International Rules has more credibility than League "World Cup"

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Peter P

All Australian
Sep 30, 2000
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Adelaide
AFL Club
Sydney
Some Rugby League commentators (eg Ian "Bear" Maurice) were apoplectic with their derision of the hybrid Gaelic Football - Australian Rules "Tests".

Yet the current series of International Rules of 6 Tests in the last 3 years has seen over 200,000 at the last 4 matches - 2 of them lock outs, and a series of down to the wire contests of fast flowing football - total scores from the 6 Tests: Australia 355 v Ireland 348. The games have a history going back to the 1960s and once Gaelic had an oval ball and behind posts - so the recent series is not a total concoction.

In comparison Australia can't find any competition worth the name in League. Total scores in the last 4 games by the Kangaroos: Australia 264 v others... 2. (the 2 points were scored by England) And the matches against countries like Russia haven't yet begun. The crowd at the big opener between England and Australia - 32,000. The crowd in Ireland for the Ireland v Samoa opener - 3,000 - that compares with a 58,000 lock-out at Croke Park 2 weeks ago.

And given that the "World Cup" provokes talk of a "hybrid" Rugby of Union and League - next time League commentators heap scorn on the AFL's jousts with the Irish...... mayhap they should TAGHLAT (take a good hard look at themselves).
 
You are missing the point. The only people that play "International Rules" are the players that represent Australia and Ireland in the annual test series. I don't see any people plying the game in the park here or in Ireland since it is a hybred game.

In Rugby League, all the people from the test nations competing play the game. What I mean is that certain sections of the community in each of these countries play Rugby League. While that not may be many, it certainly has more people play the game than in "International Rules".
 
Leaving the International Rules out of the equasion - not a relevant comparison. The Rugby League World Cup is the most ridiculous competition on the planet. Take Lebanon for example, not one of the players actually come from Lebanon they're all Australian citizens.

Then you add into the mix countries like Russia and Ireland? and numerous fly specks in the Pacific and you have one seriously inconsequential "world cup". Not even die hard Rugby League supporters follow this crap with too much interest.
 

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Damn Straight! Peter P.
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yeah - what a load of absolute rubbish is this notion of 'International Competition' in Rugby League.

Quite simply League is just such a shit game that hardly anyone is interested in playing it. The suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane, the Hunter Valley, the North of England and thats all folks !

"international Competition" ? - yeah right pull the other one. Lets look at this so-called "International Showcase" that is the Rugby League World Cup.

An Australian Benefit
Australia always wins because Australia is the only country in the world that plays the game with any kind of ability. Recent test scorelines of 56-0 (v NZ earlier this year), 82-0 (v PNG) and 108-0 (v NZ 'residents')merely serve to illustrate how non-existant 'international competition' really is.

Where are the crowds ?
The opener against England attracted 32,000 to Twickenham, a stadium that can hold nearly 80,000 people - it was less than half full. Get that folks we are talking about the premier game in what is supposed to be the premier competition for the code anywhere in the world - and they can only manage a barely half full stadium ! Also while we are talking crowds, people are generally staying away from League in droves. Test matches and even the highly touted SOS series this year only managed to fill Stadium Australia to two-thirds capacity, the average home crowd in the NRL is a truly humiliating 8000, this years finals series had some the lowest attendances for a finals game on record including 16,200 for one game. Overall NRL attendances are down over 100,000 this year.

Who are these people ?
In order to try and make up the numbers, the organizers of this tin-pot little tournament have invented some teams that just don't have any credibility at all. Lebanon for example, they are all Australians (the team should really be called Bankstown / Lakemba)in fact the Lebanese Government were unaware they even existed. Ditto Russia and Ireland, New Zealand representation has been split into Maori and Non-Maori teams again just to make up the numbers.

Rugby League is a shit game, played by shit people in shit conditions. Its sole reason for existing in the first place was to pay money to the players, but now that Rugby Union is now openly professional - why does League still continue to exist ?

I dunno maybe I should ask 'experts' like Ian Maurice or some other no-neck.

cheers

[This message has been edited by Bloodstained Angel (edited 02 November 2000).]
 
Not wishing to rub anyone up the wrong way, and yes, scorelines and crowds are not going to be flash in most games ...

BUT

Rules is not played to any level in ANY other country but here, so how can some of you mob bag it. It's more international than rules will ever be. I know its "kinda" played in what - 57 nations at the moment - none of which could ever hold their own at a "test" level.

Look, I love the international rules series, but I don't see how rules fans could ever bag league's international status. Cripes, we had to invent a game just to find someone to play against!

...... awaiting the usual tunnel-vision Victorian responses .....



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Anyway, that's what I reckon ........

mud n blood
 
Point taken "Muddy Waters", but the fact is one of the main arguments rugby people who deride "Aerial Ping-Pong" have against the game is: "Oh but your games not an International Sport". That argument comes a little un-stuck with their "World Cup". It's reaching sham proportions.

It really is a shitful game IMHO, with it's backward passes and 5 tacles. I'd much prefer to watch Soccer, Gridiron, Basketball, Hockey even Handball before I'd watch rugby, and I'm a sports nut.

Cheers

[This message has been edited by RICE80SF (edited 02 November 2000).]
 
yeah ditto what Ricey just said there

MudnBlood we are all acutely aware of our games International Profile (or lack thereof) what we are trying to point out is that Rugby People are very very fond of raising the issue of "international Competition" when trying to persuade us of Rugbys superiority.

Well, what we are saying is "yeah sure you have international competition but what a freakking joke that international competition really is"

I mean why would you bother ?

Playing one-sided and unspectacular games in front of half-full stadiums for a trophy that nobody cares about and the whole thing can't even make the front Sports Page of any newspaper in NSW or Qld ?

This so-called World Cup is nothing more than a sporting embarrassment.
 
I understand what you're saying .... but you're simply getting sucked into the league v rules debate, which "leagueys" love. I'm fortunate enough to have played senior league, rules and even a little soccer (!) in Brisbane at respectable levels, so I won't be sucked into the age-old debate of league v rules because most of my advocates haven't, thus they aren't really qualified to comment.

Comparing the two games is trying to compare apples and oranges ..... you can't do it! Both games have pro's and cons .... I love 'em both, too!

Seriously, visit any of the number of RL forums on the web, league followers know its somewhat of a joke, but at least they can play the poms and kiwis ..... although of recent, even thats been a bit dodgy.

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Anyway, that's what I reckon ........

mud n blood
 
now exactly where you are coming from there Mud n blood - I've played both Rugby Union and Aussie Rules (and some Soccer too) and you're right - its almost impossible to compare them - its like cahlk and cheese.

Changing from one game to another I must say that the lack of international competition was never an issue for me.

What I'm basically saying is that I found Aussie Rules to be such a great game to play and to follow, the lack of international competition just wasn't a factor. And I know what I'm talking about because I played Rugby Union at International level (albeit schoolboys
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)

No international competition ? - so what - Footy is still the best football you will ever play - anywhere, anytime.

[This message has been edited by Bloodstained Angel (edited 02 November 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Bloodstained Angel (edited 02 November 2000).]
 
Two points:

International Rules may be a hybrid - but both codes are sufficiently close to make it work - and work well given the huge and growing crowds and the enthusiasm of the players. I've played lots of Australian Football and some Gaelic (as well as Soccer and "Touch"RL). There's not too much difference in the feel of play between Gaelic and Footy when you're out on the field - if you could mark and tackle (as in International Rules) it would just be the shape of the ball - and punt passing an O'Neills is not too different to a Sherrin once you're used to it.

Secondly - Footy is in enough countries to plan a World Cup in Melbourne in August 2002. The strictures on nationality mean it will be Americans, Canadians, Danes, Brits, Samoans, Nauruans, Kiwis, Japs, Papuans and possibly Agentines playing - and not expat Aussies as in the Rugby League "countries" of Lebannon and Ireland etc. Overall the numbers are still less than those playing League in other countries - but not as far behind as once was, and footy seems to be catching up. Also the AFL will not destroy the inaugural world cup by fielding an Australian team - unlike the marauding League Kangaroos.
 

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The problem with Rugby League, is that it is poorly administered.

To elaborate;

1) The NRL, is assisted in running the competitions, by FIVE other bodies. Predictably, all push their own agenda,consequently, there is no consencess on how the game should be run.

2) The clubs create little or no revenue. Whereas AFL clubs own a social club and other assets, the NRL equivalent to the social clubs, are independent of the clubs. the only revenue the clubs receive is that which the leagues club is prepared to give. Further, for some odd reason, the football clubs do not make an arrangement with the Leagues club, whereby if you become a member of the Leagues club you are also a member of the football club, and visa versa. Instead, we have the absurd situation, where the highly profitable Panthers League Club has over 100,000 members, and the Penrith Panthers Football Club has only about 1000. Many clubs are kept afloat by the goodwill of their Leagues Club.

3) The competition is controlled by News Ltd. Many clubs, including the Canberra Raiders and the Melbourne Storm are kept in business by News. If they were to walk out on the game, many clubs would fold.

Rugby League is in serious trouble and has been for years. This is what brought about the Super League War. Ironically, the war has only further damaged those clubs it was meant to "help," by tarnishing the image of the game amongst supporters.
 
I have one thing to say about this:

The Rugby League World Cup is the greatest farce in the long, long, sad, history of farces.

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[This message has been edited by WCE2000 (edited 02 November 2000).]
 
Now that Australia has played "Russia" (expat Aussies from anywhere east of Berlin) the scoreline for Australia's last 6 RL internationals is Australia 440 to others 12 !

The direct comparison with the last 6 International Rules Tests is Australia 355 Ireland 348.

In the games against Ireland the question is "who one?", in the other code the question is "was there an opposition?" - and the answer to that is so far "No".
 
Peter P .... are you serious? I suggest you have another look at the Russian lineup .....
they're probably the best "supported" of the smaller nations.

In one of their games, they only had 3 ex-pats ..... Rob Campbell from Brisbane, Ian Rubin from Sydney, and that skinny blondie fella (his name escapes me!) from the Group 6 comp in NSW.

------------------
Anyway, that's what I reckon ........

mud n blood
 
Well I read somewhere that quite a lot of the team came from other east european countries other than Russia - maybe they're Union players usually or previously eg from Romania.
 
Originally posted by Peter P:
Now that Australia has played "Russia" (expat Aussies from anywhere east of Berlin) the scoreline for Australia's last 6 RL internationals is Australia 440 to others 12 !

The direct comparison with the last 6 International Rules Tests is Australia 355 Ireland 348.

In the games against Ireland the question is "who one?", in the other code the question is "was there an opposition?" - and the answer to that is so far "No".

What would happen if you somehow scraped together 22 players from another country who actually knew what AFL was , and put them against the top Australian side?
 
Probably something like a 110 to 4 thrashing (as in Australia v Russia). As footy teams roughly kick 4 times the score of League teams... the score would be about 60 goals 50 pts to 2 goals 2 points ( ie 440 to 16).
As long as the other 22 were strong athletes it'd be hard even for the All-Australian side to kick more than 60 goals simple due to spoiling tactics.
 

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International Rules has more credibility than League "World Cup"

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