Could rugby league be rugby union's saviour?

Both league and American football evolved from rugby, that's where their roots are, so both games still hold resemblances to rugby. I think it's fair to say that rugby has a contest for the ball and a bit more strategy than league (doesn't make it better, just different). But I think rugby's new breakdown laws negate this difference at the contest. The tackle laws are slowly heading towards a play the ball. I'm a bit worried about that. And the other comment I have is that Rugby TV coverage hasn't found its own voice yet. Rugby's TV coverage is still identical to league TV coverage. The TV cameras keep zooming in on the tackle, like league, and a view of the backline defences is lost, which negates the positional context of player decisions during play. IMO rugby's TV coverage ought to be more like soccer and American football: panned out wide angle while the ball is live; zooming-in ONLY on replays. Oh another comment. Australian rugby has been drawn in to a 'how long is the ball continuously in play' argument. This is an primarily an Australian fascination because of comparisons with AFL and league. Honestly, I don't care how long the ball is in play, what I want is 'interesting play'. Ball in play time is very short in many successful ball sports eg golf, tennis, cricket American football. But those sports have thought through their TV coverage to manage the breaks in play (see above). Ball in play is not an important not an important measure in my opinion.

Overall I don't believe that rugby league players, or backs in particular, are more skilled than their rugby counterparts. With one exception - tackling. I don't think other rugby countries have the same issue but in Australia there are individual rugby players (not all) at every level who simply can't tackle correctly. From a promotional point of view I think a fun concept would be to get individual players from either code to be guests in one off matches. Can you imagine Pocock or Hooper playing in an All Stars match or Slater playing in a Barbarians game? It would be a lot of fun and would avoid the code war issues you get when you have you league vs union matches.

haha genius!

I think rugby league has been pushing in a particular direction for many years now and is almost unrecognisable from how it was played back in the 80s. I won't criticise those decisions as it's not my sport. However, in my view the balance was about right when you could strike for the ball, strip the ball and you had to play the ball properly and take actual tap kicks.

Interesting - there are some similarities. I would add that apart from massive collisions you can't easily compete for possession. However, from a holistic point of view gridiron has more in common with rugby union in that both sports have more specialised positions and both sports are more strategic in nature. A big criticism of the rugby codes by Americans is the apparent lack of organisation and strategy - probably as we feel when watching AFL. Rugby union, particularly at test level does have that element of strategy and pressure, at least more so than league.

I am not sure what the purpose of this article is but I don't think it was arguing that Rugby league is an international power... It's saying that the NRL produces excellent backline players who can transition to Rugby Union successfully and seeing Folau and Koroibete playing well is the proof. Though Marika probably started in Rugby when he was in Fiji. I think it would be interesting to have a short from of Rugby where both Union and League players participate in the offseason. I am more of a League fan but I would love to make the Wallabies "great again" and if borrowing players from the NRL would help then Im all for it.

Of course RL can be RU's saviour - but only if they snatch Cameron Clyne from our ranks! Lol

Rugby league is lot like gridiron if you know what you are looking at Both have a down / tackle count system Both have possession of the ball as the most important factor, followed by yards. Both games stop and reset upon the player being taken to ground The main difference is the forward pass being allowed in gridiron

Censored or are you being actively probed?

Qld and regional NSW are keeping RL in the limelight - maybe it will re-ignite in Sydney to glory days but people have other options now

No the RL will play a test in Colorado and the sport will then explode coz its nothing like NFL

And union doesn't need saving. It is the fourth most played sport in the world now. Further, 3 million fans attended the union World Cup games in person last time round vs 300,000 for the NRL "World Cup". League isn't even the top played sport in Australia, let alone internationally. The NRL could "save" the Wobblies for sure, and the top NRL players that want to live outside of Brisbane or Sydney sometime in their lives probably should consider a switch for money purposes, but Rugby League can't "save" Rugby Union when it is in reality so much smaller and internationally so irrelevant. A friend of mine who supports AFL told me "there's more genetic diversity in AFL than Rugby" once. I sent him the link to the polish 2nd division rugby, the list of seven's teams and members of World Rugby in response. I know I'm being one-eyed but this article is entirely one-eyed. NRL is a great competition. I love the product. But Rugby League is a domestic sport, not an international one. To suggest otherwise when the majority of the "international" players at the RLWC were raised in Sydney is laughable.

Koroibete is nowhere near the next-best wallaby. And neither is Folau the best. They're just the ones you think are best because they're the only names NRL fans recognise (except Pocock).

Except it already is

As the poster said, a reliance on imported talent, mostly from NZ

All good points but keep in mind League the defense only has an advantage when catching in the in-goal, while Union the defense has an advantage catching up to the 22m mark. This is a good balance as it maintains the kicking option but doesn't make it so attractive that a bomb is made 90% of the time the attack is in the opposite 20m (as you see in League).

Thought Eddies interview with the Oxford Union was hilarious and his take on rugby league accurate.

Dropping attendances, and tv ratings. But Nine and Fox is sticking with it for the moment.

Here we go again, America to the rescue blah blah... They are starting a rival to NFL also. Forget US rugby, will never happen.

It does appear we are headed that way. Maybe union could just hand over the keys to league and let them run things. Sort of like the nba running the Dream team. By itself with only these private school clowns union is doomed in Oz.