Exiled Wiganer
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Posts posted by Exiled Wiganer
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I have not done the legwork on this, to my shame, but I wonder whether more people watched Samoa live (175k plus?) in this World Cup than any other team in any other World Cup…
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8 minutes ago, Dunbar said:
Isaah Yeo
Thanks. Well, sadly, when I hear Yeo I will still think of yoghurt.
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Just now, Exiled Wiganer said:
Well, you were lucky, because it was the only thing being discussed where I was sitting, and on the long journey home. I have heard it mentioned repeatedly, whenever the Aussies play. There are 2 groups that are unlikely to be bothered, however. Those who know their Campbells as well as their Batemans, and those casual watchers for whom they’re a bunch of great athletes going about their business. And we want as many of those as we can.
Having double checked, I made the initial point, I made it clear that this was a personal gripe. I can’t compare Wayne Pearce with the current Aussie loose forward, when, honestly I am not sure who played “13” for them.
(Was it Tom Trbojevic?)
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20 minutes ago, JohnM said:
Of the 60000 plus at OT yesterday, how many people gave a toss about the player numbering system? I never heard it mentioned at all, not in the car park, not in the walk to the ground, not in the bar/pie area and certainly not on the seats before during and after the game.
Well, you were lucky, because it was the only thing being discussed where I was sitting, and on the long journey home. I have heard it mentioned repeatedly, whenever the Aussies play. There are 2 groups that are unlikely to be bothered, however. Those who know their Campbells as well as their Batemans, and those casual watchers for whom they’re a bunch of great athletes going about their business. And we want as many of those as we can.
Having double checked, I made the initial point, I made it clear that this was a personal gripe. I can’t compare Wayne Pearce with the current Aussie loose forward, when, honestly I am not sure who played “13” for them.
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2 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:
How does the Australian system differ from or compound squad numbering? I don't understand how people found one more difficult than the other.
In the NRL they don’t have squad numbers. 1 is always the full back. The Aussies had a hissy fit when asked to move to a squad number system so devised one so random that meant that anyone used to watching league but unfamiliar to these big in Sydney but nowhere else players couldn’t make head nor tail of. There was one player, Tedesco, who played in the position his number suggested. And it’s probably fair to assume Addo-Clark was on the wing. As for the others, I think Wighton is a back, and Martin is a forward, but am not 100% certain. Oh, and Cleary is a half back, which I recall from watching the NRL.
It annoyed and distracted me, and compounded my sense of our game having become NRL versus the world, with the Kangaroos an after thought.
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Oh, and as for TV viewing figures, as many people watched the wheelchair final as watch State of Origin. In most worlds, the SH authorities would like a slice of that level of exposure.
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Someone mentioned Tom Trbovic (not sure about the spelling). I watch a lot of league and have not got the faintest notion why he might be considered a top class as opposed to a decent player. Has he even played against England? I appreciate that COVID has distorted everything, so maybe in time we will get to know these players.
We should bear in mind that the NH is an absolutely massive market for international league - there is zero chance of any of the SH teams playing for their country in front of a crowd that size at a world renowned stadium. I would have thought that some of them might want to do so again…
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4 minutes ago, Dunbar said:
If you are going to post with respect, then say you have a different opinion. Don't just call someone else's opinion BS.
I have 2 problems with getting a sense of how good these players are.
First, there refusal to use proper numbering - as good an example as any of their contempt for internationals - meant I was constantly slightly confused as to who even had the ball. The second is that we haven’t seen nearly enough of them to form a view as to how good they are. I struggle to compare Sterling with whoever their half back is when he hasn’t played against England/GB, and may not ever do so.
I appreciate neither of these is a great reason, and they perhaps show that I am not a discerning watcher!
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2 hours ago, Gomersall said:
Have they announced the WC made losses? I must have missed that.
No, he’s making it up. He’s a sociopathic anti league troll.
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Don’t we have these sorts of matches anyway in the NH, when we play the Euro comps?
I thought that the top pros for countries like Italy only play world cups?
I like any idea that rewards a nation for having developed its own players.
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Let’s be clear - if we cannot persuade Oz and NZ to tour again the NH is toast. We will never build a fan base or inspire people.
More people attended yesterday’s games as neutrals than will ever watch any international Down Under. It will (by my reckoning) be the highest grossing international fixture of all time.
We are told (and the players say) that they want to play internationals. Meninga has stated that he wants to play internationals.
Whatever it takes, we need Oz and NZ to come over here. Because without that, we face an existential crisis to end all existential crises, and are on our way to oblivion.
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Over 2,500,000 viewers for the wheelchair game!
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6 minutes ago, Farmduck said:
Yes but has he told the Samoa RL and Tonga RL about it? There are actual governing bodies responsible for RL in those countries. They are the ones with the authority to do something to get it up and running.
The IRL might be a bit wary about putting up the cash considering the last Samoa "tour" of England and some of the people involved in Tonga RL.
There really are good reasons why these Pacific tests are played in Australia rather than in the Pacific countries.
I may be wrong, but I think you’re Australian, with an interest in the Kangaroos. I am very gloomy indeed about the prospects of seeing the Kangaroos over here this decade. Does anybody over there care about whether the Kangaroos play at all? And, if so, could you see them ever coming to the UK?
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49 minutes ago, Madrileño said:
No. Not at all.
My point was, that when we have zero sellout games, even in relatively small heartland stadia; and when we cannot sell out our Final (our global showpiece event), don't come back with a reply bigging up Wheelchairs and amateur women's games.
The 2 cannot be compared.
How about you set out your thoughts on where this one rates relative to the others? That would be on point.
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I think you can make a case for 2021 being the best ever. It set out its stall to be 3 successful competitions, and delivered magnificently on the wheelchair and women’s front. Over 2.5m tuned into the wheelchair final!!! That was an undoubted triumph. The women’s were only marginally less successful, and there is clearly huge huge potential for growth there.
As for the men’s, we have had ambitious pricing against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis which meant that crowds were lower than we would have hoped. And yet… they were within 10% of the 2013 figures, which, while considered a triumph, pretty much gave away many 10s of thousands of tickets. One thing that I would revisit with the men’s is the number of teams. I can see that 16 feels like a good number, but I don’t see why we need more than 10 and would be happy with 8. Cricket is a vastly bigger game, and yet they had 12 in their T20 comp. I struggle to get excited by foregone conclusion games with artificial teams. In that respect I prefer some of the other formats we have used in the past.
It’s hard to compare, but I think I enjoyed 2013 more: it just felt like it was buzzier. While I enjoyed 2008, it wasn’t really a competition for the ages until the final. 2017 was a litany of missed opportunities, with PNG and Tonga providing rare highlights in a tournament treated with apathy in Oz. 1995 was a lot of fun, though it was hard to see much of it (did the BBC only show the first and last game in full or am I misremembering). 2000 was a catastrophe. So, my league table would be:
1) 2013
2) 2021
3) 1995
4) 2008
5) 2017
6) 2000
i would note that the SH world cups have not just been inferior than the NH ones, but that clearly the gap between the potential and the reality is far far bigger, given the massive existing audience.
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12 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:
No more than the rfl deserve and if the plan is knights against European teams then we deserve to be left behind.
Build Wales and France or die, that’s it , it really is that simple. IMG and RFL can earn their money now .
I completely agree that, if we look to potential game changers for the international game, Wales and France are the only ones with any hope of success.
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I get v annoyed when the commentators say that our game is simple, or that teams simply do the basics. Ours is a fantastically difficult game to play this well. The Aussies are the best of the best, and to dismiss what they do as “basic” down plays excellence under pressure.
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1 minute ago, Mark S said:
The game in the UK could start with betting rid of relegation. We can’t complain about inferior we are to the NRL and not implement one of the most obvious solutions.
I agree that we don’t help ourselves. My focus is narrowly on this game and the consequences of the easy Aussie win. Because, honestly, if they walk this, I am not sure we will ever get an international calendar and I don’t think we will play Australia over here this decade. And how can our young supporters be inspired by players they never see?
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5 minutes ago, Futtocks said:
If a game's over at 10:0 then Rugby League's pretty much doomed.
I'm not saying Samoa (in their current form) are going to get back in this, and we all know the Kangaroos will score more.
But two tries and one conversion isn't a lot.
I have watched thousands of games in my time, and can’t see any way that this Australian team is going to have to get out of second gear to win this. And a rout looks likely.
To pick up a theme from an earlier post, in years gone by a massive Aussie win would be neither a good thing nor a bad thing for us, because we knew we would have a chance to play them every couple of years. With the current balance of power in the game - NRL first second and third - from a NH perspective certainly, and probably from a SH international perspective, this will be the perfect excuse for them to play as few games as possible and certainly not to tour.
The NRL have no interest in the Kangaroo brand. None of the top NRL people even bothered to come over here. You only have to try to buy a Kangaroo top as opposed to a SoO or NRL top anywhere in Oz to see that.
I am acutely conscious that the NH has no answer to the NRL “so what, sort yourselves out”. I just think it’s a crying shame that no kids up here will go through what I went through as a kid and be inspired by regular games against the Kangaroos.
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1 minute ago, Futtocks said:
So a mere 2-try margin is now the criterion for total despair?
At what point can people point out that this game is done?
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43 minutes ago, Jughead said:
If it’s Australia, it will be rugby league at its best, if it’s Samoa, it’s some story to go from a hammering off England to winning the tournament.
I remember the old Kangaroo tours, where it was our privilege to enjoy the world’s best rugby team. And which inspired a generation to dig deeper and improve standards. The Kangaroos could again be a force for good. But I can’t see it.
If this lot wins, then the NRL will use it as a means to protect their brand by making sure they play as little as possible, and any games any NRL players are allowed to play, are played in their back yard.
The NRL is already a parasite on Super League, and, in the wake of another Aussie win (or indeed a defeat) will suck the blood from the international game. Penrith’s pre season matters far more to them than any internationals, or world club challenge.
Of course it’s the NH’s fault because we haven’t got our act together, but it didn’t have to be like this.
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After the wheelchair victory, I am feeling slightly more upbeat about the tournaments. We desperately need Australia not to have a walk over. If they do, with V’Landys in charge, I wonder whether we will ever see England play them over here this decade. I am not sure we could even describe the NH men’s international game as being on life support. I suspect it was turned off last week.
I hope Samoa win, but they won’t.
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I seem to have some grit in my lenses. 10 legends. The greatest game. What a finish, what a game, what a sport.
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Does anyone think that the Rock will publicise this?
RLWC Attendance-O-Meter
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted
I divided the semi by 2, which I thought was the accepted convention.
If we do adopt that approach then the 2021 women’s tournament attracted huge (world record?) crowds. Which makes the 2021 overall total much higher. That’s brilliant news for 2021’s figures!