The International game in RL is often branded a joke compared to RU, due to players qualifying through means such as the grand parent rule or residency.

In the RU World Cup Wales have 11 foreign born players, as do Scotland. France have 10 and Austrailia 8. This has barely been mentioned and the fans don't seem to care.

Maybe we shouldn't talk our own game down so much and then wonder why the media give it little attention.

7 of the 11 Welsh players were born in England but raised in Wales. International RL is regarded as a joke because an Ireland team at the RLWC had 1 Irish-born player out of 24, Italy RL had 1 Italian-born out of 24 and Scotland RL had 2 Scots-born out of 24.

Obsessed

I guess what I would say to this is that this is just the way our international game has developed. Just because other sports do things in a different way doesn't mean that that is how we should do things. Its like when people compare our international attendances to union; 20,000 or whatever just happens to be how many go to a RL international, its the way the sport has developed. Just because only 3 teams have won our world cup doesn't make it necessarily worse than the union one, that's just how things are. Rugby League is by far a massively better quality game than any other sport and things like where international players are born aren't going to make the quality on the pitch worse.

You are getting a tad obsessed with me aren't you.

I think I love you

You are only human (I think)

Oh I'm all man!

There are more reasons than that, and players switching nationalities is much worse than those playing through heritage or residency rules.

International RL is a joke, mainly because the RLIF is a joke. That and the fact the NRL don't give a toss either. The RLWC left zero legacy on the game. The RUWC will p!ss all over the RLWC in terms of revenue, crowd figures etc...

Everything but tries and entertainment value, in fact.

Bitter much? The 28,000 crowd full of South Africans and Japanese people at Brighton would disagree with you on that

England made 77 tackles in their World Cup game against Fiji . James Roby made 62 tackles in the Saints v Wigan game.

To be fair to the Japanese team this afternoon that is one of the first times I've ever seen a Union team gamble and aim to score a try instead of going for a drop goal or playing for a penalty. Even as an RL fan I can give credit where it's due it was great entertainment

This. I just watched the highlights. But the simple fact is that games like the Japan match are very much the exception to the rule in international RU.

I obviously prefer watching rugby league, but I do enjoy watching RU as well, and personally cannot get my head round why people in league hate it so much, unless they are just envious of the coverage and exposure it gets. I also think RU is improving as a spectacle and the more RL influence of the offload and skills is assisting this. If anyone watches the Southern Hemisphere league that is very exciting to watch.
In Union the internationals are given more qudos over the league with clubs missing their star players while the 6 nations is on.
Also there is more quality at international level. Can u imagine a 6 nation tournament in league. There would be hissy fits about players playing in it and it would not be a competition at all.

i doubt any RL fan would even try and deny that off the field RU is light years ahead of RL
on the field it's the other way round, imagine how popular "rugby" could be with union's money, marketing and influences, and league been played on the pitch?

Not sure I agree with this, actually. The way the laws are interpreted now makes it easier for the side in possession to keep the ball. When I watched the Four (?) Nations as a kid, I don't remember people being penalised for "coming in from the side" so much, if at all. Not saying the laws have changed, but the interpretation seems to have done.

Handling skills are still well down, though.

What an amazing start to the RU world cup, they really do put on a great event.

I've just got back from the Wales-Uruguay game and have to say it is even better than the 6 Nations with the fan park and everything else. I was at the opener at the RLWC 2013 and the RWC 2015 is light years ahead but that's hardly a surprise.

When I have watched union world cup in the past I have found the smaller nations actually take risks and kick less.

It's when then the knock out stages begin where it becomes absolute drivel. Teams play extremely safe and you just see teams kicking for goals and playing for penalties constantly.

The rules allow teams to be negative and win games.

Also I dunno why some fans have a problem with league fans not watching rugby union. I generally don't enjoy watching rugby union. It's nothing to do with union being a bigger spectacle. I just don't particularly like the sport.

In Union only solo tackles are recorded as once joined by others it becomes a maul or ruck. In league 2nd 3rd and 4th floppers are awarded as a tackle. Forwards in Union have to work hard to contest possession in tackles, mauls, rucks, line outs and in real scrums. So your comparison is irrelevant as a comparison.

I fully agree with you. It is a shame that some folks cannot learn the rules, accept that it is a different game to League but with many shared skills. Then sit back and enjoy it.

Without doubt Union has come on in leaps and bounds since it turned professional and the fitness and skill levels are now high. I prefer to watch League but it is silly to pretend that Union is not good entertainment and League can learn from Union how to promote the game better.

This Union World Cup is massive and the second best single sport for paid attendances in the World. It will attract between 420,000 and 466,000 international visitors and with more than 2.2 million tickets sold it will produce almost a £Billion value to our GDP.

Problem is it is like watching a poor amateur game of league most of the time with all the stopping and starting, kicking in to touch, penalties and general lack of ball in play. Still each to their own. In league the domestic competitions have always taken precedent since its inception, just the way it has been and is likely to stay.

Maybe you should stop obsessing about Union and you should definitely hold back on the straight comparisons......

660 players in 20 squads at RUWC 2015 of which I can find 71 playing for countries other than that of their Birth. 11%........that's a lot.

322 players in 14 squads at RLWC 2013 of which I could find 159 playing for countries other than that of their birth. That's 49%....that's a Joke...even more so when you consider those 159 were split between 9 sides at over 17 per 23 man squad as an average!