Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[londonrlfan]

1 minute ago, ShropshireBull said:

But that´s chicken and egg. Welsh RL is never going to be competitive unless it can raise enough money from sponsors to fund an academy and that doesn´t happen without annual games vs England. So you are effectively delaying forever which is just another excuse not to do it. 

England vs Scotland got 1.6 million on TV, no reason why Wales vs England on FTA could not generate 1 million views. 

Yep. People who have no interest in RL would tune into internationals just because England are playing. Why is RL the only sport who don't understand that? 

[Damien]

55 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

I don't post on Twitter but hopefully someone has relayed this very point.

Not sure how you reason with logic like this. Followed up with a couple more points but don't expect a reply.

 

[londonrlfan]

2 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Every year. No fta company wants a two year event. Every year bar World cups, they have a schedule filler there for one month near christmas so better for sponsors too. 

I thought bi-annual as you don't want overkill, but if there is a different 4th nation every year (like we had with the 4 Nations), it opens up more opportunity for other nations. 

[Griff]

15 minutes ago, londonrlfan said:

England, France, Wales and one another (Jamaica, Scotland, Ireland?) in a knockout tournament every two years. You can put that in the calendar for the next ten years and the sponsors and broadcasters will know in advance and you can organise and plan venues well in advance. But in true RL style, we'll do it once and then moan that England won it too easily and never do it again. 

If England win it too easily you'll struggle to sell it to sponsors and broadcasters.

[londonrlfan]

8 minutes ago, Griff said:

If England win it too easily you'll struggle to sell it to sponsors and broadcasters.

I don't think so. TV companies want cheap content that won't cost too much and want to keep audiences away from streaming. Live sport is more important than ever. Even if it wasn't on FTA, Sky would definitely want more live content. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by londonrlfan

[Keith989]

32 minutes ago, londonrlfan said:

Interesting how the Americans were always seen as being insular, when in reality it's the Aussies. At least the NFL, NBA, NHL etc are trying to grow the product globally, the NRL just want to keep it in house. 

The only thing the NFL is interested in is expanding their tv market. 

[unapologetic pedant]

3 hours ago, Damien said:

Well no, I already explained why.

I read your previous post. 

All the shortcomings you described are nothing new and many are far from unique to RL. They`ve been thrown into sharp relief by Covid. Hence, there was as much motive to abandon all hope two years ago as now.

Australian indifference to international RL has been common knowledge for at least two decades. 

In relation to Toronto, how many sports have successfully managed to integrate a team based thousands of miles away and with no local presence into their domestic league?

On the field, rules have been altered regularly throughout the game`s history. Some could be fairly characterized as "gimmicks for TV". But no rule change is irreversible. My own bete noire of illegal PTBs can, as other posters often say, be easily fixed.

The fact remains this splurge of Doomsday angst has been prompted by a decision made by a handful of people. Even when aligned with the flaws of the RFL, we should remember all these administrators are here today, gone tomorrow. None of them own the game on the field.

It`s like turning against democracy on the grounds of disaffection with current MPs. You always come back to Churchill`s maxim that "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried".

During the SL war I strove to enjoy watching RU. It`s not long before you start to miss RL.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

5 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

But that´s chicken and egg. Welsh RL is never going to be competitive unless it can raise enough money from sponsors to fund an academy and that doesn´t happen without annual games vs England. So you are effectively delaying forever which is just another excuse not to do it. 

England vs Scotland got 1.6 million on TV, no reason why Wales vs England on FTA could not generate 1 million views. 

I don't think you're going to raise money from sponsors to fund an academy by chucking men against boys and getting smashed every time. It's the equivalent of suggesting children learn to swim by throwing them in and hoping for the best. 

People seem to be of the impression that playing any international rugby is good, even if just a little bit good. This is not true. Playing knowingly and drastically uncompetitive fixtures has so many negative affects that you'd be better not playing some of them at all.

Take having England play France in England mid season. Completely and utterly pointless, harmful to the French brand as it makes them look terribly weak, harmful to the English brand as it makes them look like they can't attract a crowd, harmful to international rugby in the northern hemisphere as it shows a huge gulf in class between the top two nations.

I'm so for international rugby league if it's done right. I'm not for international rugby league for the sake of international rugby league. 

[jacksy]

1 hour ago, lucky 7 said:

 

 

 

 

Who would have thought that we would ever associate Aussies with being cowards, but we do now. The Aussies who died at Gallipoli must be turning in their graves at the cowardly act of Australian Rugby League

Please don't mention those Anzacs in the same sentence as the NRL.

[Damien]

7 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I read your previous post. 

All the shortcomings you described are nothing new and many are far from unique to RL. They`ve been thrown into sharp relief by Covid. Hence, there was as much motive to abandon all hope two years ago as now.

Australian indifference to international RL has been common knowledge for at least two decades. 

In relation to Toronto, how many sports have successfully managed to integrate a team based thousands of miles away and with no local presence into their domestic league?

On the field, rules have been altered regularly throughout the game`s history. Some could be fairly characterized as "gimmicks for TV". But no rule change is irreversible. My own bete noire of illegal PTBs can, as other posters often say, be easily fixed.

The fact remains this splurge of Doomsday angst has been prompted by a decision made by a handful of people. Even when aligned with the flaws of the RFL, we should remember all these administrators are here today, gone tomorrow. None of them own the game on the field.

It`s like turning against democracy on the grounds of disaffection with current MPs. You always come back to Churchill`s maxim that "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried".

During the SL war I strove to enjoy watching RU. It`s not long before you start to miss RL.

Nope I completely disagree and the way that people feel certainly isn't knee jerk. I certainly know from several people in conversations and direct messages on here that this was building long before covid. The RLWC was the one glimmer of hope a number of people were holding on to and that is now in immense danger. I'll leave it at that as this isn't really the thread for this. 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

58 minutes ago, londonrlfan said:

I agree it would take 20 years, but you have to start from somewhere. If we do nothing, then international RL will just be Australia v England in front of a half empty Campbelltown every 5 years or so, if we're lucky. 

We do have to start somewhere. Simply playing fixtures isn't starting somewhere though. Those fixtures could do more harm to development than good and move the start line further back and the finish line further forward.

Starting somewhere is having a strategy moving forward with different plans for different paths that prepare us for different outcomes. We seem to only have an idea and a plan, with no other plans should that not work out straight away (which it never does) and then bin it and start over again.

[David Dockhouse Host]

32 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

But that´s chicken and egg. Welsh RL is never going to be competitive unless it can raise enough money from sponsors to fund an academy and that doesn´t happen without annual games vs England. So you are effectively delaying forever which is just another excuse not to do it. 

England vs Scotland got 1.6 million on TV, no reason why Wales vs England on FTA could not generate 1 million views. 

They play at u16s and beat England a few years ago 

[David Dockhouse Host]

Think Dockhouse hot the big time, the controversial Phil Gould quoted one if our tweets ha ha.

We've offered him a slot on the show

 

[Jean de Bordeaux]

The Sydney Morning Herald today:

Quote

Political football: Why Boris Johnson is hell-bent on RLWC going ahead.

Is this a good sign ?

[londonrlfan]

1 minute ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

We do have to start somewhere. Simply playing fixtures isn't starting somewhere though. Those fixtures could do more harm to development than good and move the start line further back and the finish line further forward.

Starting somewhere is having a strategy moving forward with different plans for different paths that prepare us for different outcomes. We seem to only have an idea and a plan, with no other plans should that not work out straight away (which it never does) and then bin it and start over again.

Why is RL the only sport obsessed with having every international match decided by golden point? Yes you get hammerings, but they happen in all sports. Spain beat Germany 6-0 in the Nations League, China win the Table Tennis at every Olympics. San Marino have no chance of winning a football match but for them it's an event and an opportunity to play world class players, they're not bothered about losing 13-0. What reason would Welsh players want to play RL if there's no opportunity for them to represent their country? Give them meaningful games against the best players in front of big crowds. 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

1 minute ago, ShropshireBull said:

So again, what is your alternative because begging Australia and New Zealand? That´s no longer an option. We either have to commit to building northern hemisphere teams or pack the sport up. Also why would you play the England vs France game in England? You´d have England be away for 4 nations games bar Jamaica and the final. 

I wouldn't have England play France in England. That's what has happened though for the vast majority of these fixtures... because it's cheaper

I never said we don't play these fixtures. In fact, I suggested a format that involved these fixtures. My concern is that we just have games for the sake of having games, and not having actual competitions that people invest interest in, which will attract sponsors, fans, players, broadcasters, etc.

Let's develop a system that allows nations to progress through it rather than cherry pick sides to have annual international friendlies that attract no one.

In the meantime, have an actual competitive rep fixture in the meantime alongside this and allow those other nations time to play each other rather than just wait to play us.

[Griff]

2 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Fact is, we tried it your way with France Wales and Ireland playing a Euro comp and no sponsor or tv company cares because England aren´t in it. 

And Scotland.

[londonrlfan]

GB lost 64-12 to Australia in 2002. Did we stop playing the Aussies after that? Nope. We haven't beat them since 2006, yet we still want to play them all the time. Yet France and Wales shouldn't be allowed to play England? Double standards much?

[Damien]

And the spin continues. Let's just completely ignore the fact that organisers offered to vaccinate all players:

 

[Hela Wigmen]

1 minute ago, londonrlfan said:

GB lost 64-12 to Australia in 2002. Did we stop playing the Aussies after that? Nope. We haven't beat them since 2006, yet we still want to play them all the time. Yet France and Wales shouldn't be allowed to play England? Double standards much?

Yes, it is double standards. Our feet stamping about the Australians is laughable when we play Combined Nations over an actual nation in a World Cup year, for example. 

[Griff]

1 minute ago, ShropshireBull said:

Great point, but when Scotland were in a Four Nations comp with England that game drew 1.6 million average. So it´s clear, if you put England in their is a brand there to be built. 

I wasn't really making a point other than Scotland were in the European Championship.

[GeordieSaint]

36 minutes ago, Damien said:

Not sure how you reason with logic like this. Followed up with a couple more points but don't expect a reply.

 

I've just read his feed... the contradictions in some of his posts are simply mind-boggling. He keeps referring to the Olympics being pushed back a year... yet hasn't clocked that they are taking place THIS year. So why can the Olympics take place this year yet the RLWC can't? Simply staggering. 

[EastLondonMike]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

And the spin continues. Let's just completely ignore the fact that organisers offered to vaccinate all players:

 

Jesus wept.

[FearTheVee]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

And the spin continues. Let's just completely ignore the fact that organisers offered to vaccinate all players:

 

So he's saying all unvacinated players are almost certain to get Covid if they follow bubble protocol?  Hmmmm.  Like every player got Covid during the Euros?

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, EastLondonMike said:

Jesus wept.

In 18 months I've not caught Covid. I must be immune or something if its such a certainty