Australian Rugby / RA

[Rugbynutter39]

Similar games have been played before and they've had zero impact on either game. They tend to simply confirm people's existing preferences.

It's purely a money making venture.

What's probably more concerning is that the NRL have completely brushed RA and gone to NZRU, which means that Australian rugby doesn't get a share of the windfall.

EDIT: I'll leave people to draw their own conclusions as to why this is so.

Yep can’t think who would benefit from RA missing out on a windfall and impact on inability to retain or attract talent - league of course would not benefit at all. Thanks NZRU yet again for thinking about what is best to grow rugby in the region.

NZRU does this it makes it clear self interest is never going to be overcome and growth of professional rugby in this part of the world and chances of a well designed trans Tasman competition that creates real fan interest and support will just never happen. RIP professional rugby in Asia Pacific and well done NZRU for your major role in that - as yes you were the ones in 2009 who backflipped and kept SA in super rugby and what another great decision that was.

We are stuffed while we have organisations like RA and NZRU determining the future of professional rugby in the region and clear twiggy agreed hence rapid rugby concept.

 

[wamberal]

Dear oh bloody dear. The sooner this charade is over the better. BTW, unless we are going to put all our eggs in Twiggy's basket (which would imply cutting ourselves loose from the rest of the actual rugby world) we are stuck with RA and NZRU. Not to mention World Rugby.

I would love to see a hybrid game developed, by the way. But that is a whole different issue. We are stuck with rugby.

 

[Derpus]

All Blacks and Kangaroos considering some type of abomination of a game!

This has to be the new low for Australian Rugby and the ultimate and unforgivable shame that previous administrators have brought to the game.

How some of these previous administrators continue to have roles in public life amazes me. I will never invest in companies associated with Michael Hawker, John O’Niell, Bill Pulver, John Eales, Ann Sherry, Cameron Clyne, Elizabeth Broderick, Brett Robinson etc

Theyve been suggesting it every other year for decades.

 

[barbarian]

I am really tiring of RUPA's behaviour through this saga. Petulant demands, leaking to media, threatening strike action, it just leaves a really sour taste in my mouth.

In a game dominated by self-interest, RUPA as always is right at the front of the queue.

 

[Derpus]

It's a bit like the petulant store assistant who hates customers and never tries to make a sale, crying poor when the business starts to go under.

Maybe if they were better at their fucking job they wouldnt have to cop a pay cut.

 

[KevinO]

I am really tiring of RUPA's behaviour through this saga. Petulant demands, leaking to media, threatening strike action, it just leaves a really sour taste in my mouth.

In a game dominated by self-interest, RUPA as always is right at the front of the queue.

Did you expect anything less? Let's face it the Wallabies stars have been selfish brats for a long time. Whatsapp, Dublin, Forcing a coach out, even the match payments issue a few years ago.

It's nothing new

 

[fatprop]

I am really tiring of RUPA's behaviour through this saga. Petulant demands, leaking to media, threatening strike action, it just leaves a really sour taste in my mouth.

In a game dominated by self-interest, RUPA as always is right at the front of the queue.

They are just another union trying to support their members

As far as I care, if any player doesn't want to be there, best of luck, have a nice life, enjoy the real tough expectations of being a foreign pro

They are living the dream, they are professional rugby players ffs

 

[barbarian]

Did you expect anything less? Let's face it the Wallabies stars have been selfish brats for a long time. Whatsapp, Dublin, Forcing a coach out, even the match payments issue a few years ago.

It's nothing new

There's a distinction between the union and the players themselves though.

Justin Harrison is the main architect of all this, and his willingness to destroy the game to get his players ahead is baffling.

 

[Slim 293]

It's a bit like the petulant store assistant who hates customers and never tries to make a sale, crying poor when the business starts to go under.

Maybe if they were better at their fucking job they wouldnt have to cop a pay cut.

It's funny you say that.........

View attachment 11556

As Brumbies prop James Slipper observed earlier this week, the players also have to accept at least some of the blame for the impoverished state RA now finds itself in.

 

[Braveheart81]

They are just another union trying to support their members

Except it's not really the same as a normal union undertaking collective bargaining for their members because they hold all the power, are already extracting as much revenue out of the business as possible and could potentially force their one domestic employer under such that they have no future employment options here.

 

[Derpus]

Its fucking idiotic.

 

[qwerty51]

I've got a pretty good idea, reckon it would twice as popular as the Kangaroos vs All Blacks match too.

Australia vs New Zealand.

A match of two halves.

One half is the Wallabies vs All Blacks playing league. The other is the Kangaroos vs Kiwis playing union (with uncontested scrums for safety reasons). Standardise the score after the first half.

How much better would this be? An actual genuine rivalry that should be a reasonably even contest compared to a union side dominating union rules and a league side dominating league rules. Solves the issue of hybrid rules favouring a certain code and you get to see how players would actually go at their rival code with proper rules.

Imagine the storylines pre and post game about which players would kill it in either code and those that do on potential switches. You could have the Wallabies coaching the Kangaroos in union and vice-versa during the week. All 4 teams in one location. Plenty of media opportunity and stories. National coaches sharing ideas. Brings the codes together. Would be massive.

Pay every player 20-30k for the game. Could even make it PPV or something.

I only really see one issue to this which would be the field markings but I'm sure they could find a solution. Could be a thousand ruck penalties in the union game but you'd tell the referees to be lenient.

 

[barbarian]

I love that idea. I'd add in that each side has to use one player from their counterpart as a sub. So we can bring James Tedesco on with 10 to go, and the Kangaroos can use Taniela Tupou in a similar fashion.

 

[qwerty51]

I was just about to mention that! Although plays with them the whole match to help the team on the field fix any issues. Maybe the hookers for each team could swap.

 

[Up the Guts]

I've got a pretty good idea, reckon it would twice as popular as the Kangaroos vs All Blacks match too.

Australia vs New Zealand.

A match of two halves.

One half is the Wallabies vs All Blacks playing league. The other is the Kangaroos vs Kiwis playing union (with uncontested scrums for safety reasons). Standardise the score after the first half.

How much better would this be? An actual genuine rivalry that should be a reasonably even contest compared to a union side dominating union rules and a league side dominating league rules. Solves the issue of hybrid rules favouring a certain code and you get to see how players would actually go at their rival code with proper rules.

Imagine the storylines pre and post game about which players would kill it in either code and those that do on potential switches. You could have the Wallabies coaching the Kangaroos in union and vice-versa during the week. All 4 teams in one location. Plenty of media opportunity and stories. National coaches sharing ideas. Brings the codes together. Would be massive.

Pay every player 20-30k for the game. Could even make it PPV or something.

I only really see one issue to this which would be the field markings but I'm sure they could find a solution. Could be a thousand ruck penalties in the union game but you'd tell the referees to be lenient.

In something vaguely similar, Wigan played Bath in the late 90s in two legs. The first match was League and the second Union. Wigan killed Bath 70 something to 12 in the League match and Bath won by 30 odd in the Union match.

I think your idea is better though. I’d also get rid of penalty shots at goal.

 

[Quick Hands]

View attachment 11556

I've been making this point consistently for quite some time. Other than the top echelon of Wallabies, the rest of the players are going to have to take a significant play cut. This is regardless of whatever form of competition takes place next year; Super Rugby in it's current form, TT in some form or a purely domestic league. The only difference being that a purely domestic league is the only one which has any hope of long term success. Now is ironically the best time for RA to implement this, but that would require bold strategic thinking.

 

[Omar Comin']

In something vaguely similar, Wigan played Bath in the late 90s in two legs. The first match was League and the second Union. Wigan killed Bath 70 something to 12 in the League match and Bath won by 30 odd in the Union match.

I think your idea is better though. I’d also get rid of penalty shots at goal.

Probably a better example is when Sale played St Helens in 2003 as by then the union players had been fully professional for a few years. The first half with union rules (minus contested scrums), the 2nd half with league rules, but the scoring system was the same in both halves. Sale won the match 41-39 with one extra conversion. The union half was 41-0 to Sale, and the league half was 39-0 to St Helens.

So it's kind of a pointless exercise. Even in a hybrid game, the result would most likely be determined by which side the rules favour more. It'd take a lot of experimenting to find a set of rules that didn't favour one game over the other, if it's possible at all.

 

[I like to watch]

They did an exhibition schoolboy game 8 odd years ago.
keebra park (league) played St Augustine’s (rugby)
it was league rules in your own 1/2, rugby in the other 1/2.
pretty sure possession was based on a shot clock, so there was plenty of urgency throughout the match.

By far the best method of playing a hybrid game IMO

 

[wamberal]

They did an exhibition schoolboy game 8 odd years ago.
keebra park (league) played St Augustine’s (rugby)
it was league rules in your own 1/2, rugby in the other 1/2.
pretty sure possession was based on a shot clock, so there was plenty of urgency throughout the match.

By far the best method of playing a hybrid game IMO

It would be great at the schools level, I reckon. More than likely more than a few of the kids play both codes one way or another, or have done pretty recently. It would be fun for them. At the senior level it would not work, unless it was just as a bit of fun. Rugby rules? Including rugby scrums? Don't think that could happen.

 

[Quick Hands]

They did an exhibition schoolboy game 8 odd years ago.
keebra park (league) played St Augustine’s (rugby)
it was league rules in your own 1/2, rugby in the other 1/2.
pretty sure possession was based on a shot clock, so there was plenty of urgency throughout the match.

By far the best method of playing a hybrid game IMO

35 second shot clock. Can't remember if this was 35 seconds to get out of you own half or 35 seconds overall.

According to the Steve Hansen suggested rules/laws for this one there would be a rugby contest for possession at the tackle and after 8 rucks/mauls possession would change unless the ball was kicked.