Nothing really to disagree with there. Mostly politics, and mostly accurate. It is really important that we as a game don't allow the short-term success of the World Cup to blind us to the really quite disastrous long-term developments in the domestic game. What is happening in terms of player participation, sponsorship, league structure and London Broncos is rather more important for the future health of the game than the World Cup, and all of those issues are heading in the wrong direction.

That just made my morning!!!

Why? What's your experience of the view and experience those in the south-west have of rugby league?

I have family in the South West and pay regular visits. Plenty of comprehensive schools run rugby league teams and tournaments. The game is played by a wide variety of people in the area, as is union (but obviously to a greater extent). To suggest that either code is played only by "toffs and wimps" in the area is laughable, and patently wrong.

Whats your experience?

A bit with the new Gloucester team as they set up and coming across the south-west teams in RLC playoffs.

Cutters refers to RU being a sport played by manual workers in the southwest....nothing laughable about that. Then he says he's come across public schools playing league but not comprehensives, and that's created his view of the game. If that's what he's come across.....it's not funny, just what he's come across

The comments section of The Economist online is running red hot with reactions to this article.

Mmmmhhh - some of the comments seem a bit familiar Jean!?!?

Cutters comment was that in his view Rugby League was a game for toffs and for wimps.

If you can't see what is laughable about it, then you are watching the wrong sport.

Exactly.

'Toffs and wimps' right. How many private schools have RL on the curriculum?

Such a patronizing, snobbish rag article. Ignore it.

No. His view was that he grew up seeing RL as a game for toffs and wimps. If that's his experience, fair enough. What's he comparing it to? How toff-like are those he's comparing to, to the RL people he's experienced?

And the comment is laughable. Much like your becoming on this subject.

Anyway, what kind of people play RL and what kind play RU in the southwest, and how do they compare, in Cutter's experience? Is his experience right, wrong, typical, atypical?



If so, which it isn't, better the subject than the whole website.