Lets face it

[Maureen T-k]

Ive just asked rich to confirm but I'm fairly certain Tim played a few games of union....

For Pontefract rugby union club ??

[Robin Evans]

Copperworks....

[Robin Evans]

Rich has a very amusing and interesting tale to tell

[Blue Pike]

I totally agree with Robins views and understand where Colins coming from as he has been brought up in a different era and the bitterness is still there however I think we have gone off on a tangent and my core question which is why the national R.U side is the best side out of all our national sides on THE FIELD .I.M.O its not solely down to money as our #### Football team had the most money spent on them out of all the teams in the Euros which was quoted by the media at 300 million and we always look good qualifying against ###### countries but come the main tournament when we have to play anyone decent we fall away .Our National R.L team are miles off the Aussies so it must be mainly down to good coaching for Eddie Jones to beat South Africa when in charge of Japan and then to embarass Ausie in their backyard 3 times just shows what a good job hes doing.His tough training regimes which have caused a few injuries to players seems to bring on the men from the boys.The main gripe I have is that as a spectator sport RL is by far the best out of all our sports but we are miles behind R.U and for years now they are taking our best players LETS FACE IT.

[Phil Loxton]

And rise up the big money man to hybrid the game for the big money backer that is commonly known as SKY. What goes around comes around and perhaps not yet but I believe the two codes will be as one again in the future. I love FEV rather than love where our sport as gone. Up the Rovers.

[Robin Evans]

Different culture in oz. Its their no1 sport with a tv deals worth zillions. They have an excellent feeder club to the nrl... they have excellent competitions underneath the nrl and they are not bound by the same sense of tradition that we are.

Their player pool is vast... far greater than ours as is the numbers and quality of coaching.

No single reason aussie RL is better than ours... lots of reasons.

Union is different. Our national side is able to compete for money, has a massive player pool etc etc

[oldrover]

i agree about league being the better game, but year on year it is losing the flair that it once had, whereas union is becoming more expansive. if we have to accept we're never going to be as good as Australia, lets get back to the way we used to play the game. no rotating forwards, let the halfbacks get at em when they're tired, and wingers only needed 18 inches of daylight to break the line and score. even if we wouldn't be best in the world, we would be entertained.

[Robin Evans]

i agree about league being the better game, but year on year it is losing the flair that it once had, whereas union is becoming more expansive. if we have to accept we're never going to be as good as Australia, lets get back to the way we used to play the game. no rotating forwards, let the halfbacks get at em when they're tired, and wingers only needed 18 inches of daylight to break the line and score. even if we wouldn't be best in the world, we would be entertained.

Indeed. The game has become quite sterile...

[jamescolin]

And rise up the big money man to hybrid the game for the big money backer that is commonly known as SKY. What goes around comes around and perhaps not yet but I believe the two codes will be as one again in the future. I love FEV rather than love where our sport as gone. Up the Rovers.

And rise up the big money man to hybrid the game for the big money backer that is commonly known as SKY. What goes around comes around and perhaps not yet but I believe the two codes will be as one again in the future. I love FEV rather than love where our sport as gone. Up the Rovers.

I had the same feeling about the two codes becoming one. But I felt that the SL would combine with RU. That would leave the rest of us as the new basic RL Code.

[Robin Evans]

Why would any money men need to compromise on union. They dont give a toss about us any longer. We are an irrelevance.

They are huge. Whilst our game is on its ar se, union goes from strength to strength.

Hybrid game.... no need. Union is massive anyway. It doesnt need league

[The Grinder]

Why would any money men need to compromise on union. They dont give a toss about us any longer. We are an irrelevance.

They are huge. Whilst our game is on its ar se, union goes from strength to strength.

Hybrid game.... no need. Union is massive anyway. It doesnt need league

You beat me to it Robin

[Blue Pike]

Why would any money men need to compromise on union. They dont give a toss about us any longer. We are an irrelevance.

They are huge. Whilst our game is on its ar se, union goes from strength to strength.

Hybrid game.... no need. Union is massive anyway. It doesnt need league

True

[Maureen T-k]

Tim Spears doing a stint at Morley rugby union club at the moment, but I've just also seen he's signed with York for next season.

Tim Slatter played for Ponty

[jamescolin]

Why would any money men need to compromise on union. They dont give a toss about us any longer. We are an irrelevance.

They are huge. Whilst our game is on its ar se, union goes from strength to strength.

Hybrid game.... no need. Union is massive anyway. It doesnt need league

They still pull out all the stops to curtail our expansion overseas Robin.

[Ricardo Taylor]

Charlie Stone came from Pontefract R U and am sure that Hepworth came via Rotherham RU. Times have changed in all sport. Barriers are being broken down but it takes time to change peoples attitudes and ideals.

we have RL players going the other way as well

[Robin Evans]

They still pull out all the stops to curtail our expansion overseas Robin.

they dont have to colin. They may offer their brand of rugby wherever they like. Market forces determines the rest colin. It may be unpalatable to us in league but uniin has a much greater appeal.

Union doesnt have to pull any stops colin league is so inconsequential to them now...

[saddleworth]

Harsh words from a respected veteren but someone please tell me as a R.L nation why are we #### compared to our old foe England R.U

Loads of dosh and investment. Simples.

[marklaspalmas]

It's not often I disagree with Robin. He's much bigger than me and wears Raja's slippers. But I don't share his views here. Whilst Union has changed a lot in 20 years of open professionalism, those who run (and ran) the sport have a lot to answer for, and to say its's "in the past" is to gloss over a helluva lot of cant and hypocrisy. So many nasty and vindicative actions over so many decades cannot be swept under the carpet. Nonsense and discrimination still goes on, but not as it once did.

 

FWIW I think Union folk are still a bit obsessed with rugby league. Any moves they make to improve their sport can only end up making it "more like league" something they are acutely aware of.

 

It's a shame really as the biggest winner in a 121 year conflict between the rugby codes has been soccer. But the blame for that lies firmly at the door of the RFU.

[Robin Evans]

As you know i still have an interest at wath rufc.

30 years ago league was a dirty word and i agree.

But that was then. Everyone i speak to now enjoys league for what it is and are happy to go to games. There isn't anywhere near the same apartheid as there was, simply cos union is so much bigger now.... at every level

I'm happy to draw a line. Those committing the marginalisation of league back in the day - carlings 57....have long gone in these professional days.

League really doesnt matter now. We are no longer any threat.

Granted i havent spoken to bath saracens harlequins adiministrators etc... but yorks clubs ive played for n against all have a similar ethos nowadays... viz:- its alreight... just not as good as union.

[Robin Evans]

We really do need to move on and leave the persecution complex behind now. This is the 21st century. We need to concentrate on our own sport's growth

[jamescolin]

If we are allowed to.

[Robin Evans]

How are we being prohibited?

[Phil Loxton]

It's not often I disagree with Robin. He's much bigger than me and wears Raja's slippers. But I don't share his views here. Whilst Union has changed a lot in 20 years of open professionalism, those who run (and ran) the sport have a lot to answer for, and to say its's "in the past" is to gloss over a helluva lot of cant and hypocrisy. So many nasty and vindicative actions over so many decades cannot be swept under the carpet. Nonsense and discrimination still goes on, but not as it once did.

 

FWIW I think Union folk are still a bit obsessed with rugby league. Any moves they make to improve their sport can only end up making it "more like league" something they are acutely aware of.

 

It's a shame really as the biggest winner in a 121 year conflict between the rugby codes has been soccer. But the blame for that lies firmly at the door of the RFU.

Well said Mark. The biggest difference in the sports is only international level. Their premier division gets marginally more attendance's but their lower leagues are no better attended than ours. It's just that there are so many more clubs nationally which gathers more interest internationally

[Robin Evans]

When do you reckon a superleague game will get an 80k attendance?

At least 2 gates of 40k last season and i only looked at 6 weeks worth of attendances...

We cant get 80k for a full weekend when all our clubs play each other over 2 days.... many being derbies

[Robin Evans]

I went to a game at wath about 4 years ago. A semi final. Wath are a poxy level 8 club i played for ffs. There was just short of 1000 there.....

Wath.... a club that runs 4 teams every week... a vets team, juniors at most ages... qualified coaches at all levels... and makes money...

This is my shi tty old club....

This kind of enthusiasm for the game is replicated all over the uk....