Well that's the AB's buggered then isn't it

Having watched Australian touring sides since the early 1960s my thoughts are that whilst they have typically been better athletes than their UK equivalents it's changes to the game which have increasingly allowed them to utilise this to their advantage. For example playing on mud patches in the middle of a UK winter played in our favour. The days of contested scrums and lumbering forwards also favoured us. Finally the introduction of multiple high definition cameras has seen the end of the brutal physopath type of forward which was also a great leveller.

Agree silver - international RL exposes gaps in quality far more than RU. The muddy pitches may have gone from RU, but the ability to play a forward oriented game and starve the opposition of possession means a team with relatively poor backs can beat one with much better backs. Can you imagine the All Blacks backs vs any northern hemisphere team at RL? Wouldn't even be close.

The problem is the Kangaroos are that much better than England, but in RL there's no way to hide the gulf in class. Oddly enough I do give us half a chance in this WC, if NZ can turn the Aussies over. They were looking really good until half time vs Tonga, and they genuinely have a chance vs Aus. Whilst on paper NZ are better than England, we don't have the same mental block with them - most of our players have played and beaten them before.

If the "best side" always won then we'd have a very boring sport.......2008 and the Kiwis had no right to win the game but they did.

I'm in Aus right now for the WC and it went pretty well in Perth yesterday, stadium was the right size so that just under 15k was a good crowd. Commentators here think it's all about TV: audiences for this have been strong, but it is at the expense of any midweek games. For us, for instance, this means we move on each time after just one match and wait until the following weekend for the next one.

However, despite the doom and gloom on here, there is one clear, logical reason why the NRL should embrace international RL with a renewed passion: they are in a bitter fight with AFL (Aussie Rules) for sporting dominance. the one thing AFL CANNOT offer is international matches. They used to try some 'hybrid' games against Gaelic football teams but even that was weird. International sport is always the biggest game in town and the NRL could win this fight for good if it encouraged it more.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -australia

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -australia

Australia isn't "obsessed by NRL". That makes it sound like it's football in England, which it isn't. I was critical of the Aussies for not selling out the England match, because if they can't sell out WC matches against England and NZ in stadiums that are less than 30000 capacity, then there's something wrong. But I think bashing the Aussies for not falling in love with the tournament itself is just ridiculous. I can understand why overall they rate and like the NRL or SOO more than the World Cup. That doesn't mean they don't want to win the WC or that they won't be interested in the semi final and final. I'm sure those games will have good attendances and good TV viewing figures. Let's be honest, a lot about the WC is contrived. Wales, Scotland and Ireland teams that barely contain anyone who has an accent from any of those countries. They're joke teams and it's no surprise that there's very little interest in watching them or supporting them.

The Kiwis are generally a nation that punch well above their weight in most sports....they're currently handing the Aussies their butts on the Basketball court, they own the bloodyslow cup, they are the #2 ranked RL side, they just held the #10 ranked FIFA side to a goalless draw, they have the americas cup, are pretty good at rowing, rally driving, the world endurance car title including le mans......

as for the Warriors......every comp needs their own version of Warrington. Next year it'll be us......

Arguing about NZ basketball on a thread called depressing quite apt

AND neither Australians or New Zealand are better at Cycling Athletics, Rowing Boxing, association football and several other sports. and apart from maybe cycling their not even close. but they are better than us at RL and they like to keep it that way.

Hmm...
2017 World Rowing champs......Kiwis were 2nd on the Medal table whilst the conglomerate that is GB sat 8th.
2017 World Track Cycling, Kiwis got 5 medals, as did the combined forces of Wales, England, Scotland and Norn Iron.
In 2017 there are 3 world Heavyweight Champions....a Brit, a Kiwi and a loud mouthed Yank and Boxing is as bent a sport as can be.
Association football was created by the English, along with Cricket and Rugby (which we now refer to as Union)...and in the case of association football, England are indeed the better side.....whilst in Cricket, we're about to have the Ashes which sits overall as 32 wins for both sides and the last ODI World cup saw the final contested between Australia and New Zealand....and IIRC England have an Aussie Coach now.......whilst in Union, well, let's just say that the All Blacks have the last 2 world cups sewn up and lead England 32-7 with 1 draw and the Aussies lead 25-22 with also, 1 Draw.....and England currently have an Australian Coach after their implosion in 2015.
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the united teams of Wales, Scotland, England and Norn Iron got 2 gold medals, whilst little old NZ got 1.....if only Mo Farrah had emigrated here instead eh
The Last Basketball World Cup saw both ANZAC countries progress to the last 16.......Britain nor England, Wales, Scotland or Norn Iron even qualified.....I Golf Justin Rose was born in South Africa, but he is currently ranked higher than Jason Day who was ranked #1 at the start of the year but now hits a ball like me.....whilst in Women's golf, Lydia Ko flies the flag for little old NZ......
.....Speaking of women's sports (WORLD CHAMPIONS) , Netball (Australia) Union (New Zealand), Cricket (England) Rugby League (Australia) Basketball (Australia 3rd)..........So miles ahead in Soccer but either level or behind in most other disciplines and given the population of GB&NI compared to the ANZACS, that's pretty dismal really.....

Britain does have a handy Scottish Tennis player though....I'll give you that!

hmmmm

Cycling....Australia were far & away first at this years track cycling world championships with NZ just behind GB with the same amount of medals

Rowing.....NZ second, Australia third, GB eighth

Athletics....GB Sixth Australia Eleventh

Boxing.....who knows, who cares, a sport that the third world engages in heartily to entertain the first world


Association football....hmmm last two games we're running at a game a piece, i know one thing, the atmosphere at Aussie soccer games s on the premier league

you blokes have nothing

Hmmm. GB work around the Olympic cycle becuase how well they do determines how much funding they get. Just look at the previous 2 Olympics and how many medals GB won in cycling compared to Aus and NZ. GB pretty much treat the worlds as a practise event for the Olympics.