :crazy:


Would Mr O'Neil kindly explain why he thinks changing the rules of rugby to imitate league will make the sport more popular, particularly considering the relative size of the two sports on a global scale and comparing crowd figures for the two codes World Cups.

At the last RLWC many crowds were 5000 or under, for the RWC just held the average crowds were many times this size, as they have been in all previous RWCs. Surely changing the rules to imitate a less popular code is a huge backwards step?

I would suggest that John is simply very disappointed that his boys lost out once again and is simply trying to blame the rules for his teams short-comings. A decent scrum, some pride in their performance and less penalties given away when under pressure and he might not be bleating after the next RWC.


Just my thoughts. Mods please feel free to delete them if you disagree and then accuse me of trolling... :roll:

 

[JoeD]

Would Mr O'Neil kindly explain why he thinks changing the rules of rugby to imitate league will make the sport more popular

Do you think union is perfect? Do you think there is no room for improvement? Do you think there is nothing about league that is better than union? If you answered yes to any of these then you're an idiot. There is almost unanimous agreement that the RWC was a borefest. Why shouldn't the administrators take steps to try and prevent that happening again . . . and again and again

 

[Dr Crane]

I shall have another shot at replying in the hope that this one isn't moderated off the board. :crazy:


Would Mr O'Neil kindly explain why he thinks changing the rules of rugby to imitate league will make the sport more popular, particularly considering the relative size of the two sports on a global scale and comparing crowd figures for the two codes World Cups.

At the last RLWC many crowds were 5000 or under, for the RWC just held the average crowds were many times this size, as they have been in all previous RWCs. Surely changing the rules to imitate a less popular code is a huge backwards step?

I would suggest that John is simply very disappointed that his boys lost out once again and is simply trying to blame the rules for his teams short-comings. A decent scrum, some pride in their performance and less penalties given away when under pressure and he might not be bleating after the next RWC.


Just my thoughts. Mods please feel free to delete them if you disagree and then accuse me of trolling... :roll:

Don't change anything and the RUWC will look like the RLWC in no time

 

[Seth Gecko]

I shall have another shot at replying in the hope that this one isn't moderated off the board. :crazy:


Would Mr O'Neil kindly explain why he thinks changing the rules of rugby to imitate league will make the sport more popular, particularly considering the relative size of the two sports on a global scale and comparing crowd figures for the two codes World Cups.

At the last RLWC many crowds were 5000 or under, for the RWC just held the average crowds were many times this size, as they have been in all previous RWCs. Surely changing the rules to imitate a less popular code is a huge backwards step?

I would suggest that John is simply very disappointed that his boys lost out once again and is simply trying to blame the rules for his teams short-comings. A decent scrum, some pride in their performance and less penalties given away when under pressure and he might not be bleating after the next RWC.


Just my thoughts. Mods please feel free to delete them if you disagree and then accuse me of trolling... :roll:

Do you have anything to back up your call that many games in the 2003 WC had crowds of 5,000 and under????? I cant remember one. It was a better tournament and the English team deserved the cup but the tournament was well attended. Even the lesser games. I remember watching Georgia v South Africa .... 30,000 minimum.

The lowest crowd was 15,457. Namibia v Romania in Launceston.

Get your facts right.

 

[Clive Woody]

Do you have anything to back up your call that many games in the 2003 WC had crowds of 5,000 and under?????

Get your facts right.

I guess reading is not one of your strong points!

At the last RLWC many crowds were 5000 or under

To back up my claim...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/world_cup_2000/998801.stm

Any more questions?

 

[Clive Woody]

Do you think union is perfect? Do you think there is no room for improvement? Do you think there is nothing about league that is better than union? If you answered yes to any of these then you're an idiot. There is almost unanimous agreement that the RWC was a borefest. Why shouldn't the administrators take steps to try and prevent that happening again . . . and again and again

I do not think rugby is perfect, but I know it is more popular than league, simply compare crowds for the last two respective Worlds Cups and then explain to me why rugby should try and imitate the rules of a code that attracts smaller crowds (in an attempt to make itself more popular)?

 

[Seth Gecko]

Fair enough on the crowd thing. Didn't see the L in RLWC.

Thought you were having a shot at Sydney 2003....... which was the best tournament of them all so far. Sydney knows how to stage these things.

League and union have different structures. Union is triangle shaped....... peaking at international level, quality wise and crowd wise. League peaks at club and Origin level and internationally is a big money loser and a small crowd puller. You'd be thinking the ARL would be wishing they never had to host the RLWC. It's a money drain.

Union does need to change some rules. Not in a wholesale way...... Do the Stelenboch thing. Stop the passing back into the 22 and maybe work on the points system eventually. I recon the lineouts and, if they sort them out, the scrum, are an asset to union. League scrums are crap. It just needs to be tweaked.

 

[Turdy Angle]

Fair enough on the crowd thing. Didn't see the L in RLWC.

Thought you were having a shot at Sydney 2003....... which was the best tournament of them all so far. Sydney knows how to stage these things.

League and union have different structures. Union is triangle shaped....... peaking at international level, quality wise and crowd wise. League peaks at club and Origin level and internationally is a big money loser and a small crowd puller. You'd be thinking the ARL would be wishing they never had to host the RLWC. It's a money drain.

Union does need to change some rules. Not in a wholesale way...... Do the Stelenboch thing. Stop the passing back into the 22 and maybe work on the points system eventually. I recon the lineouts and, if they sort them out, the scrum, are an asset to union. League scrums are crap. It just needs to be tweaked.

Alot of rugby union fans dont like some of the rules in rugby union . And I also know alot of rugby league fans who dont like some rules in their game .;-)

 

[Clive Woody]

Thought you were having a shot at Sydney 2003....... which was the best tournament of them all so far. Sydney knows how to stage these things.

You'll get no arguments from me over the 2003 RWC, a great tournament with a fantastic result, plus because of the time difference we got to watch England become Rugby World Champions in the morning then spend the whole day celebrating!