ok so we go out, tell everyone about, bang on about brilliant marketing, wonderful adverts, a flawless build up that would have made a Don Draper/Martin Sorrell transformeresq super-advertiser jealous, 90k people go an pay £50 a ticket to go see SoO. The NRL/ARL take the £4.5m it makes in ticket revenue, pay the costs and take the profit.

Then what?

Wheres the benefit for the game over here?

Fact is that yes, we probably could sell out SoO, and yest it probably would get a slightly different fanbase to attend. But the uncomfortable end conclusion is that we would have spent a whole lot of time and effort seeing the publicity, prestige and goodwill sucked out of our domestic game and thrown away on a gimmick game between two states containing players who play 11k miles away, so a rival competition can make money.

It is a fairly forlorn hope that the magic dust from a game between two states 11k miles away will attract fans to a different competition 200miles

I hope it is one of the three games rather than just adding a 4th game like what they did in 1987 in america

I WANT TO BUY MY SOO TICKETS AND I WANT THEM NOW

It's not politically correct but the answer to that question is simple - It's the violence. Rugby league fans like to underestimate it in this push to attract families to the game but you can't dispute that plenty of red blooded males would sit down to watch a sports game if you could guarantee a brawl and ferocious big hits.

Lots of sports fans who know about Origin have time for it for that reason. Are people who don't know about State of Origin as a series going to bat an eyelid? Probably not. But it would be foolish to underestimate the positive opinions on origin from non-league fans who're aware of it - and I'd argue there's a surprising number who are. You can search the internet and find testimonies all over the place from non-league people who love origin and buy into it as a concept.

I'm actually surprised at the number of people who are saying otherwise, genuinely. I'm not in a league hotbed and I know so many people who're aware of origin and are happy to watch it. Might not say much about my friends, ha.



I disagree. I think that's shortsighted of you. If the Australians did go for this and if it did work then it would be further proof that origin as a concept is big enough to warrant standalone weekends. If origin is ever moved to standalone weekends - and it should be - then that opens up a world of possibilities for the international game, as tests can be scheduled to run alongside the series.



Then sell it as the pinnacle of Australian sport. There's no point splitting hairs over whether it is or isn't the pinnacle of the sport.

If we're talking about negative messages, you know, isn't implying that international league is so fragile that a one-off origin game would send out the wrong message and harm the games standing just that - a negative message to send out?

I don't see the conflict, personally, in saying that origin is the greatest domestic rugby series in the world - one of the best in all of sport, in fact - and is right up there with internationals as far as intensity and skill is concerned.

To say 'Oh we shouldn't really have origin here because it sends the wrong message and undermines the international game and sends out a negative message' hardly paints a positive picture of the sport.



My apologies.

You'd be stupid not to welcome SOO over here with open arms. Oh, and it would be great if the NRL could take over the running of the Broncos while they're at it. There needs to be a strong and successful London presence in Super League. End of.

No.....ing......idea.....




But Wembley, with tickets as cheap as a tenner didn't sell out for the top 3 RL nations in the world with a years build up, BBC promoting it, increased media coverage across the board and no small amount of advertising across the UK........are you saying that State of Origin would shift 90,000 tickets

BBC got less than 2 million for the Final.......are you suggesting SoO would attract more viewers?



Why is it that some RL fans can't grasp the FACT that outside of RL circles, State of Origin doesn't really register in the UK publics conciseness?
85% of the TV audience in Australia comes from Queensland and NSW where 12,000,000 of 22,000,000 population live. 600,000 of the 4,000,000 TV audience come from the other 10,000,000 population.

Would it ' sell ' ? , yes probably

Would it make money? , yes probably

Would it help RL in this country? , no probably not

I don't see how having a commercially successful game at Wembley, drawing media attention and showing some of the best that the sport has to offer would not help RL.

Would it ' sell ' ? , yes probably

Would it make money? , yes probably

Would it help RL in this country? , no probably not

Commercially successful? You assume that UK sponsors would be keen.....you assume Wembley would sell out......you assume a UK based broadcaster would be interested.......you assume too much methinx. Minor UK sponsors bothered with a 5 week tournament, Wembley had 25% empty seats for 2 games, SKY weren't bothered and the BBC got the same/more viewers for union friendlies.....it's only "MASSIVE" because you follow RL....nobody else would give a !

Fly 50+ from each camp SoO to London 1st/Business Class......you'll maybe cover that expense with the ticket sales.....MAYBE! You haven't sorted out a training facility, hotels, Transport, stadium hire etc......not to mention the negotiating with NRL coaches/clubs about taking players away for a fortnight.

There's only one way to find out if it would sell out and be on FTA TV fax, innit?



I would have to go, I would do a lot to go and see it, I didn't go to any WC matches this year, but I went to 2 in 2000, the semi-final at Huddersfield and Wales v NZ in Cardiff.

Are you over 50 yrs of age fax? I'm under.

Yep....


I suspect that you are in the minority of RL fans in the UK who didn't attend any RLWC games. Wembley holds 90,000. RL fans love cheap tickets....fill Wembley and you might cover the air fare. NRL clubs will not release their stars for 2 weeks to play a game in the UK.

..Not sure what my age has to do with the logistical nightmare of attempting to stage SoO match 12,000 miles away, either on a Thursday at 12pm or changing the day to a Saturday and losing 1 million+ viewers in Australia, or getting clubs to release players for a minimum of 2 rounds of NRL or the fact that UK sponsors didn't flock to England RL, so why would they flock to a game that about half of Australia gives a about or trying to sell a game to UK broadcasters that would deliver about 1.5 million (1.8 million for the RLWC Final) on FTA or 300k on Pay TV.....but I am 48!

I know one guy who's never been to a live RL match but possibly would go to an Origin match over here, I'm sure he would like to go, and I'm sure most RL fans would say the same, I think it would have more publicity than you think this, Geoff Boycott mentioned it on commentary the other week, he says he always watches Origin, I suspect that's the only RL he watches. Ian Botham will definitely be there, unfortunately supporting Qld. Most sports fans of a certain age (30+) know about Origin I would guess.

Play the game when you are guaranteed the optimum UK viewing figures both live and on TV. 3pm on Saturday afternoon. If it's that much of a draw, your fellow Aussies will stay up past their bedtime to watch.

anyone see the viewing figures for the RLWC final on 7mate

Nope but then again, I didnt know BBC 3 were showing it.....

I simply cannot understand what your point is. Why would a SOO match be detrimental to UK RL?

Ironic that in a post where you suggest I'm making assumptions you do the same. When have I said that Wembley would sell out? Stop making assumptions about what I'm assuming, dude.

Come off it. If Super Rugby can host a meaningless game and draw 30k at Twickenham, with next to nothing in the way of promotion, then the Aussies could bring State of Origin over and make it a success.

Go take your Yawnion rubbish elsewhere. Nobody cares about your predictably low opinion of rugby league.

LOL at people that:

a)are getting all precious about perceived arrogance. Here's a tip. Premier sports is dirt cheap, every NRL game is available to watch when the new season starts. Watch 2 a week along with the 2 SL games on sky and tell me which is better. The nrl is a serious step up from super league, in everything.

b)Think this would be a success. It's a fanciful idea, i'd sure as hell go. But it's a logisitical challenge for the aussies and there simply wouldn't be enough interest. You'd struggle to get 20k unless a sh*t load of aussies travelled over. How many come over for the kangaroos? Yeah, exactly.

Detrimental? No!
Mental? Yes!

ENGLAND v New Zealand in a RLWC semi-final with tickets as cheap as a tenner...so a fiver a game... left 25,000 empty seats......Australia v Australia b in the other semi-final was less than half full by the 2nd half.

State of Origin at Wembley? Let the ARL pay for it, the ARL promote it, the ARL sell it and the ARL reap the profits (if any)....it would mean nothing to UK or European Rugby League in terms of legacy!

It would be great for UK league fans and something I would have loved before I moved down here. But I cant imagine it going down too well here. People moan when they take a game to Melbourne and argue over who should get 2 games. Would be a nightmare for the players and the NRL. An already crowded part of the season and they leagues best players will be made to fly to the UK.

Funny to listen to the melodramatic sad sacks here who don't think it'd be good for the game in the UK, and then look at the reaction of the Aussie soccer fans who were over the moon to see big euro soccer clubs tour here and play meaningless A-League selections

Still waiting for an explanation as to how SoO will benefit UK RL........ you're in 'stralia, check out [urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport[/url and find the RL on the landing page???




Australia had a census recently....
ancestry was recorded at:
ENGLISH = 36.1
AUSTRALIAN = 35.4%??????? large right wing there....


IRISH = 10.4
SCOTTISH = 8.9
ITALIAN = 4.6
GERMAN = 4.5
CHINESE X
INDIAN X
GREEK = 1/9
DUTCH = 1.7

soccer is kinda large in most of those countries....



EXHIBIT 2.....the USA amongst other largely populated countries know what the uk soccer premier league is........they have not the ing slightest idea what Origin is

THE NRL WANT TO GO GLOBAL - BRING IT ON - I WANT MY TICKETS FOR WEMBLEY

I would rather Rugby League went global than the NRL!

If the Australians want to come to Wembley mid-season, let them send the Kangaroos for a mid-season test at Wembley rather than a State of Origin game, that would do far more for the game in the UK