: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:02 pm  

Should n`t this be O/T...

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:52 pm  

Get this. On Radio 5 this morning two areas that thr RFU are looking at, to make the game more open and faster are reducing the players on the field to thirteen and getting rid of "line outs". A while ago ( and I know I have said it before) there was an article in the Guardian sport section that was a vision (a fictiscious one all the same) that one day there would only one code which was just called "Rugby". Its coming And I hope it takes over from tat round ball rubish.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:01 pm  

I actually watched the Second Test in Walkabout in Leicester...not sure how I managed to get out of there alive with every possible incident being met with "it's nowhere near as good as league, this"

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:56 pm  

TV BOY wrote:

Get this. On Radio 5 this morning two areas that thr RFU are looking at, to make the game more open and faster are reducing the players on the field to thirteen and getting rid of "line outs". A while ago ( and I know I have said it before) there was an article in the Guardian sport section that was a vision (a fictiscious one all the same) that one day there would only one code which was just called "Rugby". Its coming And I hope it takes over from tat round ball rubish.

I've said this before, if Rupert wants it then Rupert will get it.

Personally I dont think it would be a bad thing either. 13 men, 1 for a drop, 2 for a kick, 5 for a try - I might even be tempted to keep line outs rather than a non contested scrum.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:51 pm  

Union is a crap game run by people who will do ANYTHING to destroy Rugby League. The problem is that the RFL, ARL, NRL and the Clubs have been run for decades by people who only care about themselves rather than the game as a whole. If Rugby League ever joined with Union I would simply walk away from it all. I was banned from playing Union. I know many others who had their Photos and records changed when they moved to League even at amateur level. Even today apparently in Europe certain people in Union are trying to stop people from playing the game in Serbia, Norway etc.
Rugby League should be strong enough to be a seperate sport as there is no need to merge. If Clubs were run properly then our game would be in a better position. If the RFL didnt have different rules for different Clubs then maybe people would be more likely to be interested-Gateshead have 4 Quota places whilst Leigh have 1. Leigh could get relegated in part due to the RFL giving Gateshead a big advantage over Leigh.

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:55 pm  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

Union is a crap game run by people who will do ANYTHING to destroy Rugby League. The problem is that the RFL, ARL, NRL and the Clubs have been run for decades by people who only care about themselves rather than the game as a whole. If Rugby League ever joined with Union I would simply walk away from it all. I was banned from playing Union. I know many others who had their Photos and records changed when they moved to League even at amateur level. Even today apparently in Europe certain people in Union are trying to stop people from playing the game in Serbia, Norway etc.
Rugby League should be strong enough to be a seperate sport as there is no need to merge. If Clubs were run properly then our game would be in a better position. If the RFL didnt have different rules for different Clubs then maybe people would be more likely to be interested-Gateshead have 4 Quota places whilst Leigh have 1. Leigh could get relegated in part due to the RFL giving Gateshead a big advantage over Leigh.

1 Place but no player , both refused visa's

: Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:52 pm  

-VIKINGMAN- wrote:

Union is bloody awful, lions my arse half of them would struggle in the championship.

Very narrow minded mate, the entire lions backline cud more than carry themself in at the very least the championship, and brian o'driscoll is as good as any centre in super league.

british lions : Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:28 pm  

Although I am risking my sanity having read the first post on this thread, because I too have played both codes, I do agree with practically all of that original post.

: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:53 pm  

Interesting note:

a London uni mate of mine came to Weymouth this weekend. He doesn't watch, or understand, either code.

First he watched the mighty Exeter Centurions beat South Dorset Giants in the South West RL Cup Semi on a local council field (Exeter won 56-14). Then he watched the 'best' two Union teams do battle in a game which was decided by the last kick.

His verdict? League is fast, open, great to watch. Union is technical, dull, obscured by piles of bodies and endless kicking.

I ended up in the very odd position of defending union.

I coach both. League is fantastic, the technical skill level is very high and the tactical coaching demands are extremely complex. Union requires much less individual skill, is slower, demands less fitness, and gives rise to far more dull and static games.

Union is no more a threat to RL now than it has ever been.

british lions : Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:43 pm  

Well when i first started watching AND playing RL over 50 years ago I had no doubt which was the best of the two codes. Nobody did even those in the Valleys for example.

Any Rugby fan knows which is the best to play and the best to watch.

Difference is since TV money came into rugby one code has encouraged the grass roots and one hasn,t.

You have to ask the question. Why do Sale for example draw 5 figure crowds and Salford not ? Why can you turn up on the day and without a ticket pay to watch GB v Oz in the RL world cup final(I wish lol.) and try to pay on the gate at England v Argentina at raa raa and be turned away cos you haven,t got a ticket.