TBH it was only a matter of time before I read such an article on here, and TBH, it just highlights the jealousy from RL people towards RU.

The RU World Cup was a wonderful spectacle and is now the third biggest sporting competition in the world, after the football world cup and the Olympics. 97% of all tickets available were sold and games even between "emerging nations" were played in front of full houses.

There were shocks (Japan beating South Africa), there was controversy, (Scotland robbed of a win over Australia), humiliation for the first ever hosts to be horsed out at the Pool Stages. We saw massive improvement from the lesser nations, a Southern Hemisphere domination and a statement of intent from the Argentinians and a World Record crowd for a Rugby Union match.

The games were generally all high scoring, there were plenty of tries, hardly a drop goal kicked in anger and free-flowing as it gets as the Southern Hemisphere influence is finally ending the England based penalty fest that Jonny copyrighted in 2003.

It was beamed all over the world (live rugby on Uruguayan tv???) to millions.

All in all, it was the kind of event that RL could only ever dream about. I loved it.

It was won by the right country, playing great rugby and a team of genuine sporting greats.

As opposed to the RLWC with only three countries having any chance whatsoever, topped up with useless nations who get pumped throughout, in front of sply populated stadia in dumps like Whitehaven.

I prefer the game of RL easily, but the RU code is miles ahead of RL and will only grow stronger. Anyone who sees this differently is utterly deluded.

Yes I sadly agree. I genuinely believe that RL is a dead man walking. I take no pleasure in saying this as I love it with all my heart but the restructure of the domestic game in this country convinced me that there cannot possibly be a long-term future for the sport.

Would anyone care to have a doom and gloom-off with me?

People have been predicting the downfall of RL since 1895. I think we've got a while yet.

I'm in the 'let's wait and see' camp....

ME is basically right. the differences are historically and to date, the sheer clout behind the RU movement; and secondly the ability and the resources of those running the respective sports (whlek stalls and Walmart springs to mind for some reason).

The RUWC is indeed huge but for how long has it been? It has been an object lesson in how to get from A to B, Peter Deakin himself would have been proud.

Tbf RL has of late dipped some toes into the same waters, but sadly has neither the personnel, the resources or, critically, the international will to genuinely compete in such events.

However I am happy that of late our WC has become a genuine major event, and we have gone for and been rewarded by an event and crowds and coverage that has considerably exceeded expectations. Whether that will be kept up, though, is the question.

It is true we have much the better sport, even though RU has subtly incorporated more attractive RL-style features and will continue to do so, but you can't beat a sense of major event to attract people, and RU are masters at that. It works too - see our smaller-scale WC successes with the same approach.

I don't easily foresee the demise of RL but it is not impossible depending on the Australians view of international sport. But undoubtedly SL clubs have all got financial problems - in the sense that many struggle to pay the salary cap, sure, but I mean more in the sense that not one club is anywhere near being able to pay a NRL size salary cap) and so cannot attract a squad of elite sportsmen. I don't see floods of money coming any time soon, and so it will be difficult for SL clubs to both survive and remain genuien top level sporting clubs unless they can extract significant funds from somewhere other than central funding, which is the key, such as for example that used to acquire and pay the likes of Sam Burgess and before him SBW.

I am not suggesting in any way that RL will die but since the move to a professional game, Rugby Union has moved strides ahead of RL. When there was once a time that the League clubs could attract the top Union players, the shoe is now firmly on the other foot these days.

What I did notice, however, was that the fans were absolutely terrific in the tournament. OK, you still get the "Swing Low" brigade, mainly at "HQ" as they like to call it and Scottish fans are indeed usually the toffee-nosed ones from the Lothian and borders regions but the atmosphere created in the RUWC was tremendous, and a big surprise to this viewer.

The problem for RL is that it is a minority sport, only played (seriously) in four counties on the planet in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Queensland and NSW. In terms of appeal from spectators etc, it sits alongside Hurling and Gaelic Football, both minority sports, as enjoyable as they are.

RU is a worldwide game and as the game evolves (FA called it spot on - the introduction of RL tactics) it is becoming an excellent game to watch. It will continue to grow.

One benefit to English based RL sides however is the frankly awful treatment of Sam Burgess who was the scapegoat from the start. A big part of me thinks the the English Unionites were delighted that their side went out so that they could blame the "convert". (Curiously they never mention the "convert" in Jason Robinson who scored the (ultimately matchwinning) try in the 2003 WC). I am sure that some of our own RL may well be put off given that the media will have them as the sitting ducks for any future "failure".

RL should pretty much drop the word "Rugby" from the name. They are now two completely different sports and as long as the title stays in the name then the comparisons will inevitably follow.

(Ironically, the Grand Final got more than its usual coverage on the BBC this year only because the Union side were playing a "dead rubber" on the other side of Manchester.)

Although the RFU's wheeze in deliberately scheduling an England WC match in Manchester in a pathetic attempt to devalue the GF is probably the perfect illustration of the attitudes that are entrenched in that organisation and the perfect answer to RU trolls who say RL types are paranoid and make it all up. Much is deliberately done to try to harm RL, and even resorting to blaming the miserable failure of their national team on RL converts and coaches. Sam in particular didn't deserve the Unionite bagging he got (especally as they were winning and defending well until they took Sam off).

What is actually quite amusing is that I firmly believe that they deliberately played the game in Manchester so that if they won the tournament they could not have been accused of "only winning because they played every game at Twickenham" like they often say about the Football boys, at Wembley, in 1966.

So whilst they faced Fiji, Australia and Wales at Twickkers, I reckon they arranged to leave their home comforts only to face the group whipping boys.

Just a shame it was all over by then......

There is a "Stigma" surrounding RL and this has to be changed. The reinforcing at every opportunity that RL is a working class sport and generally watched by such an audience is debilitating. Only the other week, a women was speaking on the radio about the economy and I quote said " The working class of the North" as if that is all that makes up a region.

RU already had bases to grow, because RU was a travelling show and embedded through the Empire.

The RFL is entrusted to make the correct strategical and political moves to develop the game with limited finances. Clubs have financial constraints I understand that but RU have been there too.

The RFL and clubs "Together have to be smarter".

To Edit:- Sky could employ a smarter and more technical panel to cover games (Sorry Stevo and the other fella your great guys really

)

As a side note ITV were better at covering a Rugby World cup than the sp coverage we got of the BBC.

The Rugby Union World Cup is a flagship event for ITV Sport and as host broadcaster they've had to pull their finger out. That said the BBC attitude to rugby league is appalling at network level and their Challenge Cup coverage gets weaker by the year. It seems odd that they treat it so shabbily given that the audience return is usually good for RL on terrestrial TV. Given that the BBC's portfolio of sports coverage is a dwindling one you'd think that they'd throw the kitchen sink at what remains.

FWIW, this was sent to people who bought tickets for the RUWC at the Olympic Stadium:



Doubt it was the RFU directly, and initially thought the RFL had bought the mailing list, but judging by the links at the bottom it's whatever third party company was doing the RUWC ticket sales.

^
That's interesting

No argument against any prior posts really...

But I feel quite upbeat at the moment - despite the RFL being absolutely useless - I think the sheer quality of our game is gaining growth in recognition.

Every day brings a Sam Burgess mention and a twitter rush - and every time he is talked about - so is Rugby League.

RL gets mentioned on Radio 2 via Simon Mayo and this morning Sean O'Loughlin was on the Chris Evans show.

Ticket sales for the internationals are healthy, the product has once again delivered (so far) and there is a passion in the crowd for our national team.
(I know it didn't come over on TV - but I was there and it was great to see and be part of)

And finally, I think its dawning on some (but never admitted in public) - that the Sam Burgess story so far proves that;

The level and intensity that Sam played at with Rabbitohs was far above the levels he needed to drop to for England RU.

In other words - he had to go backwards - and thats just not Sam.

While the media, Inverdale and their ilk had a field day - I think they have made themselves look s.

Unlike some other failed moves to RU, Sam's abilities have been well and articulately documented by Russell Crowe - plain for all to see.

You could watch RU for 10 years and not see the likes!

And now Slammin Sam heads back to Sydney - Rugby League is all over the news headlines today - could he be playing against the Kiwis on Saturday?

Radio 2 are leading with this story right now..

Well that's not a surprise. His Autobiography will make good reading when he brings it out.

"Homesick". FFS.

Diplomatic though

Why didn't he sign for us. What has Sydney got over Bradford..........................Er, maybe not!

Sounds better than "treated like crap".

As I suggested earlier, I firmly believe that some people within the halls of "HQ" were secretly hoping for a failure from England so that they could blame the "convert". He was a dead man walking from the start and I am not surprised he has gone back to a game and a team where he is appreciated and adored.

Sam Burgess did not cost England a shot at the RUWC whatsoever. It was caused by a mixture of arrogance, bad decision making and pre-historic tactics that tend to avoid doing the things that often helps win games of rugby - scoring tries.

Despite playing all the meaningful games at home, they lost two out of three (scoring a massive 2 tries in the process against the bigger nations of Australia and Wales) and, quite frankly, are nowhere near as good as they think they are.

Every tournament with an England team (in any sport) is the same. They get over-hyped by the media, balls it up, then the same media point the finger of blame at someone in order to "save face." Burgess was the obvious and easiest target as he was not an Old Etonian.

He is absolutely spot on. England Rugby Union have always been an utterly loathsome organisation. This is an association that continued to make a drug supplier their captain and still employ him in some capacity. They look after their own and seem to have deep suspicion of all "incomers".

Unions' loss is Leagues' gain.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't taken Sam long to start to reveal what we all knew:

Don't sell the game short it's quite big in Auckland as well! Though admitted last season the Warriors and Sam -" I will stand around at the back" Tompkins did not set the world on fire, but the Kiwi's stuffing the Aussies this year was major news. I watched most of the RUWC matches mainly as it is against the law not to in NZ and did think most of the 2nd tier nations would be more suited to playing RL - especially the Japanese and the Islanders. Interestingly apart from celebrating the AB's win down here the main talk was if the Springboks had gone all Hansie Cronje in their first match?

"A bomb placed under the West Stand at Twickenham would set back the cause of British fascism by 50 years" - Philip Toynbee.

When I read his column in the Mail and he mentioned ex-players having 'agendas' I thought what an odd turn of phrase. As if they wanted him and England to do badly rather than them pointing out the absurdity of picking him in the first place. I got the weirdest feeling of deja vu. Like I was on this board 6 years ago when anyone who suggested the club was a plane crash waiting to happen was judged to be part of conspiracy with Chris Caisley in an 'agenda' to destroy the club.

WTF? You just made that up! Plus, Caisley didn't need an agenda, as ultimately signing Harris did the job all by itself.