Should the World Club Series Be Scrapped?

[Big Pete]

38-12 Roosters
42-12 Broncos
38-4 Cowboys

Is not the sign of a competitive competition.

So what are your thoughts? Should the WCS be given time to develop or should both competitions pull the pin on the concept?

 

[Unbreakable]

I'd pull the pin, through the first 6 games of the WCS an English side has never lead a single game at any point, the skill gap is just far too great at the moment, the only way I could see healthy games is if we send over our wooden spoon team to face their best team.

 

[Sproj]

Keep it and grow it, it'll help their league improve and the international game needs all the help it can get.

 

[ningnangnong]

Based on the results and standard of footy the English teams played, the future of the series looks quite bleak, but I'm inclined to keep it.

I feel the only way it's going to become competitive though, is if the matches were played when both teams were a little way into the season, but logistics makes that a nightmare.

 

[Big Pete]

A couple of facts that I need to bring to light before I give my answer

First of all, the ESL Super League salary cap is significantly smaller than the NRL. In the NRL there's a $6.1 Million Salary cap for the Top 25 alone. In the ESL it's 1.85 Million British Pounds which converts to around 3.61 Million.

Further the three ESL teams were in terrible shape. St Helens were smashed by the ESL easy-beats Salford 44-10 in lieu of the series and were in terrible shape personnel wise. No Lomax, Percival, Roby and their stocks are so shallow they had to play a backrow in the halves to cover.

Then you have Leeds who were smashed by a mediocre Widnes Vikings 56-12 in the build up. Not only were they missing players to injury, they're a club in transition with a lot of their star players moving on last season. Guys like Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock etc. would have made a difference for the Rhinos but they've moved on.

Then you've got Wigan who were by far the form team of all three but had issues of their own. No Sam Tomkins, Charnley, Crosby, Joel Tomkins, Mossop and they lost one of their players early in the contest.

All those factors created the perfect storm which completely ruined the contest between both sides. While the NRL will hold the advantage over the ESL for the foreseeable future, the ESL is getting better and will continue to improve as long as they're shown some commitment. For that reason, I believe we have to give it at least one more year to help grow the game over there and get them interested in the international aspect of the game.

If scores continue to blow-out, then you'd revert back to the WCC but right now I'd give it one last push to see if the ESL can redeem itself in the eyes of the Australian Rugby League community.

 

[Broncoman]

The World Club Challenge has always been like this. The standard here is far higher than in the North and the problems with organizing a competition played by teams on different sides of the world makes it very difficult to be successful.

It's a commendable idea but it doesn't seem like they know a solution to make it consistently competitive.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

The question should be rephrased: Should the Broncos go over to England and risk injury just to belt the shit out of the poms for 80 minutes?

Tough one.

 

[theshed]

They could make it so the NRL teams have to send over teams with player salaries that equal the ESL cap. So the Cowboys could send Thurston and 2 water boys, or the roosters could send their whole first grade team if we go off their declared payments.

 

[Nashy]

Send teams 9, 10, and 11. See if they can beat them.

 

[Broncoman]

 

[Rhino1001]

Imagine a game(similar to the all stars) but they send over the best players from the NRL to verse the best from ESL. Would expect the NRL team to smash. From that year so it could be based on Dally M points or something.

 

[tommy]

Imagine a game(similar to the all stars) but they send over the best players from the NRL to verse the best from ESL. Would expect the NRL team to smash. From that year so it could be based on Dally M points or something.

Sounds good in theory but it would probably become like the all stars and clubs wouldn't allow their best players to go , feigning injuries etc

 

[gordjw]

Isn't that just Test matches?

 

[Rhino1001]

Isn't that just Test matches?

Yea I thought about that after posting.haha

 

[Wolfie]

A couple of facts that I need to bring to light before I give my answer

First of all, the ESL Super League salary cap is significantly smaller than the NRL. In the NRL there's a $6.1 Million Salary cap for the Top 25 alone. In the ESL it's 1.85 Million British Pounds which converts to around 3.61 Million.

Further the three ESL teams were in terrible shape. St Helens were smashed by the ESL easy-beats Salford 44-10 in lieu of the series and were in terrible shape personnel wise. No Lomax, Percival, Roby and their stocks are so shallow they had to play a backrow in the halves to cover.

Then you have Leeds who were smashed by a mediocre Widnes Vikings 56-12 in the build up. Not only were they missing players to injury, they're a club in transition with a lot of their star players moving on last season. Guys like Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock etc. would have made a difference for the Rhinos but they've moved on.

Then you've got Wigan who were by far the form team of all three but had issues of their own. No Sam Tomkins, Charnley, Crosby, Joel Tomkins, Mossop and they lost one of their players early in the contest.

All those factors created the perfect storm which completely ruined the contest between both sides. While the NRL will hold the advantage over the ESL for the foreseeable future, the ESL is getting better and will continue to improve as long as they're shown some commitment. For that reason, I believe we have to give it at least one more year to help grow the game over there and get them interested in the international aspect of the game.

If scores continue to blow-out, then you'd revert back to the WCC but right now I'd give it one last push to see if the ESL can redeem itself in the eyes of the Australian Rugby League community.

Thats an excellent summary. I watch a fair bit of super league, and i honestly think the teams are better than they have shown. Compare us with Wigan for example, take away 5 of our better players and lose another one through injury early and i don't think we would have done quite as well.

The format does need tweaking however. Maybe a standalone WCC game could be made into a weekend with an ESL all stars to play the Indigenous all stars if they want to promote the game more.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Send the U/20's of each respective NRL club to play the SL "first graders".

Great experience for the young blokes.