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
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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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- Leeds Rhinos, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League, World Club Challenge
January 29th 2010 @ 9:02am
Jay said | January 29th 2010 @ 9:02am | Report comment
I think all these suggestions about a revamped wcc, its great to see the potential in the product of RL in Australia.
We have the best RL compeition in the world and Australian second most popular winter football code. There is SoO, WC’s, 4 nations, All Stars game etc. Plus we have teams in NZ (add France for the SL) and other teams wanting to join our competition left, right and centre.
There is so much promise in RL and some many avenues to generate revenue. Ofcourse the trick is to figure out how, but with the IC being instaled soon (hopefully) – I think we are headed for some exciting times.
January 29th 2010 @ 12:23pm
Corey said | January 29th 2010 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
I think the WCC should either happen one of these two ways.
1)NRL semi-final teams (e.g. 2009- Broncos, Storm, Parramatta, Bulldogs) play knockout against the 4 semi-finalists of the Super League. or….
2) The NRL sets up a club challenge cup like that of the European Challenge Cup (where Russian, French, Scottish and Welsh teams play), with Pacific nations teams playing (like Port Moresby, Wellington Orcas, Apia, etc.) play against the Q cup and NSWRL cup teams to compete eventually with the NRL teams in a knockout until we get to the semis and thats when our teams vs the European semis teams. The British can do it, so why can’t we- and it would generate extra revenue for the game via selling the competition to a separate TV deal, like Channel One HD.
January 29th 2010 @ 3:33pm
Andy said | January 29th 2010 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
The problem is that the world club challenge teams are not always the same as the ones that won the grandfinals of both competitions. Another problem is that the game is very rarely played in australia which is dissapointing. I think that once they get around to fixing these two issues that the game will be respected more than what it currently is.
January 29th 2010 @ 9:23pm
Mick from Giralang said | January 29th 2010 @ 9:23pm | Report comment
Andy, you’re never going to replicate the same teams…the attriition rate in rugby league simply won’t allow that. As it is, the game is an excellent demonstration of the comparative strengths of the respective competitions — and the success of the British teams shows there’s not a lot between us at club level. The WCC is simply one element of rugby league’s international program — albeit one that has prove very successful, despite the logistical problems posed by the north/south hemishpere divides. At the same time, it’s always fruitful to look at ways of improving things — hence the value of M1tch’s article.
January 30th 2010 @ 10:15am
Andrew Watson said | January 30th 2010 @ 10:15am | Report comment
Mick, are you kiddn. No team would want to be hitting any strengths at the start of a long season. NRL big hitters dont even start hitting thier peaks until round 8-10, as they have another 16 rounds to decide thier fate.
To say the English teams are not too far away is a loooong guess, but they have had success under the current format. Further more when they last played it Australia, Wigan did beat Brisbane in Brisbane.
But to say this game is an ‘excellent demonstration’ is laughable…
January 31st 2010 @ 6:09am
Mick from Giralang said | January 31st 2010 @ 6:09am | Report comment
So, the English teams win when it’s played here, and win when it’s played over there….far from a “laughable” demonstration of the relative strengths of the two club competitions.
No one’s suggesting the NRL clubs are hitting their peak at the start of the season. But it’s simply “laughable” to suggest they don’t take it seriously.
January 31st 2010 @ 1:59pm
Andrew Watson said | January 31st 2010 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
wait till you see the Melbourne line up this year.
There will be no Cronk, White, Inglis, Blair, Smith, Slater…
January 31st 2010 @ 6:38pm
Mick from Giralang said | January 31st 2010 @ 6:38pm | Report comment
This is the squad they took for 2009:
Adam Blair
Will Chambers
Cooper Cronk
Israel Folau
Liam Foran
Matt Geyer
Ryan Hoffman
Dallas Johnson
Antonio Kaufusi
Jeff Lima
Sika Manu
Dane Nielsen
Anthony Quinn
Billy Slater
Jeremy Smith
Sam Tagataese
Aiden Tolman
Steve Turner
January 30th 2010 @ 7:50am
chris said | January 30th 2010 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Well it’s been Wigan and then Bradford and for a while it’s Leeds crowds which are strong but the rest 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.
February 1st 2010 @ 10:03am
Sam said | February 1st 2010 @ 10:03am | Report comment
actually both stole the idea from soccer – champions league?
January 30th 2010 @ 8:34am
Travis said | January 30th 2010 @ 8:34am | Report comment
30K fans turned up to watch Leeds and Manly in Feb 2009. I’d call that a successful venture. End of story.
January 30th 2010 @ 10:57am
Andy said | January 30th 2010 @ 10:57am | Report comment
“the game is an excellent demonstration of the comparative strengths of the respective competitions”
No it is not Mick, because of the home ground advantage, linesman, video ref, engage super league rules, and weather. You know i could be wrong because this is just speculation but it seems that the australian side is at a disadvatage.
January 31st 2010 @ 6:13am
Mick from Giralang said | January 31st 2010 @ 6:13am | Report comment
Andy you’re right about the home ground factor etc….but there is simply no other way of matching two club sides, unless a game can be arranged at a neutral venue, say, on the moon.
I simply don’t understand how anyone can say a match between two teams is not a demonstration of their relative strengths?
Please explain!
January 31st 2010 @ 6:54am
Sportfreak said | January 31st 2010 @ 6:54am | Report comment
face it, the ESL is better than the NRL. It shows every year when the Aus teams are humbled by the poms.
February 1st 2010 @ 10:17am
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 10:17am | Report comment
ha!
The ESL is no where near the NRL. If it was England would have won the 4 nations!
February 1st 2010 @ 2:21pm
Mick from Giralang said | February 1st 2010 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
I don’t think the ESL has the depth of the NRL…but the WCC has shown the top teams aren’t far apart.