[ayrton-senna3]

The Rugby League World Cup is now running and I just want to know why is this competition not constant like the Rugby World Cup, Olympics or FIFA World Cup (I mean why not every four years)? The last Rugby League World Cup was in 2000 and the next will be in 2013.

[piazza]

My guess is because no one likes Rugby League, due to the fact Rugby Union is 1000 times better.

[RayCee]

Originally Posted by ayrton-senna3

The Rugby League World Cup is now running and I just want to know why is this competition not constant like the Rugby World Cup, Olympics or FIFA World Cup (I mean why not every four years)? The last Rugby League World Cup was in 2000 and the next will be in 2013.

Good question ayrton. I am a fan of the EPL but also of Rugby League. We get plenty of UK Football on NZ television as well as my fav game Rugby League. The reason why RL world cups are sporadic is due to the lack of a strong international federation. FIFA is a strong federation and looks after Football. It has really hurt the game's spreading as national self interest has taken priority over the game's international aspirations. A bog I wrote addessed this: http://raycee123.blogspot.com/2008/0...by-league.html
League is a fabulous spectator sport with constant action, unlike Rugby Yawnion.
Feel free to look around the blog as it even has a 4 part series about the history of the game from it's inception in the north of England.
The world cup itself has been excellent so far IMO.

[ayrton-senna3]

Originally Posted by RayCee

Good question ayrton. I am a fan of the EPL but also of Rugby League. We get plenty of UK Football on NZ television as well as my fav game Rugby League. The reason why RL world cups are sporadic is due to the lack of a strong international federation. FIFA is a strong federation and looks after Football. It has really hurt the game's spreading as national self interest has taken priority over the game's international aspirations. A bog I wrote addessed this: http://raycee123.blogspot.com/2008/0...by-league.html
League is a fabulous spectator sport with constant action, unlike Rugby Yawnion.
Feel free to look around the blog as it even has a 4 part series about the history of the game from it's inception in the north of England.
The world cup itself has been excellent so far IMO.

Thank you! The blame has the Rugby League International Federation. They've failed to spread the sport over the world.

[reddwarf]

Originally Posted by RayCee

League is a fabulous spectator sport with constant action, unlike Rugby Yawnion.

That may be, but in British schools the vast majority teach rugby union and very few teach rugby league. This means that youngsters interested in rugby are much more likely to get involved in union, be it as a player or a spectator.

Personally, I was a hooker and a prop at school but never developed an interest in watching my local rugby team. Although I have been to 1 rugby union match - Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers - and did enjoy it. On TV I only watch England play rugby union and rarely watch rugby league for more than a couple of minutes as I flick between channels, even when England were on in the ongoing rugby league World cup.

[RayCee]

Originally Posted by reddwarf

Although I have been to 1 rugby union match...Sale

Seeing as you live in the North West, perhaps you should at least try one Super League game. St Helens, Wigan and Salford come to mind.

In NZ, I meet a immigrants who have exposure no neither Rugby type. They always say, after a time watching both games, they prefer League. In fact a German man said to me he could not understand why Union was the bigger game in NZ, when League was clearly the better game. The fact your school only plays Union is mirrored by the NZ school system. One school boy insisted on playing League for a local club as he didn't want to play Union with the school team. He was threatened with being expelled from school if he didn't change his mind. Under that sort of pressure, most yield, but he wouldn't. Only when the media got into the story the school had to back down.
Someone could write a book about biggoted Union types, in fact Mike Rylance did! It was about the Vichy government and French Rugby Union collaborating to ban League in France during WW2. It's called "The Forbideen game".
As a working class game, league doesn't get people in high places so RU use what power they have to stiffle League. That is changing now. League can actually be played in the armed forces now. League is on the march.