Quolls2019 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 6:01 pm
leeroy*NRL* wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 4:55 pm
this hurts the 2 rugby codes all the time,
player talent going to union and rugby league overseas..
NRL have over 100 players playing in U.K and France in Div 1 and 2 in the English super league.
Soccer has the same issue, perhaps worse because of more options.
If the proposed USA league sides join the English championship and league 1, NRL will lose a few more.
Some ex AFL players have done very nicely in the NFL but only after their careers ended here.
Again I don’t think being professionally limited to Australia is limiting at all.
Southern Hemisphere rugby could face an even bigger threat to its player stocks in the near future as Japan looks at introducing a new 12-team professional league in 2021.
This will surely set the alarm bells ringing in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, which are already locked in a struggle to keep their best players at home as lucrative contracts in Europe and elsewhere abound.
Salaries could be worth up to US$1 million in the proposed competition, which is being pushed by JRFU vice-president Katsuyuki Kiyomiya. It is intended to kick off in 2021 and run from September to February.
The Sunwolves Super Rugby franchise may also find a new home in the professional league. The 12 teams would be based in major cities around the country, making use of major stadiums involved in staging this year’s World Cup.
A preparatory tournament with six to eight teams is planned for next year. The Sunwolves will have played their final season of Super Rugby by then and may well be included. So far, eight of the Top League clubs have voted in favor of the concept, with the remainder expected to follow suit.
There are lies, damn lies and then there are ratings.
Rugby league, Australias most popular game in some of North Eastern Australia.