RLWC Positivity Thread

[gingerjon]

18 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Whether this is the optimal solution long term, I don't know, but I really like we don't have the long periods of downtime that these tournaments often have. 

I think it will run its course really quickly as you'd hope that the women's tournament in particular would grow to the extent that it's obviously big enough to be a tournament in its own right.

It's good that everything is under the umbrella in France ... beyond that, I hope we'll need to look again.

[The Masked Poster]

20 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Agreed, I do like the RLWC being used as an umbrella brand for these different tournaments. I'm not sure whether it will become too much of a hindrance in future, ideally mens and womens games wouldn't be double headers and that's a lot of games to stage and sell. Wheelchair double headers maybe work in arenas as events. 

What I'm finding is that the other tournament games are standing up on their own merits. They aren't just "not bad for women" or "ok for disabled people" . They are good stuff in their own right. 

[Northern Eel]

16 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

What I'm finding is that the other tournament games are standing up on their own merits. They aren't just "not bad for women" or "ok for disabled people" . They are good stuff in their own right. 

I've really enjoyed watching the England men, as they are playing some fantastic rugby league. I have grow into the Women's tournament and was delighted to be able to watch the whole game at Wigan in person. That match last night was right up there with the most enjoyable of any game I have seen in the tournament, of any sort. But, for me, the England v Australia Wheelchair game was the pinnacle. I was just blown away by the entertainment.

I can't wait to be at the final of each of these competitions. If England get there, I think they will struggle in the women's game. I think they have an outside chance in the men's game, but I am really nervous about both of those, so may not enjoy them as much as I might. I really hope that an England v France Wheelchair final occurs, because I have a feeling that it will be the best game of any during the tournament, and cause a huge commotion across the country as it plays out. 

[Dave T]

32 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I think it will run its course really quickly as you'd hope that the women's tournament in particular would grow to the extent that it's obviously big enough to be a tournament in its own right.

It's good that everything is under the umbrella in France ... beyond that, I hope we'll need to look again.

I think even if they do run together, they need to be more independent tournaments with their own big events. No cheap options of women's games as pre-match entertainment for men's games, no double header final. 

I think one of the downsides of lumping them together is that we don't then grow the games independently, we just share sponsors and partners etc. and you'd like to think we outgrow that quite quickly as you say. 

But I think it's worked well this time, and probably next time with tweaks. Who knows beyond that? 

[IM2]

latest I've heard 25k+ Leeds London 42-5k and final 65k plus. not bad

[ckn]

I went off rugby league slightly for a while. I got into a stage where I didn't mind if I missed a game, even if Saints were on telly. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get a game if I was out and forgot to hit record.

This world cup has really brought it back again. Thoroughly enjoyed this tournament. The women's tournament has especially got me into just wanting to watch it for the joy of watching rugby.

Thinking it through, the men's club game got a touch too much ego in it, too much deliberately nasty stuff, not sure if it was the COVID break and clubs/players losing their edge, but the international games have far less of that and have me glued to every game out there.

The problem with the competition is that it's quite a bit of time to the 23 SL season after it finishes!

[fighting irish]

46 minutes ago, ckn said:

I went off rugby league slightly for a while. I got into a stage where I didn't mind if I missed a game, even if Saints were on telly. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get a game if I was out and forgot to hit record.

This world cup has really brought it back again. Thoroughly enjoyed this tournament. The women's tournament has especially got me into just wanting to watch it for the joy of watching rugby.

Thinking it through, the men's club game got a touch too much ego in it, too much deliberately nasty stuff, not sure if it was the COVID break and clubs/players losing their edge, but the international games have far less of that and have me glued to every game out there.

The problem with the competition is that it's quite a bit of time to the 23 SL season after it finishes!

I think even high quality, intensely competitive (but repetitive) sport can become monotonous.

This competition has been like a breath of fresh air and it's clear to me we need more of this kind of variety.

Some of our posters have repeatedly expressed the belief that N.H. games not featuring England have no commercial value but I have to say that the men's matches involving Greece and (my own country) Wales amongst others, were terrific entertainment and I particularly enjoyed the Canada v Brazil Women's match last night.

I believe that a television audience can be accrued for matches of this kind and we should be exploring any and all opportunities to promote these fledgling nations and expose them to the wider world through FTA television coverage.

I'm afraid, like you, that I don't know how I'll cope between the end of this great feast/festival of Rugby League and the World Club Challenge in February. 

 

[Dunbar]

7 hours ago, Dave T said:

I think even if they do run together, they need to be more independent tournaments with their own big events. No cheap options of women's games as pre-match entertainment for men's games, no double header final. 

I think one of the downsides of lumping them together is that we don't then grow the games independently, we just share sponsors and partners etc. and you'd like to think we outgrow that quite quickly as you say. 

But I think it's worked well this time, and probably next time with tweaks. Who knows beyond that? 

I think the concurrent tournaments has worked an absolute treat.

Just when the back to back games of the Mens group stage stops, we have the Women and Wheelchair tournaments to help keep the momentum and profile up.

I don't think we need the double headers as the games can stand alone but I would love to see the four tournaments run concurrently again.

[Dave T]

Just now, Dunbar said:

I think the concurrent tournaments has worked an absolute treat.

Just when the back to back games of the Mens group stage stops, we have the Women and Wheelchair tournaments to help keep the momentum and profile up.

I don't think we need the double headers as the games can stand alone but I would love to see the four tournaments run concurrently again.

Whilst I don't like some of the double headers and scheduling that feels like a slight after thought, I've enjoyed the fact that the women's and wheelchair tournaments have felt like their own tournaments under the RLWC umbrella. Almost like an Olympic style thing - obviously on a different scale. 

I think it's why the England women's game at Wigan jarred tbh, and I don't think I like the double header final. 

[N2022]

24 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Whilst I don't like some of the double headers and scheduling that feels like a slight after thought, I've enjoyed the fact that the women's and wheelchair tournaments have felt like their own tournaments under the RLWC umbrella. Almost like an Olympic style thing - obviously on a different scale. 

I think it's why the England women's game at Wigan jarred tbh, and I don't think I like the double header final. 

Appreciate what people are saying, although double header was a good day out at Wigan for us. Perhaps in the future, low profile men's games could be the warm-up to England's women when they are drawing a few more as they deserve to.

[Dave T]

23 minutes ago, N2022 said:

Appreciate what people are saying, although double header was a good day out at Wigan for us. Perhaps in the future, low profile men's games could be the warm-up to England's women when they are drawing a few more as they deserve to.

One of the issues I had with the game was the same as the mid season game. The women didn't even get to finish their celebrations and interviews etc without the men taking over the pitch. 

[N2022]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

One of the issues I had with the game was the same as the mid season game. The women didn't even get to finish their celebrations and interviews etc without the men taking over the pitch. 

Yes - fair comment. And (more selfishly) that we stuck around to applaud the women after the game finished and didn't get time to get served food without missing the player presentation and anthems for the men's. So really a double-header on any scale needs bigger gap between games but that then makes it less likely people will arrive to catch much of the first game, as it's so strung out.

[pahars]

The three tournaments format should stay the same for France 2025 for two main reasons. 
 

Firstly as posters have noted as the men’s tournament moves in to weekend knockout matches it gives an opportunity for daily broadcasts of rugby league games. 
 

Secondly it’s a year after the Paris Olympics and Paralympics so the French audience will be at their most receptive to the combination and political will for a ‘legacy’ will be at its highest. 
 

While it’s unlikely that there will be too many Men’s and Women’s games in Paris I would have thought there would be a great opportunity to recreate the current London vibe in a Paris arena for the Wheelchair event. 
 

Beyond that it becomes a wee bit tricky as both the women’s and wheelchair events should grow in numbers and therefore in length which would put them in competition with the men’s group games.
 

Will we ever really be big enough as a sport to cannibalise our market and have ‘press red button’ content? 

[pahars]

Sorry was following convo in thread and didn’t realise that I had posted that ^ in positivity thread till I had driven home. 
 

Here is something positive: we are on track for a 30,000 England average against Samoa x 2, France, Greece and PNG. I reckon that about 98% of FA’S worldwide would give their eye teeth for those attendances against their equivalent opponents. 

[gingerjon]

6 hours ago, Dave T said:

One of the issues I had with the game was the same as the mid season game. The women didn't even get to finish their celebrations and interviews etc without the men taking over the pitch. 

This sort of happened last night as well.

The Cook Islands were doing their - being positive, really emotional and lovely post-match interviews - and you could see the Jillaroos trying to find space for their warm ups behind them.

[Dave T]

56 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

This sort of happened last night as well.

The Cook Islands were doing their - being positive, really emotional and lovely post-match interviews - and you could see the Jillaroos trying to find space for their warm ups behind them.

Whilst that is a problem that feels like should be planned better, at least it is still the women's game that is front and centre. I think it is particularly galling when the women finish and the men come and take over events. I don't think that is the way to treat the women's comp with the respect it deserves. 

And we agree on double headers any time, but mid November? Jeez. 

[Man of Kent]

More touching of parts only the international game can reach. When does GQ - GQ! - ever cover RL?!

Edited November 11, 2022 by Man of Kent

[gingerjon]

4 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

More touching of parts only the international game can reach. When does GQ - GQ! - ever cover RL?!

I remember Esquire covering rugby league around 93/4 with an article on "Why Wigan Win".

I have a strong feeling that may be the last time RL was in any such mag.

That is amazing.

[unapologetic pedant]

22 hours ago, gingerjon said:

I think it will run its course really quickly as you'd hope that the women's tournament in particular would grow to the extent that it's obviously big enough to be a tournament in its own right.

It's good that everything is under the umbrella in France ... beyond that, I hope we'll need to look again.

Agree with the general sentiments of you and @Dave T on all this.

In a scenario where women`s RL had grown sufficiently to support a standalone WC the tournament would ideally take place in the middle of the men`s WC cycle. When the switch took place, that would mean a one-off two-year interval between women`s WCs.

That time would be the optimum for a big development push in places like Canada and Brazil to try and maintain momentum. Have to be honest, don`t know what that would entail on and off the field or whence the funding would come, but the principle holds. The Canadians have been terrific, but they`re saying the same things in 2022 that were said in 2017 and are clearly no further forward. Will Brazil be in 2025? Would be a familiar RL story if they weren`t even able to send a team.

More affordable in the short to medium term is England regularly playing test series against the Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos in non-WC years. Monday`s semi is probably the best chance GB/England have ever had of beating the Kiwi Ferns. It`s a landmark game and occasion for RL. Whether it`s close or we`re comprehensively outplayed (either is possible) it should inspire the RFL to further prioritize international women`s RL.

[Dave T]

30 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

More touching of parts only the international game can reach. When does GQ - GQ! - ever cover RL?!

About 9 years ago at the last major international tournament. 

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/rugby-league-world-cup-fitness-guide-from-sam-tomkins

Almost like there is a clue there! 

[latchford albion]

14 minutes ago, Dave T said:

About 9 years ago at the last major international tournament. 

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/rugby-league-world-cup-fitness-guide-from-sam-tomkins

Almost like there is a clue there! 

Beat me to it, I'd just copied the link to paste it over 

Edited November 11, 2022 by latchford albion

[EssexRL]

28,000 crowd in Leeds, an amazing game and "RLWC" is trending at number 2 on Twitter.

[Damien]

 

 

[The Masked Poster]

I was so disillusioned with RL, the grand final was on in the pub and I barely paid attention to it.

I sort of got suckered into the WC as I thought it was going to be a big deal, which sadly hasn't quite materialised. 

But by now, I'm somehow back in the thick of it and am going to the final. 

And that Aus-NZ semi final? It blew my effing mind. I couldn't believe that I was watching something like this - on BBC2 on a Friday night. It's like another universe compared with the 2000 WC. In terms of TV coverage anyway. 

[Tosh]

6 hours ago, Damien said:

 

 

Statements like this make my toes curl.

RL is a better product than RU on the field when you have 2 equal and competitive sides playing each other in front of a good/decent crowd.

Whilst rugby Union is the bigger game in terms of more nations playing the game, more competitive games and bigger crowds at international level.