103 replies to this topic

[brooza]

Comment on the BBC website:

'ray207
4 Minutes ago

Rugby league faster and more exciting than Union? Get a grip, you stop the game every 10 seconds and then even hand the ball meekly over to the opposition after six tackles. you tell me when you have seen a rugby league game where you can have ten minutes of non stop action with all the ferocity and commitment or rucks and mauls.'

Yesterday . The time before that was Friday night.

[jannerboyuk]

Comment on the BBC website:

'ray207
4 Minutes ago

Rugby league faster and more exciting than Union? Get a grip, you stop the game every 10 seconds and then even hand the ball meekly over to the opposition after six tackles. you tell me when you have seen a rugby league game where you can have ten minutes of non stop action with all the ferocity and commitment or rucks and mauls.'

i love me a bit of union, don't even mind a dour game, but this nonsense of a ptb being a stop in play always baffles me. Anyone who knows union knows damn well that only a few rucks are genuinely contested, most are just a slow version of the ptb, even the new 5 second rule only starts after the ball is made available. Excitement is in the eye of the beholder but faster is a FACT! And I speak as someone who would prefer it to slow down and be reduced to five metres.

[Wiltshire Rhino]

Comment on the BBC website:

'ray207
4 Minutes ago

Rugby league faster and more exciting than Union? Get a grip, you stop the game every 10 seconds and then even hand the ball meekly over to the opposition after six tackles. you tell me when you have seen a rugby league game where you can have ten minutes of non stop action with all the ferocity and commitment or rucks and mauls.'

I can remember playing in Swindon St George's first game and our stop/start game went from kick off to the first try of the game (scored on about 20mins) without a penalty. The union players playing first game of league were complaining that there were no breaks in play like in free-flowing union.

About 6Nations envy, supporting our World Cup and cheering England to become World Champions would be a great start!

Come on England!

Edited by Wiltshire Rhino, 10 February 2013 - 09:05 PM.

[shun]

indeed. there were 50k empty seats at Wembley for the double header. Fill these and you could be talking another £1-3m for them to be spending on internationals.

That is the reason RU can stage these games and take long term decisions.

why do you think there was 50k empty seats at wembley? maybe because it was played in london where the local team can only manage to get 2-3k averages of there own, why are we playing these games at wembley/millennium, when it would make more sense to play these games at old trafford/elland road, closer to where all the supporters are, What is wrong with this idea??????

[Wiltshire Rhino]

why do you think there was 50k empty seats at wembley? maybe because it was played in london where the local team can only manage to get 2-3k averages of there own, why are we playing these games at wembley/millennium, when it would make more sense to play these games at old trafford/elland road, closer to where all the supporters are, What is wrong with this idea??????

Why do lots of northern football fans travel to Wembley on a Wednesday night for a friendly but northern RL fans won't for a 4N/WC double header on a weekend?

[Lobbygobbler]

why do you think there was 50k empty seats at wembley? maybe because it was played in london where the local team can only manage to get 2-3k averages of there own, why are we playing these games at wembley/millennium, when it would make more sense to play these games at old trafford/elland road, closer to where all the supporters are, What is wrong with this idea??????

I do wonder if just Eng V Aus would have got more than a tacky/cheapened double header. Anyway International crowds up north have also been shyte

We have never filled Old Trafford for an international since 1986 when it only held 50k. In fact Wembley crowds have generally been higher

I can recall at recent 4N Eng V Aus game at Wigan which only got about 20k, and various other poorly supported tests at Blackburn and Bolton - nearby where all the fans live

[deluded pom?]

really? And not a penny would be spent on the internatiinal game?

I reckon a small percentage would find it's way back into the international game via the RFL but I wouldn't hold my breath on the ARL or the NZRL using any extra profit from the 4N for anything other than their own domestic games.

[Just Browny]

Comment on the BBC website:

'ray207
4 Minutes ago

Rugby league faster and more exciting than Union? Get a grip, you stop the game every 10 seconds and then even hand the ball meekly over to the opposition after six tackles. you tell me when you have seen a rugby league game where you can have ten minutes of non stop action with all the ferocity and commitment or rucks and mauls.'

To be fair, 7-8 years ago Sev was coming out with stuff like that.

[gingerjon]

why do you think there was 50k empty seats at wembley? maybe because it was played in london where the local team can only manage to get 2-3k averages of there own, why are we playing these games at wembley/millennium, when it would make more sense to play these games at old trafford/elland road, closer to where all the supporters are, What is wrong with this idea??????

I've seen Great Britain play at Old Trafford.

It was brilliant. I had practically the whole row to myself.

[bearman]

I've seen Great Britain play at Old Trafford.

It was brilliant. I had practically the whole row to myself.

And I'be seen GB at Twickenham and I had a whole block to myself!

[Severus]

To be fair, 7-8 years ago Sev was coming out with stuff like that.

It may not be how RL fans see it but coming straight from RU, RL can appear that way. I don't think the TV cameras help as they tend to zoom in on the PTB and you can't see the movement in the line.

[bearman]

The thing about international rugby union is that it's a try fest. The players are so skilful that they can breeze through defences.not only that because they are so good they never give away penalties. They know that would result in 3 points being scored and the games would end up being decided by who has got the best kicker.
Yesterday's Ireland v England game was a good example of one of the best nuanced game there has ever been.
If you don't understand the nuances how can any of you possibly comment?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

The thing about international rugby union is that it's a try fest. The players are so skilful that they can breeze through defences.not only that because they are so good they never give away penalties. They know that would result in 3 points being scored and the games would end up being decided by who has got the best kicker.
Yesterday's Ireland v England game was a good example of one of the best nuanced game there has ever been.
If you don't understand the nuances how can any of you possibly comment?

[Mumby Magic]

International games need to be played and kept with no matter what the scorelines are. Italy are part and parcel of the Six Nations now dispite hardly troubling the top of the table with regards to postion. No Exiles is a start. Wales could play France to see who plays England maybe??

[gingerjon]

And I'be seen GB at Twickenham and I had a whole block to myself!

Lucky you.

I was next to some weird people called "Austrayans".

[Wellsy4HullFC]

International games need to be played and kept with no matter what the scorelines are. Italy are part and parcel of the Six Nations now dispite hardly troubling the top of the table with regards to postion. No Exiles is a start. Wales could play France to see who plays England maybe??

So you want persistence, yet you also want to chop one of the few games England has straight away?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

why do you think there was 50k empty seats at wembley? maybe because it was played in london where the local team can only manage to get 2-3k averages of there own, why are we playing these games at wembley/millennium, when it would make more sense to play these games at old trafford/elland road, closer to where all the supporters are, What is wrong with this idea??????

You do realise there's a huge flaw in your logic here...?

50k empty seats still means there were over 40k there.
How come a team that averages 15k could only muster 5k more fans for the equivalent fixture two years prior?
That's what's wring with that idea. People WANT to go to Wembley every now and then. Same as Cardiff.

[The Parksider]

The thing about international rugby union is that it's a try fest. The players are so skilful that they can breeze through defences.not only that because they are so good they never give away penalties. They know that would result in 3 points being scored and the games would end up being decided by who has got the best kicker.
Yesterday's Ireland v England game was a good example of one of the best nuanced game there has ever been.
If you don't understand the nuances how can any of you possibly comment?

Taking the Mick is probably the best we can do against the facts, and the facts are they have a monster competition.

I watched Ireland/England with a friend in Worcester and he's union through and through. It's his game, he grew up with it and he was engrossed with the tussle.

How "good" a game intrinsically is can be argued but what cannot be argued is the attendances for Wales RU.v.England RU and Wales RL.v.England RL etc etc.

The importance of International RL was not lost on the RFL, Catalans came into Superleague and Crusaders came into SL for the very purpose of at least trying to get back to the RL three nations I last watched in the 1970's.

This was the best possible plan for International RL to have professional players from the three countries taking competitive RL from the club scene up to the International stage.

It collapsed as there wasn't the money in Wales and weren't the players in France. In theory International RL should be a priority, in practice Superleague is all we really have as a flagship for the game apart from the Tri-Nations, again something the RFL pushed. A close game between NZ/Aus/England in front of a big crowd is something we can manage from time to time and people do sit up and take note.

The RFL have been trying hard since 2006 to get quality RL on the international stage, but then again they are fools and messed up big time even thinking about Crusaders.

[Futtocks]

Comment on the BBC website:

'ray207
4 Minutes ago

Rugby league faster and more exciting than Union? Get a grip, you stop the game every 10 seconds and then even hand the ball meekly over to the opposition after six tackles. you tell me when you have seen a rugby league game where you can have ten minutes of non stop action with all the ferocity and commitment or rucks and mauls.'

Dearie me. If Rugby League is "stop-start", give me that, rather than "stop-stop" any day.

[dhw]

really? And not a penny would be spent on the internatiinal game?

It is not the responsibility of the of the RFL, NZRL. ARL to fund other national governing bodies nor should it be. Have a glabal governing body of the sport that is truly represented by the major nations and extend it as such. That body can organise competitions for profit and have a levy on the profits going to developing RL in regions that have genuine interest.