Touch/Tag Rugby League TTRL

[Archie Gordon]

3 hours ago, jacobus said:

45 mins north, just below Peterborough. 

 

Fair play. That is in the middle of nowhere for RL, as you say.

[jacobus]

Not just RL

[The Rocket]

On 01/11/2021 at 11:36, unapologetic pedant said:

In said table, the figures for RL, Touch, and OzTag are separate entries, listed alphabetically with other sports. The combined total is an optional extra at the bottom of the list.

I take your point Pedant but for me the main point is that this afl friendly site - for gods sake they have  " The Aussie Rules " splashed across their opening page - at least is acknowledging that the three codes fall under the Rugby League umbrella. That`s a massive step forward.

It`s recognition that Abdo`s and V`landy`s high profile statements recently are gaining traction. Talk like "we have got all bases covered - something for everyone ", " tip, tag and tackle" and " we want to build the biggest sporting community in Australia ".

One of the main things to come out of this for me, and you may have broached this earlier in this thread yourself, is that when League bodies be it grass roots or NRL, approach governments at any level they can say we have a sport with over 650 000 participants, third highest in the nation, that`s got to help.

BTW. I assumed League Tag numbers are included in the tackle numbers as well.

 

[unapologetic pedant]

12 hours ago, The Rocket said:

It`s recognition that Abdo`s and V`landy`s high profile statements recently are gaining traction. Talk like "we have got all bases covered - something for everyone ", 

One of the main things to come out of this for me, and you may have broached this earlier in this thread yourself, is that when League bodies be it grass roots or NRL, approach governments at any level they can say we have a sport with over 650 000 participants, third highest in the nation, that`s got to help.

It`s vital that they maintain the pressure to have all forms officially and routinely counted as one. It has to be the sort of cultural shift that will endure when Abdo and PVL are no longer there. I can`t see that happening until Touch and OzTag are owned and run by the NRL and State Rugby Leagues.

When participation rates are published in descending order, RL is well down the list. Attached malign comments from Fumblers, Soccer fans, etc are along the lines of "why does a minority sport attract so much media attention?"

Auskick investment and recurring AFL statistical chicanery are designed to paint a picture of their game as integral to the Australian way of life, and that they are taking over NSW and QLD. When PVL was appointed, his first interview outlined how RL`s demotic reach was wider and deeper than many people thought. He clearly recognised the need to counter AFL propaganda. Particularly in relation to grass roots activity.

RL should never give public bodies any opportunity to make funding decisions based on the Tackle figures alone. Some of the bureaucrats might not be well-disposed to RL. Even if they are socially impartial, the heavy contact and collisions they see on TV may be the dominant image in their mind.

Over here, the RFL followed up their coverage of the TTR nationals with a preview of the Ireland v GB Cup to be played 23rd-24th October in Limerick. The fact that no reports about the tournament have subsequently appeared on their site is typical RFL - coverage of everything is random and unreliable.

This year they`ve shown more interest in Tag. Next year, they could have forgotten about it entirely.

[unapologetic pedant]

14 hours ago, The Rocket said:

BTW. I assumed League Tag numbers are included in the tackle numbers as well.

It`s a glaring anomaly that League Tag players are included but OzTag players are excluded.

[The Rocket]

With the move of the Indigenous All-Stars Match to CommBank Stadium (ex-BankWest) next year it has also been revealed that a Touch Rugby League fixture will also feature between Aboriginal and Maori representative sides.

This follows on from an extended interview with Peter V`landy`s last week about the future of Women`s Rugby League where he concluded the interview by saying:

“That’s the beauty of rugby league is that you participate at so many levels,” he said. “We’re discussing the elite level at the moment but women can also play casually in a tip or tag competition. And then they can go to a contact competition."

It`s becoming a bit of a mantra now, he seems to be saying it at every opportunity and having a representative Touch Rugby League game at a big event like the All-Stars could really start to put this on the map. Next stop World Cup, let`s make this our own world-wide.

 

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

“That’s the beauty of rugby league is that you participate at so many levels,” he said. “We’re discussing the elite level at the moment but women can also play casually in a tip or tag competition. And then they can go to a contact competition."

Do we think this "Tip" moniker is deliberate? - Is he trying to reclaim Touch from Rugger?

To further his world domination plans, PVL lingo will be made the official language of RL. One day, we`ll all be playing and watching "Tackle Rugba League", "Tip Rugba League", and "Tag Rugba League". At least the latter is a marked improvement on "Try Tag Rugby".

I saw an interview the other day with former Jillaroo and top cop Samantha Bliss, who`s just joined the QRL board as an independent director, in which she kept saying "Rugba League".

[The Rocket]

Bit of news from the world of Touch and Tag Rugby League:

St. Helens held a Tackle/Tag Rugby League day for u`11`s which attracted over 100 participants. 4 fields were utilised: 2 for tackle participants and 2 for those interested it Tag.

Ghanian Rugby League will open their season with a Touch Rugby League carnival held on the 16 January followed by a Tag Rugby League Day held on 13th of February.

RLF Ghana release 2022 calendar and target new region – TotalRL.com | Rugby League Express | Rugby League World

The NRL have announced a partnership with Special Olympics Australia.

Special Olympics chief executive Pierre Comis said the organisation was looking to help sporting bodies around the country upskill their workforces to help deliver inclusivity programs

 "The partnership with the NRL is a critically important one for us because of the reach the NRL has, because of how many kids love the chance to play rugby league and NRL touch in particular."

Eels NRLW player Kennedy Cherrington with a St Lucy's School student.©Matthew Vasilescu/Special Olympics Australia

A photo that would warm the flintiest of hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wakefield Ram]

St. Helens held a Tackle/Tag Rugby League day for u`11`s which attracted over 100 participants. 4 fields were utilised: 2 for tackle participants and 2 for those interested it Tag.

Tag Rugby is a massive opportunity for Rugby League. Not all kids want to do full contact RL or might be a bit nervous, so Tag Rugby is ideal and it's the same for adults, who might have concerns about getting injured and being off work.

The day St Helens ran looks a great idea, hopefully the RFL will or are working with TTRL to promote it.

 

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

Ghanian Rugby League will open their season with a Touch Rugby League carnival held on the 16 January followed by a Tag Rugby League Day held on 13th of February.

RLF Ghana release 2022 calendar and target new region – TotalRL.com | Rugby League Express | Rugby League World

For a while now, I`ve been very impressed with the enterprise of Ghana RL. This is further encouraging evidence that they have engaged in serious thought about how to build foundations for the sport.

One sentence from the article is especially cogent - "It is important we have a multi-sport discipline to offer our students". My only demur here is I would prefer the phrase "multi-discipline sport".

The Ghanaians seem to have realized that RL will only grow in new territories where maximizing participation is pursued as an end in itself. I`ve read a number of comments from their administrators about the personal and community benefits of RL involvement.

Elsewhere sadly, other nations (U.S.A. most notably) are still stuck in the tired old rut of setting up Tackle RL comps with Union players alongside fantasies of professional leagues springing up out of nothing. 

[unapologetic pedant]

2 hours ago, The Rocket said:

 

Eels NRLW player Kennedy Cherrington with a St Lucy's School student.©Matthew Vasilescu/Special Olympics Australia

Can`t recall the precise details, but I`m pretty sure Kennedy Cherrington has some sort of congenital heart condition. So, she`ll be well aware of the importance of exercise for those with long-term ailments or disabilities.

Combining playing RL with this kind of work in the community is one way for our female players to have adequately-remunerated jobs in the game.

[jacobus]

This is good news from my perspective

 

https://englandtouch.org.uk/news/posts/2021/december/new-partnership-to-grow-oval-ball-sports/?fbclid=IwAR1n3YrPMB37dRHs6ZHvn7fJCTO--27kOcXlVJkVEV4vDsz2-CYSGyzZ5Xk

 

[The Rocket]

1 hour ago, jacobus said:

This is good news from my perspective

 

https://englandtouch.org.uk/news/posts/2021/december/new-partnership-to-grow-oval-ball-sports/?fbclid=IwAR1n3YrPMB37dRHs6ZHvn7fJCTO--27kOcXlVJkVEV4vDsz2-CYSGyzZ5Xk

 

This is more than good news this is gold. No actually make that absolute gold.

Edited December 21, 2021 by The Rocket

[Man of Kent]

That's great because it means the RFL is now the official partner with the leading organisations of both tag rugby and touch rugby in England.

I wonder if we'll eventually see a 'Super League Touch' comp similar to the NRL Touch Premiership.

Incidentally, I have started playing tag for the first time via a weekend London league and I have to say I find it much more fun to play than touch (and more like league than touch). Awesome game. Do give it a go if you get the chance.

[Damien]

I do like the way that RL is given its proper place on the website on the history of touch:

Touch started in Australia in the early 1960’s as a social or “park” game and as a training technique for rugby league.

It was not then viewed as a sport in its own right. It was formalised into a sport proper by the “Founders of Touch”, Bob Dyke and Ray Vawdon of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club. On 13 July 1968 the “South Sydney Touch Football Club” was formed and the sport of Touch Football was born. The first official game of Touch was played in late 1968 and the first official competition, organised by Dyke & Vawdon, was held at Snape Park, Sydney in 1969. From these humble beginnings the game quickly became a fully regulated and codified sport. It was first played in Brisbane in 1973 and had spread to New Zealand by 1975.

The establishment of the first national body, the Australian Touch Football Association came in 1976. A highlight came after the drawn Sydney Rugby League Grand Final of 1977 when the rematch needed a curtain-raiser and rugby league officials asked the newly formed ATFA to provide the prelude game. With a crowd of 40,000+ this game helped to raise the profile of Touch in Australia and was nothing short of spectacular according to Bob Dyke in the book “The Story of Touch”. Another profile raiser came in 1978 when the Sydney Metropolitan Touch Football side played the touring Great Britain national rugby league team in a high-scoring match, with the local team winning with a disputed touchdown on the siren. As more people began to play Touch more organised competitions developed.

History of Touch | England Touch

[JonM]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

This is more than good news this is gold. No actually make that absolute gold.

Yep, really have to hope that the penny has dropped at the RFL. We only have a long-term future as a sport if more people play, coach, referee and spectate. Touch/ tag are the best way to achieve that. 

[unapologetic pedant]

6 hours ago, jacobus said:

https://englandtouch.org.uk/news/posts/2021/december/new-partnership-to-grow-oval-ball-sports/?fbclid=IwAR1n3YrPMB37dRHs6ZHvn7fJCTO--27kOcXlVJkVEV4vDsz2-CYSGyzZ5Xk

"The two codes have been inextricably linked for the last 50 years"

Anyone who has followed the whole of this thread will know that this statement is not true anywhere, and particularly not so in the UK. The RFU have been far more active than the RFL in associating their game with Touch. 

This RFL/Touch partnership appears to be the tangible outcome of the recent "Touch Union" contretemps broached by @jacobus on a previous page. 

It looks as though the RFU issued what amounted to an ultimatum that England Touch should more closely align on and off the field with RU. England Touch declined to cooperate, and the RFL have stepped in. 

Hard to divine the motives of the RFU. Best guess is that they couldn`t any longer ignore the palpable similarities between Touch and League. 

Been a long time coming, but the dénouement is a satisfying blend of nemesis and karma.

[unapologetic pedant]

5 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Incidentally, I have started playing tag for the first time via a weekend London league and I have to say I find it much more fun to play than touch (and more like league than touch). Awesome game. Do give it a go if you get the chance.

I`ve never played either Tag or Touch. As a viewer, I enjoy Tag more than Touch.

I`ve seen video of League Tag teams in NSW going through their defensive drills and training techniques. Effecting a tag is more of an art than making a touch. It`s also much easier to detect and therefore referee. Which makes Tag more suitable for competitive fixtures. I see Touch as a health and exercise thing.

[The Rocket]

34 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

"The two codes have been inextricably linked for the last 50 years"

Anyone who has followed the whole of this thread will know that this statement is not true anywhere, and particularly not so in the UK. The RFU have been far more active than the RFL in associating their game with Touch. 

Pedant I`m not above a bit of the rewriting of history when it suits either and if the RFL are suddenly going to embrace the code then good on them claiming it was ours all along anyway.

Great news though isn`t it mate, it really has been what we have been talking about on this thread for the last 18 months. 

BTW I did note in the NRL statement about what they are going to do with their broadcast windfall it said: " continue to expand the participation in Touch, Tag and Tackle ". It`s game over mate, anyway you have a happy Christmas and take care.

 

[Man of Kent]

2 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I`ve never played either Tag or Touch. As a viewer, I enjoy Tag more than Touch.

I`ve seen video of League Tag teams in NSW going through their defensive drills and training techniques. Effecting a tag is more of an art than making a touch. It`s also much easier to detect and therefore referee. Which makes Tag more suitable for competitive fixtures. I see Touch as a health and exercise thing.

Touch can be great but you have to work hard on ‘line attack’ plays because it’s so easy to effect a ‘tackle’.

It’s very easy to play touch badly, particularly if you’re playing with a bunch of ex-union players who want to play a sort of hot potato 7s to touch rules. 

Good line attack play requires precise footwork, timing, coordination and communication. When it’s done well it’s rewarding but it can get frustrating, if truth be told, because many players just want a social runabout without the complexity of learning set plays. It can be like herding cats at times. 

Tag on the other hand is less complex but allows for more individual skill - running, evasion, offloading and kicking (no kicking in touch). And - this is key in my view - playing what’s in front of you rather than trying pre-planned set moves.

It’s therefore more accessible and, in my view, fun. And, yes, removing a tag from a hip of a stepping/spinning attacker is much harder than touching any part of an attacker or the ball (as in touch). 

Oh, and you must play the ball with the foot in tag

Edited December 21, 2021 by Man of Kent
Play the ball pedantry

[unapologetic pedant]

2 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Oh, and you must play the ball with the foot in tag

I have a few thoughts on that matter. But @The Rocket wants me to have a happy Christmas.

[jacobus]

20 hours ago, The Rocket said:

This is more than good news this is gold. No actually make that absolute gold.

I feel a bit of pressure being part of a union club however. 

I wonder if the RFU will dictate that their touch union rules will be needed to be part of a union set up?

[JM2010]

I'd like to see community clubs start to run touch teams alongside their tackle teams at juniors and open age.

This would be a great way to get more players and volunteers involved in these clubs. Some children and adults might be put off by the physicality of playing league but might really enjoy playing touch and having the opportunity to be part of a RL club.

Also, late developers or smaller children might be better suited to touch as size isn't a big factor like it is in tackle RL

[The Rocket]

21 hours ago, JM2010 said:

I'd like to see community clubs start to run touch teams alongside their tackle teams at juniors and open age.

This would be a great way to get more players and volunteers involved in these clubs. Some children and adults might be put off by the physicality of playing league but might really enjoy playing touch and having the opportunity to be part of a RL club.

Also, late developers or smaller children might be better suited to touch as size isn't a big factor like it is in tackle RL

Running programmes ( like the one below ) parallel to their junior Touch and Tag team competitions can then assist kids gain the confidence to make that next step, if they want to, into the tackle competitions.

A higher profile for Touch and Tag competitions will continue to make participating in those competitions being seen as legitimate forms of the game as well.

 NRL 2021: TackleReady program, tackling technique, head knock prevention - NRL

After first being trialled throughout south-east Queensland in 2019 - garnering overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents - TackleReady is now being delivered to every under-7s team in Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia and WA.

TackleReady is part of the Player Development Framework which has three main objectives: attract and retain participation, foster personal development and transition and nurture performance.

Great article and some great photos in there as well,  worth a read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by The Rocket

[Yakstorm]

So now Rugby League has official partnerships with the respective Touch Football Leagues in Australia, France, Ghana, Brazil and England plus friendly relationships between the two in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and New Zealand. 

Arguably a critical enough mass of influence for the IRL, ERL & APRL to encourage all their members to start trying to formalise relationships whilst also doing the same at the IRL & FIT level.