Rugby league test matches. Do they serve a point? If they do, I certainly don't see it.
At least today's match between the Kiwis and Kangaroos drew a full house in Newcastle. Keep in mind a full stadium is certainly not even a given when it comes to international rugby league. This has been evident on many occasions when the biggest sport in Sydney cannot fill its premiere stadium for internationals and hence we don't see ANZAC rugby league tests hosted in Sydney very frequently anymore.
Today's 'blockbuster' encounter between, as channel nine would like us to think, rugby league's greatest rivals, remains wholly in the shadows of the biggest match so far in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. As sport's internationalism goes, rugby league remains a tiny fetus in the womb compared to it's strong matured brother rugby union. Rugby union is considered in some sources to be the world's third most popular team sport behind football and cricket (thanks mainly to India).
Not for the first time is a rugby league test scheduled to coincide with an international rugby match, often Tri-nations tests, and the hype surrounding the Rugby has far outweighed any attention payed towards the league. All the talk throughout today's broadcast, as hard as it may be for the leaguies to admit, was the world cup semi-final.
Thus, the first thing I place in SportsCNNK's Hall of Shame is rugby league test matches. It seems to me State of Origin certainly lies ahead on the pecking order when it comes to important matches in rugby league. Above playing for one's nation a club premiership as well. I pose the question when it comes to a rugby league 'international', just how international is the game? Just three countries play at a high competitive level in the world, being Australia, New Zealand and England obviously, but even still, league is only played in a small area in the north of England and in the eastern Australian states.
With this in mind I must say if today's pointless rugby league international is the last I see, I certainly would not lose any sleep over it.
At least today's match between the Kiwis and Kangaroos drew a full house in Newcastle. Keep in mind a full stadium is certainly not even a given when it comes to international rugby league. This has been evident on many occasions when the biggest sport in Sydney cannot fill its premiere stadium for internationals and hence we don't see ANZAC rugby league tests hosted in Sydney very frequently anymore.
Today's 'blockbuster' encounter between, as channel nine would like us to think, rugby league's greatest rivals, remains wholly in the shadows of the biggest match so far in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. As sport's internationalism goes, rugby league remains a tiny fetus in the womb compared to it's strong matured brother rugby union. Rugby union is considered in some sources to be the world's third most popular team sport behind football and cricket (thanks mainly to India).Not for the first time is a rugby league test scheduled to coincide with an international rugby match, often Tri-nations tests, and the hype surrounding the Rugby has far outweighed any attention payed towards the league. All the talk throughout today's broadcast, as hard as it may be for the leaguies to admit, was the world cup semi-final.
Thus, the first thing I place in SportsCNNK's Hall of Shame is rugby league test matches. It seems to me State of Origin certainly lies ahead on the pecking order when it comes to important matches in rugby league. Above playing for one's nation a club premiership as well. I pose the question when it comes to a rugby league 'international', just how international is the game? Just three countries play at a high competitive level in the world, being Australia, New Zealand and England obviously, but even still, league is only played in a small area in the north of England and in the eastern Australian states.
With this in mind I must say if today's pointless rugby league international is the last I see, I certainly would not lose any sleep over it.
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