Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:41 am  

MacBlondie wrote:

What a bizare statement and one that is pretty typical of your average narrow minded, chip on shoulder rugby league fan. So rather than work at improving the media coverage of rugby league, your answer is to bring the media coverage of rugby down to the level of rugby league? Rugby has the bar raised, its upto rugby league to aspire to those heights when it comes to the media. How? i dont know.

Rugby league will never get back where it was, because the newspapers moved south (especially the one-time Manchester Guardian, whose writers probably get a nosebleed at Stoke-on-Trent now). Though how you expect me to be able to play a part in raising media coverage of RL, I don't know. There is not a level playing field. I refer you to Chris Irvine's piece in this month's Rugby League World, where he points out that the nationals have slashed RL coverage to 'save money', whilst expanding RU coverage.

Increasing media coverage of RU at RL's expense is happening in England RIGHT NOW. And the more coverage there is, the more money there is, which means that the wages on offer to tempt away our players is greater than ever.

And as for the point about preferring to see England lose- I'm a born and bred football fan who came to RL in his early twenties. I avoided anything involving the word 'rugby' for years after a school experience where we had compulsory rugby union for several years, and where school resources were diverted to RU even though at most 30 lads out of 200 played it once you could choose to get rid of it, to the disadvantage of the other sports. And a university where RL was only recently, and grudgingly, granted full sporting honours even though one of its games is shown on Sky every year.

Hence, I have a strong dislike of RU that predates my like of RL. Irrational to some, rational to others, but your views are always the product of experience. I enjoy a wide range of football codes (association, RL, Gaelic, AFL and recently NFL), but RU for me has significant baggage and we do not enjoy a fair crack of the whip in comparison.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:43 am  

What I would be happy with (and I'd be interested to see what Catalancs in particular would think) would be a union-league double header in the North. Maybe Sale playing Leeds Carnegie as a prelude to a Salford versus Leeds Rhinos.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:02 am  

Do you not think though, that the coverage given is warranted, given the levels of the international game? Rugby union has a thriving international game that will see huge stadiums sold out in 2011 for their world cup. Whilst the rugby league world cup in 2008 was a success for Australia, it didnt really capture the hearts of the english public. I remember my local being open at 6am back in 2003 and it was chocca with fans watching the rugby world cup and I live in a town that has no liking for either code.

The best thing for more media coverage I guess, would be an english 4 nations trophy win.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:09 am  

MacBlondie wrote:

Do you not think though, that the coverage given is warranted, given the levels of the international game? Rugby union has a thriving international game that will see huge stadiums sold out in 2011 for their world cup. Whilst the rugby league world cup in 2008 was a success for Australia, it didnt really capture the hearts of the english public. I remember my local being open at 6am back in 2003 and it was chocca with fans watching the rugby world cup and I live in a town that has no liking for either code.

The best thing for more media coverage I guess, would be an english 4 nations trophy win.

I agree that a 4 Nations win would be a boost.

Coverage of international RU is warranted, but just look at last weekend's papers. The amount of space devoted to club RU was well in excess of the coverage of the Grand Final. Even in summer, there will be endless articles about how "[Insert player's name] has been keeping in shape this summer before [normally Wasps] kick off their season". How many articles appear in January about how Ryan Hudson or Malcolm Alker have been training? Thankfully none, but any coverage is better than none.

Good on the regional press though. The Manchester Evening News still has good RL coverage, and the Warrington Guardian is good too.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:23 pm  

Urmston Wire wrote:

How many articles appear in January about how Ryan Hudson or Malcolm Alker have been training?

Given Hudson's history, how he spends his off-seasons is probably best kept out of the nationals for the sake of the game...

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:28 pm  

MacBlondie wrote:

4 billion was probably spot on. Heres a tip for you, the number was the total that viewed every game, not individual viewers, after all, its the 3rd most watched event after the olympics and football world cup. A fantastic achievment. I would imagine the rugby league world struggled to break the top 20

4 billion people watched the rugby union world cup apparently. Individuals was the claim, not the same people counted again and again... and again.
Rugby league is a minority sport in all but a few places in the world, so it's bizarre that anyone should make out that it's some sort of surprise when the Rugby League World Cup isn't amongst the world's top sporting events in terms of viewing figures.
As someone has posted, most people around the world have no idea whatsoever or at the most, some vague conception of rugby, be it league or union. Spain has a well established domestic competition and the national side compete in world cup qualifiers, yet an amzing amount of people here think you play rugby with shoulder pads and a helmet.

MacBlondie wrote:

Good crowds at wembley and OT. I was OT, atmosphere was awesome.

I was at Wembley and that was a great weekend topped of by a cracking afternoon's rugby.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:29 pm  

MacBlondie wrote:

Because all over the world people know rugby, as rugby union, except for the east coast of Aus, north west of england and an insignifanct tiny region of france. It just makes it easier. Oh and the IRB own the "Rugby World Cup" trademark, so they can call it what they want.

There are two games of rugby,for me they have no right to call it the rugby world cup.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:32 pm  

Urmston Wire wrote:

What I would be happy with (and I'd be interested to see what Catalancs in particular would think) would be a union-league double header in the North. Maybe Sale playing Leeds Carnegie as a prelude to a Salford versus Leeds Rhinos.

And provide Leeds Carnegie/Tykes with more publicity than they warrant? No thanks.
And bvesides, no top flight union club is going to want to act as undercard for a game of rugby league.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:06 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

4 billion people watched the rugby union world cup apparently. Individuals was the claim, not the same people counted again and again... and again.
Rugby league is a minority sport in all but a few places in the world, so it's bizarre that anyone should make out that it's some sort of surprise when the Rugby League World Cup isn't amongst the world's top sporting events in terms of viewing figures.
As someone has posted, most people around the world have no idea whatsoever or at the most, some vague conception of rugby, be it league or union. Spain has a well established domestic competition and the national side compete in world cup qualifiers, yet an amzing amount of people here think you play rugby with shoulder pads and a helmet.

Of the top 20 most populace countries in the world I would wager less than 0.1% have any comprehension of what rugby is. That top 20 alone is a total population of nearly 5 million out of a world population on c6.7m.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:57 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

And provide Leeds Carnegie/Tykes with more publicity than they warrant? No thanks.
And bvesides, no top flight union club is going to want to act as undercard for a game of rugby league.

Actually you're right. The Quins double header wasn't exactly a huge success.