The Auckland 9's is to promote the NRL in NZ. There's nothing stopping the RFL from hosting a a Nines comp in the UK/France/etc...



The NRL's outright aim is to be the NBA of rugby (it already is for most people but...). Aside from spreading premiership matches to every state&territory in Australia they're playing exhibition tournaments to grow the game in NZ, funding internationals for the pacific nations, talking about playing State of Origin in London and yet some poms are ed because they didn't invite some cash-strapped SL clubs to the other side of the world to compete in a 9's comp.

Is there something in the water in the UK that makes you such miserable people?

I don't care about an invite to a 9's comp, my gripe with Australia is the international game and how I feel they've held it back, their almost union like arrogance of blocking players who dared to leave the NRL from playing rep rugby.

Sounds good. I'd say 4 teams would be a good call, preferably the CC winner and SL champs along with two invitational picks - one of which I'd make Catalan, to give the frenchies some interest, and a team like Salford, who've spent big in the offseason.

I don't think that's entirely true.

I had to laugh the other day reading how sl chairman and coaches are ed off with nrl clubs stealing their best talent, you couldn't make it up.

The Aussies want to grow the game in order that they can dominate the other sports in Australia, but they take the routes where success is more likely.
Recently, I reckon working with the RFL (who couldn't even raise a sponsor for the Super League) will have felt like running in treacle and a much less worth while operation than, say, using SOO to gain a bigger audience.
Since the World Cup, however, I would have thought that the Aussies will see the International scene has some legs and that interaction between rugby associations can really bear fruit. The stronger SL and England are, the better for Australia, as the more interesting competition they could have and the extra spectacles available, but in previous years we've failed to hold up our end and be competitive.
The Aukland 9s sounds like a good way to mix things up and gain interest from people who aren't weekly fans.

Just have our own 9's comp pre season.

If we did as good a job of getting people interested as they did for the world cup, why not?

The only stumbling block is that preseason in England is fecking freezing, so an entire day sat in a cold stadium may not be to everyone's liking. Still - you could sell foam cushions for people to sit on to keep their tush warm and then crack out the Bovril.

South of France can get pretty warm?

Magic Weekend is ideal for this.

Hopefully the RFL are looking into the Auckland comp closely, and looking to replicate it in Manchester in May. Would be a cracking event, would get a bigger crowd than the existing MW, it would open the weekend up to a wider mix of clubs and teams (not just Super League clubs), and would be something pretty unique in the 'northern' sporting calendar.

It would however need a major sponsor, and decent prize money for both clubs and players to make it worthwhile for clubs to put their big guns out.

I think something like this for the MW would be ideal. The MW has been a great event and moving the Etihad was the right decision, but it doesn't really serve any sort of purpose, other than adding an extra fixture to the league table. I always thought it could be better used as either a double header for the CC semis or 2 DHs for the CC QFs, but a mid-season 9s tournament would be even better IMO. It would also fit well if the proposed 2x12 in to 3x8 happens as it could be timed so this event occurs after the first set of fixtures before the split.

Brilliant idea.

Good sponsor would be Nurofen. " Nurofen Nines " or " Nurofen Express Nines " They advertised on Premier Sports during RLWC matches.

We do/did have a 9's competition, but it was run mid-week, there were no high profile players, it was mostly 2nd string.

If it was taken outside of the SL and pushed as a stand alone, faster paced, quicker turn around between games etc. I think it could really sell. I'm not a fan of Union, but I remember watching the 7's at Manchester for the commonwealth games and it actually looked rather good.

We need that buy in, for those who don't support RL weekly and would not watch a full game. A bit like a highlights real I think it could work.

I've not been to MW as I just see it as an extra away fixture, that adds little other than a cash making enterprise. Whilst a 9's may be the same in terms of money making the attraction of a more open and slightly different game, with quicker matches would make me more likely to attend.

Also the shorter games make it more attractive to FTA TV with advertising.

You can have it at Cardiff in the winter or is the MEN Areana capable of accommodating a full pitch and fans?

To have it as a 2 day stand alone tournament in which clubs play their best players you need financial incentives otherwise they'll use it as an excuse to rest players mid season/closed season.

Having an invite to NZ for the top two winners could be an incentive if taken seriously enough but money talks.

In this country the only way to attract real interest and big money is mixing it up with the Union lads, have half League teams and half union teams now that would atttract real interest.

Cardiff for RL matches needs knocking on the head IMO. The Millennium is too big and there is very little interest either in the locals attending or the regular RL fans travelling there. The Etihad is perfect for events such as these IMO, it's the right size, it's got the open concourse which suits unresevered seating, plus theres the fanzone and metrolink right outside.

The MW is all about money and an extra fixture anyway. So having it as a 9's would not change that it would still be about money. Having a stand alone tournement would just mean you could include prize money. So clubs would want to win and send their best.

True and if you're able to fit in more teams, championship or union invitational, you bring in more fans, plus the fact your team plays more than one team.

You have all SL, half the championship and have a union selet IX, you're then pulling in different demographics, hell if it takes off invite an Oz team.

Make the prize worth winning (for the chairmen)

It would be better for all concerned if SL clubs participated in the Auckland Nines, where the temperature in early February will be like London on a nice summer's day, and a good crowd of 44,000 is guaranteed at Eden Park.

I voted no because, whilst news of the ticket sales is fantastic, I can't see the business sense in taking our clubs across the world.

I'd be more than happy with the magic
Weekend morphing into a 9s though. We'd still have a mid year day out, without the contrived super league fixtures involved.

I voted no because, whilst news of the ticket sales is fantastic, I can't see the business sense in taking our clubs across the world.

I'd be more than happy with the magic Weekend morphing into a 9s though. We'd still have a mid year day out, without the contrived super league fixtures involved.

Is that the message you got from the largely sold out World Cup which had exactly zero input from RU.

remind me again of the BIG money that RLWC 2013 attracted?

No it was the message I got from a SL competition that can't attract major sponsorship while I watch* the Heneiken cup and Aviva premiership

*I don't watch RU