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TheReaper

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  1. I can't find what happened in BC this year, but if it was the same as 2022: Mostly seems to be the junior criteria that would hold Canada back. The good thing about BC is they play through the winter so they could get something going by next March, might have to be 9s or something. That would probably also get us to the playing numbers minimum.
  2. What's "questionable" about realizing that broadcast facilities are more important to getting better TV deals a.k.a. the main source of funding for most sports leagues?
  3. Some guy was just saying this on the MLR subreddit this week, but seems to have deleted all of his posts or his account. Same guy didn't know TWP existed again so definitely not an up to date source.
  4. Fair enough, I had assumed based on my own club experiences that things would hold together better with a game like that on the horizon. I also continue to read claims that USARL is still "semi pro" in some shape or form. On point 3, I think at the "top end of amateur" union, Marshal Premiership/ USA "D1" things would be pretty even. But I'm talking about the bottom end, typical players which is who you say they're sending up. I think your average, run of the mill, not-the-top-flight team - aka branch union in Ontario / D2-3-4 in the USA - I think the level of Canadian "beer league" teams is higher than USA "beer league". I was at Nash Bash this year and 6 Canadian teams travelled down. 5 of those made their division finals out of like 90 teams, the one that didn't faced another Canadian team in the semi final. I also played with a D3 USA team in 2021 and the level seemed a step lower than the bottom of the Ontario leagues. So I guess I'm saying is that it's not that there aren't good players, but the depth isn't there / the average drops off.
  5. The Boston game I agree is a bit different, since they filled in for DC. But for the rest, if you have a game lined up to happen a few weeks after your regular season ends, it's not really "out of season", it's just an extended season. you already have are in in the habit of training and playing, you just... keep doing that. Obviously you can't play the exact same day in a regular league and an exhibition series, but how much more in season could you get? I think it's a combination of: 1) travel. We have a counter example of Toronto Saints at Cleveland this spring, with Saints winning 34-22 with a lot of the same players - I count 13 guys (12 who played) in that Saints lineup who are currently on TWP. So a lot closer with the travel flipped. 2) TWP is, if having no other advantage due to being "professional", is a combination of mostly 2 amateur clubs, which is an advantage over a single club. 3) I think the level of grassroots level rugby in Canada is just a bit better than the USA, in both union and league. Most of the TWP guys also play union, and have been for years. I think more of the Americans are newer in general to the sport.
  6. It's really hard to find schedules, apparently nobody involved in American rugby league can manage a website that isn't just Instagram, but DC + Boston are playing in Rugby League United with schedule running June to August, and Atlanta, SW Florida, Jacksonville, and Tampa are playing in USARL (south?) also running from June to August. So they are very much in season for a TWP schedule that was announced mid-June and started mid-July.
  7. What stopped them from doing that in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 or 2022? What's changed that they'd be willing and able to do that now?
  8. The RFL couldn't handle the team coming to them. What makes you think they have an capacity to help at all here?
  9. The RFL couldn't handle the team coming to them. What makes you think they have an capacity to help at all here?
  10. Gomersall is right. The last couple years there have only been enough league players to have two teams running in Ontario. Back when other places like Hamilton and St Catharine's had teams, it was what now looks to have been a high point in interest in playing rugby. For example around the same time the Niagara Rugby Union ran 4 leagues and these days it's down to 2. Looks similar in the TRU. So interest is down a lot overall, and for clubs it could be attractive to offer something a bit different with league instead of a 3rd or 4th XV squad. Now the clubs that ran 4 teams of various flavours have 2.
  11. He may have bought tickets a while ago (suckers do exist?!) They cut them in half to $17.50 a few weeks ago, since people were questioning the sanity of $35 for something unproven.
  12. Is it "meaningless" if people show up, watch some rugby, and leave happy? There's something attractive about enjoying a game for its own sake, IMO.
  13. Well, we all know what happens when you assume... https://howltv.ca/events/offers/
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