League Targets

[PhilClinton]

I think it's officially three in the squad, but if coach asks for more thenn Herbert has said they'd probably accept it.

Also need to have played for Australia previously (ie a test cap).

Australia's Giteau Law clarified, Schmidt's 'deliberate' call & All Blacks pact : Planet Rugby https://share.google/cjrhj3E9uboe49sr0

Herbert goes on to say that NZ and Aus have a pact where neither will open the floodgates for open slather overseas selection.

Which was the point of my response to Omar - whether it is 2 or 3 players officially doesn't really move the needle. It's more the fact that the current administration wants to continue protecting the SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) product and using it as the main funnel for Wallabies players.

There is no chance NRL players who jump ship straight to R360 will get a chance to play for the Wallabies, unless something major happens at RA.

 

[Omar Comin']

Herbert goes on to say that NZ and Aus have a pact where neither will open the floodgates for open slather overseas selection.

Which was the point of my response to Omar - whether it is 2 or 3 players officially doesn't really move the needle. It's more the fact that the current administration wants to continue protecting the SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) (Super Rugby Pacific) product and using it as the main funnel for Wallabies players.

There is no chance NRL players who jump ship straight to R360 will get a chance to play for the Wallabies, unless something major happens at RA.

It's just not a realistic position to continue to hold in a scenario where R360 takes off and pays the best players double what the unions can pay them. Imagine this had launched a couple of years ago and Skelton, McReight, Ala'alatoa, Bell, Valetini, McDermott, Ikitau, Jorgensen, Wright, Sua'ali'i and 10 of the best current state of origin players were all involved in it. Do you think RA would only be picking 2-3 of them for the Lions series?

They may be able to hold out until 2027, because most of the current squad are signed through til then, but there's no way if this happens that RA will weaken the Wallabies so considerably just to try and protect Super Rugby. If the money is as reported it will be impossible anyway.

 

[Adam84]

It's just not a realistic position to continue to hold in a scenario where R360 takes off and pays the best players double what the unions can pay them. Imagine this had launched a couple of years ago and Skelton, McReight, Ala'alatoa, Bell, Valetini, McDermott, Ikitau, Jorgensen, Wright, Sua'ali'i and 10 of the best current state of origin players were all involved in it. Do you think RA would only be picking 2-3 of them for the Lions series?

They may be able to hold out until 2027, because most of the current squad are signed through til then, but there's no way if this happens that RA will weaken the Wallabies so considerably just to try and protect Super Rugby. If the money is as reported it will be impossible anyway.

it is a realistic position to hold since R360 isn't anything at the moment except an extremely speculative concept with some questionable economics.

 

[Major Tom]

I've said it before that my longer term prediction (i.e. 20-30 years away and before brain injury litigation has us basically playing touch footy) is that rugby union and rugby league will merge in Australia, but with union the surviving code due to it's international significance, and the rugby league clubs as the survivors e.g. your Friday night footy fixture will be the Roosters v Bulldogs playing a variation of rugby.

Anyway, whether I am right or wrong about that is not relevant, but given my views it will come as no shock to me if in the interim former NRL players that are now playing rugby abroad can be selected for the Wallabies.

In 20-30 years they may have a cure for CTE or find other ways to prevent it.

 

[Omar Comin']

it is a realistic position to hold since R360 isn't anything at the moment except an extremely speculative concept with some questionable economics.

Key part of that statement was 'in a scenario where R360 takes off...'

Agree it's highly questionable, and it would be totally unsurprising if it falls over before it begins. But with Tindall behind it and whispers of Saudi money and interest from the likes of Red Bull, it's worth considering the potential ramifications. It's been quite hush hush to this point but it's not all hype - one investor outed themselves on Linkedin a few weeks ago: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/roge...p&rcm=ACoAAAQnMlkBp1xrf81p34oGtFqookgVzFNHSD8

This guy seems to have a fair bit of credibility. He was the first CEO of the Scottish Premier League before founding the consulting and investment firm that is now one of the investors in R360.

 

[LevitatingSocks]

I tend to think the sports will exist but in a smaller more high performance community. There are more combat sports now then ever.

I think subbies rugby will be gone and Club Rugby exist with a Prem side and a U21s. You won't have blokes running around in 5th grade or 3rd grade subbies risking themselves. From there the rich survive which certainly is not Rugby in Australia. League already has this model in general. local A grade and maybe a reserve grade. If you aint going for the pros you don't bother.

Plenty of people smoke, get on the bags, ride e-scooters without helmets, drink full sugar soda, and do all sorts of risky activities despite the mountains more evidence pointing toward those being even more terrible for your health.

Is community sport the ticking legal liability time bomb some think it is?

Paid professionals are owed an extensive duty of care by their employers, but what do community rugby clubs owe their amateur voluntary participants if they sign the right waivers and are provided the requisite number of athletic trainers?

Everyone I play with knows the risks and keeps turning up anyway to play a woeful standard of rugby.

 

[Adam84]

Key part of that statement was 'in a scenario where R360 takes off...'

Agree it's highly questionable, and it would be totally unsurprising if it falls over before it begins. But with Tindall behind it and whispers of Saudi money and interest from the likes of Red Bull, it's worth considering the potential ramifications. It's been quite hush hush to this point but it's not all hype - one investor outed themselves on Linkedin a few weeks ago: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/roge...p&rcm=ACoAAAQnMlkBp1xrf81p34oGtFqookgVzFNHSD8

This guy seems to have a fair bit of credibility. He was the first CEO of the Scottish Premier League before founding the consulting and investment firm that is now one of the investors in R360.

Yeah sure considering ramification and impacts, but not being reactive to a speculative threat and jumping at shadows.

Frankly I think NZRU and RA would be weak and stupid just to capitulate and reactive to the demands of this tournament based on whimsical economics, which is what people seem to be suggesting they do.

There’s two sides to this argument, and one of those is a scenario where R360 need SANZAAR buy-in/support on this concept to improve its chances of success.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Plenty of people smoke, get on the bags, ride e-scooters without helmets, drink full sugar soda, and do all sorts of risky activities despite the mountains more evidence pointing toward those being even more terrible for your health.

Is community sport the ticking legal liability time bomb some think it is?

Paid professionals are owed an extensive duty of care by their employers, but what do community rugby clubs owe their amateur voluntary participants if they sign the right waivers and are provided the requisite number of athletic trainers?

Everyone I play with knows the risks and keeps turning up anyway to play a woeful standard of rugby.

I agree. I think it's overplayed.

There will be some elements of society that chose not to participate but I think it's already happened if you look at sport participation in general. It use to be a societal norm and feel compulsory to do something until you at least finished High School.

It will continue to shrink into a high performance only thing. A bit like American Football. They aren't running around 6ths-10ths in Schools. They have a Senior and a Junior side usually. Ice Hockey does have a decent lower/social side of it but much smaller than Rugby in Aus, NZ, UK.

 

[LevitatingSocks]

Yeah sure considering ramification and impacts, but not being reactive to a speculative threat and jumping at shadows.

Frankly I think NZRU and RA would be weak and stupid just to capitulate and reactive to the demands of this tournament based on whimsical economics, which is what people seem to be suggesting they do.

There’s two sides to this argument, and one of those is a scenario where R360 need SANZAAR buy-in/support on this concept to improve its chances of success.

The worst case scenario is R360 sticking around for just enough years to cannibalize players and viewer interest from Super Rugby before collapsing under the weight of its promised salaries, but not long enough to permanently pull more of Australia's athletes back toward rugby instead of league.

 

[Omar Comin']

Yeah sure considering ramification and impacts, but not being reactive to a speculative threat and jumping at shadows.

Frankly I think NZRU and RA would be weak and stupid just to capitulate and reactive to the demands of this tournament based on whimsical economics, which is what people seem to be suggesting they do.

There’s two sides to this argument, and one of those is a scenario where R360 need SANZAAR buy-in/support on this concept to improve its chances of success.

Would you prefer they fight it or try to work with it? Lets say there really is big money behind it, and not just murky Saudi money, but from global sporting brands, football team investors etc.

It wouldn't surprise me if NZR and RA have different views on this as it's a lot easier to see potential upside for the Wallabies than for the All Blacks.

 

[Braveheart81]

Would you prefer they fight it or try to work with it? Lets say there really is big money behind it, and not just murky Saudi money, but from global sporting brands, football team investors etc.

I would prefer that they wait until it is actually a real thing so they can make an informed decision of how to respond to it.

Doing or saying anything at this point would be ludicrous. At this stage it's about as real as World 12s rugby was a few years ago.

 

[Omar Comin']

I would prefer that they wait until it is actually a real thing so they can make an informed decision of how to respond to it.

Doing or saying anything at this point would be ludicrous. At this stage it's about as real as World 12s rugby was a few years ago.

Obviously the real people need to do that. But here we can speculate wildly! I think it's an interesting concept, attempting to create a global team sporting league from scratch. I'm particularly interested to see if it's possible to develop a global supporter base from scratch for teams that don't have strong roots in a specific place.