The League Media

[Hugh Jarse]

Had to scratch the grey matter to come up with what is arguably one of the most anonymous professional rugby players around.

What if it is the catalyst for the resignation of several folk in high profile positions?

Anyway, I've had my say, and it's rule 10 time for me.

 

[mxyzptlk]

It is great that the NRL has taken steps to address the issue, but where is the Media outrage and frenzy?

To be fair, Dan Ginnane has been a pit bull on this topic on Triple M. A week before anything had been done with Auva'a, he was calling for a year ban and a lifetime ban from ever playing during the Women of League round (which isn't a bad idea). He's also dragged Rabs into a similar line of argument, and has challenged others (Richard Freedman) on letting the courts run their course, because Auva'a already pled guilty. Ginnane irritates me more often than not, but credit where it's due.

Outside Eastern Aust, South Auckland, PNG and Northern England, no one cares about this quaint niche version of Rugby. They only know one brand of Rugby. To the rest of the World, League is seen as a variation of Rugby, like Rugby 7's, if it is acknowledged at all.

League is an extra-long variant of 7's with too many people and the wrong set pieces. At least that's how I imagine/hope people will see it if and when league spreads.

 

[Polynesian Warriors]

This from Steve Mascord, practically the only specialist leaguer writer I can stomach (mostly 'cos he's distanced himself from the PR BS, doesn't do pressers anymore & seldom about specific matches, more the game per se):

"There seems to be an ideological shift happening in the most conservative elements of the rugby league family, those who argue it will never be more than a sport for NSW, Queensland, south Auckland and the M62 corridor.

"Maybe it was losing Sonny Bill Williams, Jarryd Hayne and Sam Burgess in one fell swoop. Maybe it was the discovery of a genuine fourth international force in Samoa.

"But even the most conservative rugby league commentators are now calling for a shorter club season and a permanent international window.

"They are starting to realise that there will eventually be no "local" anything. Everything from motion pictures down to cartons of milk you buy at the corner store will one day be 100 per cent global. Maybe we'll all be dead by then – but rugby league need not die with us.

"The United States-New Zealand rugby union Test in Chicago left me gobsmacked. But it also convinced me that myself and those like me have been right all along when it comes to our view on where rugby league needs to go.

"The first step is to admit defeat straight away when it comes to being a top level international sport. Ain't gonna happen. Eventually, we probably won't even be top tier in the few places where we are now.

"With that out of the way, it's time to focus on survival...."

Also discusses Kirisome Auva'a, who has now been stood down by the NRL for a minimum 9 months. I've seen their CEO quoted elsewhere that there's now a 1st offence = 12 month suspension, 2nd offence = life ban policy in place for domestic violence convictions.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rug...layers-should-be-clearer-20141113-11m0x0.html

http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/league-surpass-union-samoa/ Maybe Steve Mascord can explain how this got to the press knowing it's far from the truth

 

[papabear]

Back on re-unification, if it did happen rugby could be a force in global sport.

It would easily be the most dominant sport in the southern hemisphere - NFL style and could use that to springboard it to recognition throughout the rest of the world.

The problem is, both codes would die before giving up the necessary things for reunification.

Rugby league would need to:-
- Shorten its domestic calender to fit with unions international calender.
- Remove the stripping rule.
- Spread its money around all of Australia to keep the game thriving everywhere not just in its strongholds.
- join its administration up with the IRB
- merge its English competition with the premiership
- lesser competitions like French/nz etc just get absorbed by the union comp of the time.

Rugby Union would need to:-
- Amend its rules dramatically, I appreciate this sites opinion but I have to be honest to my own. The only advantage union has is the contest for possession, hence the stripping rule above.
Union these days rarely contest rucks and mauls like they used to moving to a league like wall defence as opposed to committing to many to the breakdown.
Also league rules are easier understood and learnt for the 99% of the world population that doesn't know shit about either code.
- Accept forty years of Australia or NZ winning the combined world cup.
- put viable NZ/Aus super 15 franchises into the nrl with the non viable going to play in competitions a tier below.

Even if the above where possible, it would never work as to many people are on gravy trains that would be compromised by reunification.

 

[papabear]

Keeping in mind the reason for the codes splitting effectively died when union admitted they were wrong and a tad late by going professional.

 

[I like to watch]

Back on re-unification, if it did happen rugby could be a force in global sport.

It would easily be the most dominant sport in the southern hemisphere - NFL style and could use that to springboard it to recognition throughout the rest of the world.

The problem is, both codes would die before giving up the necessary things for reunification.

Rugby league would need to:-
- Shorten its domestic calender to fit with unions international calender.
- Remove the stripping rule.
- Spread its money around all of Australia to keep the game thriving everywhere not just in its strongholds.
- join its administration up with the IRB
- merge its English competition with the premiership
- lesser competitions like French/nz etc just get absorbed by the union comp of the time.

Rugby Union would need to:-
- Amend its rules dramatically, I appreciate this sites opinion but I have to be honest to my own. The only advantage union has is the contest for possession, hence the stripping rule above.
Union these days rarely contest rucks and mauls like they used to moving to a league like wall defence as opposed to committing to many to the breakdown.
Also league rules are easier understood and learnt for the 99% of the world population that doesn't know shit about either code.
- Accept forty years of Australia or NZ winning the combined world cup.
- put viable NZ/Aus super 15 franchises into the nrl with the non viable going to play in competitions a tier below.

Even if the above where possible, it would never work as to many people are on gravy trains that would be compromised by reunification.

Why the fuck would South Africa or Any if the 6 Nations want to change the rules of their sport to accommodate a code that is only popular in Sydney and Brisbane?

 

[Antony]

Re-unification talk bugs me. They're different sports. Might as well merge netball and basketball.

 

[Sully]

But Rugby COULD be a force in the southern hemisphere!

 

[Pfitzy]

Yeah I chortled too Sully

 

[wamberal]

Keeping in mind the reason for the codes splitting effectively died when union admitted they were wrong and a tad late by going professional.

Amateurism was widely practised by most serious sports until relatively recently.


Right or wrong does not come into it, it was about the ethos of sport in what was the British Empire.

 

[boyo]

Back on re-unification, if it did happen rugby could be a force in global sport.

It would easily be the most dominant sport in the southern hemisphere - NFL style and could use that to springboard it to recognition throughout the rest of the world.

The problem is, both codes would die before giving up the necessary things for reunification.

Rugby league would need to:-
- Shorten its domestic calender to fit with unions international calender.
- Remove the stripping rule.
- Spread its money around all of Australia to keep the game thriving everywhere not just in its strongholds.
- join its administration up with the IRB
- merge its English competition with the premiership
- lesser competitions like French/nz etc just get absorbed by the union comp of the time.

Rugby Union would need to:-
- Amend its rules dramatically, I appreciate this sites opinion but I have to be honest to my own. The only advantage union has is the contest for possession, hence the stripping rule above.
Union these days rarely contest rucks and mauls like they used to moving to a league like wall defence as opposed to committing to many to the breakdown.
Also league rules are easier understood and learnt for the 99% of the world population that doesn't know shit about either code.
- Accept forty years of Australia or NZ winning the combined world cup.
- put viable NZ/Aus super 15 franchises into the nrl with the non viable going to play in competitions a tier below.

Even if the above where possible, it would never work as to many people are on gravy trains that would be compromised by reunification.

It won't happen. For a start, the NRL have a lot to lose.

 

[papabear]

i agree it wont happen.

but it is a nice thought, if someone powerful enough could put it together.

 

[Antony]

From the sounds of things though, you just want to run rugby league in rugby union's existing competitions. Which isn't really re-unification.

It's not as though fans are obliged to keep supporting a competition. If the Top 14 in France started playing league (or whatever nearly-league you're envisioning), then all the fans would just start watching whatever new rugby competition sprung up. Likewise if the NRL started playing union.

 

[Aussie D]

For reunification to happen it would need to be a gradual process whereby the rules of league changed to those of rugby. this could be done by allowing the scrum to become a real contest (over a number of seasons with incremental rule changes), allowing players to strike at the ball at the ruck again, allowing multi-player strips, etc. until the two games are exactly the same in regards to rules. Then, and only then, will reunification be possible and the fans will have been brought along in the process by the evolving rules.

 

[Tip]

all the fans would just start watching whatever new rugby competition sprung up. Likewise if the NRL started playing union.

If the NRL started playing union, there'd be zero league for fans to watch.

Hell, they might even be able to watch more than 12 games a year of Rugby on free to air TV.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/league-surpass-union-samoa/ Maybe Steve Mascord can explain how this got to the press knowing it's far from the truth

Classic case of the article not supporting the headline. Nowhere does Mascord state that "League will surpass Union in Samoa" & for that matter nor does David Fa’alogo. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if the number of Samoa-eligible players in the NRL & Super League isn't that far short of the number in the Aviva, Top 14, etc.

 

[kandos]

The problem of it happening, at least for League people, is that the laws have been dumbed down, and it's what young people seem to like. Using my son (24) as a barometer, he and his mates consider Union to be too complicated and ruined by the scrum. They also consider it elitist, but that's another can of worms. He cannot understand why I subscribe to BT Sport to watch Union and Premier Sports to watch the NRL.

Last week I watched the English Cup Final from 1962. Unlimited tackles, contested scrums, 3 yards at the play the ball and more off the cuff kicking as opposed to the 5 tackle nonsense and a kick and much closer to Union. Basically, it's a different game to what we have at present. For most players, coaches and supporters like myself who are over 60 and were brought up on League, many of us would like to back to the game as it was. In fact we even have our own magazine for old farts called Rugby League Journal.

In saying that, Union has some issues. I'm passionate that contested scrums be kept, but the scrum feeds have killed the actual art of hooking and it's going towards a League type scrum. The difference is that in Union the hooker has become another prop, in League the hooker is a converted scrum half. I would also do away with the 'mark' and disallow kicking directly to touch from inside the 22. And 3 points for a Field Goal is beyond me.

 

[Polynesian Warriors]

Classic case of the article not supporting the headline. Nowhere does Mascord state that "League will surpass Union in Samoa" & for that matter nor does David Fa’alogo. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if the number of Samoa-eligible players in the NRL & Super League isn't that far short of the number in the Aviva, Top 14, etc.

Classic case of the article not supporting the headline. Nowhere does Mascord state that "League will surpass Union in Samoa" & for that matter nor does David Fa’alogo. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if the number of Samoa-eligible players in the NRL & Super League isn't that far short of the number in the Aviva, Top 14, etc.

Whatever David Faalogo is saying or trying to say is very far from truth. Rugby league is not even anywhere near rugby now which is mention in the piece. It's not even close to football and other sports in numbers of clubs, participation and development. I think there are probably twice the numbers of Samoan eligible players playing rugby in profesional leagues overseas than rugby league.

 

[RugbyFuture]

fun side fact, Tim Cahill's brother played for Samoa in international soccer

 

[mxyzptlk]

In saying that, Union has some issues. I'm passionate that contested scrums be kept, but the scrum feeds have killed the actual art of hooking and it's going towards a League type scrum.

You know the hooker is having to hook again, right? It's not always happening well, but it's happening, and it may take a year or two more to make up for the generation that never had to hook. The interesting thing is to see how fast some of them have picked it up and how fast they do it -- just a flick and it's back to the No. 8. On the other hand, some just can't seem to get the hang of it. The packs that seem to do it better are the packs that more quickly adapted to binding before the feed and the lack of hit.

Aside from two packs facing each other, I'm not sure how else union scrums are at all like league scrums. For one, there's an actual contest for possession. Since the law changes, we're seeing more scrums being won against the head. Since they took away the hit, it's become more technical and interesting. It's not too complicated to look at how a pack is structured and see how one side wins, loses, or maintains position. Personally, I'm enjoying scrums a hell of a lot more since the law changes, and every now and then you get a team like Argentina who can make it an art.

For what it's worth, I've heard referees say they started allowing a wider tunnel for the feed, because the packs are so powerful now that feeds directly down the center puts the hooker in a dangerous position when they try to hook the ball (a complaint they were getting about half a year after the law changes were introduced). The scrum half isn't allow to feed it into the second row like they used to, and it still has to be hooked, but there's some leeway on "straight" for safety's sake.

But often what looks like a crooked feed is a bit of an optical illusion: If the camera is behind the scrum half, and the near side of the scrum stays in position but the far side of the scrum starts to move, then the tunnel has shifted, usually from about a 12:00 position to a 1:00 or 2:00 position (if the tunnel were a clock hand and the scrum was the center of the clock). So the scrum half is still feeding the ball straight down the tunnel, it's just that one end of the tunnel has angled away from where it started, so it's now crooked relative to the camera.

I've only seen a few scrums shown from multiple angles where you can see that tunnel angle shift. But once you know that's happening, it's hard to argue that every seemingly crooked feed is actually crooked.

I'm too young to have seen those old league games -- is the only real difference the play-the-ball?