Will NRL reap rewards for game?

[The Observer]

Rugby league has NRL union has the club level rugby: League wins this in Australia ONLY!!
Rugby union has the Super 12 rugby League has: umm. Nothing union wins this one
Rugby union has the tri-nations rugby League has: umm..??? Nothing union wins another one
Rugby union has the 6 nations rugby League has: umm..??? Nothing union 3-1 rugby so far
Rugby union has the REAL world cup rugby League has: umm..??? a world cup that is sh*t union wins this one
Rugby union has the more international competitiveness rugby League has: umm..??? Nothing union wins this one

Umm lets see 6-1

Only 3 countries play League @ a decent level and only Aust has any chance of winning soooo boring

That is just a brief list as you can see rugby is a better game but I still love league but it isn’t the be all and end all

I like Rugby Union too but your comparison was pretty crap.

1) The professional competitions are NRL in RL and Super 12 in Union. S12 may get double the crowds but is half as long. NRL is far more intense and competitive.
RL wins here.

2) The feeder competition, club Rugby Union in Sydney and Brisbane, is far weaker than our feeder comps NSWRL Premier league and the QLD Cup.
RL wins here.

3) RU has NO equivalent to State of Origin.
RL wins here.

4) RU has the Southern Hemisphere Tri Nations series, RL will have the International Tri Series back in 2004 (the Aus Kangaroos, NZ Kiwis, GB Lions first played it in Aus/NZ in 1999).
RU wins now but next year it will be close.

5) RU has the Six Nations, RL has the European Nations Cup - the same but England A replaces England, Russian Bears replace Italy. ENC RL starts in a fortnight.
RU wins here, but RL is growing.

6) RU has international competitiveness and a good World Cup? Get out of dreamland. Have you ever watched any Rugby World Cup let alone the one held right now? LoL! How many tries did the Wallabies concede in the last tournament in 1999? How mnay teams have won it? 3 only. RU has four good teams - Wallabies, All Blacks, England/Lions and France. RL has never had a cricket score as big as the All Blacks 145-17 defeat of Japan.
RU wins but only just.

Battle is equal 3 all.

 

[chriscnz]

Hey everyone, like bulldog_marc i am a big fan of both codes, RU and RL, this season i preffered the action in RL, compared with RU, because i am a warriors fan. After years of painful inadequacy at the club it would seem we are here to stay as a top performing side.

Anyway Joker, you make a couple of comparisons that i feel are a little too regionalised for my liking:

2) The feeder competition, club Rugby Union in Sydney and Brisbane, is far weaker than our feeder comps NSWRL Premier league and the QLD Cup.
RL wins here.

Yes provincial RU in the two main states of AUSSIE is weak, however local competitions internationally are VERY strong, such as the NPC in NZ (Curry cup in SA) which is massive over here, even when the All Blacks players are not in their provincial sides. Id have to say on an International scale the feeder competitions are much stronger than their NRL equivalents (such as Bartercard cup here).

4) RU has the Southern Hemisphere Tri Nations series, RL will have the International Tri Series back in 2004 (the Aus Kangaroos, NZ Kiwis, GB Lions first played it in Aus/NZ in 1999).
RU wins now but next year it will be close.

I beg to differ, i dont think it will be close for a long time, certainly not next year. Crowds at tri nations games certainly are much larger than international league tests, and i think it will be that way for sometime until NZ and GB become much more competitive with AUS in league.

3) RU has NO equivalent to State of Origin.
RL wins here.

Youre right RU does not have a StateofO however RU in New Zealand does have the Ranfurly Shield which compares in tradition and spectacle between the big sides. So much so that this is a tight call between the two codes (although certainly each competition is more popular in respective nations, i.e. SOO in aussie, and ranfurly in NZ). Personally i prefer Origin.

Overall at this stage i would probably say it is 4-2 Union. Those of you questioning the skills in rugby, i suggest you read Wendell Sailors book which contains a comparison on the games, it makes for interesting reading.

 

[scottie b]

Bulldog Marc, you still haven't clarified the attendance figures for the Australian Sewer (certainly not Super) 12 games. Or are you like Fonzie and can't say you were wwrrron, wwrrrooon ah whatever. ;-)

chrisnz, you make very valid points but the comparisons being made were to the game in Australia and yes they were regionalised but that was the way the post developed.

I like a good game of rugby, just wake me when there is one :roll:

Prediction: Australian 19 (1 try, 1 conversion and 5 penalties) Ireland 9 (3 penalty goals) Ho hum

 

[CouldaBeenAnything]

Ok I got to ask u how many games of rugby u ever watched not much I guess there will be no cricket score in the Eng vs. SA I can tell u that much but that one single game brings more excitement then the whole league world cup.

O by the way have you seen how many people went to watch the super 12 fool?? I guess not I can tell you it was more then 3 mil in Australia.

Last time England payeld South Africa, it was 55-3 I believe in Englands favour.

And I seriously doubt that more than 3 mil people saw the 18 super 12 matches played in Australia this year. Even if you added up the capacity crowds for the grounds they played on, it wouldn't be 3 mil in 18 games!

BTW, I like union. Always played it as a kid as well as league and don't mind watching it, but it isn't for everyone. League is a much easier game to watch and is faster IMO

 

[TripleM]

I used to like union a lot. Then I started following league. I still watch NPC and super 12 and tests and stuff on the TV, but the main difference is that union games can be so boring! And in fact often are. Its pretty rare to have a very exciting union game although they do happen. The thing with league, and people that don't like either pretty much admit this, is that its so much more exciting. Even if the bottom two teams are playing, you can have a real good game. I mean, which is more exciting, seeing a real close game of league, or seeing a real close game of union with both sides kicking 3 points every time they can.

I still like union, but I would definitely prefer league.

 

[Simo]

Well this certainly went off topic.

I think just the fact that lots of people will be playing a league game is like mass ongoing advertising for the NRL (something they dont know how to do!!!)

I think it will be great exposure.

As for the off topic argument, hasnt anyone realised yet that there will be no winner?

We all have our own opinions and no-one is going to convince the other theres is wrong. Its been done a million times.

My advice is to use the time you are wasting to do something else!

 

[Bulldog_Marc]

Well this certainly went off topic.

I think just the fact that lots of people will be playing a league game is like mass ongoing advertising for the NRL (something they dont know how to do!!!)

I think it will be great exposure.

As for the off topic argument, hasnt anyone realised yet that there will be no winner?

We all have our own opinions and no-one is going to convince the other theres is wrong. Its been done a million times.

My advice is to use the time you are wasting to do something else!

yep dats wot i reackon to people should just respeact both codes cause both are good sports to play and watch

 

[chriscnz]

yep dats wot i reackon to people should just respeact both codes cause both are good sports to play and watch

Yep good call. ;-)

 

[Matta]

yep dats wot i reackon to people should just respeact both codes cause both are good sports to play and watch

Yep good call. ;-)

me agrees