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But the international profile can drag the national one with it. It's not going to work the other way around. The only sport that's done that is football and we are nowhere close to the behemoth that football is.

People outside the heartlands really aren't bothered about seeing Wakefield play Salford. Most of them don't even know where those places are. They might take a passing interest in Wigan v Leeds or Wigan v Saints but not much more than that.

Put England v Australia or New Zealand (or a competitive France or Wales) on and they'll start paying attention.

They may well pay attention if England play Australia.....but then what? Can't just keep playing them and the Kiwis and even a lot of long term passionate RL fans shrug their shoulders at the prospect of games against the Welsh and French. And after those international games they'll still have to make do with Salford vs Wakefield or Widnes vs Castleford.

The main reason international RU and cricket do so well is because they have 8/9/10 truely competitive teams, not just 3, and thus can have a truely varied international calendar.

They didn't always have that, they built it. As we must.

There is plenty of things the game can do to raise its profile with more international games, international club games, and its general games but that requires a will and commitment to be something more than it is.

Correct, but the clubs are now wholly dependent on regular visits to Sky's foodbank. The sport has got used to no other way of existing.

Union has always had a strong high profile international competition which has produced packed stadiums bringing in regular steady high income. Much of this income was and still is invested in development at mini and junior levels. Once Union went professional the writing was on the wall and League was too complacent as it basked in the early success of Superleague. The RFL should have been more pro active in the days when Superleague on Sky attracted higher viewing figures and crowds than Union club games.

Union has come on in their professional era in leaps and bounds with players becoming much fitter and more skillful. As they first recruited League coaches and then players the product became much more attractive as a spectator sport and both crowds and Sky viewing figures increased followed by increases in the TV royalties and sponsorship. As a true national and international sport there as then only going to be one winner.

League had hung on in for a period because the product was more entertaining but once the combination of bad rule changes and the steady loss of our top players to both Union and NRL made worse by the failure to attract main Sponsors have left it threadbare with the result we now all can see.

IMO Union is now a far better product with high skill and fitness levels, real competition for possession at all breakdowns and a strength in depth of playing talent due to the strong development area that will see it continue to flourish.

Had Caddick invested more wisely and at a higher level in Union so that he had a side capable of competing at the very top then he would have needed a new stadium to house the crowds today.

Unless League can somehow produce/recruit 20 or 30 genuine class players plus some needed rule changes quickly then I fear our game will continue to decline with falling crowds and tv sponsorship. Meanwhile our top players will keep swopping codes and our youngsters will join local union clubs rather than League ones as they eye the higher earnings and profile.

I am really worried that the leadership of our game has left it all too late.

William Eve wrote: He was rubbish was Doug Laughton. You are Chester Rhino aren't you William?

William Eve wrote: He was rubbish was Doug Laughton. You are Chester Rhino aren't you William?

RU has always been the sport of the monied classes, it was the reason for the breakaway in 1895.
Its the reason why events are so well attended. people go to be seen & to network not necessarily to watch the game.
RU games are social occasions, the game itself is almost secondary.
RU has the press & media in its pocket.
Once it went officially professional there was only going to be one winner.
Particularly since RU has "tweaked" the laws to make the game faster & more of a spectacle &, therefore, more like RL.

GCHQ are currently recruiting.
You ought to apply.
You'll be a shoe-in.

Absolute rubbish even at their most successful when winning the Cup at Twickers the crowds weren't flocking to Headingley nor were there when players like Justin Marshell were signed it's a myth.

Perhaps a slight exaggeration on my part but as usual your bias against Union means you miss the point. Leeds have never had a squad remotely capable of competing against the top sides and getting into the lucrative European cup games and so have never attracted the sort of attendances available. Had this happened the crowds would have matched or overtaken the Rhinos. Yorkshire has a large network of Union clubs with large junior sections with lots of parents.

If the right quality of players were playing in a successful top of the table side then many of the Rhinos fans base would watch both teams and Union fans are prepared to travel for the right team. For example Wasps were unable to find a replacement stadium in the capital and relocated to Coventry where they average 14,000 and this is in the back yard of Leicester who average 22,000.

My point about needing a larger shared stadium is that there is an opportunity in the North to stage some of the bigger matches in both League and Union to bring in extra income while reducing costs for each club but both clubs need to be successful and one not a drain on the other.

Anyway this was an aside in my post and not a main point.