By M1tch -
November 24th 2009 @ 2:59am
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Extend the Four Nations to include the Ashes
It was briefly talked about as being a one-off game in this year’s Four Nations, but for 2010, we need the Ashes back so Australia and England can meet more than just once and also to guarantee good matches on Australian turf.
The current draw for the Four Nations in 2010 has a double header blockbuster of England Vs PNG and New Zealand taking on Australia at Eden Park.
The ARL has already signalled they want to play the Australia and England match in Melbourne, leaving Sydney to get a match between the Kangaroos and the Kumuls of PNG. Now let’s be totally honest: how many people will turn up for this match?
If it is 15,000, that would be seen as a good result. But it simply isn’t good enough.
The logistics of what I proposed probably can’t happen, but we need to extend the tournament by one more week to allow two matches between the Aussies and Poms. First, at Melbourne, and the second in Sydney.
New Zealand and the Kumuls could play a extra game or sit back and see their arch rivals bash themselves up for a extra 80 minutes.
This could then allow the Australia and Papua New Guinea match to be played at either Suncorp, Dairy Farmers or Port Moresby.
Furthermore, the Ashes were a great part of Rugby League for nearly 100 years. For the growth of the game, it won’t be as it used to be with Great Britain, but a new era of Ashes Rugby League can be born.
My 2010 Four Nations
Week 1: England v PNG (Eden Park)
New Zealand v Australia (Eden park)
Week 2: Australia v England (Melbourne)
New Zealand v PNG (Hamilton)
Week 3: PNG v Australia (Port Moresby)
New Zealand v England (Wellington)
Week 4: Australia v England (Sydney)
Week 5: The Final (Brisbane)
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(64)
Mick from Giralang said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:23am | Report comment
Some excellent points there. I think the problem with reviving the Ashes in its traditional format is that international rugby league is no longer a two horse race, with NZ the current world champions (gee it’s hard to type that…). Could you imagine the outcry from across the Pond if they thought their Test matches were being watered down to second-class status compared to England v Australia?
It will be interesting to see the crowd in Sydney for the Kumuls Test. I for one will be making the effort to get there. PNG are the entertainers of the international rugby league scene and win, lose or draw it’s going to be a sensational match. Anyone who has not seen these blokes play recently will be surprised at their skill, toughness and commitment. They are a joy to watch.
M1tch said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Agree about that the RFL thought it needed to end which then created the tri and now the 4 nations, but I do think alot of people have forgotton how great the Ashes battles were.
I dont think now we could have a 3 match series every 4 years or so, but included in 4 nations like Bledisloe is with Rugby and I think it would be great.
I dont know what NZ would think, but the next year a similar prize could be on offer for them.
Dogs Of War said | November 24th 2009 @ 7:11am | Report comment
The Ashes could just be the head to head results over a 4 year period. I much prefer the current format we have for the International game, than what we used to have.
PJ said | November 24th 2009 @ 7:37am | Report comment
Bring back the Kangaroo tours!! How good were they, and it could take place every year before the world cup – atm there is nothing scheduled in 2012.
M1tch said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Cant do it these days, 2012 is the rest year, remember players have been playing internationals since nearly every year.
Paul J said | November 24th 2009 @ 7:57am | Report comment
I agree with Mitch that we should bring back the ashes. What we may have to do is combine the 4 Nations with the Ashes in the same way Rugby combines the Tri Nations with the Bledisloe.
Keep the 4 Nations format so everyone plays equal amount of games but make the 1st clash between the Aussies and the Poms the Ashes Test, whoever wins that is the Ashes champ until their 1st meeting of the next 4 Nations.
M1tch said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:22am | Report comment
1 off game though doesnt really do the tradition of the Ashes justice, needs to be a 2 or 3 game series.
Paul J said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
3 game series would definitely be better but the players play too much as it is. 26 NRL games plus finals, 3 Origin games, plus the 4 Nations which we need for the International game. 3 extra games for the Ashes would be great but it’s too much for the players.
Making 1 of the 4 Nations games the Ashes test may be the best compromise.
I’d like to see Rep footy every year on free to air being:
Aus v Nz (Anzac Test)
SOO
NZ v Pacific Nations XIII (1 game played during Origin series)
Pacific Nations Cup
4 Nations (1st game between Aus & Eng doubling as the Ashes Test).
M1tch said | November 24th 2009 @ 8:44am | Report comment
Compromise probably best way to sum how Ashes could be brought back
Love the idea of NZ v Pac islands, especially if Origin is moved to Sunday night and have a saturday night with that match and even friday night have DreamTime team taking on NZ Moari team, possible weekend of rep footy
Rodney McDonell said | November 24th 2009 @ 9:16am | Report comment
The problem with playing for the Ashes as part of an already establish tournament undermines the esense of the Ashes altogether – this was confirmed via the backlash recieved from past rugby league greats prior to the Four Nations kicking off this year. It’s obvious, if your change the Ashes from a stand along, three game series to a one game nothing, you’re disrespecting an age of history and tribalism that makes the games so great.
I’d like to see the Ashes back, but squeezing it in is going to be a big task. For the first time in a long time we have nations such as Serbia, Germany and Somoa and PNG, playing our great game against other great nations every year and with that they can clearly see a path to the top. The international strucutre we now have with the European and Pacific Cups and the European Shield & Bowl tournaments is unique for us and they’re presense is long over due.
The Ashes should be brought back, but it should be in a three game series, just as it has been play for decades prior.
oikee said | November 24th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
The Sydney siders should really get behind the PNG , Kangaroo game. If it was in Brisbane, i would expect a sellout crowd.
More on PNG in a minute.
The ashes test series will be looked at in the 2012 period. This is a huge money spinner for rugby league, and its also a tradition that is ready to be re-established in our code. So the powers to be should have this in mind come 2012.
Now as for PNG, what the RLIF should be thinking about is putting some effort into having a touring team for PNG. This is what i surgest, PNG can be used as a yard-stick for international competitors, By this i mean as follows. Let them go on tours around to all the up and coming nations like Serbia, Lebanon, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, even take them to America and Jamaica. All the nations involved can then see how well they are coming along by testing themselves against the Papuans. We then can measure how far off any country might be in playing standards, if they beat the papuans, they are getting pretty close to being invited on tours of England and Australia. Papua New Guinea will benifit, and other countries will benifit, without moving out of their comfort zone, and the support will come from with-in. This would become a real interest factor for rugby league followers. Cheers.
So get out and support PNG, if it was in Brisbane i would be their.
James said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:49pm | Report comment
PNG struggled to afford to send their team to Aus for the RLWC, so i doubt there would be any money to afford a sweeping international tour and i doubt the RLIF would put up much cash in this area as i suspect there would be very little sponsorship and little tv rights interest. They would rather put money directly into PNG RL, which i think is a better option.
oikee said | November 24th 2009 @ 11:28am | Report comment
Also would be interesting how long it would take the Victorian government to make their money back on the new stadium. 3 codes playing all their games their, plus the coverage they get for a world class stadium, not only here, but around the world. Anyhow , off topic i know, but going back to the old lions tours, and kangaroos tours. At the moment we need to keep promoting rugby league in Oz, New Zealand also, because we need to make the game look good to TV audience, the poms are feeling depressed at the moment having rugby union 24/7.
Australia is our stronghold, and we need to support the game with gussto. Cheers.
oikee said | November 24th 2009 @ 11:32am | Report comment
Who here isn’t a member of a club? if not, i would strongly recommend you do everything in your power to sign up, even if its only a 95 dollar loungeroom seat member. It all adds up, cheers the oikster.
JimC said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
I think a full a Ashes series in the UK is scheduled for 2012.
Hopefully the Kangaroos will play some clubs sides too (to soften them up and confuse their team selection ofcourse)
Firestarter Bob said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
What’s Ashes got to do with rugby league? It is a cricket trophy.
Ian Noble said | November 25th 2009 @ 4:00am | Report comment
Bob
As a pom could not agree more, “The Ashes” has history from the 1890’s and is a cricket trophy. It is a pity RL can not be original and think of their own trophy. In RU they play for the Cook trophy. In fact I would go so far as to suggest in the UK using the name “The Ashes” outside cricket would be a big turnoff.
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:02am | Report comment
Springs said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
A 2-game ashes series is better than 1 but still not good enough. I can’t see a problem with Kangaroo/Kiwi/Lions tours in 2012/2016, the year before the world cup. The rest year is a poor excuse, as NZ and GB played the Baskerville Shield series in 2007, and the other countries are playing WC qualifiers. Also I doubt Australia will blame a WC loss on the fact that they were too tired from last years Kangaroo tour.
I heard Great Britian are planning to reform in 2012 for a traditional Lions tour, this can see the Ashes series properly revived, with a three match series between Australia and Great Britain, instead of England. The Baskerville Shield could also be played, with an opportunity for games against the pacific nations which the big 3 rarely play. If this goes ahead then 2016 should be the year for a Kangaroo tour, with the Ashes played every four years, and additional tests against Wales, Scotland, France etc. Having a Kangaroo tour only every eight years would give a lot more meaning to the jersey, as a player will most likely only get one chance at touring. Kiwi tours could also be played at the same time as Kangaroo tours.
As for the Four Nations, I believe that playing each other once is a negative aspect. Australia are 4 Nations champs but still haven’t beaten the Kiwis. Another Aus vs Nz game would have been awesome, but to play each other twice means playing France twice, and with the injuries and fatigue they gathered after one game I would expect at least one 70+ scoreline in the next few games.
The PNG test in Sydney should be a chance for the people to demonstrate that they deserve league tests. Bris/Melb have destroyed their crowds in recent years, Sydney recently attracted 15000 to a WC semi-final, 27,000 to a Tri Nations final (only 1000 more than Leeds drew to the same game the year before) and consistently less numbers than Melbourne. I would love seeing PNG play but I will most likely go to one of the games in Melbourne next year.
Ian Noble said | November 25th 2009 @ 4:15am | Report comment
Do you really think that a GB side would be any different from the present England team, you only have to look at the Scottish, Irish and Welsh sides to realise that in the main they are cobbled together sides with some dubious parental connections including ex pat Aussies, who are not good enough to play for England. When there were a number of RU converts from Wales and Scotland in RL it was very different as Davies, Gibbs, Quinnell, Watkins, Bevan, Tait et al were world class players and the backbone of a GB side. Unfortunately the supply of RU converts has dried up as RL can not attract the quality players from Wales and Scotland anymore. Don’t hold your breath that the Crusaders in Wales will be the saviour as it struggles to survive and judging from the latest press reports it looks as though it’s benefactor is pulling out.
Springs said | November 25th 2009 @ 10:17am | Report comment
Probably not, but having Great Britain play Australia for the Ashes is just tradition. Also many irish/scottish/welsh players have switched to England so they can play on the bigger stage. A few years ago GB had players such as Iestyn Harris, Lee Briers and Keiron Cunningham who are all Welsh and stayed loyal to Wales. In the 95 and 2000 World Cups Wales were the closest team to the big 3, poor development/professional RU has seen them fade out but they can easily be a force in International RL again. Chris Bridge had represented Ireland before and made the England team this year, so in the next three years anyone could emerge.
Boz said | November 24th 2009 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
I think the ashes should be always reserved for Aus vs Great Britain – not England. From what I have heard ( and the details are sketchy), Great Britain would tour Aus once every 4 years. So hopefully in the meantime, if Wales, Ireland and Scotland can continue to strengthen their respective countries with the European Cup, we can have a Great Britain team that truly representative of all those countries.
Cheers.
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 10:15am | Report comment
We need Wales, Scotland and Ireland playing their own matches, and lets be honest at the moment their wouldnt be too many from the countries selected.
King of the Gorganites said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
‘We need Wales, Scotland and Ireland’ – nice idea but not going to happen. in the ‘world cup’ there was not one irish born player. we need to focus on building the old heartlands in the north back up again. forget about the rest of the UK and Ireland, lets get back the north!
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:26pm | Report comment
The game cant be narrowsited with only looking at the north, the RFL is doing great through-out the south of england, Widnes will be in ESL for 2012, but the goal must be there to have a Scottish or Ireland team for 2015.
King of the Gorganites said | November 26th 2009 @ 9:56am | Report comment
in all honesty if you think irlenad or scotlan wil ever have a ESL club your dreaming. the irish sporting ma a bit likt rket is already so crowded ( a bit like the australian market). they arelady have the galeic games, plus rugby and soccer. there is no room, or money, or population to support a RL team. can u tell me how many registered RL players in ireland or scotland?
look at wales. they have a long history of RL (mainly based on stealing RU players), but still struggle with a ESL team. they have poor crowds, have lost 3 M punds this year, and will fold in 2 years. if they cant succeed in Wales then there is no hope for ireland or scotland
Springs said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
Who are we fighting in the north? I thought crowds were better than ever. Saying that we are never going to have Wales playing their own matches and forgetting about the rest of the UK is just going to confine us to the north.
jus de couchon said | November 25th 2009 @ 12:17am | Report comment
Have you Leaguites any idea how a sport should be run? A 5 year plan maybe , rather than the “next bright idea”. What will League be doing in 5 years? No one has a clue.
PJ said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:04am | Report comment
jus de at least we know what rules we will be playing under in 5 years.
jus de couchon said | November 25th 2009 @ 6:50am | Report comment
No problem PJ My point may have been badly made. What I was suggesting was that League is its own worst enemy, in that it promotes itself, in the holy chalice of expansion , at the expense of its tradditional supporters. In 5 years time I would expect The 4 Nations Competition to be replaced by something else. Has anyone who controls the future of R.L have any idea what that might be?
Mick from Giralang said | November 25th 2009 @ 7:40am | Report comment
Whatever it is, it will be better than the tripe served up by the Wallabies over the past few years.
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 10:17am | Report comment
4 nations is something we have needed, I think in future it will be a 3 year event, with a proper european nations and asia pacific cups in action
Springs said | November 25th 2009 @ 10:50am | Report comment
The 4 Nations may be expanded to a 5 Nations after the WC, with either France permanently competing or the winners of both Euro/Pacific cups in the same year.
King of the Gorganites said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:12pm | Report comment
guys- its great for you to talk about these ideas of expanding the RL ‘world” and involving the islands and the rest of britain. however, the fact is that the IRFL has very limited funds and can not afford to support these underperforming events. unofficial reports state that the recent four nations tournament lost 1.5M pounds. thats a huge loss. essentially half the profits from last years WC. games in france were poorly supported, and crowds in england (espically the northern heartland) were disappoinitng. TV ratings were also poor. the fact is the tournament is not a money maker. 2010 will be the last time. lets focus on our backyard and fight the afl. lets not worry about ireland and the islands.
Springs said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
I’d like to see the TV ratings if you have them. The crowds weren’t that bad, 23000/19000, for the Wigan/huddersfield games were similar to past tests. The poor scheduling was most likely the cause, the London game could have easily got 15000+ if it were in a bigger venue, Doncaster should not host internationals if they get crowds like 7000-11000. The Toulouse crowd was good, the Paris crowd wasn’t, especially when they have Perpignan and other Southern towns to play in. Ashes tests would be better supported. Also the final had one stand closed, the rest were sold out.
King of the Gorganites said | November 26th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
i bed to differ on the crowds up north. i would have loved to see the stadiums sold out. unforunately the werent. your right about doncaster. that was a ppo decision. toulouse was ok without being good. how wil we go in oz (crowd wise)?
Springs said | November 26th 2009 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
I think Englands performance at the world cup cost the crowds a bit. The 04/05 Tri nations games were sold out,as were the 01/03 Ashes series. The Toulouse crowd was one of the best attended tests in recent years. The Oz games will be similar. The Eden Park games will hopefully be 30000+, Melbourne will be sold out, Sydney Vs PNG will only get 10-15000, which is another reason why the final should not be held there. The final, depending on the competitiveness and whether Australia is involved, could be anywhere from 25000-50000.
Ian Noble said | November 27th 2009 @ 3:03am | Report comment
The reality is that RL choose the Stoop and I was there by the way because it is the home of Quins RL and they were hopeful that ex pat ANZAC’s would watch. Capacity of 14500, just over 12000 for the game. Next week Quins v London Irish capacity crowd, perhaps an indication of either poor marketing or lack of interest in RL. Doncaster is in the heart of RL heartlands, good motorway links and a brand new stadium, should be sold out but no, a pathetic crowd for an international fixture. Conclusion is that RL in the UK has real problems in selling it’s product. For ratings see my posting later in the thread.
King of the Gorganites said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:29pm | Report comment
exactly. ppor crowds because there was a lack of interest. doncaster was a sad reflection on where RL is at in the uK.
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
You read too much news ltd
The game in its heartlands is doing pretty well..its no fluke that RL has 4 of the top 5 most watch sports this year!
The game must expand to the rest of Australia and involve the Pac islands, much like the same for England must have another French team and possible of Ireland or Scotland.
Springs said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
I agree, if enough support is built up in the next decade in Ireland/Scotland why not have a team in these countries. The North has eleven teams as it is, Widnes is likely to be back in soon as well. Harlequins have poor crowds, Crusaders will build, Catalans are successful and Toulouse have a chance of promotion as well. Surely expansion will only improve the game.
M1tch said | November 25th 2009 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
Grow the pie, grows the revenue which means grow the money which can go back to grass roots..
The more games we have the ‘lesser’ nations playing IS only a great thing for the game.
King of the Gorganites said | November 26th 2009 @ 10:01am | Report comment
i agree about the lesser nations. the problem is though that the IRFL cant afford to keep supporting tournaments such as the 4 nations. seen the IRFL finaicla lately? they dont make good reading
King of the Gorganites said | November 26th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
remember the super league war brother. it almost cost us our game. over-expansion can be dangerous
Springs said | November 26th 2009 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
That is true. But they created about seven clubs in three years, so hopefully The RFL aren’t as stupid.
Tom Alexander. said | November 26th 2009 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Could the steady decline in the competativeness of the British (now English) national team be a result of the lack of regular Kangaroo tours? With all those mid-week tour matches, i reckon even the British club sides benefited from those tours. I firmly believe when we scrapped those tours the British game overall lost something much more important, which was probably the ability to gauge how far their own standards had progressed up against the best Rugby League side in the world. Although not as critical with so-many Kiwis now playing in the NRL, Those 3 test matches every 2 years in between those Kangaroo tours must have had some benefit to the Black and Whites own International Progress. Now, all we seem to get outside of the 3 and 4 nations tournaments, are regular Anzac test floggings. Maybe in the aftermath of the Super-League War, all these new concepts probably seemed a good idea at the time, but a decade on, the tournaments still can’t attract full houses or drum up enough interest. Bring back the Ashes, scrapp the 4 Nations, make the new Pacific and European Tournaments World Cup qualifiers, use the Prime Ministers 13 as an extra touring side not just to PNG but throughout the Pacific to further promote the game, and to help the Islands gauge their own standards. In hindsight the Ashes test series was something we should never have scrapped in the first place.
Springs said | November 26th 2009 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
I agree about the Ashes. But the Tri/Four Nations has seemed to work as of late. The ‘04 tournament had excellent crowds, as did the ‘05 one. The ‘06 comp wasn’t that good, especially the Sydney crowds. Englands poor form affected this years crowds, although the final was sold out except for that one stand the stadium didn’t open. 2010 early scheduling looks to maximise crowds, except for the Sydney game.
The ANZAC test should be scrapped, NZ are no good at mid-year tests, especially when they are always played in Australia.
oikee said | November 26th 2009 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
We are all jumping the gun, the interantional program was basically only started again last year, so small crowds like we had also at the World cup can be expected for now. Give it time to grow, please. Cheers the oikster.
Mick from Giralang said | November 26th 2009 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
King of Gorgonites says ” TV ratings were also poor”
I’ve tried in vain to find the ratings…can you please supply an official source to back your claim re. the ratings and the financial returns on the tournament?
PS: Why are you suddenly referring to rugby league as “our game”?
Ian Noble said | November 26th 2009 @ 8:43pm | Report comment
Mick
Taken from Bard, Eng V Argentina (RU) was the highest, final of 4 nations was 5/6th. I also read that the 4 nations tournament lost £1.5M (3M Aus $). RL have issues which revolve around the financial viability of the sport, as a professional sport. Is there an over reliance on TV money? Based upon these figures when the next round of negotiations take place compared to RU which is on the up in England not only in numbers but also competitions, RL will be negotiating with it’s back against the wall.
Sky Sports 1
w/e 15 Nov 2009
000’s
1 LIVE INTERNATIONAL PRO20 CRICKET (Sun 12:00) 492
2 REP OF IRELAND V FRANCE-LIVE (Sat 19:30) 419
3 WALES V SCOTLAND – LIVE (Sat 14:33) 388
4 SOUTHAMPTON V BRIGHTON-LIVE (Sun 16:15) 378
5 LIVE INTERNATIONAL PRO20 CRICKET (Fri 15:30) 360
6 LEEDS UTD V GRIMSBY TOWN-LIVE (Tue 19:30) 300
7 HUDDERSFIELD V WYCOMBE-LIVE (Sat 12:00) 287
8 SOCCER AM (Sat 09:00) 261
9 SOUTHAMPTON V CHARLTON-LIVE (Wed 19:30) 227
10 LIVE FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Mon 19:30) 221
Sky Sports 2
w/e 15 Nov 2009
000’s
1 LIVE INTERNATIONAL RUGBY UNION (Sat 14:00) 528
2 LIVE FOUR NATIONS RUGBY LEAGUE (Sat 19:00) 301
3 HAYE V VALUEV-THE FINAL JUDGEMENT (Sat 17:00) 140
4 LIVE ANGLO WELSH RUGBY UNION (Sun 13:30) 73
5 EUROPEAN TOUR GOLF (Sun 09:00) 72
6 NFL LIVE (Sun 17:31) 59
7 LIVE INTERNATIONAL RUGBY UNION (Sat 22:00) 49
8 EUROPEAN TOUR GOLF (Sat 09:00) 48
9 LIVE TENNIS (Wed 10:00) 46
10 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE SNOOKER (Thu 19:30) 44
Mick from Giralang said | November 27th 2009 @ 8:05am | Report comment
Ian: Thanks very much for providing this. It appears the Four Nations rated second, well behind the union but well ahead of everything else? Was it shown only on Sky 2? The only other figs I’ve been able to find was 1 million viewers on BBC 2 for New Zealand v England. Can you confirm? Thanks again.
The four nations was never conceived as a money making exercise. The 1.5 m investment has been recouped many times over in publicity and exposure of the game.
King of the Gorganites said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:31pm | Report comment
yea but how long can the IRFL keep investing 1.5M for a tournament that doesnt turn a profit?
Dogs Of War said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:32pm | Report comment
Who says it isn’t? TV rights alone should cover it. I would think that their are a lot of things not included in that profit/loss statement.
Anyway, it’s iIn Australia next year and I am sure it will build the coffers of the international board a fair bit given the strength of the Aussie dollar, and places like Melbourne bidding to host certain fixtures.
Dogs Of War said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:34pm | Report comment
Ian, I think that the ESL really has to push to get at least one game on Free to Air TV. Even if they give this game away for free, the exposure it would give the code is the shot in the arm it needs.
King of the Gorganites said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:37pm | Report comment
ha your dreaming about tv rights covering the costs. i refer to ian’s above figures on the ratings in the UK. RL is sliding in the UK> it needs to somehow stop the rot.
did u notice the RU crwods this weekend throughout ALL of europe?
Dogs Of War said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
Yeah, the only way is to get back on free to air TV in some form. More than just a highlights show, at least a match to showcase the sport, and get people interested that may have moved away from following the sport.
As for the TV rights side of things. News Ltd has been milking the game dry for far too long, and the game itself needs to get rid of it’s influence once and for all. Hopefully what is happening in Australia, can be replicated over in England. Rugby League in England needs to realise that it will always have some sort of reliance of being on Free to air to generate interest in the sport, and really, being only on Sky Sports has hurt it a lot.
King of the Gorganites said | November 29th 2009 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
totally agree with you in regard to free to air exposure. same applies for any sports. FTA is vital
M1tch said | November 30th 2009 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
M1tch said | November 30th 2009 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
in the rugby area
jus de couchon said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:42am | Report comment
Does the RFL employ marketers rather than accountants? Here in England they do.
M1tch said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:40pm (6 days ago) | Report comment
Common sense prevails with the Australian v PNG match to be played at Parramatta stadium
Springs said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:53pm (6 days ago) | Report comment
M1tch the schedule has Australia playing New Zealand in the last match, which I find odd as by then it could, or most likely, will be a dead rubber for the final. I hope not though.
Good to see the Parramatta test, a full house there will look better for Sydney then a half full SFS. Also good to see hindmarsh state he might be playing rep football again! Hindmarsh for NSW captain!
King of the Gorganites said | February 4th 2010 @ 4:03pm (6 days ago) | Report comment
whats the full schedule?
i also find it strange not to start with your biggest game – aus v NZ
so basically its a replay pf the world cup ’super group’. hopefully england turn up this time.
any word of england returning to ‘Great Britain”?
Springs said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:51pm (6 days ago) | Report comment
October 23 New Zealand v England Westpac Stadium Wellington, New Zealand
October 24 Australia v Papua New Guinea Parramatta Stadium Sydney, Australia
October 30 New Zealand v Papua New Guinea International Stadium Rotorua, New Zealand
October 31 Australia v England Venue TBC Melbourne, Australia
November 6 England v Papua New Guinea Eden Park Auckland, New Zealand
November 6 New Zealand v Australia Eden Park Auckland, New Zealand
November 13 Four Nations Final Suncorp Stadium Brisbane, Australia