There’s evidence to suggest rugby league is more popular than union. This is strange, if not downright counterintuitive. And it’s critical we understand why league is on top, because the survival of union depends on it.
It’s worth discounting AFL at this point because it’s in a totally different market. Let’s leave that battle for another day.
And before we go into things, it’s probably worth questioning what it means for a sport to be popular.
Generally the more popular something is the less inherent quality it actually has; reference Britney Spears (pre-haircut), Twilight, and Two and a Half Men.
But moving on from this uncomfortable niggle, and logging on to Wikipedia you will discover that league is officially a “faster more entertaining game for spectators”.
How disillusioning for union tragics such as myself, to recieve this from the authority on all information.
Compounding this finality, rugby league gets a $1 billion television deal and games played live every week, while union gets contemptuous coverage from Channel Nine, probably designed to protect a commercial interest in league by playing zero live rugby games. Of course the rights to the rugby must have been extremely cheap for channel 9 to be able to do this.
Also, in reading the daily newspaper you’ll wade through 16 pages of league editorial until you reach a token article on rugby; generally next to the trotts and probably readdressing the issue of how defunct the Waratahs management is.
And of course, judging by the rhetoric on The Roar, you’d think the game was less functional than an intoxicated P-plater operating a forklift.
So why is league more entertaining? No idea. Why should it be less entertaining?
Well…
How about the suggestion that league lacks variety, spontaneity, continuity of play? Yes there will be people to argue that rugby is the stop-start game. Agreed the scrums in union are broken, and yes you’d rather stick the leg of a chair through your ear and mash your corpus callosum than sit through a 15th scrum reset. And acknowledged, the Wallabies kick the ball more times in a game than a smoker kicks the habit.
But in between these affronts there’s a continuous, fluid contest where anything can happen, rather than the five tackles kick, five tackles kick, four tackles kick, five tackles kick you get in league.
Compounding the monotony in league, displays of initiative appear to be limited to the old chestnut of kicking on the fourth, and the forwards have discarded the extravagance of a sidestep, preferring to run in a straight line, only to be tackled five to seven metres closer to the opponents’ try line; a process repeated 497 times per game.
In rugby there’s a range of additional contests from rolling mauls, lineouts, dominance at the ruck and pilfering, all adding to the depth and complexity of the contest, and introducing strategy to the game. It provides a platform for great rivalries like McCaw versus Pocock and Gregan versus Kelleher. The contest is cerebral as much as it is athletic or skilful.
With league, the strategy may be limited to running lines and putting up the high ball on the last tackle. It’s not a case of league players being less intelligent than rugby players; it’s about the constraints of their game strangling the scope for creativity.
What grates most, however, is the guaranteed exchange of possession. This concept introduces a fait accompli, as every time you get the ball you’re resigned to losing it. It’s a suffocating thing, and strips the game of the ardour that anything’s possible.
There are a few other deities in league, such as the scrums which are less useful to mankind than a haemophiliac vampire. But on the whole it’s the machination of the game that’s taken the joy out of it for this observer.
It used to be entertaining back in the 90s, when Alfie Langer would trip-tackle his way into immortality and the Footy Show was actually something you wanted to watch. Back then the skills and athleticism were of a lesser standard, noted, but it meant the play was erratic and there was the possibility of something unexpected happening in every play. This had the effect of producing a fantastic game to watch.
Yet these days, even State of Origin has got an edge of banality to it. Notwithstanding, it’s probably enjoying unprecedented success.
Of course the opinions expressed here are from a biased rugby fan; there’s always the other side of the coin.
Can anyone provide their position as to why league is more entertaining than rugby?
Or can Wikipedia be wrong?
Rough Conduct
Guest
I don’t think that anyone has ever suggested that the Reds are more popular than the Broncos – ever. The comparison of home crowds is often highlighted as evidence that, contrary to the constantly spouted line from RL supporters that “No one watches Union!”, there are a significant number of people living in RL heartland that would rather pay to watch a game of Rugby Union than a game of Rugby League.
kovana
Guest
NF.. PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES. It seems all you can see is the rugby folk posting remarks... But yet you are otherwise ignoring all the rugby bashing by the league fans in this article. It gets tiresome when you only comment about the League bashing but totally ignore the rugby bashing NF. Please.. be neutral :p
kovana
Guest
Really? I thought it was the RWC 2003 Final that held the record of all the football codes... and that the highest rating was that Tennis match.
kovana
Guest
LF... When was the last time the Kangaroos sold out a test match vs Opposition other than NZ and England?..... IN australia btw....
kovana
Guest
And watch as no one argues this point Leo.
kovana
Guest
" IMT Cup is great football, make no mistake it is, but a crowd of 6,000 is regarded as a success. The local RL comp on the North Island gets better attendance at its matches." Col. Quinn... Your post just lost all credibility with that comment. Please what are the crowds for the Domestic RL comps? As for TV ratings? Im just gonna call it a lie.
kovana
Guest
"Rugby has come along way from been watched by a man and his dog before 1987 to have a bigger crowd averages than rugby league club comp and Leicester been the biggest club in the the UK in either code." Well said Leo. Yes, SL gets good ratings. But Internationals dont. AND AGAIN.. why compare the English Domestic Rugby comp with the SL, Which is said to be the Premier European Championship for RL? It once contained a Welsh team... and it still Contains a french team. How about comparing the RFL Championship to the Aviva Premiership instead?
kovana
Guest
Matt_S. I SEE you are using excuse number 2.
kovana
Guest
AWW... 3. Ignore the Laureus awards altogether and use another sport that is not my code of choice to belittle Rugbys achievements. Tiger, Soccer is bigger than Rugby no doubt... A WHOLE LOT BIGGER. bUT THAT still doesnt change the fact that a Rugby teams have been awarded laureus awards.
kovana
Guest
Matt_S. I wrote that Comment regarding Stade beating that league team, using League rules, to highlight a point. That point was, in another thread, was that leaguies were always trying to use that result from Wigan over ?bath? back in 96, and also those 7s wins... It was all down to professionalism. League was more professional when Rugby decided to go fully pro in 95... So when they had cross code matches and 7s tourneys, the League teams were more fit and stronger at those times due to professionalism. SF beat that league team, at RL, because they were a more professional outfit at the time.
kovana
Guest
amband. "Romania 15 - 18 France Dinamo Stadion, Bucharest 95000 19 May 1957 Details" Wow.. I did not know that... Too bad rugby has gone backwards in Romania. But awesome list! Good to see Italy, Ireland and Scotland in that list as well.
kovana
Guest
And actually the Top 14 crowd average in 2010 -2011 was 15K. With the Ligue 1 average that season at 19K.
81paling
Roar Rookie
I played. Rugby (badly) for twelve years and loved it when the world cup came to Australia but since then it has just slowly disappeared. In years gone by I went to several Tah's, wallabies and University rugby matches but as I refuse to pay for tv it just seems union disappeared from view. This year I went to 18 league matches and watched the 3 fta matches almost every week but, only made it to 1 union match and I admit I just forgot about (regretably) almost half the seasons Shuts shield matches. What is clear though is that Fox and channel 9 are killing any potential that Union has of reaching the majority of potential fans for Union if they have not already done so. Ironically though it appears that league could head down the same path (or is).
81paling
Roar Rookie
I played. Rugby (badly) for twelve years and loved it when the world cup came to Australia but since then it has just slowly disappeared. In years gone by I went to several Tah's, wallabies and University rugby matches but as I refuse to pay for tv it just seems union disappeared from view. This year I went to 18 league matches and watched the 3 fta matches almost every week but, only made it to 1 union match and I admit I just forgot about (regretably) almost half the seasons Shuts shield matches. What is clear though is that Fox and channel 9 are killing any potential that Union has of reaching the majority of potential fans for Union if they have not already done so. Ironically though it appears that league could head down the same path (or is).
Leo
Guest
The championship have only been around since 1987 and before that the didn't even have a comp eeeehhhhhhh. Rugby has come along way from been watched by a man and his dog before 1987 to have a bigger crowd averages than rugby league club comp and Leicester been the biggest club in the the UK in either code.
Leo
Guest
Australia is a big place and rugby league isn't popular in the majority of states in the country. In some states. rugby union has more players than rugby league. Fact
Leo
Guest
1 is where rugby union is placed at when they hold the record for pay tv and free to air tv of any football codes in Australia.
Leo
Guest
Excuse him Bakkies, Just another leaguie with a huge chip on his shoulder.
Bee Bee
Guest
Thanks Matt. That is one of the more insightful comments I have heard on this debate. To somehow trade off the laws of Union and League and create a hybrid game is theoretically easy. However, like the deabate for Australia to become a Republic its when the nitty gritty of how to combine the rules and the technical nature of this makes it messy and near impossible... Still, Its fun to imagine watching the Wallabies play the Kangaroos in a 14 a side hybrid game. Even more fun to imagine how the Wallaroos would go against the All Blacks.
Leo
Guest
It is small when you have a population of 22 million. Over two million watched the All Blacks in a country of 4 million.