There are a lot of easy targets in the Sonny Bill Williams saga: the headstrong runaway who’s done the dirty on his mates, the conniving managers, and the aloof CEO hypocritically demanding support from an enemy that has been savagely plundered by his predecessors for over a hundred years.
All of them make great caricatures for the tabloid press and talk back radio stations, but are any of them playing out anything more than the inevitable?
It is sometimes said that the two World Wars were really just two acts of the same war, with a couple of decades gap in between. The same underlying issues that started World War One were never fully resolved, and as problems lingered, the world moved inevitably towards their terrible conclusion.
The problems that caused the Super League War that ripped apart rugby league in Australia during the mid 1990s still linger.
The compromised peace deal that brought the code back together left it in pretty much the same state it was before the commencement of hostilities, give or take a few clubs.
However, whilst the game has continued on in this no-man’s land, some new problems have emerged. Most importantly, rugby league is no longer at the top of the food chain in the rugby world.
For decades rugby league has been the bully in the Australian schoolyard and now the ARU has called in its big, French brother to come and give them a taste of their own medicine.
They should have seen it coming.
Rugby league could have spent the last decade getting its house in order. However, now the horse and Sonny Bill have bolted and foolhardy legal challenges are unlikely to have any effect.
The NRL faces some tough choices ahead and the coming World Cup will do little to plaster over the cracks.
The options are to continue as they have been, indignant, hypocritical and self-righteous, or to make the tough decision to face up to the realities that confront them.
The later almost certainly means restructuring the competition.
Perhaps there is a third way, a path through Moria, that would see the NRL adopt the ELVs and the rest of the rules of rugby with them. It won’t happen in one fell swoop but, just as the steady flow of individual players has trickled across over the last decade, it will happen one club at a time.
It will start with, for example, the Bulldogs fielding both an NRL and a Super rugby team that share the same facilities. Or the Broncos and the Reds merging.
Then, as union slowly grows with increased money from a lengthened Super rugby season, the league side will begin to dwindle as the NRL fails to restructure its competition.
The club’s board will follow the trail of cash right over to the dark side, slowly choking the 13 man team in the process, and before you know it, a great old league institution will have ‘converted’ in its entirety.
It might not happen exactly the way I’ve described it, but it is a scenario that definitely sits within the realms of possibility.
The club conversion described above is not a dream but a warning.
Restructuring appears inevitable for the NRL, but are they aware of how things have changed since the competition last shed clubs?
Rugby in Australia is arguably now in a position to pick up not only players discarded by a restructuring NRL, but entire clubs as well. If the game once again turned its back on Souths, you cannot tell me that John O’Neil and SANZAR wouldn’t consider offering their board a means of keeping the flame alive.
O’Neil’s desire for a fifth Australian Super rugby team is well known, and jilted fans may prove more fickle than league bosses might expect.
Can the NRL afford to not only lose a team and its supporters, but to gift them to its rival? Can it afford not to?
When Wendell Sailor left the Brisbane Broncos to join the Queensland Reds, the rugby league press said “we won’t miss him.”
When Lote Tuqiri and Matt Rogers followed, the rugby league press again said “we won’t miss him.”
As each of Gower, Gasnier, Tahu and Williams have gone, they are still saying “we won’t miss him.”
And now, as the next Australian rugby league player starts looking to maximise his pay packet, somewhere in France a rugby scout is assuring his boss, “we won’t miss him.”
chris
Guest
end of.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
ZZZZZZzzzzzzz.....
chris
Guest
There needs to be only 1 Rugby code in Australia and only 1 Rugby code in New Zealand.
M1tch
Roar Guru
France wont allow the codes to merge..why is this always brought up
Rin
Guest
RE: Corey did you just try and claim League is played in more countries than Union...mmmm you must live in a bubble or shall we say your whole world comprises NSW and QLD. your a dumb dumb
Dean Pantio
Guest
Corey
Guest
Rugby League is a better product, and the world realises it as Rugby Union might have a stronger international game but Rugby League is being taken up in more countries than Union. Let's just remember who Union who gets its international backs from. Check and Mate.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
I always laugh at those sorts of figures of playing numbers, because both Rugby's have many who don't want to play full contact Rugby, and instead play either touch or oztag. These two sports have huge numbers of participants for that very reason.
Robbo
Guest
One year later - NRL crowds are growing and A-League crowds are shrinking!
stillmissit
Roar Guru
mcxd - I agree with you. I used to believe that merging the codes was almost a certainty at some point in the future but after being involved with rugby out west of sydney for the last 3 years where all the players are league first and rugby a distant second I dont think it will happen. The 2 games are so far apart, the only connection is that we both pass backwards. Scrums,lineouts, breakdown, forwards jobs etc etc are all different. It takes a long time for these guys to learn union and some of them never will and it is most probably the same for union players moving to league. This would be a 10-15 year rebuilding if it did happen.
mcxd
Guest
ive come in the end of this debate. but another comment wont hurt...(well league v union debate could go on for another century..as much fun as banging your head against a brick wall) i think we should merge union and league. its a great idea . while were there we should also merge sychronised swimming and polo. horses are great swimmers. ..maybe in merge american football with track and field and replace the ball with a javelin. bags not being the wide reciever... i could go on...and i will. merge cycling and boxing. nothing like a TKO at 80 km/h.
greginglis
Guest
rugby league is pretty good.
macavity
Guest
this thread is a good chuckle delusion usually is.
ilikedahoodoogurusingha
Guest
Quote ; an average first grader in League (Andrew Walker) is a world class test player in Union,what a joke. I suppose that's why Matt Rogers, and Wendell Sailor couldn't hold down a starting spot in the Wallabies then!!
znotty
Guest
i have a rule for Rugby Union if theres a penalty in the first minute i turn it off,haven`t seen a game in years,a thoroughly crap game of endless set pieces & private school headmaster grandstanding refs,if a ref blew 40 penalties at win stadium he wouldn`t get out alive buts its the norm in that absolute crap game of rugby,an average first grader in League (Andrew Walker) is a world class test player in Union,what a joke.
Finno
Guest
Its an intersting point and the 2 codes probably need to take a long hard look at themselves, union has the international appeal as more than 3 countries play the sport in a serious manner, whilst the player numbers of union are slim. League internationally is a joke at best with the world cup a farce. AFL has a massive local following and is the Aussie game. But there are more registered rugby players in the Pretorian Rugby Club than there are in all of Australia. Leagues heart lands are constantly getting smaller as the popularity of the AFL grows. Every time another leagueplayer gets arrested a whole swag of parents stop thier kids from playing and turning to AFL or Football. Union and League hate each other but AFL and Football aint going away. And both are ready and willing to accept those who stop watching, playing or supporting league or Rugby. Union and League must join to survive let alone succeed. Purest would rather the gaem die than combine and thats a fair point but a hybrid game must be developed or Rugby or League will fade in Australia. Its all based on player numbers, and kids playing 2008 Soccer 697,400 AFL 455,800 Rugby League 209,800 Rugby Union 165,300
Peter
Roar Rookie
Wow you have created a swarm of interest. NOT!
Westy
Guest
True Tah .....thanks for the information. Hope you have safe trip. Look forward to any further info.
stillmissit
Guest
Sammy - this is very true. I have a friend who's boy was a very good soccer player but he wasn't getting any buzz out of soccer so he turned to union age 19 and loves it. He loves the physical contact and the opportunity to beat a player with more than foot skill. I remember several good players from my time (70's) who came from soccer and were great backs who could kick off both feet. Cant remember a forward coming from soccer but I am sure there are instances. We are of course referring to kids in their later teens or early 20's not age 11-15 as all kids play soccer when they are young and I think its a great game for them. League also has a strong place in kids minds particularly out West and although, as I have mentioned elsewhere, the kids are keen to play both League and Union these days, league is still their main game.
Sammy
Guest
The stronger Football in Australia the better for RUgby Union. As in other countries when people want something different than football but still desire international standing and strong competition then Union drops in place. The egos that spend the money for there own club find the cost too much in football to achieve the ego ride so turn to union to achieve similar standing across a broad base. I'm union through and through but support football in Aus also as it cleans up a messy football code market, football will take over in many of the traditional league schools and take its own ground elsewhere. Football already is the national (football) code, tv ratings and noise levels do not make another code the top spot. the players and the families involved do, politicians know this thats why they put money behind football whenever a decent business plan is put in front of them.