"It has probably taken over rugby league as a professional sport"

Not if yesterday's England v Italy game is anything to go by!

Half of 'em look as if they should be playing for the thirds in a local park.

Don't blame you – so much money in the game that they can't support more than four professional teams: hence Celtic Warriors being disbanded by WRU, and Samuels' desire to form a professinal RL team. rofl

Quote: Barnacle Bill ""It has probably taken over rugby league as a professional sport" Not if yesterday's England v Italy game is anything to go by! Tell me about it, have a look at this. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7877034.stm The best bit is when Guscott says 'you don't even see that in schoolboy rugby'.

Quote: Barnacle Bill ""It has probably taken over rugby league as a professional sport" Not if yesterday's England v Italy game is anything to go by! Tell me about it, have a look at this. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7877034.stm The best bit is when Guscott says 'you don't even see that in schoolboy rugby'.

I'm all ears.

Please do explain!

We could be in Titan territory here.

The floor is all yours.

I didn't realise that Lee Byrne ran out for the Blue Bullls in the RLC.
Now there's a Welsh player of Superleague quality. Pity he's running out as the best international fullback in World RU.
That's ironic for the Victor Meldrew brigade.

Actually I would agree with his statement too.

Look at the amount of professional RU clubs around the world. There are far more clubs around.

They have professional clubs based in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and so on.

We have pro clubs in England, Wales, France, Australia and NZ.

They are capable of pulling huge crowds in for Internationals, and are now starting to do the same for some club games (see Quins 50k crowd at Twickenham, and Leicester taking a game to Walkers Stadium).

Their revenue streams also far exceed anything we have in league.

Just a pity that they have a dire sport!

you cant compare a 'national' 'global' sport with a minority sport played in small pockets in a select few countries

Rugby union is a minor sport bar in new zealand.

in wales, scotland and ireland it is going backward or dieing off,

the paranoia from the welsh RU guys is a reflection of a declining game.

sure the international crowds are OK but the club crowds are pathetic and merging clubs still hasnt worked.

Not a clue what your point is, or how it relates to my post.

what about england, wales and south africa?


where do you get that idea from?


agree there's a certain sense of worry in his statement. interesting to read the wrfu boss saying both codes can co-exist in wales.


it certainly was a desperate measure super14, celtic league. hasnt worked as well as the rugby unions would have liked.
the whole amateur ethos which stood union in good stead for so many years is currently hindering it at club level in my opinion.

Hmm … and yet between them, the dominant southern hemisphere RU powers can muster 14 professional teams in three countries: SA, Aus and NZ.

RL musters 16 professional teams in two countries (NZ and Aus)

it's not difficult chuck.
you're making comparisons between league and union.
if you believe the press and media hype, that's like comparing football and hockey