: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:17 pm  

Rugby union is a minor sport bar in new zealand.

in wales, scotland and ireland it is going backward or dieing off,

the paranoia from the welsh RU guys is a reflection of a declining game.

sure the international crowds are OK but the club crowds are pathetic and merging clubs still hasnt worked.

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:17 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

you cant compare a 'national' 'global' sport with a minority sport played in small pockets in a select few countries

Not a clue what your point is, or how it relates to my post.

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:23 pm  

dally messenger wrote:

Rugby union is a minor sport bar in new zealand.

what about england, wales and south africa?

dally messenger wrote:

in wales, scotland and ireland it is going backward or dieing off,

where do you get that idea from?

dally messenger wrote:

the paranoia from the welsh RU guys is a reflection of a declining game.

agree there's a certain sense of worry in his statement. interesting to read the wrfu boss saying both codes can co-exist in wales.

dally messenger wrote:

sure the international crowds are OK but the club crowds are pathetic and merging clubs still hasnt worked.

it certainly was a desperate measure super14, celtic league. hasnt worked as well as the rugby unions would have liked.
the whole amateur ethos which stood union in good stead for so many years is currently hindering it at club level in my opinion.

[tb]

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:23 pm  

Dave T wrote:

Actually I would agree with his statement too.

Look at the amount of professional RU clubs around the world. There are far more clubs around.

They have professional clubs based in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and so on.

Hmm … and yet between them, the dominant southern hemisphere RU powers can muster 14 professional teams in three countries: SA, Aus and NZ.

RL musters 16 professional teams in two countries (NZ and Aus)

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:25 pm  

Dave T wrote:

Not a clue what your point is, or how it relates to my post.

it's not difficult chuck.
you're making comparisons between league and union.
if you believe the press and media hype, that's like comparing football and hockey

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:28 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

what about england, wales and south africa?


where do you get that idea from?


agree there's a certain sense of worry in his statement. interesting to read the wrfu boss saying both codes can co-exist in wales.


it certainly was a desperate measure super14, celtic league. hasnt worked as well as the rugby unions would have liked.
the whole amateur ethos which stood union in good stead for so many years is currently hindering it at club level in my opinion.

1. england : soccer first, then daylight.

2. wales - they cut the number of clubs in half, crowds at club level arent the best. soccer does much better.

3. south africa - apparently soccer is much bigger. union is still a toffs sport.

sure union has areas where it is strong, but its not like they are many or indeed any bigger than RLs.

for example look at england, RL is strong in Leeds. union isnt strong in any major city in england in the same way.

yeah the get great crowds for internationals but at club level its just not there.

theyll go to an event but arent really fans

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:30 pm  

with Super LEague exapanding well into france with les cats and later toulose, and also to wales, and the NRL doing very well in New zealand and considering expansion into PNG, i can understand the union guys being paranoid.

at least with all the RL games theyll be watching theyll get a chance to watching proper running rugby instead of their game.

seriously, how anybody can watch it and think its good is beyond me.

[tb]

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:31 pm  

(btw, this is getting close to Other Sports Forum, and lockage, territory.)

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:34 pm  

im not a union fan. im sat here listening to wigan-wakefield on the net rather than watch scotland-wales on the tv.
i agree that football is clearly no1 in england but it's biggest rival in terms of column inches is union (cricket during the ashes)
union is no1 in wales and a distant second in scotland.
leicester, bristol and london are quite big and they have top flight union teams.
to deny any of this seems a bit foolish to me. im with you in that icant understand how anyone can sit down, watch a game of union and a game of league then honestly say union is better.

: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:35 pm  

regarding tb's recent (and correct) post, i feel celtic and rl in general must be left to fight for itself. if it's not meant to be then so be it.
i can see a bright future for league in wales, i just cant see it becoming the national sport any time soon.