A lad from Huddersfield (a Giants fan and a member on here) is playing for one of the teams. Not sure which!

Yes, but it's not being shown live though. I think the game is this Monday but being shown on Channel M on Tuesday evening.

?

your losing me fast, it seems to me we have the discussion about why the varsity game should/should not be on TV every year, as far as i see the reasons for having it on TV are blindingly obvious.

Does is still only attract a half-blue?

Might be a good game? Certainly positive PR for RL

they are not the best of the uni teams but surely it is still positive RL exposure?

In a Sky time slot that is already reserved for Rugby League.

How would the game benefit by televising the varsity game opposed to showing a game in the NL divisions which are of a higher standard ie Leigh v Dewsbury which was played last night?

- it is a good opportunity to show that RL is played throughout the country amongst the intellectual elite
- it is a good opportunity to bring in new sponsors through the alumni of the universities who are now working in industry
- being on tv may encourage other people at the Uni (i.e. those who cant get into the RU team) to take up the sport, which will have a long term impact once those people go onto their future careers


its one game a year, people need to get over it.

NRC group games are not shown on sky.

There are no league matches this week due to challenge cup.


Question answered?

Yes, and it now makes sense.

The varsity game is probably just a fixture used to fill that time slot opposed to an event that Sky are enthusiastic to broadcast.

A lot of the people involved in the varsity match.......

a ) often players who end up in high end jobs in the city.
b ) bank roll much of the game in the london areas once they have stopped playing as they are in high end jobs in the city.

This is why it is important to give this match as wide an audience as possible.

It's good enough for me, but I think there should be more SRL stuff on TV or even just available on the web.

The actual BUCS final (usually Leeds Met v Lufbra) will be a decent standard. Both teams would compete in the highest levels of the amateur game.

I'm pretty sure their rowing teams aren't exactly world class either. The Olympic rowing teams would probably wipe the floor with them.

But like the boat race it's a spectacle, albeit a less prestigious one, and an endorsement to our sport that the two premier universities in the world at least have a go.

I'm also sure that if it WASN'T televised, there would be a lot more people grumbling about that. "Second class sport", "If they can televise a boat race, then why not RL" and all that.