The future of RU

[terracesider]

I find it surprising that, after a decade of open professionalism, Union has not even begun to come to grips with being a professional sport and started to reform itself so that it can attract more spectators.
Like many other people, I find it incredibly boring to watch becuse of:

1. endless scrums;
2. chaotic rucks;
3. farcical lineouts;
4. the emphasis on goal kicking, as opposed to tries.

Isn't it about time the game's administators began to address the problems? Or is RU going to leave things as they are; if so, can it survive as a professional sport?

 

[Crusader]

So you don't find the league scrums boring, or the standing back and running, repeat ad infinitum??? :roll:

 

[incredible_holc]

nope not really

 

[Crusader]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :?

 

[Poida_Raider]

yeah terrace man i dont really know why you bothered posting here, your clearly wasting ours, and your own time..
because what you just said is stupid.

and as far as scrums go, and being a big league fan.. forwards actually work in union scrums.

 

[ripper]

Stop Watching one f***ing team (i.e England) and watch the S12.

 

[Auckland4ever]

If youre English, I can understand why you find it boring.

Those 'problems' you mentioned arent the ones that kill off professional sports.

 

[Anonymous]

Geeez I love it when pure leaguies come in here and point out how 'boring and repetitive' union is. 4 hitups. Backline movement. Kick. Repeat ad nauseum. That is how league works. Still repetitive, but I guess you just missed that?

 

[rugged]

Why should anyone address those "problems". Firstly, who says they are problems (besides the league people), and secondly then it would turn into rugby league and we already have that.
Rugby league can be boring too in the way that Timbo pointed out.
But I must admit that I much prefer running rugby. Sometimes at the rugby when people clap and make a big fuss over some action that's just happened I think "that happens for most of the game in league".
Then again I think that league rucks and scrums are pretty pathetic and I like watching lineouts.
It's the predictable bits in both games that are boring to watch but that makes the exciting bits seem better.
Vive la difference I say.

 

[terracesider]

At last a sensible reply, thanks rugged.

Why should anyone address those "problems". Firstly, who says they are problems (besides the league people)...

My point is really that professional sport is dominated by finance. If RU is develop and thrive as a professional game, the choice, I think, is between attracting more spectators or going down the dangerous route of over-reliance on corporate sponsorship and television money. That inevitably means some changes in the way the game is played and an accceptance, however reluctant, that what the purists enjoy is not necessarily going to have a popular appeal. The alternative is sort of slow commercial death currently being suffered by Welsh RU.

I can sympathise with the purists. I'd like to see RL go back to unlimited tackes and contested scrums but I can see the commercial reasons why it will not.

... and secondly then it would turn into rugby league

It may be that any reforms would move the game closer to RL with the inevitable calls for reunification that would eventually follow. I'd say that would be an unwlecome development for both sets of supporters.

There are already signs in the UK that the two codes are inching towards each other under the impetus of commercial opportunities. Look at the structural links between Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Tykes; and betwen Wigan and Orrell. I don't think either set of fans want reunification but the issue simmers away in the background and it isn't going to go away so let's have it out in the open.

 

[bayrep]

rugged wrote:
Why should anyone address those "problems". Firstly, who says they are problems (besides the league people)...


My point is really that professional sport is dominated by finance. If RU is develop and thrive as a professional game, the choice, I think, is between attracting more spectators or going down the dangerous route of over-reliance on corporate sponsorship and television money. That inevitably means some changes in the way the game is played and an accceptance, however reluctant, that what the purists enjoy is not necessarily going to have a popular appeal. The alternative is sort of slow commercial death currently being suffered by Welsh RU.

I can sympathise with the purists. I'd like to see RL go back to unlimited tackes and contested scrums but I can see the commercial reasons why it will not.

That is not quite true. There is a big push to see more internationals played each year to push for the extra gate dollar. The domestic markets are for each country to build I know that NZ, Eng, SA, Wales, Scotland, Fra, Arg, (the list goes on) have full sessions and are always looking at ways to push for the mighty dollar.

You see allot more marketing ploys to encourage fans to buy merchandise. And there is a thought that trying to base teams like professional soccer would be suicide as seen by many professional clubs that are now going under.

As for pushing for the corporate dollar? There is always going to be the commercial dollar trying to push their product and if it looks like rugby can push it for them then they will support the game. If this wasn’t the case you wouldn’t have seen companies like, Coke, Adidas, Nikie(?), Nokia etc support international events and be successful with it.

You could apply your same logic to league and ask why if a sport has been professional for over 100 years why it isn’t being more professional and attracting more fans?

As for he game it’s self It I think others have answered that pretty well.

 

[DIEHARD]

So you don't find the league scrums boring, or the standing back and running, repeat ad infinitum??? :roll:

Quick and fast to get the ball back into play. Id like the ball to be feed properly but it's alright.

 

[rugged]

People say that rugby has too many opportunities for penalties ie too many rules and too much kicking for ground and that league is a lot simpler and you don't have the interruption of as many scrums, penalties etc.

But I say that (except for kicking for goal from penalties) this is what makes union different and interesting because of the backline moves that are done from scrums and lineouts. Add in a good maul, a bit of stomping, a turnover of possession from a ruck and those big high kick offs that are contested and some field goals that mean something and that's why I like rugby. :mrgreen:

 

[Crusader]

I like League too Diehard, I was merely making the point that there are aspects of both games which can be interpreted as boring to the average spectator.
At the end of the day, we all want to watch a good game and that's not alway the case with either code ;-)

 

[Auckland4ever]

At last a sensible reply, thanks rugged.

If you were wanting a sensible reply, you should have asked your question in a more sensible way. Theres not a lot of objectivity in the way you phrased things in your first post. What you describe as 'problems' relate more to personal opinion, hence, not a lot of objective replies.

As far as i'm concerned, overall union has adapted to pro sport pretty well in a short space of time(10 yrs is nothing). The rugby landscape is vastly different now to what it was & the game has evolved a fair amount, especially in the southern hemisphere. The coverage & playing calendar is much more extensive, there is a s*it load more revenue being generated, the athletes are better conditioned & have more financial opportunities, the WC is a stable & very profitable fixture & there is no doubt in my mind a lot more people watch now than 10 yrs ago. Hell, 10 yrs ago I hated the sport.

Will there be further changes to the way the game is played? I've got no doubt there will, that seems to be the nature of most pro sports. Corporate interest is driven by public interest, so improving on your product will always be on the agenda, but that doesnt mean ripping the guts out of it & making wholesale changes is necessary, nor does it mean losing any resemblance to what it is now or has been in the past will occur.

 

[Crusader]

 

[ripper]

So Mr Terrece - you say you want us to be like League aye?

Does that mean you want us to have no international development - have Admins controlling our game that make the IRB look decent... :lol:

 

[AuckMel]

Does that mean you want us to have no international development

Don't look now mate, but your top 8 teams now have been the top 8 for the last 30 years.

That's some development you've got going there.

 

[terracesider]

As for pushing for the corporate dollar? There is always going to be the commercial dollar trying to push their product and if it looks like rugby can push it for them then they will support the game. If this wasn’t the case you wouldn’t have seen companies like, Coke, Adidas, Nikie(?), Nokia etc support international events and be successful with it.

I'm not pushing for the corporate dollar but it's there and its power has to be considered. Over the last three or four decades we've seen that the relationship between corporate finance and sport can be more complex than a simple sponsorship arrangement. Cricket and RL have both changed significantly in response to commercial presssures, especially from television. If RU can resist those pressures, then good luck to you, but, given the power of money, I think it unlikely.

You could apply your same logic to league and ask why if a sport has been professional for over 100 years why it isn’t being more professional attracting more fans?

For most of that time, it's essentially been an amatuer game rooted in communities. In the UK at least, although the part-time players were paid, most of them also had jobs outside the game. The only difference with RU was they paid taxed on their rugby earnings. It's only over the last decade and the commerical pressure of television money that RL has become truly professional. Since then, ESL gates are rising year on year, and the same is happening in the NRL after the disaster of the SL wars but it's been a difficult process and some hard decisions had to be made.

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If you were wanting a sensible reply, you should have asked your question in a more sensible way. Theres not a lot of objectivity in the way you phrased things in your first post. What you describe as 'problems' relate more to personal opinion, hence, not a lot of objective replies.

The original post was clear that I was expressing an opinion. If I didn't see these issues as problems then there would be point in raising them.

Will there be further changes to the way the game is played? I've got no doubt there will, that seems to be the nature of most pro sports. Corporate interest is driven by public interest, so improving on your product will always be on the agenda, but that doesnt mean ripping the guts out of it & making wholesale changes is necessary, nor does it mean losing any resemblance to what it is now or has been in the past will occur.

I agree except, as I implied to bayrep, recently we've seen how corporate interest can drive public interest. Yes, there will be changes but there seems to be a reluctance to discuss precisely what those changes might be.

 

[terracesider]

So Mr Terrece - you say you want us to be like League aye?

How RU reforms itself is a matter for RU to decide, but if it does there will probably be some interesting consequences if it does move in the direction of RL.

Does that mean you want us to have no international development - have Admins controlling our game that make the IRB look decent... :lol:

If you want to do that, we've got some admins you can have ;-)