Post subject: All Blacks vs USA sellout in Chicago, NBC live telecast, SBW
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:09 pm
JEAN CAPDOUZE
Player Coach
Joined: Oct 09 2005 Posts: 6809 Location: Carcassonne, France
Rugby Union has scored a great coup over rugby league in the USA. At 3pm Chicago time the All Blacks vs USA kicked off in front of a 61,000 sellout crowd at the iconic Soldier's Field, watched by a national television audience on the free to air NBC network. Among the star players in the All Blacks team is Sonny Bill Williams.
This is why players like SBW and Samuel Burgess have crossed over to rugby union. They want to play big internationals in front of huge crowds.
Rugby league still does not have a permanent international office. Nigel Wood of Halifax acknowledges the weakness of rugby league's international program. But what is he doing about it? Keeping France weak by keeping Toulouse out of Super League is his idea of solving the problem!
Rugby league needs to have a non-parochial full time professional staff promoting the international game.
Rugby league needs to acknowledge the USARL, not the failed AMNRL, as the legitimate organization of rugby league in the USA.
Rugby league needs to have the RLIF hold the NRL and RFL accountable for progress in promoting the game in France, USA, Europe, the Middle East, and the South Pacific.
Toulouse for Championship in 2017, Super League in 2021!
Avignon for Championship in 2021, Super League in 2022!
Post subject: Re: All Blacks vs USA sellout in Chicago, NBC live telecast,
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:41 pm
JEAN CAPDOUZE
Player Coach
Joined: Oct 09 2005 Posts: 6809 Location: Carcassonne, France
Wigg'n wrote:SBW getting a good talk up, the commentator even mentioned RL briefly!
Indeed! His second try was called "Walter Peytonesque" by the American commentator. Highest possible praise by an American. SBW is getting celebrity treatment. I worry that the NFL will recruit him and he won't come back to rugby league.
43-6 after 35 minutes.
Toulouse for Championship in 2017, Super League in 2021!
Avignon for Championship in 2021, Super League in 2022!
Post subject: Re: All Blacks vs USA sellout in Chicago, NBC live telecast,
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 9:04 pm
Madderzahatter
International Board Member
Joined: Feb 14 2003 Posts: 1091 Location: In spitting distance of Twickenham - lucky me!
The Yanks would love League if only we could get in front of them. Would love to get RL as a curtain raiser to the Super Bowl or something like that. Russell Crowe needs to broker some kind of deal to do an exhibition game. It's infuriating that those going there probably don't even know it's Union they're watching and that two codes actually exist...
Post subject: Re: All Blacks vs USA sellout in Chicago, NBC live telecast,
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 9:34 pm
JEAN CAPDOUZE
Player Coach
Joined: Oct 09 2005 Posts: 6809 Location: Carcassonne, France
Madderzahatter wrote:The Yanks would love League if only we could get in front of them. Would love to get RL as a curtain raiser to the Super Bowl or something like that. Russell Crowe needs to broker some kind of deal to do an exhibition game. It's infuriating that those going there probably don't even know it's Union they're watching and that two codes actually exist...
Agreed. Crowe carries a lot of influence in the USA. However he needs something to work with. We need to recognize Spinner Howland's USARL as the sole organization, and get all rugby league clubs to fall in line behind it.
Second I think in the future we ought to hold a couple of rounds of the NRL and Super League played in the US, with the NRL and SL clubs based in major US cities. Promote the clubs as the club of that US city, and most important, have the subsequent regular NRL and SL games back in Australia and Europe shown on a free to air US TV channel (as of now it is only shown on FoxSoccerPlus, which is a subscription channel).
Toulouse for Championship in 2017, Super League in 2021!
Avignon for Championship in 2021, Super League in 2022!
Post subject: Re: All Blacks vs USA sellout in Chicago, NBC live telecast,
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 10:16 pm
headhunter
Club Owner
Joined: Aug 17 2003 Posts: 17226 Location: South Wales
The Avenger wrote:Lots of Americans seeing how crap RU is, good thing!
It's not, most Americans struggle to understand that RL and RU are different sports, they refer to both as just 'rugby' and their perception of the sport usually depends on which code they were exposed to first. Americans getting a good look at RU and seeing how bad it is is definitely not good for RL. On the other hand, RL could probably piggyback pretty effectively off any publicity or interest, although there is no RL presence in Chicago anyway so this whole thread is pretty irrelevant just like most of the threads created by this OP.
King Street Cat wrote:Some might look at this as being harsh but I think it's fair. When are the Rugby League going to stop persisting with this fantasy expansion. If it hasn't worked by now, it never will! I'm all for reaching out to a wider audience with our game but not at the expense of historical clubs in the homelands.
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