Analysing the Rugby World Cup ratings

Georgia? Rugby union sure is popular in Georgia, but its most loved sport it is not. Georgia’s most popular sport is association football. {link}http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2011/10/globalisation-rugby{/link} {q}Georgia—which named rugby its national sport in 2010 as its team strove to qualify for the World Cup.Georgia {/q}

Rugby isn't the number 2 sport in Argentina. That's Basketball. Also, I believe that you people are massively underestimating the significance and popularity of Rugby in Australia. While Rugby League and Australian Rules have regional strongholds, they both fall short in the other's area. Rugby and Cricket are the 2 sports that stretch right across Australia. It has always been more popular than Soccer, but the FIFA World Cup is the only true "World Cup" and it's far more interesting.

For all you league bashers out there the most popular domestic competition world wide in both rugby codes in both ratings & attendances is the National Rugby League that's a fact! google it if you don't believe me

the top three world sporting events are the Olympic games, FIFA World Cup and the Rugby World Cup. Thats a fact. I like rugby league but it is not an international game however you crunch the numbers. Rugby league will grow because it is such a simple game and a better spectator sport for people who do not understand the complexities of rugby. Rugby will also grow around the world when rugby sevens kicks in at the olympics. Anyone who argues that rugby league has international presence that comes close to rugby has not compared the viewing figures between the two codes world cups. The league world cup does not really compare to much.

"Rugby league has presence in 40 odd countries around the world. Almost half of all countries that play rugby union now have their own rugby league competitions." Well yes, sort of. Wonderful things, definitions! "The population of northern England's rugby league centres (Hull, Huddersfield, Halifax, Widnes, Workington, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington, Bradford and Leeds) would be greater than the combined population of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji." Union actually seems to be more popular in these areas than league... "Are you scared to admit that rugby league is an unstoppable force in PNG?" *LOL* Not in the least. You are most welcome to it! "In PNG people risk being shot by the military just so they can see a rugby league match. No on in New Zealand or Wales would go to that length just to see a rugby union match." You've got me there :)

Hmmm, well, if PNG do have a national league competition - however one defines it ;) - then good luck to them. The last thing I would want to convey is that rugby supporters feel any need to denigrate achievements made by league in other countries!

There's a huge difference between dominant, second most popular and established. Rugby union is not a dominant sport in several countries. It is popular is many countries and easily holds its own as the second most popular game in many of them (IE. South Africa and France are good examples) but it is by no means dominant in several of them. "(and in virtually all of those countries league has no presence whatsoever).”" Try 60. Rugby league has presence in 40 odd countries around the world. Almost half of all countries that play rugby union now have their own rugby league competitions. "Now you appear to be trying to make a new point which appears very doubtful also: “The population of these regions is far greater than the combined population of Wales, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.” – that may in fact be true, but it doesn’t follow that the number of people who support league in those regions is more than the combined population of anywhere in particular." Kovana said they weren't countries. I pointed out that they may not be countries, but their combined population makes them appear like giants when placed alongside tiny isle nations such as Tonga. There are more than 11,750,000 living in QLD and NSW. Rugby league is hands down the number sport in both states. Papua New Guinea's population is almost 6,200,000. Rugby league is more popular in PNG than it is in QLD and NSW. Rugby league players are treated like royalty in PNG. If Mal Meninga were to declare he was flying to PNG tomorrow then people would travel through the mountains just to see him. The population of northern England's rugby league centres (Hull, Huddersfield, Halifax, Widnes, Workington, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington, Bradford and Leeds) would be greater than the combined population of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. "What you do have is a good, tribal, sydney-and-Brisbane-based game, with pockets of support in a handful of other places on the globe." There you go again, being disingenuous about rugby league's status in PNG. Why? Why can't you accept that rugby league is like a religion in PNG? There would be rugby union fans on here shaking their head at your refusal to admit this simple fact. Are you scared to admit that rugby league is an unstoppable force in PNG? Rugby league is probably more popular in PNG than rugby union is in New Zealand and Wales combined. In PNG people risk being shot by the military just so they can see a rugby league match. No on in New Zealand or Wales would go to that length just to see a rugby union match. When Gould turned up on PNG's shores he was greeted like a movie star. The PM XIII's team is greeted like movie stars every year. State of origin is just as big in PNG as it is in Queensland.

"Which doesn’t even have a national competition, and test teams don’t visit it for safety reasons." No national competition? Ha! The Papua New Guioea National Rugby League aka Digicel Cup is PNG's national rugby league competition. Nine teams compete in it. The DIgicell Cup might only be a semi-pro competition, but at least it is national. The ARU cannot boast it has a national competition. Australia has a national netball competition, a national basketball competion, a national soccer competition, a national rugby league competition, national field hockey and ice hockey competitions and a national Aussie rules competition. It does not have a national rugby union competition. The one it did have went bust after one year.

"Georgia’s most popular sport is association football." So what? This has just become a series of nit-picks designed to cover up the non-existence of your case. For some bizarre reason, you are trying to talk up League's non-existent international pretensions, and talk down rugby union's. Note my kind warning above re p*ssing into the wind. "If you knew anything about rugby league then you would know it is the dominant sport in Papua New Guinea." Which doesn't even have a national competition, and test teams don't visit it for safety reasons. Really, does anybody care? "My original post was in response to Jaceman’s disingenuous comment about rugby league’s popularity around the world." What popularity? Your posts are just a series of attempts to argue the unarguable, using whatever faux arguments might sound good. We don't have a problem - we know we have a world sport that is a long way behind soccer, and that is where our focus lies, growing union on the world stage. Except for the small number of union's supporters who are in Brisbane and Sydney, league is about as relevant as lawn bowls ;)

QGRL, I am not sure what point you are trying to make. You appear to be dodging from one nit-picky issue to the next. I originally posted the following: "Rugby has a presence in over 100 countries; in several of those it is the dominant sport; and in many others it is the second code (and in virtually all of those countries league has no presence whatsoever)." You took umbrage with that, on the basis that I was not allowed to say Rugby was dominant in several countries. As several people have pointed out, it is a perfectly reasonable point to make. Now you appear to be trying to make a new point which appears very doubtful also: "The population of these regions is far greater than the combined population of Wales, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji." - that may in fact be true, but it doesn't follow that the number of people who support league in those regions is more than the combined population of anywhere in particular. And what is the point of this anyway - you are just trying to talk up league as a world sport to rival union, which it clearly is not. It has pretensions to be that way, but it is far behind at present. What you do have is a good, tribal, sydney-and-Brisbane-based game, with pockets of support in a handful of other places on the globe. Be happy with that and stop wasting rugby supporters time with your whingeing.

"Look.. Not to be pedantic.. But is ‘Northern’ England, ‘Parts of’ Auckland and ‘South-western’ France countries?" The population of these regions is far greater than the combined population of Wales, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. That's the point I was trying to make.

"Which simply shows that you know very little about rugby, but I think we had already worked that out! Try Georgia, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa as well. I think six nations is quite enough to qualify as “several”. Compare this with league which is the dominant sport in exactly zero nations." Georgia? Rugby union sure is popular in Georgia, but its most loved sport it is not. Georgia's most popular sport is association football. Anyway, the irony is interesting. You accuse me of knowing nothing about rugby union, yet you went on to saythat rugby league is the "dominant sport in exactly zero nations". If you knew anything about rugby league then you would know it is the dominant sport in Papua New Guinea. If you don't know this then you are making your code look very foolish. Just about every other rugby union fan on this site knows that rugby league is the dominant and national sport of PNG. Nothing comes close to it. I find it hilarious how imply that rugby union's status in Samoa, Fiji and and Tonga mean something yet you completely disregard rugby league's religion-like status in PNGt. PNG is almost twice the size of Wales and is larger than New Zealand. Fiji has less than 900,000 residents, no? Tonga and Samoa combined have what, 500,000 or less resdients? I think the most telling part of your argument is you're basing it on 3 countries that have a combined population of less than 1,5 million residents. Oh, and the one European nation that you wrongly attributed to having rugby union as its domnant sport. You lost all credibility when you tried to pass rugby union off as Geogia's favourite sport. ". We were discussing TV ratings and how to grow union in Australia and you, in your insecurity, decided to come on board and start talking up league as a world sport!" I love the way you try to rewrite history. My original post was in response to Jaceman's disingenuous comment about rugby league's popularity around the world. What else are you going to wrongly accuse me of?

League is now violent touch football put on as TV entertainment opium for the masses (like NFL). All the action is on the screen, (ie 2 dimensional vrs other codes), is violent, the rules are simple and devised to keep the games close and they pick refs who can manufacture close contests. Some of us need something which is more unpredictable.

"Rugby league is more popular than rugby union in Lebanon, PNG, Australia, northern England, parts of Auckland and parts of south-western France." Look.. Not to be pedantic.. But is 'Northern' England, 'Parts of' Auckland and 'South-western' France countries?

Would like to add a few things to this. First of all, a little discussed fact that Rugby has more clubs in the North of England than Rugby League or are Sports England lying. Also, both American Football and Canadian Football evolved from Rugby due to Rugby being banned for being 'too dangerous'. The irony is that now more and more kids particularly in the States are returning to the game as a safer alternative to both.

It's ironic and sad in a nostalgic way when you think that some of the legends of League back in the day were the hard-men props when League scrums were proper contests. Was there really that much dislike for contested scrums and play-the-balls from the public? Or was this the rich men running the game trying to differentiate their product (League) from the obviously soon-to-be-professional Rugby Union game? Then suring up their demographic by perpetuating and reinforcing where-ever possible this myth of a working man's game. To who's benefit? Not your average punter's... The working man's game has always been the one that working men play in their spare time. League you reckon? Union? Who bloody knows... Anyway, you're right Kovana. There's way too much animosity on both sides of the fence for there to be a true reconciliation. Hopefully Rugby 7's can bring both tribes back together to represent the country at the Olympics.

Consolidated Ratings for Week 41, 2011 2 October to 8 October 2011 RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINAL(5CITY) - 2,172,000 + RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINAL(4REGIONS) - 1,141,000 = RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINAL - 3,313,000 http://www.thinktv.com.au/SiteMedia/w3svc371/Uploads/Documents/Weekly_Ratings_Report_-_Week_41_&_Week_42_2011-1.pdf PLUS 59,000 in Tasmania. http://www.agbnielsen.net/Uploads/Australia/RegTAM20111002E2.pdf These are links to the actual raw data. NO NEW ZEALAND NUMBERS.

Mike is accurate in what he says - several = more than two, and in several countries, like France, Scotland and England, while not being dominant, it has a large following. There is no place in New Zealand where league is more popular than Rugby. Even in the housing estates of South Auckland, Rugby would still be the no. 1 sport, even though a large number of people would follow league. But you always have PNG, which I'm sure will be able to contribute a huge cash flow!

Answer the question. did you include the NZ figures for the NRL GF figures? because you have clearly been shown to be a liar. you have lsot all credibility. i will end this discussion now.

Why? NZ ratings would really only be relavant if we were discussing potential broadcast rights for the NRL, AFL or Super Rugby. This article is about Australian ratings and my post was a response to this comment- "The Aus v ABs semi final was the highest rating sporting event since the 2003 RWC final." It wasn't even the highest rating sporting event for October.