I'm in Aus right now for the WC and it went pretty well in Perth yesterday, stadium was the right size so that just under 15k was a good crowd. Commentators here think it's all about TV: audiences for this have been strong, but it is at the expense of any midweek games. For us, for instance, this means we move on each time after just one match and wait until the following weekend for the next one.

However, despite the doom and gloom on here, there is one clear, logical reason why the NRL should embrace international RL with a renewed passion: they are in a bitter fight with AFL (Aussie Rules) for sporting dominance. the one thing AFL CANNOT offer is international matches. They used to try some 'hybrid' games against Gaelic football teams but even that was weird. International sport is always the biggest game in town and the NRL could win this fight for good if it encouraged it more.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -australia

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... -australia

Australia isn't "obsessed by NRL". That makes it sound like it's football in England, which it isn't. I was critical of the Aussies for not selling out the England match, because if they can't sell out WC matches against England and NZ in stadiums that are less than 30000 capacity, then there's something wrong. But I think bashing the Aussies for not falling in love with the tournament itself is just ridiculous. I can understand why overall they rate and like the NRL or SOO more than the World Cup. That doesn't mean they don't want to win the WC or that they won't be interested in the semi final and final. I'm sure those games will have good attendances and good TV viewing figures. Let's be honest, a lot about the WC is contrived. Wales, Scotland and Ireland teams that barely contain anyone who has an accent from any of those countries. They're joke teams and it's no surprise that there's very little interest in watching them or supporting them.

The Kiwis are generally a nation that punch well above their weight in most sports....they're currently handing the Aussies their butts on the Basketball court, they own the bloodyslow cup, they are the #2 ranked RL side, they just held the #10 ranked FIFA side to a goalless draw, they have the americas cup, are pretty good at rowing, rally driving, the world endurance car title including le mans......

as for the Warriors......every comp needs their own version of Warrington. Next year it'll be us......

They are nowhere near being as good as us at Basketball, don't confuse the NZ breakers, a club side for the "Tall Blacks" their national team

Arguing about NZ basketball on a thread called depressing quite apt

AND neither Australians or New Zealand are better at Cycling Athletics, Rowing Boxing, association football and several other sports. and apart from maybe cycling their not even close. but they are better than us at RL and they like to keep it that way.

Hmm...
2017 World Rowing champs......Kiwis were 2nd on the Medal table whilst the conglomerate that is GB sat 8th.
2017 World Track Cycling, Kiwis got 5 medals, as did the combined forces of Wales, England, Scotland and Norn Iron.
In 2017 there are 3 world Heavyweight Champions....a Brit, a Kiwi and a loud mouthed Yank and Boxing is as bent a sport as can be.
Association football was created by the English, along with Cricket and Rugby (which we now refer to as Union)...and in the case of association football, England are indeed the better side.....whilst in Cricket, we're about to have the Ashes which sits overall as 32 wins for both sides and the last ODI World cup saw the final contested between Australia and New Zealand....and IIRC England have an Aussie Coach now.......whilst in Union, well, let's just say that the All Blacks have the last 2 world cups sewn up and lead England 32-7 with 1 draw and the Aussies lead 25-22 with also, 1 Draw.....and England currently have an Australian Coach after their implosion in 2015.
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the united teams of Wales, Scotland, England and Norn Iron got 2 gold medals, whilst little old NZ got 1.....if only Mo Farrah had emigrated here instead eh


The Last Basketball World Cup saw both ANZAC countries progress to the last 16.......Britain nor England, Wales, Scotland or Norn Iron even qualified.....I Golf Justin Rose was born in South Africa, but he is currently ranked higher than Jason Day who was ranked #1 at the start of the year but now hits a ball like me.....whilst in Women's golf, Lydia Ko flies the flag for little old NZ......
.....Speaking of women's sports (WORLD CHAMPIONS) , Netball (Australia) Union (New Zealand), Cricket (England) Rugby League (Australia) Basketball (Australia 3rd)..........So miles ahead in Soccer but either level or behind in most other disciplines and given the population of GB&NI compared to the ANZACS, that's pretty dismal really.....

Britain does have a handy Scottish Tennis player though....I'll give you that!

hmmmm

Cycling....Australia were far & away first at this years track cycling world championships with NZ just behind GB with the same amount of medals

Rowing.....NZ second, Australia third, GB eighth

Athletics....GB Sixth Australia Eleventh

Boxing.....who knows, who cares, a sport that the third world engages in heartily to entertain the first world


Association football....hmmm last two games we're running at a game a piece, i know one thing, the atmosphere at Aussie soccer games s on the premier league

you blokes have nothing

Hmmm. GB work around the Olympic cycle becuase how well they do determines how much funding they get. Just look at the previous 2 Olympics and how many medals GB won in cycling compared to Aus and NZ. GB pretty much treat the worlds as a practise event for the Olympics.

Cool story that.....but it doesn't change the fact that NZ finished with as many medals as GB and Australia finished first THIS YEAR and the claim was that GB were better than the ANZACS which they aren't...at a great many sports.
POPULATIONS 65,000,000 + or 28,800,000......and lest we forget who invented many of the team sports that your so :adequate" at now
Cricket Tests (3rd and we're coming into our summer now), ODI (below Australia) 20/20 (below NZ), Union (below NZ), League (below both ANZACS) Basketball (below both ANZACS) Field Hockey (below Australia), Association Football (12th





)

GB bumper stickers on cars stand got GETTING BETTER......

GB has won the davis cup more recently than Australia
England currently hold the ashes
The winner of the tour de france is British
The formula 1 world champion is British
The UK has 8 current world boxing champions.
And I'm not even getting into the last Olympic medal table!
I think our little island does ok on a global sporting level.

[urlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world_sports_championships[/url
Search for
1. GB/Great Britain
2. Australia
3. New Zealand

Well, it still lists North Queensland as the WCC Winners, not Wigan, so it's an unreliable source.

Anyone that knows anything about Cycling knows this is fact and not a cool story. Team GB cycling is all about peaking for the Olympics, because that's the be all and end all for those athletes and also has been mentioned decides the amount of funding. To push the point further look at how many medals GB Cyclists won in the Olympics last year 12 (6 gold) to Aus 2 mefals, just a bronze and a silver.
The Olympic medal table from last year speaks volumes, GB finished 2nd to the US with 67 medals (27 Gold ) to Aus' 29 medals (8 gold).
I remember the Olympics before that when Yorkshire alone won more Medals than Aus.

Just to add to the post by Moe syslak. In the Cricket Ashes, England have won 5 out of the last 7 series. A British bloke has also won 5 out of the last 6 Tour de France. Also the Uk has had the most F1 winners of any country at 17, 5 more than the next.

Got to

at the huge list up there, some serious cherrry picking going on. Some of the sports it's about what's happened this year, like Cycling & Rowing, some are historical records like in RU ( no mention of last years whitewash England put on Aus in their own back yard) & Cricket. The boxing for some reason is just about HW's, not the other weight classes & all the other World Champions GB has got.

Anyway how did this sport dick measuring contest even get started.

GB Only recently after the 2000 olympics decided that cycling was going to be a target sport, so they threw millions at it & stole all Australias coaches, experts, it was a period where you do well because of olympics & funding, don't go getting excited soap dodger

you want to mention Tennis??? really??? consider Australia, historically is only second to the greatest Tennis nation to walk the face of the earth, GB can't hold a candle to Australias tennis history, you haver one surly sweaty jock who is British when he wins & Scottish when he loses

Again, Cricket, in the modern era Australia have been largely dominant & should tear you a new one this coming series

TDF.....well hes Kenyan/ South African but we get the picture, Bring on the new guard, Richie Porte

Formula one...pffft my cars faster than your car because i'm rich

boxing...thats just because you're a third world country, its admirable that you have young migrants that are eager to break free of poverty, & its nice that they want to entertain the rich

i remember about 10 commonwealth games, which lets face it, is generally a two horse race that Australia win by the length of the straight, this is a more accurate gauge

funny how sports that the Aussies are not good at and are vastly inferior to Gb at are just dismissed, as for your comments about immigrants, well Australia seem quite happy to fill there side with pacific island immigrants but a guess thats ok.

Commonwealth games is like the lowest competition for British sportsmen, track and field alone it clashes with the Europeans which most British athletes peak for instead, usain bolt has not even bothered competing at a commonwealth games because there such a low standard. The last time the Commonwealth games were in Melbourne most British athletes went to the world indoors instead as it was a better more prestigious competition. in athletics cycling rowing swimming and numerous other sports its fourth or 5th behind Olympics, worlds, Continental, (indoors)

It's only because the Aussies are decent swimmers.
You're not too hot on many of the other events ?

Must be trying to keep away from the Great Whites

some nonce made an earlier sweeping statement that the ANZACS were better at League and that was about it......I simply listed the other team sports that GB invented and where they stand on the global stage beside the ANZAC cousins.....which made uncomfortable reading for some who then wrapped themselves in the comfort blanket of track cycling and specifically the Olympics and not the worlds because the worlds don't count.......the reality is that 'STRALIA are the heavy hitters in terms of commonwealth sporting achievements, with England 2nd......New Zealand with a population 16 times smaller than GB are assuredly the overachievers in this "dick measuring contest" whilst the sports that Britain does well in usually involves an ANZAC coach....cricket, league, union, swimming, cycling....etc.etc....

Nice name calling there. Sure fire way to win an argument.

How else would you describe someone who makes an unfounded claim against to other countries sporting achievements? A Patriot perhaps?


I could have said "a misguided poster with slight jingoistic and racist undertones", but nonce was easier to type.....
...as for the 'DEBATE" about sporting excellence, RL is a team sport so I believe there is a relevance in comparing the abilities of each country in TEAM sports....like cricket, basketball, League, Union, Soccer et al....but cling to Mo Farrah and track cycling if you must, whilst the original misguided poster with slight jingoistic and racist undertones" would like to now forget his claim about rowing where they were obviously suffering a severe bout of "Redgraveitis" and living on past glories....and cling to the 12th seeding on soccer if you must..50 years of hurt and all that

According to our good friends at wiki, these are the list of major sports in NZ
1 Rugby union - Ranked above England
2 Basketball - Ranked above England and GB
3 Cricket - Ranked higher in 20/20 and ODI
4 Netball - Ranked Higher
5 Rugby league - Ranked Higher
6 Football - Ranked so far behind it's an embarrassment
7. Field Hockey - England are ranked 7 and NZ 8th

.....so in a list of the top 7 team sports in either country, it's 5-2 to NZ....a nation with 1/16th of the population of GB.

The Same List for the Criminals across the pond reads 5-2 not in favour of the "mother country"

The prosecution rests m'lord.