Wonder where it would fit in the calendar. May need SL to kick off a week later? Be good if they included a couple of French clubs and the png and future Fiji clubs. The man whose net worth is estimated at $3 billion revealed he is in negotiations to stage a nines tournament, featuring NRL and Super League clubs, in Dubai. However, his priority is to take a stake of an Australian franchise, preferably as a sole owner. Koukash said he is using his business connections to expand rugby league internationally. "I've started talking to people about the possibility of having a nines competition here in Dubai," he said. "This is a sporting country. When they had the sevens here over three days there were 180,000 people. "We're talking something similar to the Auckland nines here. You could keep that one in Auckland and one here with Super League and NRL clubs. That's more international. I see the nines as a way of globalising the sport. "We used to have five-day Test cricket and then we had the 50-over game and the shorter form to help popularise the sport overall. I see this similarly, The nines can help globalise the sport." www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...719-zuti0.html

Wonder where it would fit in the calendar. May need SL to kick off a week later? Be good if they included a couple of French clubs and the png and future Fiji clubs. The man whose net worth is estimated at $3 billion revealed he is in negotiations to stage a nines tournament, featuring NRL and Super League clubs, in Dubai. However, his priority is to take a stake of an Australian franchise, preferably as a sole owner. Koukash said he is using his business connections to expand rugby league internationally. "I've started talking to people about the possibility of having a nines competition here in Dubai," he said. "This is a sporting country. When they had the sevens here over three days there were 180,000 people. "We're talking something similar to the Auckland nines here. You could keep that one in Auckland and one here with Super League and NRL clubs. That's more international. I see the nines as a way of globalising the sport. "We used to have five-day Test cricket and then we had the 50-over game and the shorter form to help popularise the sport overall. I see this similarly, The nines can help globalise the sport." www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...719-zuti0.html

Good idea. The Koukash chap has enterprise and initiative that is totally absent from the leadership of the RFL. However I fear that Nigel Wood could oppose the idea because he didn't think of it, and thus it reflects on his own incompetence.

I would love to see that happen, if not in Dubai then maybe Cape Town, South Africa.

This is the Koucash who reckons he is more Australian than Australians. He's planned on moving to Oz for a long time.

No he doesn't say what he thinks people want to hear at all now does he pmsl. You are all being played. All swooning at his feet. Don't say I didn't warn you.

$3billion? Where the hell do these estimates of Koukash's wealth come from? They seem to triple every week. The start-point for the Sunday Times rich list is £70million (Aus$125million)and he isn't on that.

Not saying he's potless, but like pretty much everything about the man it's laughably inflated by credulous hacks.

A world club 9's in Dubai would be great. It's the place to attract some money to the sport.

I'd rather money be invested in the 13man game personally

It's fine if you don't care how clean that money is, and you don't mind playing RL in 40 degree heat in slave-built stadiums.

Union 7's seem to manage. And I'm not sure RL can be too picky as to where it's money comes from.

also it has been 50-56 for the past 2 weeks.

Obviously Koukash thinks that there can be a return on money invested in the project.

But a World 9s that was the 16 NRL clubs, plus the 12 SL clubs that will be playing in 2015 would be inadequate.

You would have to have at least one more French club (Toulouse obviously) plus a PNG club (the Hunters obviously). Those two additions would bring it up to 30 clubs. You would still need two more to make it a manageable 32 clubs.

So I would propose to add the Fijian club that will join the NSW Cup in 2016 (a parallel to the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup), plus a third French club (from the French Elite competition). That would make 15 Australian clubs, 11 English clubs, 3 French clubs, one New Zealand club, one PNG club, and one Fijian club. Definitely international, though skewed towards two nations.

The number 32 is important so you can have it divided into 8 pools of 4, with the top 2 in each pool going into the round of 16, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals and a final.

I don't know if such a competition could be squeezed into 2 days. If not then have it over three days.

As for the weather, I understand that February in Dubai is not so hot. But I will stand to be corrected on that matter.

Its fine for short periods, i guess it depends what time of year the event takes place.

Its very unusual that the temp goes above 35 degrees between October to March and thats perfect weather.

Also Dubai has a huge expat population and all rugby league gets shown live here so there is a demand for it.

you are correct some afternoons it does get a bit chilly that time of year.

One possible benefit of having rugby league showcased in Dubai is that it might be possible to find a rich individual or consortium, ready to take over London Broncos, and make it a viable contender for, and then presence in, Super League.

If that was to happen successfully then in later years perhaps others might fund a second London team and a third French team, with an eye to Super League expansion or diversification.

But for any of that to happen I would think that Ian Lenagan or Marwan Koukash might be the interlocutors with new Middle Eastern or European financiers/investors, since Nigel Wood and his cohorts seem incapable of promoting such developments.

You'd imagine the best time for it would be pre-season, so either January or February.
I'm not knocking the Auckland 9's by any means, I just think 9's gives RL an opportunity to take the sport somewhere outside its comfort zone without too much risk and hopefully appeal to both a different type of person and a different type of business than is usually exposed to RL.

I sincerely hope you mean Fahrenheit.
Though even 56 Fahrenheit is a tad sweaty for my liking. I am from Yorkshire though.

The sunday times rich list is about as scientific as Viz. Its a gossip column for the middle class.

rather have a usa team than a 3rd french one

i wish! In my Job i am always in the car so even popping out for 20 minutes means coming back to a car and not being able to touch the steering wheel for at least 5 minutes.

So a tip for you if you ever fancy a trip to Dubai avoid Ramadan and june - september, Funny enough plane tickets are half price during those months as well.

Why would the NRL Clubs be interested in ANOTHER nines competition?
They are already locked into the successful one in New Zealand for the immediate future.
Koukash is a year or so too late with this idea.

$$$$$'s

The opportunity to attract global companies and investment to the sport and their club.

The NRL already has national or global companies sponsoring teams in many cases.
They can not pull out of the Auckland nines.
Why would they want to devalue the Nines that they have already committed too by attending another nines in a country no Aussies or Kiwi locals would bother travelling too, Its hardly a tourist destination.

Why don't the English and French clubs hold a Nines series in Dubai and see how it goes first?

oh well they don't even need to bother trying to get more then. Why bother with the Auckland nines then?
Let's just have a nines comp in Leeds and one in Sydney. That'll spread the word.


Why would they need to pull out of the Auckland nines? Why can't the sport work together for its own good and find a way to have both if it's viable?


Because the English and French clubs don't have the money or clout to hold one there on their own. Plus what would be the point of English and French clubs travelling thousands of miles to only play each other. It needs the NRL to be involved to get the interest going.

Same reason Man Utd and Liverpool play A-League clubs. $$$$$$$$$

edit: Posted without realising there was a third page



Whatever happened to the idea of playing a Euro Nines Tournament instead of the Millennium Magic round? Really seemed like a good idea to me.