Amazing how much time people spend watching and talking about stuff they don't they like, isn't it?

About 4 minutes.

I keep being told how good it is so if there's nothing else on I'll watch a bit.

It's not just the sport itself that I'm not keen on to be honest. It's everything about it. The players, the fans, the media, the referees (why do they all look and behave like PE teachers?), the terrible TV adverts with funny wimps like Jack Whitehall getting taught a lesson by some big well spoken but caveman like tough guys.

I know you think all league fans have a chip on their shoulder (and I'm sure there's something in that) but I can already imagine the lack of hype on Saturday for our (nearly) sold out event.

Put it this way, Public schools stop playing rugby union and union dies within 20 years and would be considerably smaller than league!

Interesting to note - with all the talk about the money this World Cup generates for the game - that the Canadian team have had to pay for their own flights to and from the UK because the governing body can't afford to.

There are those who will make out like kings off the commercial rights to this tournament, but much like League that wealth doesn't trickle down into the second tier.

Hardly surprising that the Establishment game results in the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer.

Shameful from World Rugby

For a tournament that will make a lot of money this is flabbergasting

Know your enemy before you destroy them, or something like that in the art of war.

Not unlike the gulf between SL and the Championship then?

Really??

That is bizarre. You would have though RU would use the money generated from this (and the last) world cup to assist the developing nations.

Surely England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Wales, Ireland, France etc have pretty much saturated the interest and participation in those countries and are best now pumping money into the likes of USA, Canada, Russia (?), Japan, South America etc to develop a truly global sport (which only really Soccer and Athletics can boast)?

At least our Canadian side will have some cash behind them (for 1 year at least!).

I hope the IRFU isn't going to turn into a FIFA like organisation for the sake of real grass roots Union fans (I don't count world cup hangeroners in that).

The Tier Two nations have made this World Cup and provided some of the most entertaining rugby to watch - the Japanese and the Georgians for example - yet all they get in terms of finance are the crumbs from the big boys table.

They get three weeks in the spotlight, then get thrown back into the darkness for four years to play games against each other plus the occasional "A" tour by a Tier One nation.

In the respect of how they treat the emerging nations, the two codes aren't that far apart. Just look at the fact that Australia sends a "Presidents XIII" to play PNG every year, made up primarily of players from teams who didn't make the playoffs rather than a full Test side.

the cricket world cup is getting smaller too

World Rugby has dismissed Canadian players claims now

Surely Union are missing a trick.

They're pretty well funded in the established nations (mostly but not totally due to the number of well attended internationals they have) so surely strengthening the second tier should be their aim?

I know league aren't good at supporting the developing nations but I'm sure that's mostly due to the lack of revenue we produce.

The Aussies are bad for being insular but the money we produce from internationals is a pittance compared to RU or soccer and in recent years we've just been happy for a World Cup to not make a loss.

I know from being at college in America that RU is very well established but if the NRL could think a bit bigger and if Jarrad Hayne does ok then along with Canada we might have a small opportunity for growth over there.

Just seems short sighted from RU however I'm sure there's help behind the scenes we don't know about.

RU in Australia is run on a comparative shoestring despite income from internationals, with the Australian RU having to prop up several of the Super 15 teams. It's not that long ago that they were signing RL stars (Tuqiri, Sailor, Rogers) and the CEO boasted about taking over from the NRL in popularity. Jump forward a decade and they are barely breaking even, and have introduced new fees for all junior players and clubs to help prop up the whole sport. They tried to introduce a second tier national competition below the Super 15s level and it died after one year as it cost too much and oddly enough attracted virtually zero outside income.

Anyway, don't look to Australia to subsidise anyone else.

That's almost what I said before. Surely in Oz RU is about as popular as it will get. As long as they get the funds to break even then I would have thought putting that money into a developing nation would be the best idea in the long run.

Saying that from my trip over there and friends I know there it seems soccer is increasing in popularity over their and maybe that is the biggest threat for the other 3 major football codes over there?