Slightly off topic, but while driving to work today (not a union stronghold at all) there was a massive billboard advertising the union WC. Got into work and the front and back cover of the metro was taken up by WC advertisement. We're still a year out it.

It was just a reminder of the absolute wealth in the other code. The RFL's entire marketing budget was probably the same as what the RFU paid Charles Dance to appear in their marketing video.

Despite the enormous amount of wealth, England could still have a back line where 3 of the 7 players were developed by league. Shame they don't spend a lot of their wealth on junior development.

I'm sure when the union WC is over, some will gloat how much more well attended the union WC was than leagues. But with their budget, is it any wonder!

The original article talked about the massive amount of money in French rugby union -- not in Australian rugby union -- which is damaging rugby league.

It might have added Japan into the big money mix as well.

However the evidence of anyone who has spoken to or read the accounts of some of the dual code players, as I have, is that the biggest lure of rugby union over rugby league is not the money --- the NRL can offer close to rugby union these days --- but the international stage, with the regular international rugby union games being played in front of huge adoring crowds. In rugby league only State of Origin can compare to that. (Russell Crowe said that if Sam Burgess had been allowed to play State of Origin he would probably not have left rugby league).

The RFL wizards made sure that rugby league cannot compete with northern hemisphere rugby union when it reintroduced promotion and relegation at the expense of licensing. That put paid to the long promised introduction of Toulouse, and potentially more French clubs in the future, into Super League. This betrayal of Toulouse made clear that building the game in France is not a priority for the RFL any more. Nigel Wood and his cronies are not only treacherous, they are also very dumb. They are making sure that rugby league will never compete with rugby union in the northern hemisphere for the foreseeable future.

RL has always been run by the clubs with a focus on the domestic comps over the international game. It's frustrating and back in the early 90's I remember going to GB v roos games with big crowds and thinking it might finally have changed,sadly SL undid that and clubs reverted back to being the decision makers of the game in the leadership void that news ltd created.
I had hoped the arlc would take up global leadership of the game and in a union loving dave smith we would have seen more emphasis on international RL but despite his bluster once again the ashes tour is cancelled and the roos will not play int RL next year. Very disappointing and frustrating.

On players signing, French RU and Japanese RU are as big a threat to the NRL as the Aleague lol. RL players have gone to union for as long as they have been able to throw money at them, just as union players did in the 80's and 90's, neither code has really suffered and great or lasting damage.

If it ever was a real threat the NRL has more than enough money to bring in a marquee signing grant and sign anyone they choose. They put $50mill in the bank last year as a future fund!

NRL Biggest domestic rugby comp in the world. Must be a decent sized pond to grow a fish that big.

The RU World Cup is undoubtedly more established and has more 'major' nations than ours, but after a successful League World Cup last year I don't think we are as far away as we once were.

Union are doing exactly the same as RL by playing the lesser fixtures at smaller grounds in the heartlands midweek such as Georgia-Namibia at Exeter, which makes common sense. After this initial rush there will be a lot of discounts on offer though (as with our World Cup) even though the likes of the All Blacks are a draw, its a massive task to fill the Millennium Stadium for them playing Georgia on a Friday night, and no doubt discount codes and Groupon etc will be used to fill it you can already buy 15 tickets for that game, whereas for the big games its a limit of 4.

The main difference is they have a much better '2nd tier' of nations such as Argentina, Scotland, Italy who will still draw a crowd and compete but won't be anywhere winning the thing. RL badly needs the likes of Scotland, France, Fiji, Samoa, Wales etc to improve and grow.

Don't believe the hype! www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/sport/di ... FWdpmvuADN www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugb ... bs-6468100

Don't believe the hype! www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/sport/di ... FWdpmvuADN www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugb ... bs-6468100

Who doesn't like penalty kicks in a game of rugby (sic) lol!

Union is doing really well in Australia it seems. [iWallabies crowd for Argentina clash the lowest this century Only 14,281 patrons turned out at Cbus Super Stadium to watch Australia survive a late Argentine onslaught and win 32-25 on Saturday night.[/i Read more: www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union ... z3DEnLwdjo

Union is doing really well in Australia it seems. [iWallabies crowd for Argentina clash the lowest this century Only 14,281 patrons turned out at Cbus Super Stadium to watch Australia survive a late Argentine onslaught and win 32-25 on Saturday night.[/i Read more: www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union ... z3DEnLwdjo

Lol the bledisloe cup has dropped from an audience of 1.5mill to 625k, less than your avg NRL game. The super 15 final featuring nsw attracted 325k, less than your avg pay for view NRL game. Bloody slow used to be the only relevant union event in Australia but even that has diminished to levels that will soon be eclipsed by the socceroos pushing union to 4th place In the Australian sporting landscape. Steve Allen, managing director of media firm Fusion Strategy, is not so sure. “It’ll be a great effort if they get [a national TV audience] of 800,000 on Saturday night. “It just isn’t one of the top-tier sports on TV any more.” www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/sport/ev ... kMDFgEzQGL

Lol the bledisloe cup has dropped from an audience of 1.5mill to 625k, less than your avg NRL game. The super 15 final featuring nsw attracted 325k, less than your avg pay for view NRL game. Bloody slow used to be the only relevant union event in Australia but even that has diminished to levels that will soon be eclipsed by the socceroos pushing union to 4th place In the Australian sporting landscape. Steve Allen, managing director of media firm Fusion Strategy, is not so sure. “It’ll be a great effort if they get [a national TV audience] of 800,000 on Saturday night. “It just isn’t one of the top-tier sports on TV any more.” www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/sport/ev ... kMDFgEzQGL

Why would I care how popular RU is in argentina or japan? I have as much interest as how popular basjpketball is in Greece or archery in butan. I care about how RL is travelling in every country And especially in Australia where I live. I love how you spout on about the superiority of union yet when I bring up about it in my country you go off all global lol like I care. I have little interest in how big the RUWC will be, I am just really pleased the RLWC was a great success for our game. When I get chance to lol at union I will enjoy it given the sht they have tried to heap on RL over the years.