The Forbidden Game-insightful book on what has & can happen

[LJC]

I have just read a book called "The Forbidden Game" written by Mike Rylance which can be bought from England through EBay for about $30.

It is an amazing insight into the lengths rugby union administrators and their friends in high places will go to in denying rugby league a fair go.

This is a real story and is not common knowledge and I would encourage all genuine RL fans and players to get a read of this book.
It shows how those with power can obstruct the development of a sport despite public demand and enthusiasm.

In some way this is reflected in Australia by the continued non playing of rugby league in most private schools with rugby union automatically given a free reign. These schools have the fields and the money-rugby league should be encouraged and made available but it is not!

To think the dominant sports code of NSW and QLD (RL)cannot get traction in most private schools is laughable and an example of this constraining of rugby league. It stinks of repression and this book shows how such repression can work.

Luckily, Aussies in general, know and appreciate what a good sport is and rugby league has got those qualities in bucket loads!

This sort of repression of rugby league is no doubt occurring to this day and in places all over the world when an attempt to start or grow the game is occurring.

 

[Patorick]

What year was it written?

 

[LJC]

1999 published. Their are current stories circulating that RU administrators are still stopping RL from playing on grounds which has impacted on RL honoring TV commitments and scheduling.

The RU people have and are still warning RL to not pursue a damages claim for what had happened to RL in 1941 and beyond. The government has admitted to the wrong doing but RU is still a very real bully!

 

[H.H]

Yeah I have heard of this book and will read it one day.

Were there Nazi undertones to this story as well?

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Steve Mascord recently wrote about how iirc the Moroccan RU had the police over there stop a touring British RL match and a bunch of other sinister stuff. South Africa still refuses to give accreditation to RL bodies, etc.

It's ridiculous that this kind of thing used to happen, let alone still occurs.

 

[madunit]

The book is essentially about the contradiction that was shamateurism in France in Rugby Union and the French RU hatred for Semi-professionalism in League.

They considered the concept of playing sport for money as sinful and it was indirectly linked to Judaism when the Vichy Govt ran the country during NAZI occupation.

The French Govt contained many RU sympathisers and they went about "Deleting" Rugby League from France.

They even prevented the game from using the term Rugby. It wasn't until the early 2000's that the French Govt apologised to the French RL about these atrocities.

French RL still didn't get any recompense for all the property and monies lost (which were all given straight to French RU).

 

[madunit]

This book is one of the two most brilliant Rugby League books money can buy

The other is Sean Fagan's "Pioneers of Rugby League"

 

[ratsack2]

the Alan Langer oval in Ipswich only has RU played on it, go fgure that one out

 

[LJC]

Yeah I have heard of this book and will read it one day.

Were there Nazi undertones to this story as well?

The NAZIs appointed the Conservative government which had RU biased people within its ranks. I think the Conservative government were able to abuse their powers with little awareness by the Germans of the real agenda(killing RL) being realized.
In fact the NAZIs made serious enquiries as to fielding a RL game with its servicemen once they had noted such a sport existed!

 

[LJC]

Steve Mascord recently wrote about how iirc the Moroccan RU had the police over there stop a touring British RL match and a bunch of other sinister stuff. South Africa still refuses to give accreditation to RL bodies, etc.

It's ridiculous that this kind of thing used to happen, let alone still occurs.

That is why we (Australian RL people) need to bring this sort of crime to become common knowledge as these RU bigots are getting away with repression tactics that defy natural justice and a number of human rights!

It's something that needs to be addressed by Australia as we are the strength of RL and the other nations are unable to do anything significant about this farcical repression that still exists to this day!

Australia can do something to help! It has the hallmarks of an international law case and this maybe so! But these fledgling nations that are trying get RL up and going are being stopped by RU biased people in powerful positions.

It's reality and the sooner we start to at least assist these areas the better we will be for it both morally and sportingly.

 

[Timbo]

Fair enough to most of the comments but the private schools thing is nonsense.

They can play whatever sports they like, they're a private school after all. Just because you say they should play league doesn't mean they have to.

 

[Perth Red]

Nothing much has changed. The union influences in Sth Africa and morocco mean RL can not get national govt recognition as a sport, RU in Russia and Georgia has all but decimated RL in those countries. In UK in the 80's and 90's you could play any prof sport you liked and still play RU except RL which brought an automatic ban from all RU clubs in the country.

It is refreshing to live in a country where RLshits all over RU!

 

[herbert henry1908]

Fair enough to most of the comments but the private schools thing is nonsense.

They can play whatever sports they like, they're a private school after all. Just because you say they should play league doesn't mean they have to.

If they were fully private I'd agree.

But the fact is they accept huge amount of taxpayers money and then discriminate against RL.


That's plain f*cking wrong.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Oh , and excellent book.

I read it a few years ago now , will have to refresh.

 

[kbw]

In regards to this behaviour in Australia its just a crock of absolute rubbish.
There are plenty of private and public schools that only play RL and plenty that only play RU.
There are no conspiracy theories here at all.
I have been involved in RU and RL administration, strictly RL now

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Bs, the reason most schools don't play union is the fact the game sucks, kids aren't into it like the other 3 footy codes, yet 3 of the 4 codes don't seem to have a problem at certain schools, only 1 does.

 

[herbert henry1908]

In regards to this behaviour in Australia its just a crock of absolute rubbish.
There are plenty of private and public schools that only play RL and plenty that only play RU.
There are no conspiracy theories here at all.
I have been involved in RU and RL administration, strictly RL now

You don't believe there is prejudice against rugby league at some private schools ?

 

[Perth Red]

Here's an Idea out of the box. ARL to fund a university RL national competition. Set up a player scholarship programme similar to the states college program's, and fund travel, set up and running costs. Could even do it in state based conferences with playoffs at end of year. What's the benefits?
Bigger pool of RL players learning the game at a higher level
Future influence on blue chip companies as uni's adopt RL and players become execs
Strengthening of grass roots and game (many players leaving uni will continue to play for local teams)

Cost $10-15mill year
Scholarship $10k a year
Player pool around 1000 uni teams around 40

 

[madunit]

Pretty sure they do have those comps, just without the large sums of money

 

[LJC]

In regards to this behaviour in Australia its just a crock of absolute rubbish.
There are plenty of private and public schools that only play RL and plenty that only play RU.
There are no conspiracy theories here at all.
I have been involved in RU and RL administration, strictly RL now

Come up with the stats champ!

Back your statement with fact.

I think you will find it very hard to have more private schools playing rugby league than rugby union and you can put that on a world wide stat as well if you like?

You may well be the type of person that deflects the real truth and the ways in which RU administrators and their friends in high places work behind the scenes to weaken rugby league and at the same time favor their very outdated and boring code of rugby!