Some of the ideas posited in this column gestate for a while on social media. Your correspondent might Tweet something, gauge a reaction, and the idea that prompted the original post will evolve into something worth writing a column about.
Fiji beat France at rugby union for the first time the other day. I suggested, within the requisite character limit, that this was depressing because in our game we’ve had a Fiji team capable beating a French team for years.
Except that’s not really what I meant.
Because you can just argue that our French team has been poor and our Fiji team has been full of NRL players and that’s why things have been that way and … well, woop-de-do.
What I really meant is this: we have managed, though a Robin Hood-style selection procedure, to rob the rich (Australia, New Zealand) and give to the poor (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa).
This process has been amped up since the milestone World Cup of 1995 (which capitalised on the game changing World Sevens) to the point where last year some of the best players in the world chose Tonga over Australia and New Zealand.
As in Origin, that’s what we do: by accident or design we have systems which counter economic migration. Your mum, dad, grandfather or grandmother move to a developed country to better themselves and give you a better life, and we let you go back to their country and complete the circle by representing it on the world stage.
It brings people together, it connects the diaspora with the homeland, professional athletes with amateurs.
It’s a beautiful thing.
By comparison, international rugby union seems a product of economic migration, not a counter to it. The Pacific countries get those the All Blacks don’t want. So, to my way of thinking, we had a lovely little advantage there, an attention grabber.
You know what other little attention grabber we had for 100 years? Professionalism. And what did we do with that? Stuff all. At the end of the hundred years we struggled to boast 15 countries while the version or rugby in which you weren’t allowed to be (openly) paid had close to 100.
How can you blow the competitive advantage of being able to pay people for a century while your major rival cannot? Oh, it speaks to so many things – colonialism, hierarchical societies, greed, a less globalised world, lack of vision … we could go on forever.
But that’s what makes this, another blown opportunity – not for world domination, just some advancement – so annoying.
We didn’t put these teams on the field enough. They almost never played at home. Fiji made the World Cup semis three tournaments in a row. But because there was such a gap between third and fourth in our system, the achievement never seemed properly recognised.
And now, the window of opportunity is closing. The age of giant-killing in international rugby union seems to be upon us. The sun shone and we didn’t make enough hay.
That’s what I meant.
NotToday
Roar Rookie
Disagree with that first assertion entirely. RU only started to become globally prominent outside its core nations AFTER it adopted professionalism in August 1995. It entered the Asian Games in 1998, and in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 as well. It’s been growing ever since, and with it now being an Olympic sport the participation has skyrocketed in sevens and fifteens. – RL sat on it’s a-ss that entire time, while RU slowly built itself up. If RL wanted it could be in the Commonwealth Games as well, all it needs to do is develop a structure. Create a Rugby Nines tournament, with games held every 2 months. The entire tournament can be held within a single day. If it gets into the Commonwealth Games, its fortunes change overnight. Now you have countries with tens of millions and hundreds of millions playing the sport. Asian and Latino countries would fare far better in RL than RU because it favours agility over brute force and you don’t need to be built like a tank. – NRL/ARLC has to be the vanguard. RFIL and RFL are financially inept and struggling to survive, the sport is dying in the UK. In the short-term NRL and Aussies could care less about the rest of the world, but long-term it hurts itself. No more World Cups to take seriously, and NRL growth and revenue will reach its peak within the next decade. Then what? Australia is only 25 million people. Not 340 million like the US is, that’s a huge market to sustain the NFL and it still airs in other countries despite nobody playing it. Currently, NRL doesn’t even air in mainland Asia or continental Europe. If RL can capture other markets, it’s NRL who seeks to benefit the most having positioned itself as the premiere league of the sport.
NotToday
Roar Rookie
The sport is in a critical state, and NRL are the big brothers who can do something about it but won’t, everything is the bare minimum and even that is reluctantly. The sport is dying in the UK, and not growing fast anywhere else. Meanwhile RU is eating up everything, even the .rugby domain name, even starting competitions like “Major League Rugby”. RLIF and RFL are financially inept and run by old men just happy to have a peaceful death. – In the short-term the NRL and Aussie fans could care less about the rest of the world, but long-term it hurts itself. No more World Cups to take seriously, and NRL growth and revenue will reach its peak within the next decade. Then what? Australia is only 25 million people. Not 340 million like the US is, that’s a huge market to sustain the NFL and it still airs in other countries despite nobody playing it. – How is NRL planning to grow if the sport dies outside its backyard? Sell TV rights to tiny island nations and make 200k-400k dollars a piece? Doubt they even pay that, that’s probably what Union TV licensing is getting. – Here’s an idea, develop a Rugby Nines tournament structure similar to RU7s. Play a tournament every 2 months involving nations; all games start and finish within a single day. Then get it into the Commonwealth Games, and RL’s fortunes change overnight. Now you have countries playing it who have tens or hundreds of millions in population. Who makes money from that? Everyone in RL does, but NRL does the most. They position themselves as the premiere league of RL and it’s revenue expands dramatically. – Currently, NRL doesn’t even air in mainland Asia or continental Europe. Two decades in and NRL doesn’t even have a second New Zealand team. RU is slowly chipping away into Australia, but why isn’t NRL doing the same in NZ and elsewhere? NRL has the opportunity to be the sport’s vanguard and cut into the NZ and Pacific market that much greater. All those small island nations gravitate towards RU because their nations are represented in the RU Sevens tournament.
Harold
Guest
As soon as one of the big boys gets seriously injured ina heritage game that might be it for the islands refugees
Jacko
Guest
NRL has 24 comp games per year plus final series,Super rugby 16 games per year plus final series. Yes then Rugby plays 13-14 tests on top of that....Sure there is interest in League internationals at the moment....All because 2 players defected to Tonga which surprise surprise made Tonga competitive with the big 3...Yeah 2 player s is all it took....Then those 2 retire or decide next week they want to represent someone else and it goes back to very little interest...
Wal
Roar Guru
If Rugby Australia can rein in its ego's at the board level what hope does Rugby Union and Rugby League have of finding common goals?
Wal
Roar Guru
There is no comparing the variation in sizes Just in the AB's alone Aaron Smith 1.71m (5'7) 83kg and Brodie Retallick 2.04m (6'8") and 123 kg. That's 33cm and 40kg difference But its also body shapes, SBW @ 1.91m 108kg, Kurtly Beale 1.82 and 90kg & Ngani Laumape @ 1.77m and 103kg all play the same position
Jacko
Guest
Tingo where is League the no 1 sport? PNG ...thats it.....No 2 in one other country in the world and thats Aus...Why can't you enjoy both?
Jacko
Guest
Randy...Could the NRL afford these type of salaries? How can the NRL be so much richer....According to you.....Yet not be able to afford salaries beyond 1mil Aus $$ a year? Do you know or do you just "not think" that TV deals for rugby are smaller in Europe than the NRL....
Wal
Roar Guru
Average attendances are telling to Super Rugby - 19,000 NRL - 15,200 Top 14 & Aviva 14,000
Wal
Roar Guru
And that's the reason we pay stupid overs for our pay tv. You could never argue that the NRL is similar to the Premier League in Football, however, their TV deal is actually similar @ £960 million for 126 games over three seasons.
Rebel334
Roar Rookie
It doesn't mean that the league in the country is successful and generates money. The Japanese Top League averaged 4.7k per game in the 16/17 season a far cry from the other professional league. TV exposure beyond the country is limited and only a few games are broadcast each week.
Matt
Roar Rookie
It's probably coincidence, but off the back of the heritage player (i.e. Fifita) success in RL there has definitely been a more obvious effort to develop RU in the Islands of late. World Rugby has already been channeling many millions into high performance player programs. But just last month both Fiji and Samoa gained voting rights on the World Rugby council. On top of that Fiji Drua won the Australian NRC and there is strong talk of a fully professional Pacific Island side in either Andrew Forrest's Rapid Rugby comp or in Super Rugby. If/when Samoa and Tonga can sort their governance and create sustainable high performance pathways (similar to the Drua) there will start to be a more steady flow of professional quality players to Europe and those national teams will improve. However I don't believe Rugby League 'genuinely' wants to grow the international game in a similar fashion. What most fans generally seem to want is more athletes in the NRL/Origin (or Super League). But those players are typically from Australia and while some success can breed attention there needs to be investment in the Pacific Islands to create competitions and high performance pathways. The other issue is that if the NRL ever feels threatened or hindered by International RL they'll simply tell players to stop playing tests or forgo their NRL contract. The only reason Taumalolo can afford to play for Tonga is because he earns so much for North Queensland. At present the NRL is somewhat accomadating of Int RL, as a means to generate more revenue in the calendar. But if their primary revenue sources (NRL, Origin) are threatened then it'll be lights out for Tonga without a ball being kicked.
Cedric
Guest
I don't enjoy rugby as much as league but at the moment there is no league on the tele in NZ just international rugby galore. So I do watch some of it and I've think the Irish defeat of the All Blacks was good for not only the Irish but world rugby. League has got a lot of catching up to do.
adam smith
Guest
Semi was a rugby union player first, albeit, at junior level.
tauranga boy
Guest
I've said it before and I'll say it again ... league and union should amalgamate and start a REAL RUGBY sport!
Big Daddy
Guest
If we used all the Polynesians that are playing shute shield there may not be enough room for Aussies. Be interesting to see what percentage of Polynesians play league in Australia and also union in Australia. Steve may not be wrong when he says we have exhausted supply but for islanders to make it either code it is their dream but they still keep churning them out. Now we have players from PNG who are trying to make their mark.
Rebel334
Roar Rookie
Don't want to turn this into a size competition as i love both league and union, but you underestimate Unions appeal. It might not be the no1 sport in many countries, especially ones with global influence but it is the no2 winter sport in a lot of countries, just like League is the no2 winter sport in our country. Overall there is only one true international team sport, basketball is probably no2, then you could argue between Union, Cricket and Baseball for the no.3 spot depending on population size (some will say cricket), countries that actually play the game (some will say union), professional opportunities, etc. The good thing about league and union is they are largely complimentary to each other, where league is strong there is generally union players as well and vise versa
Tingo Tango
Guest
Loosehead Well maybe but Rugby Union is the number one sport in wait for it - New Zealand a few pacific islands and the white population of SA. The global dominance of these countries is just scary
Tingo Tango
Guest
Jacko ...... Total Attendances .... Average NRL - 3,018,795 15,246 Top 14 1,912,301 14,165 Aviva 2,681,834 14,341 Source Wikipedia
Harold
Guest
True - the fact RU was amateur meant there were less vested interests and the only prize was an international trip (with tax free living allowance) so the code was keen for countries to expand and provide opposition including the social aspects. Hopefully the professional era doesn't ruin that...