Rugby League versus Rugby Union in code clash next year

[Piston]

It doesn't make the least bit of sense.

How are the League players going to scrum, line-out or compete at the breakdown?

We will have to roll out Ben Alexander, Saia Faingaa and Ben Daley (or the Melbourne Rebels front row) just to give them a sideways chance.

That's a good point James. How will the scrums go? Imagine the league halfback when the ref tells him to put the ball in straight!!
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[SNOB]

I think it's be good. The Wigan v Bath games in the UK on the centenery were fantastic. They were played as a home and away.

Has anyone here not seen the football(soccer) v rugby game in France, ok that was light hearted, but it was a great spectacle.
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I remember watching one of them, was a great running game and will never forget Wigan pushing Bath over the ball on the first scrum! a bit of light hearted fun and to get $5 mill in the coffers I reckon it's ok.

[RugbyRef]

Apparently it's not true.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2...-aust-uk-match
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[beige]

Apparently it's not true.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2...-aust-uk-match
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Ditto: http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8768053

[Stone Cold]

I've seen this article before but it is normally at the start of April

[The InnFORCEr]

Ben Horne,
AAP
December 9, 2013, 9:25 am


Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive Bill Pulver says his No.1 priority is entertaining fans and he'd listen to future proposals for a hybrid cross-code match against a rugby league outfit.

The cash-strapped ARU are in talks with a third-party consortium to stage a clash against the Great Britain rugby league side at Wembley Stadium late next year, but the RFL has ruled out participating in the concept.

Pulver denies pushing for the potentially lucrative fixture to go ahead, but admits he is interested.

He'd be open to considering similar concepts in the future, including closer to home against league's Kangaroos, because of the public interest that could be generated by pitting the best of the best from the two codes against each other.

Already, the congested rugby calendar stretches from late February to early December, and Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and star player Michael Hooper say Australia's focus must be on winning Test matches, after losing eight of 15 in 2013.

Pulver said player interests would be considered before the green light was given to any hybrid cross-code match, but he believes the interests of fans must be paramount.

"Entertaining fans is the No.1 issue for me," Pulver told AAP.

"To be a successful code you want your national team being successful and your fans being entertained. It's a pretty simple formula.

"The concept is quite interesting ... the real question is how the fans would respond to that, and I suspect the fans would be quite intrigued by it.

"I don't see it as a regular type event, it's a bit of a novelty.

"It's tough to find a slot to play a game like this so I wouldn't be pushing it, but I'm a willing listener of the concept."

Pulver said he was approached by a private consortium headed by Bob Dwyer, Mark Ella and Bob Fulton, but understands the Wembley proposal is now off the table after the lack of interest by the RFL.

Coach McKenzie says as far as he's concerned, a hybrid match isn't on the agenda with the Wallabies focusing on breaking their Bledisloe Cup drought and winning the Rugby Championship.

"There's always theories out there on how you can generate income. In any business you're going to look at opportunities if opportunities come along," McKenzie said.

"But I'm just concentrating on core business and at the moment it's pretty important the Wallabies are concentrating on winning Test matches."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...id-code-match/

[GIGS20]

Of course Pulver is for it....the union boys would obliterate the leaguies for their 40 minutes and I don't think the difference would be great enough the other way.

Sure the union team would need to watch that they have a pretty mobile pack and a big backline, but there's more going on in union that a leaguie would struggle with than the other way around.

[beige]

Of course Pulver is for it....the union boys would obliterate the leaguies for their 40 minutes and I don't think the difference would be great enough the other way.

Sure the union team would need to watch that they have a pretty mobile pack and a big backline, but there's more going on in union that a leaguie would struggle with than the other way around.

The Bath-Wigan games suggested otherwise...

[shasta]

The Bath-Wigan games suggested otherwise...

You're just relying on facts. Where's the point in that?
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[GIGS20]

The Bath-Wigan games suggested otherwise...

Everybody knows English rugby is a very different game than Aussie rugby. I reckon the English team wouldn't cope as well with the differences.