I'm obviously the only person on here who listens to the 'Today' program on Radio 4.
The sneering tone of Rob Bonnet didn't surprise me, but Nigel Wood was just terrible. For a start he sounded petrified like he'd never been interviewed before.

Rob Bonnet described the series as a "3-0 whitewash to the Australians", and Wood clearly didn't have a clue what the winning margins were in the first two games and stumbled over his words. And while eulogising Souths he singularly failed to mention the British players in their ranks, or casually name drop Russel Crow and Sam Burgess being there. And this straight after an item on the Oscars and a quip about Bath RU club. This is schoolboy stuff.

Is it any wonder we can't promote the game to a wider audience if we can't find someone who actually has some media training for an interview on national radio?

we'll never move on in terms of profile while he's in charge. the loss of richard lewis was a huge blow

Spot on.

the loss of Richard Lewis was a huge blow - to tennis. Wood might be say some daft stuff but he's an amateur compared to that spanner.

Wood was hopeless. It's not like RL gets that much national exposure, and yet every time it gets a few minutes in the spotlight they put up some idiot who misses an open goal.

Blake Solly always seems to come across well in the media. At least he isn't the stereotypical northern rugby league bloke that everyone else is.

We can be grateful that Big Nige was only on the radio and not the TV.

the guy that i would like to see get a chance has just been over here last weekend with souths, and i don't mean russel crowe

What was it Russell Crowe said about people being in these jobs for ages but nothing improving??

Samuel L. Jackson?

Brilliant.

Matt King? But he'd have to get his hair cut!

Wood is a liability - he is Hetherington's proxy. He doesn't have the skills or the presence to drive the game forward. It is his job to make sure the game is properly funded, participation levels are high and media exposure is correct. He has failed on all counts.

Your a major corporate sponsor who has been to the gym at crack of dawn before starting work and in rolls 25 stone Nigel asking where are the cakes!! It isn't going to happen - his physical presence is an embarrassment at any event he attends representing the game. We are a sport which demands extreme levels of physical fitness - pity the CEO doesn't practise what he preaches.

I think there are still some people without widescreen TV's so putting Nige on the telly will never work.

Yet Richardson is lamented as the man to grow the nrl and world rl, he is hardly mr fitness lol.

Rfl does need some fresh leadership but a bit chicken and egg. It isn't high profile or rich enough to attract serious business talent.

Sounds like Marwan Koukash has hacked everyone's accounts that or you have now started to listen to what he's been saying for two years

The problem the RFL have is that whoever is in charge still has to deal with the self-interest and in some cases delusion of the club chairmen to get anything done.

And a large number of those are the stereotypical Brian Potter northern businessmen.

No wonder Richard Lewis (who worked miracles to get the RFL back onto an even keel financially and commercially) got out as soon as he could.

That's why I was so annoyed. The 'Today' program is listened to by exactly the sort of corporate types that the game needs to sell itself to in order to attract sponsorship. Every time they get a 2 or 3 minute interview they fall into the trap of some sneeering sub-Inverdale-esque interviewer and sound utterly inept.

All it needed was a name drop of Russel Crow (for a bit of Hollywood), "British players in the Rabbitohs side" (i.e. it's not all Aussies on the winning team), a bit of "Sam Burgess watching his brothers" (for a player that they may have heard of), "2 very close games that could have gone either way" (emphasising entertainment value), and "sell out crowds" (i.e. lots of people).
There you go, pressed all the sorts of buttons that might interest a corporate sponsor.

Instead we got a washed-up fat fart.

Sounds like he'll be a shoo-in for next CEO at London!

Richardson has pedigree and he may be a bit podgy but he is no humpa lump!!

Given his bulk you'll need to crow-bar him in.

There are plenty of reasons Nigel Wood shouldn't be at the RFL, his body is not one of them.

agreed, but he is an easy target



The Sport needs to at first understand where it wants to be and lay out a strategic plan on how to get there. What Nigel looks like isn't important, but he needs to lead from the front (sticking his head above the parapet isn't a strength of his)

If the RFL, The SL and the semi-pro clubs want to be on a more secure financial footing and attracting better/bigger sponsors by say 2021, when the RLWC will again be in the NH, then they need to lay out exactly what they want and how they are going to get it. If they want to (they should) include the amateurs as well, with a view to increasing participation, then they should do so willingly/convincingly and not just pay lip service to the roots.

Put together a team to manage this process including SL and Champ club CEO's/Chairmen, BARLA reps as well as a dedicated administrative unit (secretaries/PA's) as well as an overall project manager.
27 x 90 day periods until 0ctober 2021, so set small goals for each of those periods and schedule meetings for the end of each quarter. Each meeting lasts a whole day with the first session looking back at the past period, what's been achieved, what hasn't and then the afternoon session needs to be about setting goals for the next quarter....all the time remembering the end goal.

Sticking to it, for the duration should be a must.....and this is where RL has fallen down in the past, chopping and changing without giving anything time to bed in. This is for 5+ years and it needs to be seen through.

Personally, I'd use the first 3 periods to set the main goals, as well as put the infrastructure/budgets into place, meaning by January 2016 the programme is ready to start.

I know of at least 6 other professional sports organisations who use this process to set goals and monitor progress......the NZRL is one!

You just make yourself look stupid by calling him fat. What has his weight got to do with anything?

Regards

King James

I work for an Investment Bank, on Monday morning all the Directors were talking about how great the series was. Several of them are South African and all middle class/London & SE based. I've NEVER known them discuss sport other than international RU or Cricket before.

If it wasn't for a lot of hard work from Wood, the Series wouldn't have taken place and we wouldn't have top dogs from the city saying how great the Rugby League was at the weekend. Give the man a break.