Japanese occupation, allied liberation, independence – and now the Rugby League International Federation meeting. Singapore’s sure had a violent history.
This weekend in the city-state the NRL’s new, surprising interest in international affairs will collide with delegates who have been interested all along and, as on New Years when I was last in the vicinity, there are likely to be fireworks.
Great Britain are intending to tour Australasia next year and the Aussies say they can’t.
England and New Zealand plan to play in Denver for the next two years and the Aussies say they can’t.
The NRL have made the Pacific countries offers they will struggle to refuse regarding new tournaments, leaving the Brits having guests – in the form of the Kangaroos – forced upon them at the end of next year and precious little other interaction with tier one countries between now and them hosting the 2021 World Cup.
Gareth Widdop of England at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup (NRLPhotos/Gregg Porteous)
The opposite rugby league hemispheres are literally poles apart in how they see the future.
There are lots of things that can happen at the meeting – from the rest of the world yielding to Australia’s undoubted financial and political might to the RLIF pressing on with the previously agreed international calendar and damning the consequences.
What will actually happen almost certainly lies in the middle.
Britain’s Rugby Football League recently posted a loss of £2 million. It will definitely lose more money on the England A tour to Papua New Guinea this northern autumn so accepting an incoming Australian tour next year may not be such a bad idea.
The alternative is pressing on with Lions tour and just leaving Australia out of the itinerary, which – like the England A trip – would be a loss-making exercise.
Australia simply can’t make any money at the gate or out of TV from an incoming tour at the end of the season, which is why they don’t want it. Having GB involved in a series of some sort might fix that.
The Lions were previously told to stay home in 2015 and don’t seem to have a welcome mat due to be placed out before 2023. Mighty inhospitable, that.
There is actually no reason why Denver is incompatible with an Oceania Cup which starts in June and resumes in October – New Zealand could just play one catch-up game when the season is over.
The only problem is that the real purpose of the Oceania Cup is to scuttle Denver.
It’s almost certain the RFL won’t cop being paired off with France, Papua New Guinea and Fiji at the end of 2020 while Australia gets blue chip games against New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa.
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Bear in mind home Tests against France are so low key that a few years ago I was able to sit in the grandstand, film every try and post it immediately – because the game was not on TV anywhere, there were a couple of thousand people present and no-one cared enough to stop me.
The Nines World Cup in an Australian city at the end of next year is nothing new – but presumably the NRL are now willing to underwrite it in exchange for the RLIF accepting all their other suggestions.
But the ARLC still haven’t addressed the one flaw in their calendar: they have an international window in the middle of the year and they want to control where international teams play on that weekend.
Sooner or later, denizens of League Central, your sport is going to outgrow Campbelltown – despite your best efforts to the contrary.
Tim Johnson
Guest
Cathar your dislike for every sport bar Rugby League is evident in 99% of comments you make. Why are you surprised that people pipe up and give their 2 cents as soon as International Rugby League is bought up Cathar? Its a joke that all but a very few Rugby League fans care about
terrence
Guest
international league, or lack thereof, is the price you have to pay for prioritizing a domestic series like state of origin..you cannot have it both ways..queensland and nsw are not countries..
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
So Paulie, you on here as a RL fan or a union promoter? No hiding my dislike of RU especially when its shoved down our throats on a RL thread. It always crops up when there is a thread on intl RL & usually by the same lackeys under different aliases.
terrence
Guest
world rugby obviously has worked that out..their product has already been established and no party lasts forever..when interest wanes,,they simply pack up and move to the next city..plenty of big cities world rugby can choose from around the globe..when wellington died they simply moved to hamilton and got the party going again..for the record, the san francisco organisers want the sevens world cup again in 2022..possibly new york, boston or some other east coast city..
Paulie
Guest
Get a life Cathar definitely a hater of other codes other than league and to top it very il informed on your statistics.
Tim Johnson
Roar Rookie
Yea the Rugby 7s world tour is really struggling Cathar.. a Rugby League fan having a go at empty seats at another sport let alone an International event of another sport? Keep Dressing up and Drinking copius amounts because you make no sense on here you just sound like an absolute hater
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Paulie because its a new well marketed thing in the US. It started out that way in places like Wellington, London & Paris but those places now have vast empty seats at most tournaments hence why they are desperate to hold games in the US. I go to my sport to watch the sport not dress up life goofy & drink copious amounts of alcohol. I leave that to going to a bar/pub afterwards :)
tim
Guest
The NBL actually had a Singapore Singers team. I wouldn't put it past the NRL, except that that would require a change to the status quo.
Kaine
Guest
Its not the popularity. Without NRL a couple of tv networks would stop functioning. Its the years of lack of investment for obvious reasons. The clubs are all paid for, the cost base low, around half the competition will turn a profit - the highest in any sport here. Its just not the time to start flinging tests at everything. They need to be accounted for in spending. The TV ratings are ahead by +10million the nearest code on something like 20--30 less games. I think you will find the NRL is big on quality over quantity. They have to be. Yes the game is going very well, but even with the 500m+ central revenue this year they can't throw it too far around. Thats what this test stuff is about. Basing games where there is a return. I do understand it but like everyone also trying to lump it.
In Brief
Guest
League really needs a strong France because they will open up new markets in europe and africa. They have a way of influencing these different cultures which anglo saxon countries can't achieve. Not sure why but behind every new rugby country there is always a frenchman in the mix.
Paulie
Guest
Gosh Cathar Treize obviously you have never been to a Rugby 7s international should try it you might enjoy it have some fun certainly not on the wane in the US.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
But how long will the drunken dressups keep the crowds coming? By the looks of it crowds are on the wane even in its traditional venues for 7's.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Only thing is union has been professional in many of its playing countries decades before open professionalism in 1995. The Welsh for instance, many converts said they actually got paid more playing club union in Wales but it was the sign on fees (akin to getting 2-3 seasons of salary in one go) that made it worthwhile to play RL. This is fact. Ditto France, Italy & South Africa. They made up a fair chunk of the rugby union world back then.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Apparently San Francisco was well over 100000. Quite remarkable really. 62300 was a sellout by the way in Chicago.
Paulie
Guest
Fair call youre right for Chicago the figures i quoted for the International 7s World Cup in San Francisco was from NBC US Broadcasting who televised the event live around the US.
duecer
Guest
Not to mention having a WC 30 years before RU, only to see that advantage quickly overtaken when RU finally lurched into action. Of course it was not helped that the format kept changing and even the time period. But they still haven't learnt - instead of France with home grown players fighting over a QF berth and incite some interest to stem the decline there, you get a NRL Lebanon getting through. Sure, it's nice to have a couple of PI nations doing well, but 100k populations don't match it compared to a country of 65m, especially on a commercial scale.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Crowd at Chicago was 62300. As such I’ll take your other figure for the 7s with a grain of salt Paulie.
Big daddy
Guest
You would think they would have had their conference straight after world cup while most nations would have had their executives here or is this only an England/Australia conference.
Big daddy
Guest
All depends on whose paying.
Steve Mascord
Expert
Yes, I was part of a group of journalists who spoke to Jason Moore straight after the game. Absolutely keen to continue and even add teams next year.