NRL TV Rights: A raw deal for rugby union

Stop making stuff up QGIRL, rugby league is a minor sport in NZ and its not play in most provinces but soccer, netball, hockey, cricket and basketball has more participation and playing numbers and its play all over NZ. The Auckland Blues who represent Auckland is more popular than the NZ Warriors who is representing the whole of NZ and their tv ratings is twice as big as the Warriors on Sky TV even though they were coming last in the NZ conference in 2012. Its call the RUGBY WORLD CUP and its brining in milions and millions of cash for the IRB even the under 20 RWC and the Women & 7's Rugby World Cup makes more money than the RLWC. Yes, you got that right. Rugby league is a minor sport in other states of Australia except for two. In NZ its number one in all 32 provinces of NZ.

The idea that Australian Football is a private school sport is completely ludicrous statement. In the Australian Football strongholds of South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania it is played by people of all social classes. This can be seen in the South Australian Amateur Football League with as many old scholar teams from expensive private schools as there are teams from the poorer Northern Suburbs. I dont really know the other capital cities too well but I think it might be like Sydney Grammar Old Scholars playing against the clubs from Blacktown.

Wish the S15 fark off and just let the aussie sides into the ITM then have a play off witht the Currie Cup sides. Think the ARU missed the boat a bit as would rather see 4 NSW sides in the S15 with being North Sydney/Manly-Warringah/Easten Suburb's and even a Central Coast team as they ain't going to get a NRL team.

Why? As a fan of both codes I'll tell you: it's a combination of only offering 1 live game a week and having a commentary team that has idiots like Fatty, Fittler, Voss etc. Oh, and don't forget this is the channel of human leg of ham Eddie McGuire

Adam there will be no extension in the next five years under this agreement $995 000 a year they need every dollar for clubs too survive their are rumble now in clubs how the money should be spent this money is just not spent on player remuneration. Titans are in big crap financially . Storms will be no longer supported and the cowboys by news limited after this opportunities are their if you want play rugby league and thats where it stops nothing else they are not going too get the same money the top league players get they would head overseas too France England &Japan Rugby union oppertunities are far greater then N.R.L can offer . where financial rewards are far better then what N.R.L can pay

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/state-of-origin/deals-put-us-origin-games-back-on-agenda-20120513-1yl10.html

He played 5 games for the Warriors in 2012. No loss.

"Your funny QGIRL rugby is bigger than rugby league in some Australia states and league is a minority sport in more Australia states. Rugby league is a minority sport in NZ but yet they are the world champions and are ranked number 2 in the world. The sport is a joke if the number 2 ranked nation and world champions prefers rugby union, soccer, basketball, netball and cricket and even hockey." Rugby league is far more popular in NZ than soccer, netball, cricket and hockey. Hell, the New Zealand Warriors are more popular than the Auckland Blues! New Zealand might be the current rugby league world champions, but they've only won it once. Australia have won it 9 times. The All Blacks have won the RUWC twice. Australia became the first ever country in the world to win the RUWC twice. Rugby might be more popular than league in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, but the population of those states, combined, is smaller than the population of Queensland and NSW. Rugby league is the number one sport in Queensland and NSW.

David - that's a brave statement to say 'all those club competitions are rubbish' - the six nations alone averages 4.7m viewers a week, therefore it 'craps' on the NRL competition, and has over 100 years of tradition (admittedly it has expanded to six) - and that's only 1 comp!

So much for the 1billion dollar deal. lol http://www.3news.co.nz/Code-switch-Omar-Slaimankhel-to-play-union-in-Japan/tabid/415/articleID/266879/Default.aspx

All those club competitions are what makes rugby union even if they only stated in 1996 it has become big. Leicesters Tigers were playing in front of a man and his dog in early 90's and now its the biggest rugby club in the UK of the two codes. The French Top 14 and even the ProD2 and federal 1 and 2 are bigger than anything offer by the French rugby league. Enjoy your NRL and you billion dollar deal we will enjoy our rugby world cups, olympics and international tournaments in both 7's and 15's. Your billion dollar deal will help you finally make put some RL teams in the majority of Australia states where rugby league is a minor sport. We might not have a billion dollar deal but we will expand into new countries like Japan, USA, Canada, Pacific Islands, Hong Kong and Argentina. Your funny QGIRL rugby is bigger than rugby league in some Australia states and league is a minority sport in more Australia states. Rugby league is a minority sport in NZ but yet they are the world champions and are ranked number 2 in the world. The sport is a joke if the number 2 ranked nation and world champions prefers rugby union, soccer, basketball, netball and cricket and even hockey.

you leagies and your population obsession. more australian states don't follow rugby league is a joke. every town and cities in nz follow rugby union you can't say the same for every town and cities regions in queensland.

Your a joke mate and vichy didn't ruin rugby league in france the french rugby league and their clubs did the most damage and then the french rugby international side winning the fiva nations did the rest.

Rugby is a minority sport in Australia, yet the Wallabies are ranked number 2 in the world. The sport can't be too global if the number 2 ranked nation prefers rugby league, Aussie rules and soccer!

You're a laugh a minute Leo. Next thing you'll say that Vichy never took place.

" Only two states out of seven or eight love rugby league in Australia that is a joke really." There are only 6 states in Australia. Over 50% of Australia's population lives in the two states that love rugby league. You can divide Victoria into 50 separate states. Aussie rules would be number one in 53 states. It's still less than 50% of Australia's population. New Zealand is smaller than Queensland. Being number 1 in Queensland is a hell of a lot more important than being number 1 in New Zealand. There are far more commercial opportunities in Queensland.

Blah blah blah all those club competitions are rubbish. The NRL craps on everyone of them and you know it. Have any of them signed 1b tv deals. The NRL has over a century of tradition, how long has the super 15 been around for. tc you could expand the super 15 as much as you like even put a team on the moon but it will always be a wannabe NRL comp with no tradition and history. You guys enjoy the bledisloe tonight. I wonder who will win, the suspense and unpredictablity is killing me.

let's see if this works, this is directed at Clipper's remark to me. There is one game that may have a bearing. In 2005, the Auckland NPC (NPC is now ITM) side minus its big All Black stars played a pre-season NPC game against NSW side at Gosford round about July-Aug. The game was held on a Wednesday night (7pm if I remember right) in terrible weather and with NO publicity except for three paragraphs in the local rag (which is how I found all about it). All those negatives factors -- weather, lack of stars, no advance publicity and kickoff time -- and the game still pulled a crowd of 7000!!

rugby didnt go pro till 94-95!

JP, what are you smoking? I dont follow much of union, but I know for sure rugby union didn't go pro till 94-95.