World Club Challenge needs a re-vamp
Roar Guru
By M1tch, 28 Jan 2010 M1tch is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Leeds Rhinos, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League, World Club Challenge
The upcoming World Club Challenge for 2010 is now a month away with the match to be played between Super League and NRL champions the Leeds Rhinos and Melbourne Storm. The match, which will be played at Elland Road, is always supported well by the English fans.
But I can’t help but feel the match is wasted being played in the old dart year after year.
Perhaps it’s fair to say we can’t trust the Australian fans to turn out in big numbers to support the game, unless it were to be played in Queensland. And with the schedule booked solid with 4 nations and other internationals for the next four years, its impossible to fit it in post-season.
So the match must be used as a exhibition match to be taken different countries around the world as a introduction to the best of the best in rugby league.
The success of the Australia Day challenge match in Jacksonville in 2007 played between South Sydney and Leeds which drew over 12 000 people from over 40 states, should have showed the administrations in the RFL that these exhibitions games do work.
With the upcoming American League not far away it would have been a perfect time once again to take a game to the American people. Countries like Russia where the game is struggling at the moment could use this game as a launch pad for a new beginning.
It comes back to if we want people of the world to come to rugby league we need to take the game to the people.
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- Explore:
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Rodney McDonell said | January 28th 2010 @ 11:39am | Report comment
I believe this would have been a fantastic game to have been played in Melbourne. I have no doubt Storm fans would have flocked to see it and no doubt the odd few from NSW & QLD also. A 30,000 crowd would not have been out of the question.
I’m not sure if people remember, but the RFL did actually announce taht the WCC was to be played in the seychelles islands. Why it didn’t eventuate i’m not sure.
Jay said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:54am | Report comment
the storm couldnt get 30,000 to their preliminary final game. i doubt playing against an english team will break that figure.
Mick from Giralang said | January 29th 2010 @ 6:56pm | Report comment
Who’d have ever thought you’d get 30,000 to a rugby league match in Melbourne on oz rules grand final day.
Roger Rational said | January 28th 2010 @ 2:25pm | Report comment
Totally agree. It’s a waste of space being played in England. The RL guys do a great job of promoting the game in England but there just seems to be a glass ceiling. RL is no closer to breaking through now than it was 10 years ago.
Gotta say also that it’s ridiculous that the Super League is starting again so soon. The English guys must be absolutely knackered. They’ve no chance of beating the Aussies until they give their national reps some breathing space a la the Irish rugby union team.
King of the Gorganites said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
good point about giving players a decent break.
but i believe you have misunderstood why the irish rugby union team had such a big break. they didnt play a test for about 10 months as the british and irish lions toured South Africa. irish men made up a large proportion of the squad (about 14 players from memory). so the players themselves were not rested, its just the national team did not play between the end of the 6N in march and the Autum tests in Nov.i also note that ireland ‘A’ did play in the USA. just thought i would clarify that.
Andrew Watson said | January 28th 2010 @ 3:09pm | Report comment
This game is a joke. No Australian team really takes it seriously. We need a true World Club Challenge every year between top 4 teams from each hemisphere. It must be played at the end of the season instead of this Four Nations stuff. A World Club Challenge will bring in bigger multinational companies sponsorship dollars, and allow the game to become bigger around the world with the best playing the best… How rediculous is it that both teams have over 5 players missing from their 2009 squads? Play the 4 Nations as a World Cup every 4 years like every other code?!!
Rob C said | January 28th 2010 @ 4:29pm | Report comment
Andrew,
Most other codes play internationals more frequently than every four years. I for one enjoy watching the 4 nations each year and would not want to see this concept in anyway jeapordise that competition. As for growing the game internationally and bringing in more corporate dollars, how is a club series going to achieve more than the current 4 nations does. This competition has done wonderful things for the reputation of international rugby league in recent years. Prior to the 3 nations, international league was a joke with irregular competition and lack of structure. We now have a proper structure in place between World Cups (with a number of competing nations playing regular test matches). It has also lifted leagues profile in Europe to the point where a number of countries are now playing league (albeit on a small scale). This would not have been possible without the profile of the 4 Nations and the 2008 World Cup. The International calender is getting better and will only improve with the right amount of competition and resources dedicated to it. I think league is definitely heading in the right direction on this front and will build nicely towards the next World Cup in 2013.
As for the World Club challenge, I do think that a Club World Cup would be a great concept and should be played every 4 years (i.e. in between World Cups). This could generate massive revenue (played in Europe or Australasia) if promoted properly. It could also have some games played in frontier markets for promotional purposes (i.e America), however staging a full competition in any of these markets would prove costly and most likely lose money for SL and NRL.
The only way any of these are possible though is to reduce SL and NRL to 22 games a year so that other income streams can be persued without damaging the longevity of our star players.
Andrew Watson said | January 28th 2010 @ 7:52pm | Report comment
Agreed, but I really like what we see with English/European Football. The fans love the World Cup, but dont really get inthused about international matches outside of the World Cup format. Until Australia lose domination of RL and more countries become competitive, we still are gona see the Roos win most tournaments.
Playing a game 4 months after the season finishes, with only half a NRL Squad, new signings & the old players gone, how is this exciting for anyone who isnt a supporter of Melbourne or Leeds?
Mick from Giralang said | January 29th 2010 @ 6:52pm | Report comment
The clubs hardly treat the world club challenge as a joke. The only players that are missing are those out with injury or a recuperarting from surgery. The crowds and TV ratings show this match is a winner.
Norm said | January 28th 2010 @ 4:31pm | Report comment
You might be onto something M1tch.
Dogz R Barkn said | January 28th 2010 @ 4:44pm | Report comment
Some good points made here, but we are left with a bit of a conundrum:
1. focus on 4 nations on a yearly basis (which I love, and I think the format is pretty close to perfect, with 2nd tier countries playing off for the right to be included); or
2. expand the club challenge.
To be honest, I’m not sure that we can do both, and I’d think the most benefit would come from focusing on the first.
Altona Rebel said | January 28th 2010 @ 5:00pm | Report comment
How about this, Play the world cup every fours, play a world club challenge comp in between (Best eight from the super league and NRL teams playing in a knockout style where Number 1st ranked Nrl team plays the 8th Ranked super league team at home, The 1st SL team plays 8th ranked NRL team in England etc etc). Then play the Four Nations every two years in between the World Cup and the World club comp.
ScottWoodward.me said | January 28th 2010 @ 7:21pm | Report comment
The World Club Challenge is a difficult concept to promote to fans outside the two teams involved as we are about to start a new season and the Challenge is about last season. The argument is that only fans who follow the two clubs involved actually care about the result, with the wider footy community filing the game in the “maybe” box.
Unless a well known U.K. team was playing the Broncos in Brisbane, the game would not draw a acceptable crowd outside Northern England.
To play it in a foreign country would be costly and serve no purpose, even if funded by a multi millionaire actor who handed out thousands of free tickets.
Rugby League is the greatest game in the world in my opinion but we are kidding our self if we think other countries will embrace it like we do. It just aint gonna happen so lets get used to it and get it right here, in NZ and the UK.
The actual game itself is always entertaining and despite the difficulties in preparation, the Australian coaches are always totally focused trying to be the World Club Champions.
With the All Stars game set down for Feb. 13 at the Gold Coast, Craig Bellamy will certainly struggle to field his best team by Feb 28 as he has three players recovering from off seasons operations and four players playing in the All Stars.
Dogz R Barkn said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:00am | Report comment
“…the Australian coaches are always totally focused trying to be the World Club Champions. ”
I’m not sure if that has always been the case, to be honest.
mushi said | January 29th 2010 @ 3:15pm | Report comment
I think if a coach is “totally” focused on winning a meaningless friendly rather than using the entire preseason to doing what is best for defending your title in September then the coach should be fired on the spot.
Dogz R Barkn said | January 29th 2010 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
I don’t disagree – that’s precisely why I queried the statement.
chris said | January 29th 2010 @ 2:11am | Report comment
Super League starts to early and finishes to late in the UK(and France),no wonder crowds are thin.
M1tch said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:19am | Report comment
hmm apart from this year with 2 new teams, crowds have always gone up for the past 11 years
chris said | January 30th 2010 @ 7:48am | Report comment
Apart from Leeds crowds are pretty poor for Super League and i would love to think the 10000 plus at the Crusaders game where welsh but i have been fooled before i.e. Paris 1996.
But iam not trolling as it was Rugby League who had the vison of a european comp in 1995 but by 1996 Rugby Union stole that idea and it become the very succesfull HEC.
M1tch said | January 31st 2010 @ 7:47pm | Report comment
Dont want to justify the crowds, because they are many factors, but thats another arugment lol
With the 10k I was amazed, of course a few Leeds fans but a great turn out, if they win games people will stay, but if they go 3-25 again..who will turn up?
Mungoballer said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:14am | Report comment
‘World’ club challange? LOL. That’s up there up with the ‘world’ series baseball. When did a match between a team from North England league and NSW/QLD/Auckland league become the ‘world’ club challange? I suppose it’s like your micky mouse ‘world cup’ with bulk of the players coming from NSW/QLD to make up artificial team. League will always be a farcial sport.
M1tch said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:18am | Report comment
I thought i had sprayed anti troll spray on this thread…
Mungoballer said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:24am | Report comment
Too bad you didn’t spray that on yourself to avoid you trolling rugby threads
M1tch said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:32am | Report comment
hahaha, dang, notice though I dont start them
Mick from Giralang said | January 29th 2010 @ 6:46pm | Report comment
M1tch: I wouldn’t get too upset about these trolls. Their obssession with rugby league underlines their envy of the great game.
Realist said | February 3rd 2010 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
rugby league envy
n noun Psychoanalysis envy of rugby league’s thrilling, fact-paced action, causing delusional rugby union fans to troll rugby league posts on theroar.com.au
Realist said | February 3rd 2010 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
The same could be said about the rugby union world cup: only a few teams have a hope in hell of winning it and; only 8 or so nations are enthusiastic about the event, with four of them being based in the British Isles.
King of the Gorganites said | January 29th 2010 @ 8:54am | Report comment
i think what we are all forgetting here is that its all about money. the game in leeds will make money. the game in flordia (or anywhere outside the UK or OZ) will not.
M1tch said | January 29th 2010 @ 10:06am | Report comment
We need to goto Dubai for all the rich Oil money