Quote: Winslade's Offload "I am afraid I don't know any coaches on a personal basis to be able to ask these sorts of questions. Certainly I can't imagine any coach not setting winning as his first priority, that surely must be a given. Rugby League is certainly tribal and there is always a strong desire to beat your neighbour / closest rival at all costs. Even if the ref made a couple of horrendous decisions that gifted you the game, supporters would see it as a well deserved victory. But outside of all the tribalism surely there is an element of enjoyment ? Compare one game which was a mud bath that prevented any decent moves with constant knock-ons to one which was free flowing with fast moves, great handling, chips over the top of defences that lead to tries etc etc. Would you prefer a 2 nil win in the first game to say a 35-10 win in the second ? And the neutrals that watch TV, which props up our sport financially would certainly vote with their feet / bums. It sounds as though you wouldn't agree, but I would suggest that RL is a business and a big part of that is about entertaining as well as winning.'"
I get your point. I suppose the big test is when watching two neutral teams. I sometimes lose interest when the score gets to 35-10 but rarely lose interest when the score is 2-0. I have seen some cracking games with no or just one try. I would say best for TV neutrals is a competitive game rather than simply lots of points by one side.
Bottom line though is that if you Coach a side and they keep losing 33-35 ... you won't stay in a job very long. No one would mention your exciting brand of rugby as a reason to keep your job. If you keep wining 6-0 ... you'd have a job for ever.