Not good.

[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/09/06/09/RUGBYL_Four_Nations.html[/url

aussies in pre-tournament-whinge shocker.
They should stick to getting knocked out of the cricket at the first hurdle

Typical Aussie moaning



Any company with any imagination uses the French ban on booze ads as an opportunity to get more exposure, not less, cf the Brawn shirts that Brains Beer kitted the Welsh Union team out with

They're scraping the barrell there, surely? Don't want to play because they can't show a little logo in france?
As though Victoria Bitter will be distraught by a lack of exposure in France?

Wouldnt it be easier to play in a non-sponsered jersey, just like all the other sporting teams that play there that is sponsered by alcoholic companies.

Then they wouldn't have chance to moan

Did no one in the ARL consider this possibility when the deal was signed with VB? How long ago was it decided that France would compete in the tournament?

Are the Aussies expecting the French government to change the legislation for them



There have been higher profile games than this, such as Champions League football. Liverpool spring to mind with their Carslberg sponsorship.

Only in rugby league is a mountain made out of a molehill....................

What, like getting their brand mentioned in news articles and discussions prior to the event? Maybe by generating a bit of interest so that more people actually bother to look at whatever does end up on their shirts?

Surely they can edit the logo tobe identical but have the initials AUS or something instead. Leeds did it with Tetleys in Catalans first season, can't remember what word they used instead though.

why dont they be imaginative and put a V-Bee ad on their shirt, even going as far as putting a picture of a Bee on there...people would read and speak it the same as the VB brand anyway.

Similar to the way Jordan got round the tobacco add laws when he was in F1 with Buzzin Hornets and suchlike.

Didn't the Aussies play with one sponsor blacked out not all that long ago due to it confliciting with some other sponsor?

THIRSTY...

Tastes like crap.








[size=59aussie beer[/size

I don't think it is sold in France anyway...

should read...I will play in super league when i'M OVER THE HILL

Pathetic!

"We have a contract with VB which we take very seriously and have every intention of honouring."

First of all it really ought to be a non issue but nothing seems to stop the Ausies from generating negative press.

Who the hell negotiated the deal with a brewery and did'nt forsee the possible issue of playing in France.

Finaly its seems from the above quote that the Ausies take their beer sponsorship rather more seriously than they do the game itself.

Exactly. I know there will be a potential TV audience in Australia, but surely C9 or Fox (whoever has the rights) can run VB ads at every scrum, as per every weekly NRL game?

Think it was Phillips that was blocked out, conflicted with gillette

It was the other way round - Aus team would not display the Gillette logo on their shirts because of the Phillip's clash.

A bigger threat to the 4 nations is the lack of an overall sponsor, as Gillette have pulled out. Not easy to get a non fags/booze/gambling sponsor in the current climate.

Chances of this getting in the way of the tournament - 0%
This is pretend hot air to generate some press.

France have come on so far in one year that Nz and Oz are both contemplating forfeiting their matches instead of looking bad in France.

When Wigan had this problem with their "Mecca Bingo" logo they turned it into a massive positive by giving away advertising to a charity. Now, Wigan are big enough to do this, how small does that make Oz?

what next their players saying they wont come over here cuz of our strict sex assault laws?

I fail to understand why this puts the whole tournament in doubt - the Aussies either dont come at all, and we have a Tri Nations; or we have a 4N and the Aussies forfeit the game in France.

Time to stop pandering to these idiots, and get on with the game.

More worrying is the bit at the bottom IMO.

"The RFL are still looking for a tournament sponsor following Gillette's decision to withdraw its support for the tournament and concentrate on its backing of the England team".

In the current economic climate, finding a decent sponsor to replace Gillette ain't going to be easy.