Add the word "again" to the thread title and you are getting some way to understanding the history of the game in NZ...

How convenient it is that South African and New Zealander teams don’t count in your Pro-League argument. But then you go to the weakest of super 14 nations in Australia and say that there down.

How convenient - very convenient indeed.

Where’s the evidence to suggest that rugby league is doing better than rugby union or is it just the word of a misinformed RLFANS poster that we’re suppose to rely on as FACT?

Rugby union is the fourth of the football codes in Australia. That is an acknowledged fact in this country.

Rugby league towers above it.

Enough evidence, Sherlock?

This would count if Australia was the only country in the world. Other than Australia, Union owns League in every other corner of the globe unless you want to start getting obscure by pointing me towards PNG and other places where league beats Union. The other big rugby playing nations of the world in England, France, South Africa and New Zealand - Union is more popular than league.

I don't have the time or desire to re-argue most of the rubbish in your OP (almost all of which I have dealt with in other threads previously).

This comment "Rugby Union’s Super 14 attracts more fans than rugby leagues NRL down under..." is flat out wrong as but one example early in your "piece".

Your argument in the OP is incoherent and rambling.

I think you’ll find that your wrong and this ‘time and desire’ that you claim to not have is just a smoke screen to stop you from fooling yourself any further.

At the end of the day the Super 14 is based in three nations and its only Australia where it performs badly. Your failure to acknowledge the bigger picture is there for everyone to see.

spot on.

australia is the biggest market of the 3. its like saying RL does really well in the north of england but only fails in london

think about this for a second :

the next nrl contract will go close to DOUBLE the S15 (incuding all test matches)

each week close to 5 million cumulative viewers watch the nrl. the same figure for S14 in australia is around 500,000.

the S15 is a failed competition.

RU is built on minor positions in every single nations its played bar nz.

its a tiny sport worldwide.

at least in australia where its big, it has a fair population to work with.

and its still growing

so you dont know any kiwis players whove jumped ship for origin




and an nrl team in south africa over PNG, wellington, ipswich, central queensland, perth, adelaide?

damo you are from leeds

you still keep calling them the tykes when theyve changed their name to carnegie

this shows how much you know about union in your own city, let alone anywhere else.

it will all come down to market forces.

the sport with the most money will get the most players to it

where the elite players go so will many of the fans

if our next TV contract is around 800 million or above, the S15 will be facing a drain of players into RL from then on

NRL clubs will be cashed up and hungry for talent.

An excellent post CM and if the NRL salary cap did rise significantly it would be good for the game of RL.
The only problem with this though is that the best talent would leave the British game and it would effect the quality of the Superleague.
But in saying that if it means the top talent of RL going to Australia instead of union them I am all for it.

Anyone who thinks that RL could usurp Union in New Zealand needs serious help



Australia...League beats Union
PNG....League Beats Union

New Zealand, South Africa, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, USA, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Uraguay, Romania, Japan, Tonga, Georgia, Fiji, Samoa, Namibia, Russia, Cameroon,Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Madagascar, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Uganda, Tunisia,Nigeria, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Bahamas
Barbados, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands,Mexico, Guyana, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, Jamaica, Peru, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore, India, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka
Arabian Gulf, Korea, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Korea, Slovenia, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Israel, Slovenia, Sweden, Latvia, Croatia, Serbia, Armenia, Switzerland, Andorra, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Belgium, Czech Republic, Moldova, Germany, Niue Island, Vanuatu, Cook Islands........all have teams that played in Qualifiers for the 2011 RUWC.

Fu()king Australians need to get a grip.......Union is by far the bigger code Globally. Regardless of how good a Union game between Burmuda and Niue Island is, or how many rolled up to watch it, the fact remains that the games were played.....even the fact that there are only maybe 5 teams in the RUWC who have a cats chance in hell of winning, it is still a far more global game than League.

I repeat, a second team in NZ is the next step, but League will never become bigger than Union in NZ.....and anyone who thinks otherwise, I suggest you post some pretty good reasons....not immaginary TV deals and poaching players from the S15 Franchises....real proof...not History lessons from Old Dear....or url's from Dully Messenger......but realistic figures.

I won't hold my breath for a constructive debate

[url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10687887Problems at Wellington Phoenix football club.[/url

Terry Serepisos is in trouble because his "empire" was essentially built on buy to let property.....the global recession has soon his worth crumble, he is always in the press here with more people chasing unpaid bills and the phoenix are skint.
Numbers down from 33k for a play-off game in March to sub 5,000 last week.
It seems to me that a lot of sporting teams in NZ use the same marketing tactics as my beloved Quins RL.......THEY DO NOTHING!


The Hurricanes have dropped from a 24k average in 2006 to a 14k average in 2010........the Lions from 12,000 last year to 7,500 this.....
If a Wellington based NRL Franchise is launched, then the marketing department will need to stay on top of their job...Wellingtonians are a fickle lot.

Simple facts are that with regard to FANS
1,964,708 watched Super Rugby in 2010 over 94 games...just short of 21,000 per game.
3,491,890 watched NRL in 2010 over 201 games, just short of 17,500 per game.
511,000 watched Super Rugby in Australia in 2010 over 26 home games......just short of 19,700 a game.


So......there you have it......for all the posturing regarding which is the bigger code, Union...the sick puppy of Australian sports get's more "mean" fans through the gates than the NRL.



....was it because it was raining that NRL fans stayed away



I fully expect the Rah Rah police to jump on me now, but I don't care.....



...it was worth the research. Factual attendance figures, published for the scrutiny of the tax man and not TV figures, collated from the habits of 4,000 people clearly show which code has more fans

in Australia.

Someone call Dull Messanger an Ambulance...he's turning blue

derp alert

New Zealand rugby league is flying.

Great to see. Shame for those who follow other codes though. But then there are none of those here are there?

lol

<spam alert>

so rugby union is bigger than rugby league in australia because 4 provincial 'super' 14 teams who play 7 games in their home state average 4k more per home game than 15 NRL teams who play 12-13 games at home every year? not to mention the many millions more who watch rugby league on tv every weekend, when the average super 14 game doesnt attract that much more viewers than the toyota cup, or the fact that the lowest rating nrl game on pay tv is still way ahead of the highest rating super 14 game!

what is super 14?

never heard of it.

To be fair though gutterfax you're comparing teams representing neighbourhoods with sides representing, in some cases, full states or territories.

In all cases...

He is sure he is on a winner. Let him go...





15 sides versus 4.

More, more...

Sshh...don't upset him now. We know what happens next.