Australian Rugby / RA

[Dan54]

I don’t think the code is irrelevant as I doubt you will get that sort of crowd of Tonga supporters along to see Tonga rugby union side play the all blacks for example.

You obviously didn't watch the 2011 WC games then RN, as I said they even had roads from airports covered with supporters.

 

[Dan54]

But all the ABs support or at least like NRL. How can be irrelevant a code that is seen by your heros??? Even Ardie Savea made clear that one of his dreams is to play in the NRL. Nonu almost played for Bulldogs after 2007 WC and so on.

Dan Carter was a HUGE Andrew Johns fan when he was a kid. I heard that he born in a neighborhood where League is dominant. SBW played League all his life, he was born in Mount Albert. Is not a League suburb?

Dan Carter was born in Southland, whoever told you he born in a league suburb was pulling your leg mate. I not sure when Ardie made it clear one of his dreams was to play League, heard him say he would like to try game, but also say he would like to get involved with Samoan rugby. But you right a lot of (not sure about all, but nothing like a little exaggeration) watch league, basketball, soccer, NFL etc etc just like a good percentage of leaguies would watch rugby etc, you can often read that palyers get texts etc from league players etc, and vice versa, they are all proffesional sportsman and tend to meet at times with promotional woks etc.
To be honest, not sure if anyone noticed the Kiwi/Tongan test was played in league heartland Auckland, and the number of kiwi supporters in crowd?? And league do one thing well, prices for the test were $30-$60 family of 4 $110 etc a lot cheaper than rugby.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Dan Carter was born in Southland, whoever told you he born in a league suburb was pulling your leg mate. I not sure when Ardie made it clear one of his dreams was to play League, heard him say he would like to try game, but also say he would like to get involved with Samoan rugby. But you right a lot of (not sure about all, but nothing like a little exaggeration) watch league, basketball, soccer, NFL etc etc just like a good percentage of leaguies would watch rugby etc, you can often read that palyers get texts etc from league players etc, and vice versa, they are all proffesional sportsman and tend to meet at times with promotional woks etc.
To be honest, not sure if anyone noticed the Kiwi/Tongan test was played in league heartland Auckland, and the number of kiwi supporters in crowd?? And league do one thing well, prices for the test were $30-$60 family of 4 $110 etc a lot cheaper than rugby.

Yeah, a lot of these blokes at the top levels know one another either through crossing over in their professional sporting careers, having played with or against each other growing up or for many NRL players having actually gone to school with many Super Rugby players and above. They also tend to both watch and appreciate both codes as professional athletes. Will be happening more and more as well. I know that the level of crossover at the elite women's level is increasing.

 

[Marce]

Dan Carter was born in Southland, whoever told you he born in a league suburb was pulling your leg mate. I not sure when Ardie made it clear one of his dreams was to play League, heard him say he would like to try game, but also say he would like to get involved with Samoan rugby. But you right a lot of (not sure about all, but nothing like a little exaggeration) watch league, basketball, soccer, NFL etc etc just like a good percentage of leaguies would watch rugby etc, you can often read that palyers get texts etc from league players etc, and vice versa, they are all proffesional sportsman and tend to meet at times with promotional woks etc.
To be honest, not sure if anyone noticed the Kiwi/Tongan test was played in league heartland Auckland, and the number of kiwi supporters in crowd?? And league do one thing well, prices for the test were $30-$60 family of 4 $110 etc a lot cheaper than rugby.

Many ABs watch and like NFL and NBA, but this is different. NRL is from Australia, the largest economy in Oceania and the country with the largest Kiwi expats community in the world. Most of League and Union players have good relationship, common heritage and live in the same country meanwhile most of the NFL/NBA superstars don't know where is NZ

Most of the Kiwis living in OZ watch and support League as his second code. I saw many times Kiwis supporting Blues or Maroons. Come on! You can't deny the influence of League in Oceania. For me is like a excuse of Kiwis cause you aren't the number one power of the code.

 

[Adam84]

But all the ABs support or at least like NRL.

Nothing like unsubstantiated facts

 

[Marce]

Nothing like unsubstantiated facts

Ok, many ABs like NRL. Is it more accurate for u?

And obviously former Wallabies too:

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

When an AB says how much he likes NRL & would like to play it some day you can guarantee he's in the middle of negotiating his next NZR contract. For all the talk when did an AB, even a fringe one, last actually switch codes? (Not counting SBW who after quitting Loig promised a Roosters big-wig he'd come back & win them a Premiership, which of course he did & immediately went back to Union).

 

[Derpus]

When an AB says how much he likes NRL & would like to play it some day you can guarantee he's in the middle of negotiating his next NZR contract. For all the talk when did an AB, even a fringe one, last actually switch codes? (Not counting SBW who after quitting Loig promised a Roosters big-wig he'd come back & win them a Premiership, which of course he did & immediately went back to Union).

Wouldn't mind seeing some of them have a crack, though. A guy like Ioane would make an excellent 1.

Maybe when the mighty Bears make their glorious return they'll poach some incumbent All Blacks.

 

[qwerty51]

Yep. No one goes back to league after you've made it in rugby. SBW/Folau aside.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Yep. No one goes back to league after you've made it in rugby. SBW/Folau aside.

And Sam Burgess. But I think if his transition had been better managed he may have stayed as well. Folau only went back because Catalans were the only ones willing to offer him a gig. But as soon as he could see a pathway back to Rugby boy did he take it in a very Folau fashion. What I enjoyed about SBW return to League was watching one of the Roosters games where they were marvelling not at his offloading but how good his passing game had become. All the while doing their best not to acknowledge what SBW already had. That his move to Rugby forced him to improve his skills particularly being a League forward his passing. A similar story was told by Burgess on his return in an interview. He said that when he turned up to Bath they assessed him and determined that he had to get bigger, more explosive, quicker off the mark and work on his ball skills. All of which he did. This after winning the NRL Premiership with Souths. The funny thing about that interview was him realising what he had said and trying to paint his return to League being a contributing factor as well after he'd already said it.

 

[Dan54]

Many ABs watch and like NFL and NBA, but this is different. NRL is from Australia, the largest economy in Oceania and the country with the largest Kiwi expats community in the world. Most of League and Union players have good relationship, common heritage and live in the same country meanwhile most of the NFL/NBA superstars don't know where is NZ

Most of the Kiwis living in OZ watch and support League as his second code. I saw many times Kiwis supporting Blues or Maroons. Come on! You can't deny the influence of League in Oceania. For me is like a excuse of Kiwis cause you aren't the number one power of the code.

Mate a good many kiwis here watch league too, but more probably watch soccer (and we far far from 1 in that), and even Basketball is huge in younger ones. I have never watched League not because we not No 1, just don't like the game, always thought I would watch it when I lived in Aus, even got a free ticket to SOO game once, but left before end of game.
One of big things these days (and in Aus too) you can watch so many sports live on tv, people aren't as focused on one sport anymore, I even found that in Aus, I found that on building sites even league wasn't main topic of conversation as it was when I first moved there.

 

[Dan54]

When an AB says how much he likes NRL & would like to play it some day you can guarantee he's in the middle of negotiating his next NZR contract. For all the talk when did an AB, even a fringe one, last actually switch codes? (Not counting SBW who after quitting Loig promised a Roosters big-wig he'd come back & win them a Premiership, which of course he did & immediately went back to Union).

And how often is it actually player and not agent that mentions it to press?
Same as league boys who supposedly want to be an AB or Wallaby at contract time.

 

[qwerty51]

And Sam Burgess. But I think if his transition had been better managed he may have stayed as well. Folau only went back because Catalans were the only ones willing to offer him a gig. But as soon as he could see a pathway back to Rugby boy did he take it in a very Folau fashion. What I enjoyed about SBW return to League was watching one of the Roosters games where they were marvelling not at his offloading but how good his passing game had become. All the while doing their best not to acknowledge what SBW already had. That his move to Rugby forced him to improve his skills particularly being a League forward his passing. A similar story was told by Burgess on his return in an interview. He said that when he turned up to Bath they assessed him and determined that he had to get bigger, more explosive, quicker off the mark and work on his ball skills. All of which he did. This after winning the NRL Premiership with Souths. The funny thing about that interview was him realising what he had said and trying to paint his return to League being a contributing factor as well after he'd already said it.

Well I did criteria it by saying "made it in rugby".

On Burgess, he should never have been made into a centre. He played a few games for Bath at 6 and looked ok. He was never a SBW type player (who was incredibly overrated at rugby in his own right). He was a league brute and should've stayed like that.

 

[Marce]

Mate a good many kiwis here watch league too, but more probably watch soccer (and we far far from 1 in that), and even Basketball is huge in younger ones. I have never watched League not because we not No 1, just don't like the game, always thought I would watch it when I lived in Aus, even got a free ticket to SOO game once, but left before end of game.
One of big things these days (and in Aus too) you can watch so many sports live on tv, people aren't as focused on one sport anymore, I even found that in Aus, I found that on building sites even league wasn't main topic of conversation as it was when I first moved there.

I never met a Kiwi who follows soccer and I met hundreds of Kiwis in Australia lol NBA is quite popular cause is similar to rugby in some way, you catch the ball with your hands like rugby.

But seriously, I used to play soccer in Waverley Oval when I lived in Bondi. Soccer is not my favourite sport but in Latin America is the number one code, so you have to play it to meet people. I played with and against so many nationalities: Brazilians, Italians, Spanish and whatever country you can say but never played against Kiwis and there's a lot of Kiwis living in Australia. Then when I lived in Manly we used to play in Brookvale, the same thing, never see a Kiwi playing soccer there. Most of the Kiwis I met were in Rugby Union or League games lol. Come on! Soccer is not popular among Kiwis. I met so many Kiwis and they never talk about soccer.

Explain me how the Kiwis beat All Whites in every social network in number of followers:

The Kiwis have 6 times the number of All Whites followers in instagram. More than 100k followers in facebook. Soccer is not popular in NZ, and League is the most similar sport with the number one code played in NZ. Probably you are a soccer supporter but is not common in NZ communities.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Well I did criteria it by saying "made it in rugby".

On Burgess, he should never have been made into a centre. He played a few games for Bath at 6 and looked ok. He was never a SBW type player (who was incredibly overrated at rugby in his own right). He was a league brute and should've stayed like that.

I was more expanding on your point than anything else. I agree with you on both Burgess and SBW. Burgess in League was all about bringing a level of physicality to the game and I think playing in the forwards in Rugby would have better suited him in that manner. It would have also made several of the challenges of transitioning having no background in the game easier for him. I've always thought SBW was massively overrated in his Rugby career. Yes, he made the ABs but spent a sizeable chunk of that starting from the bench. He's undoubtedly a great athlete but was he a truly world class Rugby player?

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Yep. No one goes back to league after you've made it in rugby. SBW/Folau aside.

Not sure that is so true, rodgers made it in rugby and went back. There are probably plenty of other examples too, but if you are talking made it in rugby and prepared to look at Japan/ Europe then you are right as they can’t compete with earnings can make in league there .

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I never met a Kiwi who follows soccer and I met hundreds of Kiwis in Australia lol NBA is quite popular cause is similar to rugby in some way, you catch the ball with your hands like rugby.

But seriously, I used to play soccer in Waverley Oval when I lived in Bondi. Soccer is not my favourite sport but in Latin America is the number one code, so you have to play it to meet people. I played with and against so many nationalities: Brazilians, Italians, Spanish and whatever country you can say but never played against Kiwis and there's a lot of Kiwis living in Australia. Then when I lived in Manly we used to play in Brookvale, the same thing, never see a Kiwi playing soccer there. Most of the Kiwis I met were in Rugby Union or League games lol. Come on! Soccer is not popular among Kiwis. I met so many Kiwis and they never talk about soccer.

Explain me how the Kiwis beat All Whites in every social network in number of followers:
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The Kiwis have 6 times the number of All Whites followers in instagram. More than 100k followers in facebook. Soccer is not popular in NZ, and League is the most similar sport with the number one code played in NZ. Probably you are a soccer supporter but is not common in NZ communities.

I think you're losing track of you argument here mate. You say Soccer isn't popular in NZ but like here in Aus it has more participants than Rugby and League combined. Domestically in both is certainly isn't a popular or an as popular spectator sport but that's all that really can be taken from that. Socials mean very little.

 

[Dan54]

Yep most kiwis I know that follow soccer follow English soccer,(adult grandson and mates all follow team, and he doesn't follow rugby either) same as most kiwis I have met that follow league follow Aussie teams in NRL, but I hardly know many that follow the sport. But for intance, I go to Kaponga to watch 2nd div rugby here in Taranaki a lot, a town of 312 people, has a rugby club and soccer club. I know in Taranaki and most places in NZ there would be a lot more soccer clubs than league clubs, there seems to be quite a big number fo games from at secondary schools I see going on when I watching rugby, but never seen a league game. I know there must be league teams here in Taranki, but know there are more soccer clubs etc. Hell I got 2 3 Aussies in family here in NZ, and none of them are into league, one is a rugby man and pasionate AFL man, the others just watch a bit of rugby and a bit of AFL one and soccer other one.
Not saying league isn't big in Oceania or anything, just never seen evidence outside of Australia as a rule. Same as I never followed AFL, but would definitely think that is biggest game in Australia by quite some amount.
But even on Breakdown etc, you will hear panel talk of their NRL teams etc, so you right they watch a bit of that, but think you find that quite a few NRL players will watch Wallabies etc too, doesn't mean they swapping an any case, just most follow a lot of sports.

 

[qwerty51]

Not sure that is so true, rodgers made it in rugby and went back. There are probably plenty of other examples too, but if you are talking made it in rugby and prepared to look at Japan/ Europe then you are right as they can’t compete with earnings can make in league there .

That is true although different times, rugby salaries would've only increased since then and the Titans gig seems more a retirement home for him to be closer with family.

 

[Slim 293]

Folau only went back because Catalans were the only ones willing to offer him a gig. But

I have no doubt he would've wound up back in the NRL if they didn't ban him...