NRL NRL Expansion

[wizard of Tauranga]

I say this as a lover of both codes.

Rugby Union now feels like it being run by a bunch of old dudes that are too “sophisticated” for their own (our) good. With a whole bunch of elitism

Participation has been falling for years. At my rugby club 12 years ago there were 5 full teams. (As, Bs, Cs, 21s, u85s). Now, there’s 2, hopefully 3 next year. On top of that, a significant portion of the club is over 25. When participation typically drops off at the senior amateur level. (Careers, families, recurring injuries etc).
Plus, the local “competitions” aren’t competitions. They’re training grounds………. Where the governing unions literally convince local players from certain clubs to go to certain other clubs.

League on the other hand, looks like it’s cranking. Every kid talks about “the Wahs”. It kinda brought a smile to my face sitting in the changing room and all these 18-22 year olds were talking about the NRL and the Warriors. No one cares about Super Rugby.

Loads of “Penrith fans” lol. They probably didn’t know Penrith existed 5 years ago.

If the South Island gets a team. That could be the hammer blow. Rugby union won’t suddenly collapse. But with financial pressure and competition by European and Japanese clubs. A second NZ NRL team will dilute the ABs (the only thing keeping Union relevant) even further.

You all know deep down how fickle NZ sports fans are. What happens when a diluted ABs can no longer compete with the world the way they once did? Rugby Union will be ripe for the taking.

A bunch of old wankers blackmailing kids in schools is a different matter. One that’ll sort itself out I think.

Seriously, if I was the NZRU. I’d try hire Peter V’landys. He just seems to get shit done.

Fundamentally league creates individual stars which flows into marketing and hype when players move clubs, which all drives engagement and interest.

Rugby is about no one being biggest than the game/ team and loyalty to the team. Individualism is suppressed.

NRL has 16 team brands and perhaps 100 star player brands. Union has 5 super rugby brands and about 3-4 real star player brands. This highlights where NRL has so much more engagement and drives interest in the opposition team which union doesn’t have. This is where kids want to be like the star individuals which league offers plenty of.

I was drawn big time into league about 2008 with radio sport and Steve Price on the radio every week discussing the game. The accessibility of league players is light years ahead of union.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

Fundamentally league creates individual stars which flows into marketing and hype when players move clubs, which all drives engagement and interest.

Rugby is about no one being biggest than the game/ team and loyalty to the team. Individualism is suppressed.

NRL has 16 team brands and perhaps 100 star player brands. Union has 5 super rugby brands and about 3-4 real star player brands. This highlights where NRL has so much more engagement and drives interest in the opposition team which union doesn’t have. This is where kids want to be like the star individuals which league offers plenty of.

I was drawn big time into league about 2008 with radio sport and Steve Price on the radio every week discussing the game. The accessibility of league players is light years ahead of union.

Agree with a lot of this.

A major reason NZ rugby (ABs) is so successful atm is because it’s set up as a pyramid.
From Schools-Rugby Clubs-Provincial Unions-Super Rugby-All Blacks.

Union is being disrupted on all of those levels. Like a drip slowly washing away a rock.
School kids influenced (through social media mostly) flows on to Club rugby which has seen participation nosedive. Every club had an under 21s 10 years ago, not anymore. Hell there isn’t even a Cs (reserves) grade anymore, at all.
People often dismiss the Club sceen as kinda irrelevant in the development of professional rugby’s talent. Bullshit. They use it as training/recovery ground for injured Super rugby and All Blacks especially the wider squad.
I’ve played against active All Blacks and Super Rugby players many times…..
A degrading of that (through participation) will have a flow on effect for super rugby but especially…… for the Provincial Unions.

The Provincial Unions are a quickly becoming completely irrelevant, just look at the crowds. But they use the local clubs as tolls more than members of the union. Some Provincial unions will convince players from certain clubs to leave and go to certain other clubs or you won’t have the chance to play for your province. The Super Rugby franchises mostly only send their players to a select few clubs, only if a certain player has a connection to whatever club is this “kinda” (and I do mean kinda) ignored.

As soon as a governing body/union starts doing that. The “competition” is no longer a competition.
Just imagine if it was found that the NRL was actively convincing players to leave the Warriors to go the Melbourne or Penrith? There’d be corruption lawsuits galore.
Btw, I’m not arguing the rights and wrongs of it. I’m saying that’s what happens.

We all know what’s going on with Super Rugby. It’s a joke.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Fundamentally league creates individual stars which flows into marketing and hype when players move clubs, which all drives engagement and interest.

Rugby is about no one being biggest than the game/ team and loyalty to the team. Individualism is suppressed.

NRL has 16 team brands and perhaps 100 star player brands. Union has 5 super rugby brands and about 3-4 real star player brands. This highlights where NRL has so much more engagement and drives interest in the opposition team which union doesn’t have. This is where kids want to be like the star individuals which league offers plenty of.

I was drawn big time into league about 2008 with radio sport and Steve Price on the radio every week discussing the game. The accessibility of league players is light years ahead of union.

The study of NRL Commissioner Pete Rozelle is pretty amazing. He fought the traditionalists who wanted to keep the sport "pure". His mentality was without fans there's no pro sport. He more than double the # of team and increased avg attendance 50%. Made it Americas games.

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

Anyone able to post this?

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