Fiji Sun: Denver Test scrapped, NZ to play Fiji in Sydney June 2018

[westside]

Wales RU just announced a test in USA in June (when England vs Kiwis would have taken place). RL looks like it's backing away from a fight here.

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, westside said:

Wales RU just announced a test in USA in June (when England vs Kiwis would have taken place). RL looks like it's backing away from a fight here.

So it's cowardice preventing England v New Zealand happening in Denver, not the NRL clubs?

[Scubby]

1 hour ago, westside said:

Wales RU just announced a test in USA in June (when England vs Kiwis would have taken place). RL looks like it's backing away from a fight here.

That is planned for the end of May according to reports.

[westside]

17 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

So it's cowardice preventing England v New Zealand happening in Denver, not the NRL clubs?

I'm not saying that. But at some point you have to pull the trigger and show you're capable of doing what you say you are. They don't have until 2025. They have until post-2021 to prove things are working. That's pretty much three years away, it will come quickly. And it sounds like there won't be any big RL fixtures in the US in 2018 so basically you have 2019 and 2020. They better get working.

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, westside said:

I'm not saying that. But at some point you have to pull the trigger and show you're capable of doing what you say you are. They don't have until 2025. They have until post-2021 to prove things are working. That's pretty much three years away, it will come quickly. And it sounds like there won't be any big RL fixtures in the US in 2018 so basically you have 2019 and 2020. They better get working.

I couldn't agree more. We need to get a profile in the States sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it looks like 2018 has been stymied. A wasted year we can ill afford but then what's new in Lalaland?

[GeordieSaint]

The NRL clubs (and administrators) don’t give a hoot about the RLWC21, nevermind the RLWC25. They like some of our clubs can’t see past their own nose. We deserve better and the game does too.

[Krzzystuff]

Posted this in the "RL's Strength is it's Weakness" thread originally but applies here as well.

For the international game the Northern Hemisphere needs to just move on and get games going without SH teams and plan for not having NRL players, if you keep letting the NRL dictate the schedules they will. Just go on without them and help strengthen the NH without the NRL, its the only way you will get a bigger voice in the future. Its all about SH teams right now and England...with an NRL coach and half the team NRL players...so really if you round up its' all about the SH right now and that's why they don't care about the wants, needs and opinions of the NH...if your don't like it DO SOMETHING! 

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, Krzzystuff said:

Posted this in the "RL's Strength is it's Weakness" thread originally but applies here as well.

For the international game the Northern Hemisphere needs to just move on and get games going without SH teams and plan for not having NRL players, if you keep letting the NRL dictate the schedules they will. Just go on without them and help strengthen the NH without the NRL, its the only way you will get a bigger voice in the future. Its all about SH teams right now and England...with an NRL coach and half the team NRL players...so really if you round up its' all about the SH right now and that's why they don't care about the wants, needs and opinions of the NH...if your don't like it DO SOMETHING! 

So we forge ahead without the SH. Where do you think most of the sport's heritage players come from? England might get a half decent game against a full strength France or Ireland if we don't use NRL players but after that it's daylight. And I mean the kind of daylight you Canucks get in the far north in the middle of summer. Whether we like it or not we won't grow the international game without the NRL onside. If they aren't onside then we're banging our heads against a brick wall.

[Krzzystuff]

15 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

So we forge ahead without the SH. Where do you think most of the sport's heritage players come from? England might get a half decent game against a full strength France or Ireland if we don't use NRL players but after that it's daylight. And I mean the kind of daylight you Canucks get in the far north in the middle of summer. Whether we like it or not we won't grow the international game without the NRL onside. If they aren't onside then we're banging our heads against a brick wall.

But they aren't playing nicely so don't play with them. If they see were having a good time and maybe making some money and grabbing headlines they might be willing to play again, don't expect and apology as that's not the goal.

What incentives do they have to stop doing what they are doing? 

NH has 2 Options

1. Deal with it and stop crying...read as STFU 
2. Man up butter cup and DO SOMETHING...read as grow a pair

Please take notice that sitting on the fence and moaning isn't an option

[deluded pom?]

1 minute ago, Krzzystuff said:

But they aren't playing nicely so don't play with them. If they see were having a good time and maybe making some money and grabbing headlines they might be willing to play again, don't expect and apology as that's not the goal.

What incentives do they have to stop doing what they are doing? 

NH has 2 Options

1. Deal with it and stop crying...read as STFU 
2. Man up butter cup and DO SOMETHING...read as grow a pair

We'll lose money faster than they can print it. Next to nobody will watch England play anyone not from the UK or France.  If they simply play amongst themselves then how does that improve the game in the NH? There will be no headlines either. I know you mean well mate but you greatly overestimate the impact an international not involving SH teams would have with the U.K. media.

[Krzzystuff]

7 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

We'll lose money faster than they can print it. Next to nobody will watch England play anyone not from the UK or France.  If they simply play amongst themselves then how does that improve the game in the NH? There will be no headlines either. I know you mean well mate but you greatly overestimate the impact an international not involving SH teams would have with the U.K. media.

Then deal with the fact that you have lost the battle and no effort is required to do anything to grow the game in the NH.

People complain about the England Knights but get them going to bring the standard of the NH opposition up. SL clubs can't pull an NRL and stop players for playing though and fans can't not support the initiative. If you truly want change then support it by attending the games or watching them on TV, that's doing something. staying away from the NH teams, keeping money away form the teams isn't going to bring change about.

again...

1. Deal with it and stop crying...read as STFU 
2. Man up butter cup and DO SOMETHING...read as grow a pair

Please take notice that sitting on the fence and moaning isn't an option

[deluded pom?]

People won't attend in enough numbers and it won't be televised. This isn't fence sitting or moaning. They are facts. Again you are overestimating RL's impact on the UK media.

[Kayakman]

Its Christmas time fellas...Christmas...come on fellas...come on now.

[Krzzystuff]

Not media fans. If you are a RL fan and you support your country and you have international games in your backyard why should the stadium not be full? 

The NRL has a much higher salary cap so almost all of the best English talent will be going there, SL is now another reserve league to the NRL. The NA expansion is the only hope for bringing much needed money into the game to help keep the NRL hands away from your best assets. 

If fans will only attend games with NRl players if they are ever held in the UK then why even bother have your own league. just wake up early and watch the NRL and be happy with whatever they throw your way, you've already shown you don't rate your own competition but saying it's not a real game without the NRL players.

Good thing NA is on the way to bring the RFL up to OUR standards of pro sports eh? 

[deluded pom?]

Good luck with that last sentence Krzzy

[Krzzystuff]

TWP is dong a ton of work to improve the game overall in the UK and the NA market....reallity is that it's not up to snuff for...well anyone. You guys do complain about the league management,  funding,  scheduling and marketing for a reason right?

It's not up to a standard that would be accepted in any other developed market for a professional sport, were here to fix that 

 

[B rad]

I'm going to have a quick vent so anyone with children watching put your hands over their eyes. 

I would love to know what drooling retarded halfwits who must blow bubbles and soil themselves to communicate thought it was a good idea to sabotage our game by missing an opportunity pre-paid by the USA to expand and showcase our sport into the worlds biggest sporting market because, maybe some of the players in their squad might be a little tired when they get back.

They have robbed England and New Zealand of an international test, robbed their players of a nice payment and new international experience and robbed our sport of a great opportunity to show another nation with who we want to create a future with what high quality rugby league is all about. American sponsors might be thinking twice now about proposed teams in the English SL after they see how nations other then Australia are treated by our sport (I am Australian remember, its annoying to be so ###### at my own country). 

The arrogance of some probable Sydney suburban club to dictate to the English and New Zealand national team when where and who they can play football with is disgusting. Its fine and dandy for players to go off and play State of Origin (which admittedly I love) in the middle of the week but when there is an entire stand alone representative weekend available they wont release players to the next best two nations in order to expand the game, again because some of the guys in their team might be a little tired when they get back. For god sake how the leaders of the English and New Zealand teams let themselves be bullied with out a whimper shows a major lacking in the balls department. 

The clubs and administrators behind this decision should be named and shamed publicly. They should be abused ridiculed and made a joke of. English and New Zealand players should stand down from all NRL games until these administrators are removed from the game like a cancer so our game can continue to grow healthy with out their presence. Go on strike boys, and if they wont sack these incompetent short sighted morons then don't go back to work until the 1 million dollars is paid in compensation from the money which was missed with this opportunity. 

Maybe until next world cup England and New Zealand shouldn't play Australia in protest. Next year when England tour, it just so happens suddenly there are a bunch of other nations in that region that can put up a good game and amass great crowds. Come down and play PNG, Fiji and then Tonga Samoa and New Zealand in New Zealand, while New Zealand Fiji Tonga and Samoa play a Pacific cup at the same time. 

Other international sporting administrators will be pointing and laughing at us for many years to come. This is a major embarrassment to our sport and a kick to the balls for our attempts to expand into the most lucrative sporting market in the world and someone should be punished for it. Someone needs to lose their job and the message needs to be sent that it is not ok. 

Apologies for the angry sounding response. 

[Lobbygobbler]

I do wonder if there are IRB people involved running the NRL.

The NRL (and their refs) should be nowhere near international RL

[RayCee]

10 hours ago, Krzzystuff said:

Posted this in the "RL's Strength is it's Weakness" thread originally but applies here as well.

For the international game the Northern Hemisphere needs to just move on and get games going without SH teams and plan for not having NRL players, if you keep letting the NRL dictate the schedules they will. Just go on without them and help strengthen the NH without the NRL, its the only way you will get a bigger voice in the future. Its all about SH teams right now and England...with an NRL coach and half the team NRL players...so really if you round up its' all about the SH right now and that's why they don't care about the wants, needs and opinions of the NH...if your don't like it DO SOMETHING! 

I totally agree Krzzy. The NRL is not helping like it should and everything has to revolve around them.

9 hours ago, deluded pom? said:

So we forge ahead without the SH. Where do you think most of the sport's heritage players come from? England might get a half decent game against a full strength France or Ireland if we don't use NRL players but after that it's daylight. And I mean the kind of daylight you Canucks get in the far north in the middle of summer. Whether we like it or not we won't grow the international game without the NRL onside. If they aren't onside then we're banging our heads against a brick wall.

If the NH does nothing then the financial gap between them and Australia will grow. This game in Denver should go ahead anyway. It's an exhibition game and I don't think citizens of Denver expect every English player available to be there. England vs a World Invitaiton side. It will test a possible venue for the WC and see what the US thinks of the game. It will make the US public more aware of RL. If it's entertaining for them, then mission accomplished. I simply wouldn't let the NRL put a kibosh on it.  

As for the match fee, give a portion to to each of the NH RL federations, based on how many players they have involved. NH RL needs the exposure, the money and to show the SH it can and will do what it must to promote the game, with or without them. 

[RayCee]

6 hours ago, B rad said:

Its fine and dandy for players to go off and play State of Origin (which admittedly I love) in the middle of the week but when there is an entire stand alone representative weekend available they wont release players to the next best two nations in order to expand the game, again because some of the guys in their team might be a little tired when they get back...the leaders of the English and New Zealand teams let themselves be bullied with out a whimper shows a major lacking in (a certain) department. 

...Apologies for the angry sounding response. 

No need to apologise B rad. You say exactly what I think. I cannot believe the limp response from the NH and NZ on this. What I do like about it is that it highlights what's been going on for too long in this game but without enough evidence. Now we have the evidence.

I often criticise the way RU treats RL and rightly so. However, the way RL holds itself back is every bit as bad - if not worse - by its own shortsighted and self-centred administration. The issue shows why RL is still a tiny sport and will remain such unless there is some progressive leadership with any vision. 

[deluded pom?]

2 hours ago, RayCee said:

I totally agree Krzzy. The NRL is not helping like it should and everything has to revolve around them.

If the NH does nothing then the financial gap between them and Australia will grow. This game in Denver should go ahead anyway. It's an exhibition game and I don't think citizens of Denver expect every English player available to be there. England vs a World Invitaiton side. It will test a possible venue for the WC and see what the US thinks of the game. It will make the US public more aware of RL. If it's entertaining for them, then mission accomplished. I simply wouldn't let the NRL put a kibosh on it.  

As for the match fee, give a portion to to each of the NH RL federations, based on how many players they have involved. NH RL needs the exposure, the money and to show the SH it can and will do what it must to promote the game, with or without them. 

I said previously Ray that we should select the strongest England and New Zealand teams available and see what response we get from the NRL. At least then we'd know where we stand.  

[RayCee]

1 hour ago, deluded pom? said:

I said previously Ray that we should select the strongest England and New Zealand teams available and see what response we get from the NRL. At least then we'd know where we stand.  

I understand what you are saying DP but I question the method. The organisers of the game probably need something more concrete to plan with than we've arranged for the teams to come and hope they turn up. True, England can still put up a competitive side but NZ could not if the NRL clubs dig their toes in. That's not fair on the promoter. If he's stumping up big bucks, he needs to know what he’s getting. 

[The Great Dane]

2 hours ago, deluded pom? said:

I said previously Ray that we should select the strongest England and New Zealand teams available and see what response we get from the NRL. At least then we'd know where we stand.  

They wouldn't care if England and NZ played a game without NRL players cause it wouldn't effect them if their players weren't in the game.

I don't think it'd work though cause pretty much every Kiwi worth having is an NRL player, I guess the RFL could find somebody else but who? Australia, Tonga, and Fiji are the only other nations that can compete with England and they're all stocked with NRL talent and they aren't playing mid season outside of Australasia anyway cause the NRL clubs wont let them and the same goes for most of the other SH teams who can't hold a candle to England anyway, so that leaves the NH teams all of which can't hang with England either.

That's why international RL needs the NRL players and the only way it's going to get the NRL players is by doing it on the NRL clubs terms, but it seems that nobody is willing to compromise.

[The Great Dane]

Serious question apart from it being in the NFL's season which wouldn't be ideal but wouldn't really be an issue either, why couldn't the Denver game be played in the off season?

There wouldn't have been any trouble and the game would have gone ahead that way.

[DKL79]

2 minutes ago, The Great Dane said:

Serious question apart from it being in the NFL's season which wouldn't be ideal, why couldn't the Eng v NZ game in Denver be played in the off season?

There wouldn't have been any trouble and the game would have gone ahead that way.

The NFL don't play in May and the NRL clubs will find a way to stymie anything in the off season - the poor dears, (players), need all the rest they can get, not to mention all the spurious operations they need.