New "LIV Style" Global Rugby League

[Braveheart81]

Have RA essentially conceded the women's game will never end up being a viable full-time competition here in OZ? Seems a strange decision for them to be cutting funding whilst this whole R360 is ramping up.

I think it would have been helpful for RA to have responded to the Roar article but is the whole thing a massive beatup?

In 2025 there's a World Cup so there is massive irregular expenditure on sending a squad to the UK for a month and in 2026 that won't exist so the expenditure will come back down to a more normal level?

 

[Omar Comin']

So what you're saying is this is more Saudi adjacent?

Haha well maybe, I'd like to know! I feel like there's a bit of a difference between something being 93% Saudi owned and controlled vs say 20%, or the Saudi's owning 1 team.

I think there is a fair bit of virtue signalling that goes on though to be honest. I haven't seen too many English Premier League fans give up on it because the Saudi's own Newcastle United. Rugby is hardly going to be the one global sport that refuses middle eastern investment out of principle (World Rugby is already getting into bed with the Qataris for the Nations Championship). It'd be as likely as the Australian government ending trade with China. We all hold our noses over lots of things.

 

[Tomthumb]

I don't have much of an interest in this concept, but this worry around it being Saudi Money seems a bit ridiculous at this point considering how many sports they invest in

We all happily watch F1, Boxing, Football, Tennis, pro wrestling etc. etc. etc. All of them take Saudi money. A lot of the businesses you use on any given day take Saudi Money

Fact is it's about the players. They have one of the most dangerous jobs in the World, again evidenced by the sad Lewis Moody news this week. If we don't want this comp that's fine, but these players deserve to be paid more. So I'd love to hear from these unions about how they plan on paying their players more money instead of just how they can avoid someone else paying their players more money

 

[barbarian]

I don't think the source of objection here is the Saudi backing. As you say if they want to fund World Rugby or host a World Cup or something then I'd be broadly fine with it.

The fact that their proposed competition is a dog's breakfast that could destroy a lot of club competitions is a far, far greater issue here.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I don't think the source of objection here is the Saudi backing. As you say if they want to fund World Rugby or host a World Cup or something then I'd be broadly fine with it.

The fact that their proposed competition is a dog's breakfast that could destroy a lot of club competitions is a far, far greater issue here.

I'm not defending this mongrel comp (ill send my account details later) but I can't help but think if comps had sorted themselves out years ago they would be more robust to handle it. Super Rugby feels like a house built in a flood zone that keeps getting re built hoping it doesn't happen again.

 

[barbarian]

Comps could be stronger, but I don't think there's a scenario where Super Rugby ever pays the $$$ that these blokes are offering. So it would still loom as a threat just on the dollars.

 

[Ignoto]

They have one of the most dangerous jobs in the World, again evidenced by the sad Lewis Moody news this week. If we don't want this comp that's fine, but these players deserve to be paid more.

Commendable that you have the players best interests at heart.

Sure SA may cause more money to be thrown at the players, I'm not quite sure the country that holds onto migrant workers passports to stop them leaving will care too much for the welfare of rugby players like you think.

But, this highlights the objective by these types of Governments on shifting the conversation away from what's actually going on.

 

[Rob42]

I'm not defending this mongrel comp (ill send my account details later) but I can't help but think if comps had sorted themselves out years ago they would be more robust to handle it. Super Rugby feels like a house built in a flood zone that keeps getting re built hoping it doesn't happen again.

Super Rugby was a result of the last major push for a rebel league, when the administrators finally accepted the need to go professional to avoid losing players to the rebel competition. It's never completely lost that feeling that it was hurriedly dropped on top of the existing structures - or at least, that's what you hear if you hand around Shute Shield people for too long.

 

[Omar Comin']

I don't think the source of objection here is the Saudi backing. As you say if they want to fund World Rugby or host a World Cup or something then I'd be broadly fine with it.

The fact that their proposed competition is a dog's breakfast that could destroy a lot of club competitions is a far, far greater issue here.

Do you not think it likely that rugby ends up with 1 or 2 globally popular, mega club leagues that dominates all others? This seems to be what happens in other sports.

I'm very sceptical an F1 style traveling league could work in a sport like rugby, but it's arguably preferable to a couple of European leagues dominating the sport, which seems the more likely thing to happen.

Imagine the R360 money was all going into the English Prem instead, to turn it into rugby's version of the EPL. It wouldn't be surprising if this were to happen one day. They could loosen local player quotas, increase the number of teams, and fund it to be the true All Star league of rugby (along with the Top 14 if that continues to strengthen). In that case you'd have the exact same threat to Super Rugby and other competitions. But in many ways it would be worse for the game here - they'd play a longer club season with more compromises for international availability, there'd be more spots available for our top players, and none of the games would ever be played in our region or in a good time zone for us. At least with R360 or something like it you could get a round or 2 in Australia and others in Asia at decent times, and there'd probably be (or could be) an Australian team in it.

 

[Tomthumb]

Commendable that you have the players best interests at heart.

Sure SA may cause more money to be thrown at the players, I'm not quite sure the country that holds onto migrant workers passports to stop them leaving will care too much for the welfare of rugby players like you think.

But, this highlights the objective by these types of Governments on shifting the conversation away from what's actually going on.

We are all aware what's going on there, but the morality argument falls flat for me when we do daily business with China

And I think if their objective is to take peoples minds off what's actually going on, I doubt they would then publicly mistreat hundreds of professional rugby players. Would seem to be a bit counterproductive to what they are trying to achieve

 

[moa999]

Take from Betoota

https://www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorized/rugby-australia-showcases-supreme-financial-literacy-by-refusing-to-let-the-arabs-cover-a-few-salaries/

 

[Tomthumb]

I don't think the source of objection here is the Saudi backing. As you say if they want to fund World Rugby or host a World Cup or something then I'd be broadly fine with it.

The fact that their proposed competition is a dog's breakfast that could destroy a lot of club competitions is a far, far greater issue here.

Yeah, but what club competition is thriving at the moment? Super Rugby is on it's ass and is essentially an NZ domestic comp with Aussie teams not competing for the title, English Prem has been hemorrhaging money, Welsh teams in the URC are on their ass and most of the French teams are in the red and rely on Rich owners to survive so not really sustainable

The only reason R360 is even a thing is the complete lack of direction from World Rugby. They can come together to stop R360 being a thing, yet they cant come together to figure out an international calendar that works. They cant come together to figure out the nonsense that is the Top 14 and the way it is ruining international rugby. Cant come together to ensure we don't have different rules for different comps

R360 is a stupid idea, but things like it aren't going away until World Rugby sorts it's shit out

 

[barbarian]

The only reason R360 is even a thing is the complete lack of direction from World Rugby.

Really? I see it as yet another attempt for Saudi/UAE oil money to infiltrate sport for their own ends.

They are doing the same here that they've done in most other sports. I don't think WR (World Rugby)'s administrative success (or lack thereof) has much to do with it.

 

[barbarian]

Do you not think it likely that rugby ends up with 1 or 2 globally popular, mega club leagues that dominates all others? This seems to be what happens in other sports.

I'm very sceptical an F1 style traveling league could work in a sport like rugby, but it's arguably preferable to a couple of European leagues dominating the sport, which seems the more likely thing to happen.

Imagine the R360 money was all going into the English Prem instead, to turn it into rugby's version of the EPL. It wouldn't be surprising if this were to happen one day. They could loosen local player quotas, increase the number of teams, and fund it to be the true All Star league of rugby (along with the Top 14 if that continues to strengthen). In that case you'd have the exact same threat to Super Rugby and other competitions. But in many ways it would be worse for the game here - they'd play a longer club season with more compromises for international availability, there'd be more spots available for our top players, and none of the games would ever be played in our region or in a good time zone for us. At least with R360 or something like it you could get a round or 2 in Australia and others in Asia at decent times, and there'd probably be (or could be) an Australian team in it.

It's an interesting hypothetical. But I don't think there's the audience or commercial base for such a league to succeed anywhere in rugby.

Outside of New Zealand it is a second-tier sport just about everywhere it's played. So the idea that someone, somewhere can stand up an EPL/NBA equivalent... I'm skeptical. These dominant global leagues don't just pop up out of nowhere.

If the money was going to English Prem then yeah it would be bad. But at least you could mount a case that our players would get better playing in it. I don't think anyone is suggesting that for R360. Artificial teams, less games, traveling circus rugby doesn't scream 'player development'.

You're choosing between two bad options for sure. Any influx of cash that takes our locally based players away should be viewed with skepticism.

 

[KOB1987]

This is Robert Craddock's (News Ltd) take on it:

R360 has not even seen a ball kicked in anger and already we know the big winners … the players who say no to joining it.
Most will get a pay rise they never expected. All will have their reputations slightly enhanced. None will be branded rebels, not that it matters much.

They might even get to play in full stadiums at home rather than a small gathering of expats and curious locals in Miami and Barcelona.

Much like LIV golf in the United States (as opposed to its Adelaide event) R360 is set for a hollow journey of the shamelessly mercenary operation it is.

Can you imagine how soul-less and unattended some of the vanilla-flavoured games will be when, let’s say, the London Leather Patches play the Dubai Drillers.

Rows of empty seats will be in the future of players who take the cash to join the R360 competition.
Who would care? The players certainly won’t so long as they get their cash.

The sad thing is that even if the new venture struggles badly it won’t really boost or matter to rugby union or rugby league because the damage will have been done.

R360’s big imprint will be not as a game changer but a disruptor.

Neither code will be put out of business by R360 but the loss of stars always hurts, particularly with two new rugby league teams on the horizon.


Rugby union, in particular, will surprise the R360 recruiters when they realise there is one thing in their code money cannot buy ... it’s soul.

There’s one thing R360 can’t buy: Soul.
They will find out soon enough that rugby union may have turned professional nearly 30 years ago but a part of its soul never left the amateur era.

Wales may have lost 18 Tests in a row recently but the fans will still be swinging from the rafters at Cardiff Arms Park the next time they play England. That’s rugby.

Australia has not won the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand since 2002 yet we all tuned in to see the Wallabies lose in Perth on Saturday. That’s rugby.

The Wallabies never beat the All Blacks... but the fans still turn up in droves.
History matters. In a delicious piece of timing for the traditionalists, the rugby World Cup is in Australia in 2027 and many of the top stars are addicted to its gravitas and Wednesday’s news that R360 players will be banned from playing for their country is a major move.

World Cups come and go in cricket and rugby league but in union they make legends.

Shine in a rugby World Cup and you are never forgotten. Money cannot buy that fame. It feels like their Olympics.

Payne Haas is reportedly in the sights of R360 - but why?
The new competition have picked some curious targets. Broncos prop Payne Haas may be the world’s best in his trade but he is not very well known in Adelaide, never mind Spain.

They want him to enhance television appeal to which we ask … really? For games played in Europe at midnight Australian time? Talk about a viewing audience of friends and family.

Our tip is that Haas will reject the rebels, get a $200,000 pay rise to stay with the Broncos and then thank his good fortune for being a beneficiary of a crazy sporting world.

 

[Tomthumb]

Really? I see it as yet another attempt for Saudi/UAE oil money to infiltrate sport for their own ends.

They are doing the same here that they've done in most other sports. I don't think WR (World Rugby) (World Rugby)'s administrative success (or lack thereof) has much to do with it.

It's not the same as what hey have done in Boxing, Tennis , Football, F1 etc. Golf yes

I get where you are coming from though, and agree that R360 is a stupid idea. I just wish our current unions were as worried about fixing the game as they were about sending joint press releases out

 

[Slim 293]

Take from Betoota

https://www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorized/rugby-australia-showcases-supreme-financial-literacy-by-refusing-to-let-the-arabs-cover-a-few-salaries/

I actually preferred this one...

Majority Of NRL Now Considering R360 After Learning It Might Make Them Ineligible For Kangaroos​

​

https://www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorized/majority-of-nrl-now-considering-r360-after-learning-it-might-make-them-ineligible-for-kangaroos/

 

[Crashy]

bahaha

 

[Omar Comin']

If the money was going to English Prem then yeah it would be bad. But at least you could mount a case that our players would get better playing in it. I don't think anyone is suggesting that for R360. Artificial teams, less games, traveling circus rugby doesn't scream 'player development'.

You're choosing between two bad options for sure. Any influx of cash that takes our locally based players away should be viewed with skepticism.

That's a good point. But I guess if it worked, it would really only involve the very, very top players in the game. Mostly guys who've already developed into world class players, and for whom less games (and perhaps faster but less physical games) may even be beneficial outside of test rugby - which for tier 1 teams is already 11-13 games per year. For example, Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter Steph du Toit haven't dropped off for the Springboks despite playing Japanese club rugby.

To steel man the concept - if it stayed super concentrated with only 8-10 teams globally then even a lot of test players, and certainly almost everyone on the periphery would still be playing in local competitions that would remain superior for player development. And if the unions don't have to pay the cream of the crop player salaries, while still earning the revenues from test rugby, they would have significantly more money for player development.

 

[Dctarget]

Being an optimist, hopefully it gets a few very talented leaguies to leave NRL, get the taste of Union. after two years it goes tits up and they sign for a T14 team and we can select them for Aus.