[PSA: Free stuff at the club shop this week]

Just dropped this stuff there!

[Book signing Friday]

Hi all, I'll be at the Boot Room on Friday night between six and seven with a few copies of my book Two Tribes if you fancy getting a signed edition! See you there!

[Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)]

51 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Yes its all very well people knocking the RFL however their record on expansion has been pretty damm good they have never shied away from welcoming new clubs and countries + new stadiums 

 

Let me remind the RFL knockers out there 

* Russia teams in the CC

* French teams in the CC

* Catalan Dragons Super League

* Toulouse Championship 

* Last 40 years new teams (Ones still with us)  in London (2) Coventry Sheffield Newcastle Wales ETC (Compared to new rugby union clubs in the top 2 divisions ZERO:)

* Canada 

* Test in USA

* Internationals in London

* CC Final and MM in Edinburgh

* Same as above in Cardiff

* New stadiums Wigan/Warrington/St Helens/Hull FC/Huddersfield Giants/Salford Red Devils/Widnes/Dewsbury/Doncaster/Halifax/Leigh

* Major upgrades in many stadiums 

* Women RL

For what is perceived as a small regional sport the RFL have taken many more risks than the NRL with a tiny fraction of the income.

 

YES there is much more that can be done however lets STOP being so negative.

 

Paul

Great post. RFL and IRL may be pushed together by having a common enemy now A summer Nines series in British cities with teams called Samoa, Ireland, England, USA but using unknowns to mirror The Hundred ('The Nines") would be a great start to this new relationship. Sky want our sport to be more dynamic and forward thinking. That's the start. The international game must learn to do without NRL players if it is to realise its commercial ambitions. 

[Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)]

Just now, Exiled Wiganer said:

Which in a way is fine, if that’s the reality. They have had years to work out how they want to use their power, and come up with a plan. Their approach, lest we forget, was instead to wait till 4 minutes to midnight to explode a tournament on which the world game was entirely dependent. 

I have no particular issue with the NRL’s argument that they develop the players, and that they should have a major say in the international game. Let’s have an open debate around that, and involve the players. How about let’s not destroy the IRL, the RFL and the hopes and plans of developing the international game for the next 4 years while we are owing about it. 

But those tactics drive down the value of the asset they are trying to buy. You destroy it and you get it cheaper.

[Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)]

Simple: Nine and Fox don't want an upstart like SportsFlick entering the market. The NRL changed their rules for Nine and Fox and took the games off their own platforms to placate them. Nine and Fox run rugby league in Australia.

Also the IRL want to commercialise their calendar. That means getting sponsors from event to event like other international sports and selling TV rights like other international sports. This is a threat to the NRL, who see the sport of rugby league as their exclusive commercial domain. So they are sabotaging the IRL and have already started recruiting people to value it for a hostile takeover.  

[Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)]

Simple: Nine and Fox don't want an upstart like SportsFlick entering the market. The NRL changed their rules for Nine and Fox and took the games off their own platforms to placate them. Nine and Fox run rugby league in Australia 

[Developing Nations' Merchandise]

Guys myself and Phill Browne who runs Tag Rugby in the UK have just started a business called Mascord Brownz. We're featuring a country a month. So far we've done United States, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Ireland are coming up in the next 24 hours. Find us here: Our shop