[url=http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12062_6028218,00.htmlEngland regressing and depressing in equal measure, says Stuart Barnes[/url

[iEngland are regressing; there is no progress in sight. The overall team performances are more lacklustre and the individuals are looking out of love with the game.
Last season Delon Armitage was touted as a success story for the England management who had the courage to pick him after several other options were injured. Now the swagger has disappeared. No sooner does he catch the ball than he is looking to kick it away. He is barely a shadow of what he was.

...France. By far the best balanced team in the tournament to date, they must overcome their own nerves more than a lackadaisical England to win the Grand Slam and set themselves up for a serious crack at the World Cup. A defining performance would give Europe its only hope of lifting the World Cup in New Zealand 2011.[/i


Despite being a 'truly global game' it's still down to two or three teams at best when it comes to the World Cup.

John Inverdale covering the Cheltenham Festival. Took him all of eight minutes to turn the conversation to rugby union.

Did a horse do a big [is[/ihit nearby and remind him of Yawnion?

There are probably only three or four teams with a realistic chance of winning the football World Cup in South Africa. I don't think anyone would argue that football isn't a truly global game.

When I said 'global game' with regard to rugby union I meant it. No sarcasm there.
As far as the football world cup goes I'd say there are more like six teams with a realistic chance. I haven't included England or France who I'm sure many others would have.

Chris Ashton to start on wing at weekend. Jonny dropped.

I've got some paint to watch drying I'm afraid.

"Truly global game" my .

Union WC
Winners 4
Runners-up 5

Rugby League WC
Winners 3
Runners-up 4

Apparently, rugby league is a minority sport and union is global.

Bull shy te.

Exposure and misinformation...

The point I was trying to make.


Sorry but outside of Australia rugby union is global and rugby league is a minority sport. I don't like it but it's the truth.

Yawnion is popular in NZ, SA, UK & France. Far more popular than league, but nowhere near global.

Global in terms of established leagues and international competition. For example the Spanish league doesn't trouble the headline makers here but:
- it's competitive
- the winners take part in European competition
- the national team take part in world cup qualifiers and regular friendlies
- the domestic competition and international side are shown on free to air television
- the results are in almost every major newspaper of a Sunday morning
- there are teams from all over the country, not just certain areas

I'm not defending the sport just stating facts.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8574950.stm Whatever would Dick Best say?

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8574950.stm Whatever would Dick Best say?

Global my ar se...

Just because [ithey[/i say it is, don't make it so.

The World Cup figures I posted speak for themselves.

Misinformation and exposure.

The in only in cos they is black?

Noticed your wiki link mentions the NRL and AFL are regular season games only, yet the S14 has them all.

Do you think the plays offs for the NRL would add to the overall average seeing as one game had 75,000 to a semi, another had 50,000 in Brisbane, 28,000 in Victoria, an 18,000 lockout in Sydney, followed by anther 25,000 in Sydney?

Then there is the Grand final which had 82,000.

Also, the S14 home teams have 6 or 7 games only in the warmer months so if you want to watch a match, you can't afford to stuff about and say, I'll go in a week or so's time, you either have to turn up, or miss out.

The NRL plays over double the games the S14 plays and they play right through winter.

We'll see how big the s14 is next year when people can pick and choose which games they will attend when the season goes for a proper length instead of this kick n giggle 7 weeks BS.

They'll be going head to head with RL and AFL, something they don't don't do much of now.


Then we can look at the TV ratings where the NRL gets more people watching it a week than the s14 gets when you combine all 3 countries, there's the truth mr RAH RAH, a liitle old comp like RL out rating the S14 shown in 3 countries, that's bloody embarrassing for Union



And since when is it right to use wiki?

Anyone can go in there and change the figures.

One thing I have noticed is it's bloody hard to find crowd figures for the S14, for some reason the poor dears don't like to publish them, so I'd take your figures with a big pinch of salt.

NRL in Australia alone without rep footy and other grades = 3 million+ a year through the gates, Union in Australia with everything combined = 500,000 at most.

Who's the bigger code out here again?

Friday night footy out rating the Union internationals, who's the b1tch huh?

What that the World Cup records are nearly identical?

Analysis of those figures shoots down union's global claims immediately...

That is why you would never have seen it in the mainstream press.

Hey codarmysaint, here's something that'll you'll find funny about the TV ratings in Australia for all the football codes, we'll you mightn't find it funny at all actually, but I do www.leagueunlimited.com/article.php?newsid=18985 Quote Off the Wall Written by: Jeff Wall Mar 18, 2010 10:01am The aggregate national television viewing numbers for major sports for 2009 were released yesterday and contained some very good news for the NRL and rugby league generally. But the simple fact is they could be even better - and that needs to be the focus on the independent commission when it finally takes control of the game. The AFL led the viewing numbers with 14.4 million, closely followed by rugby league with 14.1 million....then the A league with 1.4 million, and Super 14 with just under 900,000. These figures only include premiership fixtures and not finals and grand finals. The fact the NRL premiership is able to get within about 3 per cent of the AFL is truly extraordinary. If Channel Nine showed premiership matches live, or at a civilised hour, in Melbourne, and even Perth, where interest in rugby league remains strong then NRL viewing numbers would top those of the AFL - and possibly do so by hundreds of thousands. When it comes to the national viewing audience numbers race, the NRL gives the AFL about a 30 metre start in a 100 metre contest! The AFL has free to air television coverage in all mainland states - two or three games live or close to live each weekend. The NRL only has it in two states. NRL matches snapped up by Nine - and they have first and second pick each weekend - are shown in Melbourne and Perth after midnight. Even though there is a debate about the advertising benefits of a five state coverage, the simple fact is that the NRL should be earning about what the AFL earns for its television rights. And when you throw in State of Origin, which the AFL does not have, then the total package for rugby league ought to be worth more than what the AFL gets. Yet the current difference is around $200 million - $250 million over the five year agreement...in favour of the AFL! So when you read about the boss of Nine apparently being unhappy with David Gallop doing a promo for Matthew Johns and his new programme on the Seven network then offer him no sympathy! Thanks to Kerry Packer forcing Seven and Ten to bid at the very top of the range - if not above it - for the AFL rights, the NRL was always going to get an inferior deal. Kerry may have been a rugby league man - but he did the game no favours in his final contract! Because Ten and Seven paid top dollar for it. Today a number of clubs - Sharks, Warriors, and Panthers among them - are complaining they are getting little or no live free to air exposure in the first seven rounds. How about the Melbourne Storm - the reigning premiers will probably still have no live free coverage down south after TWENTY SIX rounds! But back to yesterday's numbers. The Broncos and the Eels draw more viewers than AFL icons such as Collingwood. And five of the top eight drawing teams in both codes are NRL teams. And the Storm are in eighth place - even with limited free to air coverage. This is all good news for the NRL as it moves towards establishing an independent commission - albeit at snails pace. But these figures do offer up one sobering reality. An essential element in getting a new television rights deal that gives the NRL something like $200 million to $300 million more will be live coverage in Melbourne. And in that regard I can report zero progress - tomorrow night's Friday Night Football will be shown on Nine in Melbourne at 12.05 AM Saturday! But it was not all good news for rugby league yesterday. The AFL, run by an independent commission and owned by the clubs, released its financial report for 2009. The report showed it was able to put aside something like $30 million after making distributions to its clubs etc. One assumes that $30 million will be added to the already substantial pool set aside to try and lift the AFL's profile - from the juniors up - in Western Sydney and South East Queensland! We need an independent commission, and the game owning the game, now!'" Hey codarmysaints, 1 Friday night NRL games beats the whole S14 competition out here over the season, depressing for Union huh

Hey codarmysaint, here's something that'll you'll find funny about the TV ratings in Australia for all the football codes, we'll you mightn't find it funny at all actually, but I do www.leagueunlimited.com/article.php?newsid=18985 Quote Off the Wall Written by: Jeff Wall Mar 18, 2010 10:01am The aggregate national television viewing numbers for major sports for 2009 were released yesterday and contained some very good news for the NRL and rugby league generally. But the simple fact is they could be even better - and that needs to be the focus on the independent commission when it finally takes control of the game. The AFL led the viewing numbers with 14.4 million, closely followed by rugby league with 14.1 million....then the A league with 1.4 million, and Super 14 with just under 900,000. These figures only include premiership fixtures and not finals and grand finals. The fact the NRL premiership is able to get within about 3 per cent of the AFL is truly extraordinary. If Channel Nine showed premiership matches live, or at a civilised hour, in Melbourne, and even Perth, where interest in rugby league remains strong then NRL viewing numbers would top those of the AFL - and possibly do so by hundreds of thousands. When it comes to the national viewing audience numbers race, the NRL gives the AFL about a 30 metre start in a 100 metre contest! The AFL has free to air television coverage in all mainland states - two or three games live or close to live each weekend. The NRL only has it in two states. NRL matches snapped up by Nine - and they have first and second pick each weekend - are shown in Melbourne and Perth after midnight. Even though there is a debate about the advertising benefits of a five state coverage, the simple fact is that the NRL should be earning about what the AFL earns for its television rights. And when you throw in State of Origin, which the AFL does not have, then the total package for rugby league ought to be worth more than what the AFL gets. Yet the current difference is around $200 million - $250 million over the five year agreement...in favour of the AFL! So when you read about the boss of Nine apparently being unhappy with David Gallop doing a promo for Matthew Johns and his new programme on the Seven network then offer him no sympathy! Thanks to Kerry Packer forcing Seven and Ten to bid at the very top of the range - if not above it - for the AFL rights, the NRL was always going to get an inferior deal. Kerry may have been a rugby league man - but he did the game no favours in his final contract! Because Ten and Seven paid top dollar for it. Today a number of clubs - Sharks, Warriors, and Panthers among them - are complaining they are getting little or no live free to air exposure in the first seven rounds. How about the Melbourne Storm - the reigning premiers will probably still have no live free coverage down south after TWENTY SIX rounds! But back to yesterday's numbers. The Broncos and the Eels draw more viewers than AFL icons such as Collingwood. And five of the top eight drawing teams in both codes are NRL teams. And the Storm are in eighth place - even with limited free to air coverage. This is all good news for the NRL as it moves towards establishing an independent commission - albeit at snails pace. But these figures do offer up one sobering reality. An essential element in getting a new television rights deal that gives the NRL something like $200 million to $300 million more will be live coverage in Melbourne. And in that regard I can report zero progress - tomorrow night's Friday Night Football will be shown on Nine in Melbourne at 12.05 AM Saturday! But it was not all good news for rugby league yesterday. The AFL, run by an independent commission and owned by the clubs, released its financial report for 2009. The report showed it was able to put aside something like $30 million after making distributions to its clubs etc. One assumes that $30 million will be added to the already substantial pool set aside to try and lift the AFL's profile - from the juniors up - in Western Sydney and South East Queensland! We need an independent commission, and the game owning the game, now!'" Hey codarmysaints, 1 Friday night NRL games beats the whole S14 competition out here over the season, depressing for Union huh

Brian Moore is really outdoing himself in his bias towards England today. From listening to his fart-in-a-bath voice, you'd imagine that the ref was a frenchman.

He's been raging since the start of the game, good job he never has to watch Super League refs, his head would have exploded by now!.

England - 6 tries in 5 matches.

That's crap. Really crap.

They're lucky. Lucky in the respect that they can put on any old guff and Twickers will be a sell out. Voluntary robbery. They should call Watchdog and report them as rogue traders.

Since when has rugby union been about scoring tries?

What an ass i am. I knew something wasn't right when i posted it.

Thanks

Come on Catalancs, put your money where your mouth is...

How can union declare itself a global game based on those comparative WC results?

Can someone explain to me what goes on inside the head of the modern day RU player......I am thing Wilkinson here.
5 minutes to go losing 12-10.....so a drop goal or kick-able penalty would probably win it....The French are happy to run down the clock in our half.....and our forwards are putting their lives on the line to win back the ball only for Wilkinson to kick it back to the French?????
I'm sorry but tired as the players will have been....our best chance was to try to keep the ball, recycle it and work it up field for a drop goal....and he kicks it away hoping for something to happen by accident.
What has this game become and what is the point of kicking the ball away with minutes to go?
No doubt someone will be able to explain....
Sack Johnson I say....and get an attack-minded coach.

Football, seven winners seven runners up.
How can it claim to be a global sport with those results?