International rugby league is far from dead

Geez PhillNZ. If you dont' know what you have written,you can't get past first base in any debate. Your words not mine:- 8th November 7-05am "Do they have world cups that make millions in profits"I repeat PROFITS.Trouble is I am reading "PROPERLY " unless you have a ghost writer. Look champ,it was you who tried to draw the comparison suggesting AFL and RL were on the same level Internationally.I repeat that is utter tosh,For a start with semi pro and pro clubs in more countries 6 to be precise.They haven't got Govt recognition and grants nor European Sport Recogniton and grants nor Tier 3 recognition in the C/W Games.The comparison you draw is farcical. You really have not a clue.Jamaica and European countries' money comes from the RLIF/RLEF/Govt grants.The NRL spends money in PNG and is now doing so in Fiji and the PI.They never get involved in the Northern hemisphere.The totality of funding in the Northern Hemisphere comes form the North,the NRL does not spend money there end of story.The money comes in the main from RLWC profits.Your guess is incorrect.And your point is pointless.. You do not even understand that in 2012 the NRL in fact lost money.It is only in 2013/4 that they get the benefit of the big TV contracts.That is the reason now rl fans are pushing for the code to invest more internationally. You mentioned the injury rates for ru and Rl on 9th Nov,Now you say you never mentioned it. Mate you really need to check things before bagging me.You have the audacity to suggest I have myself in knots. What your mates know about every city and town in this country has little to do ,with whether the code rl expands,whether it spend overseas,what the growth rate will be and the participation numbers will be.Unless of course you have 500,000 mates.. Players will go where the opportunities lie.And getting more NRL clubs in this country offers that benefit. They would obviously be aware of the fact the female registrations in rl this year jumped 30%. I also am fully aware of the state of the game,and I am not a NRL player.It's not a bleeding secret.Research/reports/assessments happen.Some good ,some bad. All I have stated from day one ,and the trolls (some ru ones) get their knickers in a knot.Rugby league is growing overseas and expanding into new countries.The growth is from a zero base,yet nonetheless in the time that it has done so ,secured some remarkable results.You do not get European Sport Commission Grants unless you are developing and growing the game. One only has to look at the number of countries playing the game in 2000 and compare it with today. Judging by the usual suspects that come here every time rl is mentioned as growing outside the country,is indicative of the unease the very thought engenders.They come in with the usual d*ck measuring argument,forgetting of course their very own code started somewhere from a low base. I repeat I will criticise players and admin in the NRL when warranted and have done so over many offield incidents,and the Tv scheduling,and wrestling and slowing down the game. But I will not sit idly by and let people BS by inferring rl fans think the code is a huge sport overseas,,or pretend it is on the same level as AFL overseas,or just bag the code because of distaste. Please don't talk to me about poaching players .Your code were experts at it in France from 1941-1995 the amateur years,with rl players earning more in the " amateur" code.Campese.the Ellas,Fairfax all came from a rl background to become ru greats.It has happened both ways.And even in NZ for many years rl in schools was minimal.

Completely agree there Rob. It's like saying the Olympics isn't a big event because the FIFA WC is bigger and only the US or China (Russia/GB also good chances) of winning the medal count. However, I feel this thread has gone on a wild tangent from the point of the article, being we need more international rugby league.

the pommie is the best of the current crop the aussie ref is useless

Those comparing the rugby champions to the four nations just so you know a total of 430,582 people attended the games this year, thats about 80,000 short of the total amount of people that attended the RLWC last year.

The blues had an average attendance of 18,000 The warriors had an average attendance of around 15,000 which is even less when you take away its "home" games played away from Auckland

????? Huh

When did Fitz last comment on league - he bags everything the Wallabies, I heard him On NZ TV says he is not bothered watching Rugby any more when the Waratahs were losing but changed his tune when they started winning , he bags soccer so why do you listen to anything he says - he is columnist and he is entitled to his opinion - just as mascord, Webster, masters and Gould. Its a different matter hiding a souths player domestic violence on page 16 and burying other RL atrocities - its the A_B demographic newspaper and they better have some Rugby scribes after alleged rugby writer Growden bagged it for 5 years because the ARU wouldn't advertise in the herald... However IRL doesn't have neutral referees , the Samoan team had one player born on the island and probably played Union so no league products from the island, the final round teams needing to get into the semis were refereed by their own countrymen? WTF

Kiwijack, the quote you're referring to was 'the toughest RUGBY FOOTBALL competition in the world'. That involves more than just the NRL and Super League. As for rugby union being the road map to follow- the game is next to broke in this country and being left behind by rugby league , AFL and soccer who are moving ahead by focusing their attention on their respective domestic leagues. Rugby lacks a second tier with a decent footprint in Australia and it's suffering as a result.

yet Mr Fitzsimons wants to comment so much on League, he should concentrate on his Game, where defence is the thing that runs around de oval.

The Oz pack mentality when someone questions a sport they think they invented and own. Problem with rugby league is the the ARL, NRL and Oz clubs think that they own it and it can't run without them. The NRL is a great competition and promotes it showpiece SOO extremely well to the point that those from Qld and NSW are brainwashed that it is the greatest competition in the world. The truth is that it is not the be all and end all. Imagine if the AB's just played the Rugby Championship and didn't play in the northern hemisphere. Bit silly to compare crowds as not RL game would ever be able to go to the USA and pull 62000 plus millions on tv. Don't get me wrong I love RL but the International game needs to be actively promoted for the game to really grow. Some American players like Carl Iles (think that how it spelt) who plays RU sevens and is one of the 40 fast americans over 100m would be great for RL but with out promoting the international game you won't get them.

Rob9 there are only 2 rugby league competitions in the world so the NRL being the toughest is not a big deal. The AFL is played in one country so it's has no relevantence. Rugby union proves that there is a need for international games and their whole competition is geared that way, they are the road map to follow not AFL.

No you are right Craigo, the US would only attract 10,000 at best...... what a load of crap some recent attendances for USA matches. June 7 2014 v Scotland in Houston Texas 20,846 27 November v Georgia in Tiblisi Georgia 35,638 8th November 2014 v Romania in Bucharest - 15, 224 Rugby Union is alive and well!

Ray Warren said one player was born in samoa - is that right?? Why did we have an Aussie reffing the kangaroos when Aussie had to win to get in?? And we had that british ref clown as they English had to win to get in in Dunedin??

I don't get this league vs union debate? I'm a fan of both because they're very different games and should be taken for what they are. Who cares which game is faster or which game has bigger hits. Pick a team to follow in each and enjoy it!

To describe my post as a "rant" betrays an extraordinary lack of self-awareness on your part, Rob9. It would take an age to adumbrate the litany of exquisite put-downs that you have aimed in my direction. Even in this little valedictory notice - aside from "rant" - you employ language such as "strange... errors... absurdities... inability to comprehend... odd... utterly hopeless pursuit... little that's worthy of a response..." And all for what? Because I advocate a shorter NRL regular season and a far greater emphasis to be placed on an international fixture list. Wow! I can't help it, I remain suspicious as to the sustained hostility to be evinced from your posts on this topic. It's disturbing. Yes, though, let's agree to disagree. Profoundly.

GlennInnes, I can see where you're coming from but you have to give credit to rugby league in England always being in a hostile environment especially where the media is concerned. Hull KR recently opened a EU/Govt funded grandstand, and Hull FC have been so underperforming over the last decade, fans patience has waned. Wigan FC have seen off the Latics life in the EPL, and Leeds Rhinos do tremendous even with the strength of Leeds FC. You mentioned Oldham, and take the likes of Swinton etc it is sad to see the demise of these great clubs but they are not the only sporting clubs to suffer. We have seen clubs like Leigh move into new stadiums (I hear but gotta check, York RL will be community partner of new stadium), and Sheffield will have funded for them a new purpose built stadium which will finally see them play in a decent stadium as opposed to an athletics stadium or depending on the charity/whims of the big soccer clubs. One thing about RL, it is battle hardened. Long way to go, but even in England there are people who like diversity. The challenge is to just get a few more of them. It's a long slog but it's nothing different for RL in that part of the world.

Strange, strange rant riddled with the errors and absurdities I've come to expect from you. Your inability to comprehend what's put in front of you while continuing to pick up something and run with it in an odd direction makes a discussion with you on such topics an utterly hopeless pursuit. The fact that you can make a judgement of me as being 'suspicious' says a lot about your comprehension skills and the position you're coming from. This being the case, there's very little that's worthy of another response. Agree to disagree.

International league is a joke Pritchard should be playing for NZ just like matangi should be playing for Samoa the eligibility rules make RL a laughing stock and why no one takes it serious

As far s international Rugby League is concerned the last forty years have been fairly depressing.Australia moving to it's inevitable dominance has been very damaging,the collapse of France, Soccer invading the games provincial heartland in England,towns like Oldham falling off the map,and even towns like Hull feeling the heat. Yet it is still with us and can still produce games like last nights England New Zealand game..I think the game has great prospects in New Zealand and the South Pacific, but I worry about England and whether the game there is robust enough to meet the challenge of Soccer (Rugby Union is irrelevant it is not Rugby Union that has been taking over former League cities over the last half century, indeed Rugby Union should be more worried about the ground Football is taking off it in Wales than Rugby League) I am also worried about NRL clubs with their bigger budgets poaching the best English players and turning Super League into just another feeder comp for the NRL.In the short term this will help the England team but in the medium to long term it might kill the game off in England just like it killed off the Brisbane Rugby League but with no get out of gaol card of putting an English team in the NRL like Brisbane Rugby League had.

Boy has this thread drifted off topic.Craig I can understsnd your concerns but I don't see it as an "either or" issue.For example look at Soccer. It has the biggest international scene in the world but like Rugby League it is a club based sport.Most Soccer fans spend most of their time following a club playing in a domestic League. Indeed that is Unions problem. unlike Soccer Internationals swallow everything, and the domestic game is just for the really hardcore fan,, and we don't want that model. The international game could be a problem if we went down the path of having six or eight in season tests matches every year, that could seriously hurt the NRL... but that ain't gonna happen Soccer essentially builds it's international scene around continental and world cups played every four years and played post season (at least for the big Euro Leagues) I think that is the model for Rugby League. As much as I would like a return to best of three series I just don't see that as being realistic as a regular feature in the modern era, clubs will kick against that and you can't blame them as they pay the wages. A four nations type tournament (maybe expanded to say six) years one and three in the cycle, a rest year in year two and the world cup in year four might be the way to go.