Rugby League World Cup 2013, in England Wales and Ireland

Eamonnca1 · March 08, 2013, 02:39:21 AM

What's this I hear about the Rugby League World Cup being held in the UK, Ireland and France? I see that Thomond Park is slated to host a game, Ireland v Australia on November 9th. Could be interesting. Never been to a Rugby League match, always quite enjoyed watching it on TV when I lived in the north of England where it was a big deal. Lot easier to follow than Union, less stop-and-starty. Will any of yiz go to it? Is there any interest in Rugby League in Ireland?

stew · March 08, 2013, 04:14:55 AM

Quote from: Eamonnca1 on March 08, 2013, 02:39:21 AM
What's this I hear about the Rugby League World Cup being held in the UK, Ireland and France? I see that Thomond Park is slated to host a game, Ireland v Australia on November 9th. Could be interesting. Never been to a Rugby League match, always quite enjoyed watching it on TV when I lived in the north of England where it was a big deal. Lot easier to follow than Union, less stop-and-starty. Will any of yiz go to it? Is there any interest in Rugby League in Ireland?

Nope, it is shite!

Canalman · March 08, 2013, 11:07:33 AM

Very watchable game imho. Don't know what station it was but there used to be "live" games from Oz on on a Saturday morning. Easy to while away a half hour watching it. Full of action .

Massive game in Australia.

Rugger buggers (Union) love to sneer at the game.

Rossfan · March 08, 2013, 01:51:47 PM

No interest in this game in Ireland - nor indeed in most of the world but like their Union counterparts that doesn't stop them having a tournament called the "World(sic) Cup".
The RL "World " thingy has 3 real teams and a load of makey uppy ones.
I watch it on Sky occasionally and while the play off games between the top clubs can be good stuff the game itself is rather repititive.
Mind you it's a pretty honest game in that if a man is down injured you can be sure he really is injured.
They should make those diving soccer prima donnas play a game of RL once a month to see how real men behave.

deiseach · March 08, 2013, 01:59:30 PM

Objectively rugby league is a better game than union. The rules of union are an unholy mess and it's next to impossible to destroy in league, you have to be committed to attack or you'll be taken to the cleaners. But I can't bring myself to care. I've watched Ireland play in the Five/Six Nations for as long as I can remember and every game counts. Remember when the Sassenach/Jock/Taff/Frog/Eyetie gits did such-and-such to us? League, alas, completely lacks context, and no amount of taking a team of Yorkshiremen and wrapping them in the green is going to make me sit up and take notice.

Gabriel_Hurl · March 08, 2013, 02:23:14 PM

I went to see Ireland play someone (Samoa I think) at Windsor Park in the 2000 World Cup

Brian Carney was playing for Ireland that day

NAG1 · March 08, 2013, 02:48:50 PM

Quote from: Rossfan on March 08, 2013, 01:51:47 PM
No interest in this game in Ireland - nor indeed in most of the world but like their Union counterparts that doesn't stop them having a tournament called the "World(sic) Cup".
The RL "World " thingy has 3 real teams and a load of makey uppy ones.
I watch it on Sky occasionally and while the play off games between the top clubs can be good stuff the game itself is rather repititive.
Mind you it's a pretty honest game in that if a man is down injured you can be sure he really is injured.
They should make those diving soccer prima donnas play a game of RL once a month to see how real men behave.

Kinda like the Americans, with their Super Bowl World Championships and Baseball World Series.

Orior · March 08, 2013, 02:56:36 PM

Quote from: deiseach on March 08, 2013, 01:59:30 PM
Objectively rugby league is a better game than union. The rules of union are an unholy mess and it's next to impossible to destroy in league, you have to be committed to attack or you'll be taken to the cleaners. But I can't bring myself to care. I've watched Ireland play in the Five/Six Nations for as long as I can remember and every game counts. Remember when the Sassenach/Jock/Taff/Frog/Eyetie gits did such-and-such to us? League, alas, completely lacks context, and no amount of taking a team of Yorkshiremen and wrapping them in the green is going to make me sit up and take notice.

Their scrums are pathetic. Why dont they grow a pair and be prepared to get their necks broken like in the real scrums.

Aerlik · March 09, 2013, 01:05:49 PM

I loved playing League, but not so much Union as the rules of the latter were quite incomprehensible at times.

And League is NOT massive in Australia. It is the poor cousin to Union in terms of crowd numbers and years behind AFL.

Capt Pat · March 09, 2013, 10:47:40 PM

League is big in Sidney.

Orchardman · March 09, 2013, 11:43:18 PM

Quote from: Aerlik on March 09, 2013, 01:05:49 PM
I loved playing League, but not so much Union as the rules of the latter were quite incomprehensible at times.

And League is NOT massive in Australia. It is the poor cousin to Union in terms of crowd numbers and years behind AFL.

Not true. From my time in oz, it is obviously huge in sydney and brisbane. Melbourne storm have won loads but they are the only victoria club in the NRL, as the AFL is huge in Victoria, adelaide and perth.

Union is 3rd overall from what i gathered. Now im back home i read an article with the guy, is it matt williams used to be leinster, ulster and scotland manager? Well he was talking about Ireland and Australia having the same problem in terms if Union. In ireland Union has grown but still behind GAA sports and soccer in some grassroots area, and in OZ it is behind AFL and NRL. Union has strongly relied on the posh elite schools to produce rugger players.

Overall the AFL are in better shape financially and have a great product, they have taken a gamble by pumping money into a second team in Sydney, but if GWS works out then they'l be another step ahead of league.

As for original post, I don't have much interest in League but I would agree it's prob better than Union. But then there are plenty of people who love scrums, lineout and such things that make them think it's such a smart technical game when it's just shite. But that's only my opinion

stephenite · March 10, 2013, 01:21:48 AM

Quote from: Aerlik on March 09, 2013, 01:05:49 PM

And League is NOT massive in Australia. It is the poor cousin to Union in terms of crowd numbers and years behind AFL.

Disagree, league is the biggest sport in NSW and Queensland. Rugby Union would be 3rd overall

Syferus · March 10, 2013, 02:02:57 AM

Quote from: Rossfan on March 08, 2013, 01:51:47 PM
No interest in this game in Ireland - nor indeed in most of the world but like their Union counterparts that doesn't stop them having a tournament called the "World(sic) Cup".
The RL "World " thingy has 3 real teams and a load of makey uppy ones.
I watch it on Sky occasionally and while the play off games between the top clubs can be good stuff the game itself is rather repititive.
Mind you it's a pretty honest game in that if a man is down injured you can be sure he really is injured.
They should make those diving soccer prima donnas play a game of RL once a month to see how real men behave.

We should all chip in to a GAA Board fund to send Rossfan on a tour of soccer, rugby and cricket matches with a microphone attached. We'd make a few times our outlay with his Effin' Eddie style (if Eddie hated the sport he was watching) commentaries in YouTube ad revenue.

Think of it like a sporting version of An Idiot Abroad, but with wilder hair and Moysider and Stephenite in the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant roles.

Farrandeelin · March 10, 2013, 07:34:20 AM

Arra Syferus, why not go yourself with him?

I personally prefer watching rugby league to union.

HeaveHo · March 10, 2013, 08:15:28 AM

Quote from: stephenite on March 10, 2013, 01:21:48 AM
Quote from: Aerlik on March 09, 2013, 01:05:49 PM

And League is NOT massive in Australia. It is the poor cousin to Union in terms of crowd numbers and years behind AFL.

Disagree, league is the biggest sport in NSW and Queensland. Rugby Union would be 3rd overall

Union would be 4th behind soccer (football). The game is nearly broke and if the Lions weren't touring this year the situation would be dire. The ARU are already $15 million AUD in the red and the Lions tour will clear that and leave a small profit. Both the AFL and NRL have $1 billion AUD plus media deals and are in rude financial health. Even soccer has a reaonable media deal. The future of the Wallabies isn't that great and the NRL are about to massively increase their club salary caps and will be able to offer very good money to those thinking about a switch to league.