The League Media

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^^^^ the thing you have to remember about league in NZ is that it's a bit like rugby in Australia: non-existent in most parts but very strong in others. A kid growing up in, say, Huntly, Waitara or Wainuiomata is more likely to play league than Union (though may play both, witness Tana Umaga, Piri Weepu & others).

I don't have the numbers for 2015 but last year the Kiwis coach had something like 75 NRL 1st-graders to choose from & something like 20 more could have declared themselves available for NZ but opted for Samoa, Tonga or in the case of James Tamou & Willie Mason, Australia. And that's not taking the UK Super League into account (which TBF is more a pre-retirement home or a bolt-hole for the misbehaved).

Rugby is obviously stronger than league in NZ but the minor sport tag is rather & increasingly misleading.

 

[wamberal]

Plenty of talk about a second NRL franchise across the ditch. I reckon it is a certainty.

 

[Strewthcobber]

The Mungoes can't talk about Wallabies ATM, they lost 3 in a row against Kiwis, which it's a minor sport in NZ. Unlike rugby, their number one code by far.

If you get over the petty point scoring, a competitive international scene is only a good thing for league in Australia. The ANZAC day test is already getting comparible or better ratings than the Bled at the moment. Another obstacle for our game here

 

[Marcelo]

Plenty of talk about a second NRL franchise across the ditch. I reckon it is a certainty.

I hear rumors about a second NRL franchise in NZ every years but I can't see it yet.

Seeing is believing St Thomas

^^^^^^^^^^^ the thing you have to remember about league in NZ is that it's a bit like rugby in Australia: non-existent in most parts but very strong in others. A kid growing up in, say, Huntly, Waitara or Wainuiomata is more likely to play league than Union (though may play both, witness Tana Umaga, Piri Weepu & others).

I don't have the numbers for 2015 but last year the Kiwis coach had something like 75 NRL 1st-graders to choose from & something like 20 more could have declared themselves available for NZ but opted for Samoa, Tonga or in the case of James Tamou & Willie Mason, Australia. And that's not taking the UK Super League into account (which TBF is more a pre-retirement home or a bolt-hole for the misbehaved).

Rugby is obviously stronger than league in NZ but the minor sport tag is rather & increasingly misleading.

Ok, but if u compare the Australian Rugby League with the NZ Rugby League and then compare the Australian Rugby Union and the NZ Rugby Union. The difference in favor of the Mungoes in Australia is much higher

If you get over the petty point scoring, a competitive international scene is only a good thing for league in Australia. The ANZAC day test is already getting comparible or better ratings than the Bled at the moment. Another obstacle for our game here

3 national teams (AUS, NZ and England) can't be called international scene

 

[wamberal]

The NRL will expand the competition for the next round of media rights. That is certain, St Thomas.


Unless you have been otherwise engaged, loig is now very popular across the ditch, and the game seems to be getting richer and richer before our very eyes. Frankly, it seems to be very popular here in Australia too, for some reason, even amongst Kiwi expats.

 

[Antony]

Yeah league is pretty popular in New Zealand - particularly around Auckland. The All Blacks will always be the big ticket, but quite a few people prefer the NRL to Super Rugby. A lot of people support both - it doesn't have quite the same split (although there is still plenty of banter).

Thing is though - if they're looking to expand into Wellington, they're going to be disappointed. It's got a very small following there, and they're pretty bad with live sport generally.

 

[Joe King]

Yeah league is pretty popular in New Zealand - particularly around Auckland. The All Blacks will always be the big ticket, but quite a few people prefer the NRL to Super Rugby. A lot of people support both - it doesn't have quite the same split (although there is still plenty of banter).

Thing is though - if they're looking to expand into Wellington, they're going to be disappointed. It's got a very small following there, and they're pretty bad with live sport generally.

What's the situation with watching Super Rugby compared to the NRL in NZ? Is one on FTA TV and the other on pay, like it is in OZ? Or, how does it work? Cheers

 

[Wilson]

Yeah league is pretty popular in New Zealand - particularly around Auckland. The All Blacks will always be the big ticket, but quite a few people prefer the NRL to Super Rugby. A lot of people support both - it doesn't have quite the same split (although there is still plenty of banter).

Thing is though - if they're looking to expand into Wellington, they're going to be disappointed. It's got a very small following there, and they're pretty bad with live sport generally.

Yeah, the Canes are showing how hard it is to draw a crowd in Wellington, even if you are winning and entertaining. That said the second nz team in the nrl is as much about the TV scheduling advantages it offers, I'm pretty sure they'd be willing to carry some ordinary crowds if they did it.

 

[zer0]

What's the situation with watching Super Rugby compared to the NRL in NZ? Is one on FTA TV and the other on pay, like it is in OZ? Or, how does it work? Cheers

It's a mix. While all Super Rugby and NRL is live on pay TV, all Warriors matches, and two Super Rugby matches (per round), are given delayed coverage on FTA TV.

The All Blacks have the same setup as the Warriors.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Maybe the ARU are no worse than everyone else:

A dozen club powerbrokers have been invited to a meeting at which they will be told the NRL's much-vaunted $50 million surplus for the financial year has been overstated by about $30 million.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ve-into-nrls-performance-20150520-gh5zvq.html

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Recent reorganisation at NRL HQ?

 

[wamberal]

We would kill to have a surplus of $20 million.

 

[Train Without a Station]

And have 16 teams to share it with?

A surplus of $20M for NRL is equivalent to around $7M for Rugby Union. That would require less than 10% increase in revenue to do so.

 

[Braveheart81]

The Super Rugby teams need to find places to install poker machines.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

But what about the Billion $ nearly $800m TV deal? That will keep mungodom happy for a while.

Individual Mungo Clubs seem to be able to take $500k fines for cheating without losing their stride. Must be plenty of money left in the FiveKick world.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Not really a league media comment, but a comment about league in the rugby media -- Jamie Roberts comparing the Top 14 to league:

At times in France, you go into some matches and it can be glorified rugby league. That's difficult. You want to challenge yourself and play a good brand of rugby.

So much to unpack in that statement: Is he saying that French Top 14 rugby is a better brand of rugby league than rugby league? That it's "difficult" because rugby league isn't a good brand of rugby, or just that some Top 14 aren't a good brand of rugby because they're too much like rugby league? Is he saying glorified rugby league isn't challenging? What makes it "glorified," the actual breakdown work? The unlimited tackle counts? That sometimes they might look for space instead of a collision?

Roberts left a lot on the table there.

 

[Marcelo]

NUMBERS DON’T LIE! UNION RULES LEAGUE

It's considered heresy in some parts to question State of Origin but as an entertainment product, we say Queensland’s 11-10 win over NSW at ANZ Stadium was dull as dishwater compared to the Waratahs’ win over the Crusaders four nights earlier at the same venue.

That’s not a just subjective view. The stats reveal the extent of risk aversion in Origin these days.

From a total of 327 hit ups in Origin, there were just 6 linebreaks and 14 offloads — which works out at a line break every 54 runs and only one offload in every four sets of six.

In the Waratahs-Crusaders game, there were 12 linebreaks and 19 offloads from 202 runs — or a linebreak every 20 runs and an offload every 10 runs.

In contrast to the opening Origin game, the Waratahs and Crusaders put on a show at the same venue.

So, more missed tackles in rugby? Not hugely (57 to 49). Kicking? Origin 48 total kicks to union’s 31. Try count: seven to four in rugby’s favour.

More on the line in Origin? Not when you consider both NSW and Crusaders’ finals chances were on the line, and the attacking stats are actually more adventurous from their Grand Final last year.

Origin was tight but it was a back-of-your-seat spectacle.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/w...gainst-wallabies/story-e6frf4pu-1227373468922

 

[p.Tah]

This is horrendous. A RL game after the kicker kicks the winning goal in 2013. The kid on the ground has chosen not to play again

Rugby has some savoury on field incidents, but this is incomprehensible. The violence between players, coaches and spectators has become so bad that security guards are required at junior rugby league games in Sydney.

http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/junior-rugb...ls-weapons-spectator-injuries-20150531-ghd1ms

 

[Quick Hands]

3 national teams (AUS, NZ and England) can't be called international scene

Hence the pre-eminence of State of Origin over test football in league. A 9 day camp for SOO and a couple of training runs for Aust v NZ.

And international rugby league has had something of a resurgence over the past 5-10 years. In the 80s, 90s & 00s it was almost gone. At least at the moment NZ and GB are competitive with Australia (noting NZ's recent string of victories).

 

[papabear]

3 teams cant be called an international scene?

lol the same logic could be applied to union in comparison to soccer.

The truth is its an international scene its just lesser then rugby unions at the moment and may well be that way forever.

May not.