It’s time for league and union to merge
Roar Rookie
By Wayne of Windale, 25 Sep 2009 Wayne of Windale is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union
824 Have your say
Rugby league and rugby union are currently battling it out in a downward spiral of falling popularity, relentless tales of off field barbarism and vulgarity, scarcity of financial resources and a shrinking base of on-field talent.
The two codes are also beleaguered by inherent flaws, which detract from them as spectacles in an ever increasingly competitive sporting market.
Ironically, many of these flaws, such as scrums in Rugby League and constant kicking in Rugby Union, are unique to each code. However, attempting to rectify these flaws would require the game’s administrators to make rule changes which would bring the codes closer together.
This would be unpopular to purists and would make the codes more homogeneous and less distinguishable. These flaws would easily be eliminated in the rule changes of a combined code.
The pool of player talent, combined with sponsorship and pay television revenue, would mean that the sky is the limit for a combined code.
Rugby’s Super 14 and World Cup at the international level and the domestic NRL structure as the basis for the domestic competition.
A combining of the codes would assist the following problems for Rugby League;
* lack of international appeal and meaningful international fixtures
* risk in expansion within Australia
* it’s lack of professional media presentation
* need for a more revitalised and more entertaining style of play
Benefits for Rugby Union in its present form would be;
* domestic club rugby would be re-born using a revamped NRL structure as the base
* large expansion of junior territory and resources
* improved pool of players at international level
* a more revitalised and entertaining style of play
The separation of Rugby League and Rugby Union represent a 110 year old pay dispute.
The source of this dispute is long gone. Both codes are now fully professional at their elite levels and are paid large sums from the same source in Foxtel.
Of course, it would be difficult to come upon an agreed set of rules for the game, as well as the acceptance by other countries. But change is difficult to accept.
Sometimes it just has to occur.
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Amband said | September 25th 2009 @ 12:46am | Report comment
they will never merge. Why would a world wide game like Union merge with a sport played in parts of 4 countries?
No, if anything league will collapse and Union will emerge as the only game
Jeff Baxter said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:14am | Report comment
Wishful thinking on your part and a nonsense article. League will grow far apart from union and be all the better for it. Union should make a few changes to clean up the ruck but it’s a fine game as it is. Why people desire sporting monoculture I’ll never understand.
Chop said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:41am | Report comment
yeah Jeff Union is firing on all cylinders isn’t it? There will be a bigger crowd to the Eels v Bulldogs tonight as there were for the Wannabies v All Blacks….
They will never merge but Amband, you are well and truely deluded if you think that League will collapse, wishful thinking from the Union crowd.
As a massive fan of both codes I just don’t understand the Union Fans Superiority complex.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:53am | Report comment
as a fan of both codes. did you compared the crowds of the eels/bulldogs game to the kangaroo’s/kiwis game ?
eastgate said | September 25th 2009 @ 6:10pm | Report comment
I always have a chuckle at the constant flow of articles devoted to union on this website – totally disproportionate to the sport’s relevance in Australia.
Spencer said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:59pm | Report comment
That’s because this site is part of the World Wide Web…not the Australia Wide Web…or the “East Coast of Oz-New Zealand-Northern England-PNG Wide Web”…
Jeff Baxter said | September 26th 2009 @ 2:31am | Report comment
And Wales where this league fan lives.
Siva Samoa said | September 26th 2009 @ 12:54am | Report comment
the wallabies has done more to advertise australia into the world than both the nrl and kangaroos. why shouldn’t they devoted articles to rugby union ?
NOTHING ELSE COMPAIRES TO AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL said | January 9th 2011 @ 8:22pm | Report comment
i like your thinking mate.
Then it will be easier for the AFL powerhouse to take control of australia and the north-eastern states.
megatron said | September 25th 2009 @ 12:47am | Report comment
As someone who lives in a state in which neither Rugby code rates, this is common sense
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 6:29am | Report comment
That’s like me saying “I don’t know anything about AFL or Soccer – so for them to merge is common sense”. What an insular view.
AndyRoo said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:48am | Report comment
And pretty much you could use the same tin pot arguments as this article
“in a downward spiral of falling popularity”
Both the HAL and the AFL have seen crowds drop on last year. Sure the AFL lost only 2% after years of growth but if that trend continues in 50 years the MCG will be empty in September!
“relentless tales of off field barbarism and vulgarity”
Brendon Favola and Robbie Cornflake
“scarcity of financial resources”
Port Power and Adelaide Reds could both do with some extra dollars
“a shrinking base of on-field talent”
The HAL is always losing players overseas and um Mathew Lloyd just retired!
“Ironically, many of these flaws, such as scrums in Rugby League and constant kicking in Rugby Union”
Much easier to merge the HAL and AFL in this regard, they both suffer from constant kicking!
A combining of the codes would assist the following problems for AFL;
* lack of international appeal and meaningful international fixtures
* risk in expansion within Australia
* need for a more revitalised and more entertaining style of play
* More teams in regional areas like the Central Coast and Townsville that would increase those pesky regional TV ratings.
No need for me to justify the style of play, just take it as a given. After all if the style of play needs revitalising for Rugby league, which has had it’s best on field season in recent memory then obviously AFL could benefit from a touch up too.
Benefits for the HAL in its present form would be;
* domestic club Football would be re-born using a revamped AFL structure as the base
* large expansion of junior territory and resources
* a more revitalised and entertaining style of play
* FTA coverage.
I can’t see any flaws in this logic
Anyway got to go, and apply for a job at the Daily Telegraph . Have a great weekend fellas.
Freud of Football said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:09am | Report comment
…Cue the League/Union fanatics to drag the AFL into this…
Didn’t you know Wayne, you can’t write “Rugby League”, “Rugby Union”, “off field barbarism” and “vulgarity” in one paragraph here on The Roar – that’s bound to set them off in a collective “yeah but the AFL they do blablahblah” rant.
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 6:44am | Report comment
Paranoid much?
Redb said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:53am | Report comment
pot, kettle, black.
No fan is more paranoid at the moment than a RL fan.
mushi said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
RedB what took you so long to have a shot at NRL fans?
Karlos said | September 27th 2009 @ 8:39pm | Report comment
Arrgh Redb, you must have been screaming at the television when the AFLcommentators likened the Grand Final to a heavyweight bout. I bet you were almost physically sick with all that violence being pomoted. Or are ou somehow able to turn a blind eye on this occasion?
mushi said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:45am | Report comment
Very passive aggressive introduction of your AFL arguement freud thankyou for speeding up the degeneration.
sam.gilbert said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:11am | Report comment
i dont think it would ever happen. what about a country like south africa? or almost all rugby playing nations.. one of the biggest union nations in the world wouldnt play the hybrid game, in fact the only place it would benefit anyone is australia.
ive read a lot on this idea, wouldve been better if youd explained this more, like what parts of each code to keep and take away, how many players on the field etc.
Steffy said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:45am | Report comment
The scrum in rugby league isn’t flawed, it does its job perfectly adequately.
You also say the reason for the original split was because of a pay dispute, that is inaccurate, the broken time issue was just one of several reasons for the split although, naturally, it was the one which the union writers seized upon in order to denigrate the nascent competition and its players. It might be the case that the reasons for the splut are now no longer relevant but they are now two distinct codes. A merger woiuld merely lead to three codes, not one.
tarpo said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:55pm | Report comment
Steffy,
We agree on very little. but I do agree with you here, a merger would lead to three codes.
Both Rugby League & Rugby Union are legitimate games in their own right & viva la difference.
Let each enjoy their own.
Steffy said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:59pm | Report comment
Quite
Siva Samoa said | September 26th 2009 @ 11:24pm | Report comment
Thats right. We just have to look at touch rugby and all the tags that is now run by their own national and international body.
Billo said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:12am | Report comment
Looking at the future of the two rugby codes just in Australia, league seems to have by far the better prospects for future dominance.
Its club game is streets ahead of rugby’s equivalent, despite having the lousy administration that you point out.
Its international game is nowhere near rugby’s, but it is developing, with a World Cup last year that had a high entertainment value, and one planned for England in 2013. It is likely to make up some ground on rugby, while not fully catching up for a long time.
There are only two major cities in Australia that don’t have league teams, and Perth looks ready to host a club by the time the next TV deal is agreed.
Domestically, the areas in which league falls down should be relatively easy to fix. The administration is getting slowly better at club level, and that should force changes at the NRL; News Limited will eventually withdraw from the game, meaning that the conflict of interest that league suffers from will disappear, enabling it to negotiate much better TV and new media deals.
Rugby, in comparison, has one key brand – the Wallabies – and if they aren’t firing the whole game suffers, while the ARU doesn’t have control of its domestic competition, which it has to share with SARU and NZRU.
Australian rugby had a terrific opportunity to put a viable domestic competition in place after the 2003 World Cup, but John O’Neill’s post-World Cup planning was like the Americans’ in Iraq after they invaded there.
You always have to strike when the iron is hot, but the ARU, under O’Neill, didn’t. That’s why I’m surprised that the ARU re-hired O’Neill to have a second go at it. With the Melbourne Super 14 debacle he is now showing that you should never return to your previous employment. We’ve paid a high price for that lack of foresight by the ARU.
Jay said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Couldnt have said it better Billo.
I love both RU and RL. What one lacks, the other one complements for, and in theory a merger would sound great but you only have to look at the international rules in AFL to know that a hybrid game will not work beyong a showpiece event. In the comming years, I can see a Kangaroos v Wallabies or a Kiwis v All Blacks purley for additional revenue and as a curtain raiser (ala the Barbarians match… player payments is a whole different story) but not much more than that.
Plus you wont get the IRB to agree to the ELV’s let alone a wholy reconstruction of the game!
I recall that John O’Neil mentioned on the outsiders last year that he views that there will be only 3 viable football codes in Australia in the future. That will include football, AFL and either RU or RL. I disagree.
At the moment Id have to say RU and RL are stong in their own ways. The NRL have had a great season and hopefully with an improved TV deal, they will have the financial coffers to match the RU on the junior and marquee player recruitment through an increase of the salary cap and expand to create a national competition like the AFL.
RU is also expanding – revamped S15s and trinations format. I love both codes and think they are fine the way they are.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Now that you finish your union/league research on Australia please do tell us about both codes in Wales, France, New Zealand, Argentina, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, South Africa, Ireland, England, Russia, Georgia, Namimbia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, Cook Islands, India, Uruguay, Niue, New Caledonia, Tahiti, American Samoa, Hawaii, Madagascar, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Korea, Chile, Jamaica and so on.
If you problems with your rugby league research in most of those countries mention above I’ll be more than happy to let you know how rugby union is going there.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Outside of Wales, NZ and a few Pacific Islands where is Rugby the No.1 football code? Its a nieche international game. If I want to watch an international football code I watch Soccer.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:37am | Report comment
It is the national sport and a popular sport in England, ireland, south africa, argentina, japan, italy, france, cook island, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Wales, New Zealand, scotland, madagascar, sri lanka and a popular sport to play in over 100 countries.
lets put this way. rugby league world champions new zealand has only 15,000 league players. there are over 70 countries playing rugby union that has more than 15,000 union players. that says a lot.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
As I said, a minor international sport, probably in the top 20 sports, barely.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
apart from soccer who do you think are the other major team sports on this earth ?
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:19pm | Report comment
Team sports that are bigger than Rugby;
Football
Basketball
Baseball
Handball
Volleyball
Ice Hockey
American Football
Cricket
Just off the top of my head
Rin said | October 8th 2009 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Absolute Crap – Fact- Rugby World Cup is the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and Soccer World Cup as recorded during the 2007 World Cup in France. (Wikipedia)
Ice Hockey ha ha
Pete said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
I didn’t know they only had 15,000 league players, how the hell did we lose the RL World Cup?!
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
Thats why Sparc stop funding going over to rugby league because they were bankrupted and wasting Sparc funding buying pubs and pokie machines instead of helping the numbers grow.
Sparc told them to change or see the sport die altogether .
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 4:04pm | Report comment
Team sports that are bigger than Rugby;
Football
Basketball
Baseball
Handball
Volleyball
Ice Hockey
American Football
Cricket
Just off the top of my head
missing link i think your having us on bro. your more paranoid than I thought. Your hatred for rugby union is the reason you didn’t put it on that list.
any five to four years old will know that rugby union is the number one team contact sport on this planet. Even bigger than American Football.
The Link said | October 8th 2009 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
So what’s your point – all of these sports are at the Olympics except the last two. Is Rugby bigger than the NFL and Cricket?
Norm said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:55pm | Report comment
Rugby is NOT the national sport of England,Ireland,Argentia,Japan,Italy,France,Scotland,Madagascar & Sri Lanka. In South Africa it is the white man’s game and anywhere else it’s a novelty sport.
Siva Samoa said | September 26th 2009 @ 1:22am | Report comment
He said it was a popular sport in England,Ireland,Argentia,Japan,Italy,France,Scotland,Madagascar & Sri Lanka.
He referred to the other nations like NZ, South Africa, Wales, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and New Zealand as their national sport.
Those black guys running around for the springboks and the south africa 7′s team must be yellow then.
the provinces going against melbourne for a super 15 franchise the southern kings from the eastern cape have 250,000 black rugby union players. thats more than all the australian rugby league register players.
Sth Auckland 1st XV said | February 4th 2010 @ 7:06pm | Report comment
Rugby is not the white mans game in Sth Africa – just look at any rugby game and the crowd is pretty evenly split black and white so get your facts right mungo champ
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 6:27am | Report comment
“Rugby league and rugby union are currently battling it out in a downward spiral of falling popularity” – yeah? This year the NRL had the second highest crowd average in its 101 year history. Why would Union give up its worldwide dominance because Australian Rugby Union is dying? Why would League give up its Australian dominance to prop up the ARU? The scrum in Rugby League is not a flaw, it serves the purpose of drawing in defenders. I would rather watch one quick scrum than 12 reset ones, followed by a penalty. If anything the scrum is the biggest flaw in Union.
As a Union fan I would hate to see it happen.
As a League fan I would hate to see it happen.
This would probably qualify as the most badly thought out article I have ever read on this website.
Robbos said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:08am | Report comment
‘As a Union fan I would hate to see it happen.
As a League fan I would hate to see it happen.’
I’d have to agree with this statement.
However, can I throw this out for abit of discussion.
Can Jarred Hayne play for the Wallabies as well as the Eels?
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:52am | Report comment
While I would love to see it happen (and I’d also love to see Slater/Gasnier/Inglis/Lockyer/Folau in a Wallaby backline. or Giteau/Mortlock in a Kangaroo one) can you imagine the legal back and forth if he got injured playing for one team?
Robbos said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:27am | Report comment
Yes I agree with the legality matters & I too would doubt it would ever happen, it’s good to dream like you have Robbo (nice name BTW).
Imagine an Allblacks bomb disfused by Slater, one of the best open field runners of all time linking up with Inglis (with a palmoff)& Gasnier (with a shimmy) to put Folau over ,with 3 Allblacks hanging on, in the corner.
Or Mortlock running thru the middle of the Broncos forwards after a brillant inside ball by Giteau.
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Robbo, Robbos, I thought you two were actually one and the same and you were just agreeing with yourself there for a minute…
Onto the article, can’t see any of this happening, this is only a problem in two states of one country in the world. Hardly a compelling argument…
Pete said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
..but Brett aren’t we the centre of the Universe?
Brett McKay said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
only if we’re America Pete..
Pippinu said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment
One has to look carefully whenever one or the other is posting on the same thread!!
Robbos said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
I’m the good looking one.
Pippinu said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
I don’t doubt it!!
the champ said | April 1st 2011 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
Sam Thaiday would turn Mortlock into a hambuger pattie Robbos. Get a grip on yourself mate. There is no union player on the planet that could handle the high velocity hitting of a rugby league defence. Thats why they chose union. Ask Garrick Morgan what its like.
oikee said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:05am | Report comment
No. Why would you want to see a superstar like Hayne play for the Wallabies and be just a ordinary player who never sees the ball. Hopefully Gasnier and SBW return to league one day, so they can become the stars again they really are, union is the greatest let-down for league players. No room to shine in union. I will give you some examaples, our forwards, Watmough, Taylor, Stars, Our halves, Thurston Lockyer, Stars, Our Fullbacks and Wingers, Stars.
I cant name one Union star, the only one i can think of is Jonny Wilkinson and he’s a dropkick-er.
Hoy said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Oikee, just cause you can’t name a star doesn’t mean there are none. I can’t name too many handball stars, or Sailing stars.
I would imgaine Dan Carter is a star, Richie McCaw is a star, Matt Giteau rightly or wrongly, is a perceived star, etc.
I am sick to bloody death of this argument. They are two different games. Having played both, I would much rather be a back in union than a back in league.
Lets just recognise they are two different games and get on with it.
oikee said | September 25th 2009 @ 9:33am | Report comment
Gave yourself away their Hoy, you must be soft.
Every man and his dog knows union backs get colds and the only ball they see is on the Big Screen. 
Pete said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
Oikee, there are a lot of gys out there who have played Union and League. I did. I enjoy watching League (and Union), but I love playing Union. You have to think a lot more during the game, as opposed to running and being tackled at such velocity that your brain tries to work its way out of your eye sockets… No doubt League players need to be tough, but backs in Union aren’t necessarily the ‘wooses’ you think they are.
Imagine being brought down at high speed in a tackle and then having 16 forwards mistaking your body for the ball as they ruck and counter ruck… in that situation the shear weight of the forward pack on top of you… tries to push your brain out of your eye sockets… there is another similarity, perhaps they should merge
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:16am | Report comment
Why would you want Hayne to play suburban footy when the world can see him do his thing?
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:59am | Report comment
you can’t name any rugby union stars because there are too many playing all over the world for you to count.
Forwards like George Stowers, Jerry Collins, Rodney Soailo, Leem Neesan, Serge Besten, Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski, Trevor Leota, Victor Vito, Jerome Kaino, Sione Lauaki and many more have more brains and skills than wife beater Watmough.
In the backs guys like Daniel Carter, Vilimoni Delasau, Napolioni Nalaga, Rubeni Caucau, Bryan Habana, Maa Nonu, Luke McAlister, Rico Gear, Riki Flutey, Frédéric Michalak and many more.
the fact is you named rugby league stars from one country show how small your game is.
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:09pm | Report comment
Riki Flutey? He wouldn’t make the Roosters Under 20′s team! Caucau, Nonu, Habana and Carter are all awesome – just as good as anyone in League. The other guys you mentioned would be average club players in the NRL.
Working Class Rugger said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Robbo
Your obviously not familar with Nalaga from Clermont then. He would be an absolute standout in the NRL.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 3:13pm | Report comment
you haven’t seen half of them played. you haven’t seen magners league, heineken cup, pacific cup, guiness premiership, top 14 and pro 2 matches. you haven’t seen the local competition in samoa, tonga and fiji so you won’t know what im on about.
lets put it this way. fijian rugby union players played in the police world cup and won the tournament where most of the players never played league.
samoan rugby union players were excuse from their clubs to make up a samoan rugby league team to face the hard png kumuls in a test match.
the samoan team made up of rugby union players only won and beat the png kumuls who played league all their lives. how do you explain that ?
AC said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:42am | Report comment
I personally couldn’t give a sh1te about stars and their egos. I prefer to see the big hard blokes putting in the heavy work to set up a platform so that someone decent outside them can finish it.
AS A TEAM.
Forward play used to be part of League, but modern League is a game that panders to the egos of these “stars” you talk about.
The two will never merge because League and Union’s philosophies on forward play have irrevocably diverged.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:15am | Report comment
So i guess your not a rugby fan. Thats why there more rugby union fans world wide than league. Keep the scrum fight coming. I don’t see you talking down the slow restart of American football. But then again why would you when millions and millions of Americans love watching that slow and boring game of theirs.
There are more people on this world that finds league boring than rugby and there are even more souls that finds league very very boring than soccer.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:28am | Report comment
So Hayne switches and he gets a bigger profile perhaps in 3-4 countries – watch out world!!!
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:42am | Report comment
SBW or Mark Gasnier are more popular now that they played rugby in France than the whole NRL and Rugby League put together.
Four countries…ha ha very funny. We are not talking about league here.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
Name them. They were already big in Australia and NZ. Rugby is a nieche international game.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:10pm | Report comment
Mark Gasnier now plays in the Top 14 and in the Heineken Cup so he’s very well known in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, England, New Zealand and Australia. If he makes the Wallabies or the French team then he would be the most popular former league player ever.
thats way more than your four.
Jeff Baxter said | September 26th 2009 @ 10:54am | Report comment
mark gasnier is not well known in wales. sorry.
Siva Samoa said | September 26th 2009 @ 11:43am | Report comment
mark gasnier is more well known in wales than any current nrl players because he’s involved with stade francais and in the heineken cup. don’t you agree jeff ?
Jeff Baxter said | September 26th 2009 @ 11:51am | Report comment
not right now mate, the heineken cup hasnt started yet and the welsh arent obsessive about union players they havent seen yet. i suppose by default you are right buts thats just a bloody shame that a player like billy slater or israel folau isnt known. people are missing out.
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Trevor – the average crowds in the NRL are more than double the Top 14 average.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 4:06pm | Report comment
top14 has two divisions pro2.
Klestical said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
wayne has been ripped to shreds
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:16pm | Report comment
Wales, Scotland, France, England – perhaps a bigger profile in France, marginal in others
Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia – profile is less.
Repeat after me – Rugby is a nieche international sport, no one really cares.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
Repeat after me – Its the National Sport of New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Now repeat this words – You Shall Not Lie.
Phil O'Donovan said | October 8th 2009 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
Tell that to the millions that watched and went to the last rugby world cup.Paris is slightly more exciting than Parramatta.
Gary said | September 26th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
League is only dominant in Queensland and New South Wales. Elsewhere in Australia it is a very minor part of the sporting callendar.
The Link said | September 26th 2009 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Trevor – best to get out of the basement and get some enlgish lessons or perhaps some professional help. Where have I lied? If you cannot understand some simple sarcasm on Rugby in Jamaica its back to pre-school for you brother.
Pippinu said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:27am | Report comment
God – not this again – an article with almost the exact same title seems to pop up about once ever six months.
Everytime it does, it always occurs to me that people simply aren’t thinking it through.
1. There appears to be little incentive for League to change all that much because its product already enjoys massive popularity. The international angle is a red herring – when it comes to club support – League has plenty, and that alone gaurantees success.
2. The merge question only ever arises in Austalia – it arises in no other rugby nation. The reason for that is simple – it is only in Australia where you have the very unique circumstance of League overshadowing Union. That being the case – why on Earth would the IRB give this even one second’s thought? They wouldn’t.
Robbos said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:19am | Report comment
Pip, while I 100% agree with what you are saying & the 2 sports will never merge.
However, the 2 pts you bring up is exactly why the discussions keep coming up.
1. Union wants the local popularity of League
2. League wants the int’l exposure of Union.
Hence my question, can Jarred Hayne play for both the Wallabies & the Eels?
Mick from Giralang said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:43pm | Report comment
Pippinu, surely this article is a gee up?
Crosscoder said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:37am | Report comment
One of the best fun articles around,”league with a downward spiral in popularity”.has to be the quote of the year.
71,000 plus attending a semi final,record crowds,TV ratings for SOO and double figure increases in FTA TV and domination of pay TV ratings.Increase of 6.8% in participation figures this year excluding schools.
Throw in expansion for the NRL being mooted for 2103.Throw in the growth in the popularity of the game in the Pacific islands.
Add the fact the game is now played throughout the UK at either junior,amateur,pro,semi pro,university and armed forces level.Crowds and TV ratings for rl are up in England.The French want another team in the ESL(Toulouse).The RFL has made annual profits 5 years in a row.
The game is now played in more countries ,than any time in its history.Merge with a game full of technicalities?
It would be like mating a greyhound with a poodle.
Anycase one of the big selling points for rl,is its simplicity,as ru players are finding out in countries such as Sth Africa and Jamaica and Wales.
The only time that rl should ever contemplate the dreaded thought of a merger,is when it is drawing its last breath.Judging by the state and growth of the game,it appears to have found the source of eternal life.
To the lazy and ignorant comment that rl is played in parts of 4 countries:PNG national game,Australia pro teams in 3 states and very popular in the NT,NZ 1 team,still played in Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch,Fiji,Tonga,Samoa(the latter 3 countries as I know it),France in the South,England pro teams concentrated in the north/pro team in London amateur teams everywhere,Wales pro team ,amateur teams spread around ,Lebanon national team,university teams and juniors.Just for starters.
Redb said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:18am | Report comment
“One of the best fun articles around,”league with a downward spiral in popularity”.has to be the quote of the year.”
Agree CC.
Rugby League is not in the same boat as rugby union in Australia. There is no reason for RL to get into bed with RU.
Redb
Robbos said | September 25th 2009 @ 8:48am | Report comment
Seriously though if you can’t pull 70K+ crowd for 2 Sydney clubs with probably the largest fanbase in Sydney in a Rugby League town for the 2nd biggest match in the RL calendar year (outside maybe SOO) with very very strong media attention, something is wrong.
I know this is a record but, lets put it into perspective, this is the major sport in this town, you would expect such a large crowd.
But I can see this comment comes from ,”league with a downward spiral in popularity’. In Melbourne, most people follow an AFL team, this is not the case in Sydney, not eveybody follows RL, alot are disenchanted with the game.
You go back 15 years ago, Sydneysiders followed RL like Melbourne followed AFL (maybe not as passionate) but still a huge following, I do not get the same vibe these days, it’s still got a strong following but it’s not as widespread amongst the non diehards.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Your dreams is getting very boring on here. When you do wake up please do talk about the other 100 countries that rugby union is played in.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
I’d hazard a guess and say Rugby is only played seriously in about 10-20 of those countries. Get a grip, its a nieche international sport. At least RL knows its place.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
of course you know your place when its only NSW, QLD, Yorkshire and Lancanstershire. South Africa has more rugby union players than rugby league players all over the world.
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Your pipe smoking dream is getting very boring on here. When you wake up please do tell us about rugby league in over 100 countries that rugby is played.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 11:47am | Report comment
what is happening to rugby union compare to league in wales, south africa and jamaica crosscoder? i can’t wait for your response.
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 12:53pm | Report comment
dear god Rugby is bigger than League in Jamaica – stop the press!!
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
So why lied or make up buullshi* then ? rugby has 10 times more players than league in Jamaica. Why lie ?
The Link said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Remind me why it matters that Union has more players than League in Jamaica? Trevor, why do you hurt so much that you seek to defend Rugby in Jamaica? Watch out for Rugby League, its under your bed and coming to get you in marouding hordes
Trevor Allan said | September 25th 2009 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
im not defending rugby im just telling the truth. if you keep lying then i’ll just come back and correct you. there’s a different between dreaming and reality.
The Link said | September 26th 2009 @ 12:49pm | Report comment
Trevor – where have I lied? Your dillusions have driven you to defend Rugby in Jamaica to prove some sort of point of which is not clear.
Robbo said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:13pm | Report comment
Trevor – language please! Could you and Siva stop being so confrontational! This isn’t a forum for code warfare – I love both games. They both have things that the other code cannot match. What we are discussing here is the idea of a merger of the codes – not which one is “better”.
oikee said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
Hehe, if NZ had as many rugby league players as Union does, it would be the most powerful rugby league nation on Earth, same applies to all those other wasted rugby union playing nations, all those players and yet their international game is no better than watching the Currie cup. ?
Union is wasting players that could be absolute stars if they played rugby league, wait on, they are not good enough to play league, Brad Thorn, a retired league player now a star for the All, Blacks, wake up man.
Siva Samoa said | September 25th 2009 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Majority of the kiwi’s playing in the nrl and kiwi’s international side were those who didn’t make into their school 1st XV in NZ.
So all those rugby union players were the best that New Zealand had and thats why the All Blacks are consider the best team and the most famous team in the world ever.
Brad Thorn played for the Crusaders and decided to switch back to league and was told he would never made the Broncos and too slow for the NRL. His first year back in rugby league he made the Queensland State Of Origin team. The pinnacle of rugby league.
The same was said about Wedall Sailor and Matt Rogers. Should I carry on ?
You wouldn’t want me to name more than twenty league players in the last couple of years who switch to rugby union in the northern hemisphere who fail and had to go back to league ?
I wish you wake up from that dream of yours man. Must be hard living in America with all those high schools, colleges and female all playing the popular version of the game.
Justin said | September 25th 2009 @ 7:56am | Report comment
Oh dear, this sort of stuff should be banned from the Roar.
All it does is bring out the peanuts who either bag the crap out of one code or another, say my game is better than yours, my sport is played in so many countries, look at the TV ratings blah blah farking blah!
Pete said | September 25th 2009 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Justin, I don’t know what code you follow, but I’m certian my “blah blah farking blah” is better than you “blah blah farking blah”