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Cobra · 10-06-2002, 06:59

Now I'm a confused Victorian, someone from the Northern states want to clear a few things up for me.

What I dont understand. NRL = National Rugby League yes? NZ warriors are playing in it. Why don't they play in their own NZ league?

Rugby Union. Now something different again. Is this teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa? And the players form this play as the wallabies yes? So what about another aussie team the Kangaroos? As far as I know they are they players from rugby league.

Which is better? When they have the weorld cup, whcih Aussie team will play?

Brendan · 10-06-2002, 07:53

I can see how you are confused following a game that no-one else in the world plays.

Right - NRL (Grand Final tonite) is Rugby League - the NZ Warriors (formerly Auckland Warriors) play in it as there were a large number of Kiwis playing in the NRL for Australian teams so the natural progression was to have a NZ based team - helps to market the game as well which is the key aim of most sports these days.

Rugby World Cup - this is Rugby Union. The world cup is national teams, similar to cricket world cup.

The two games are similar - both tracing back to the day in the 19th century when a player at the Rugby School in England was playing soccer and picked up the ball an ran with it before diving between the posts.

The two codes split into Union, which was traditionally the realm of the middle class public schools, whereas League tended to be the working class game.

Also League turned professional many years ago (it certainly was when my dad played in the early 60s) whereas Union only officially turned proffessional in the early 90s. Before that it was an amatuer game so if you went and played League for money you couldn't go back to union.

Now - National teams.

League - Aussie are the Kangaroos, NZ are the Kiwis.
Union - Aussie are the Wallabies, NZ are All Blacks.

Cobra · 10-07-2002, 05:37

Thanks for clearing that up brendan. SO the two games actually have different rules? I was told one you can not throw in front or something like that?

Does league and Union find itself battling eahcother? Are there always players swapping codes or what? Which one is payed more? I would presume Union as its international.

Brendan · 10-07-2002, 06:30

The game is substantially different between the codes.

You cannot pass forward in either code.

Union is 15 a side, League is 13.

There is a battle between the codes, although i think union is played in more countries.

There was a lot of swapping before Union went professional, League used to poach top players with the big dollars that were a no no in the amateur Union world.

10-09-2002, 21:07

I think you may find Cobra, that in the future Rugby League will get smaller and smaller and Union will dominate. If a good player really wanted to see how good he is compared to the rest of the world, you can't go past Union. It is played in most countries of the world. League, on the other hand is exclusive to the eastern seaboard and a few Counties in the UK.
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This is something I'm quite pleased about as I have played Union since school as well as with Parramatta Two Blues prior to playing in the country (since retired due to motorcycle accident).
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Bring on the World Cup!

LoverBoy · 10-09-2002, 21:24

The Rugby World Cup is the 3rd biggest sporting event in the world...so obviously union is the major of the two.
The reason there isn't really a NZ league series is because everyone (most) there plays union!. I think it spices it up a bit with the warriors in the NRL anyway.

ebxr8240 · 10-13-2002, 06:26

Yep I can't see a league version of tri- nations or supper 12's.
Or five /seven nations as in Europe..
Bring on world cup!!After today[Bathurst] I need something to look forward to..