Rugby League comes to Las Vegas

This might work in the US, but the fans in the stands would have to adjust to the continual play of the game, with few stoppages. The possible TV coverage in the US would need to adjust to not having minutes on end to run commercials like with the NFL. In Rugby rules there are no players who only do one thing. No "offensive linemen " or specialty kickers, all players have to be able to carry the ball, kick it forward and make trys by kicking the ball through the goal posts. Here in Canada we play Rugby and the joke is it takes leather balls to play the game, even for the women's teams. Jimb.
 
The NRL is brilliant and Rugby League is the major rugby code in Australia.
And is closer in relation to the NFL than Rugby Union is( although that is the sport the NFL developed from).
Six plays to score or turn over the ball…Americans should understand that!
Channel 9 in Australia sneaks in ads after a try is scored.
Wonder if American networks will do that.
80 minutes of Action in about 110

minutes including halftime…a bit quicker than the NFL.
 
Rugby in the US is nothing new, I played on a city league way back in the 1980s. Many colleges field teams and many of the local high schools have both girls and boys programs. Out of all the sports I played in my life I enjoyed rugby the most.

Anyway...not sure what the Vegas league is all about, except someone must think they can make money at it. I do think it will be a difficult sport to televise to US audiences, most Americans won't have a clue about the rules so won't understand the game. Two forty minute halfs of continuous play doesn't bode well for commercial breaks either. It will probably get mucked up by the TV networks with some sort of American rules.

I wonder if any NFL players will try to cross over, I don't think many could handle the pace or physicality of a match. You know who I'm talking about, the guys that run twenty yards then wave to the coach to take them out so they can rest?
 
C50 said:
Rugby in the US is nothing new, I played on a city league way back in the 1980s. Many colleges field teams and many of the local high schools have both girls and boys programs. Out of all the sports I played in my life I enjoyed rugby the most.

Anyway...not sure what the Vegas league is all about, except someone must think they can make money at it. I do think it will be a difficult sport to televise to US audiences, most Americans won't have a clue about the rules so won't understand the game. Two forty minute halfs of continuous play doesn't bode well for commercial breaks either. It will probably get mucked up by the TV networks with some sort of American rules.

I wonder if any NFL players will try to cross over, I don't think many could handle the pace or physicality of a match. You know who I'm talking about, the guys that run twenty yards then wave to the coach to take them out so they can rest?
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The solution to the TV ads thing is to show adverts over laid on the field DURING PLAY, on the tv screens. The National Hockey League has been doing this for a number of years. In the case of the NHL broadcasts, the boards along side the ice surface have ads showing, as you watch the game on your TV at home. The ads change every 20 seconds through the use of computer systems. The ACTUAL NHL board ads at the arenas are still there, but the home audience sees a different set of ads at home.

I live in Toronto and the Maple Leafs games have the computer generated ads at every game, regardless of where they are actually playing. Last night February 21, the Leafs were playing in Arizona, but the ads on my TV screen here in Toronto were all for Canadian based companies, like Air Canada, Canadian Tire, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. With that technology even smaller advertisers can afford to pay for a few minutes of screen time, during a game. The same technology is used in the Canadian Major A league for TV broadcasts in second tier market places.

It can be done, the technology is all ready in use in other sports, in other countries.

As to NFL players moving to Rugby, not going to happen. US football players are too used to being padded and protected so they do stupid things on the field, like spearing with their helmets, and using the face mask to tackle. Rugby players are taught HOW to tackle, and how to BE tackled, so as not to be injured. And of course the Rugby players are expected to be able to do everything on the field. There are no "special teams " no designated receivers, and every player is expected to be able to defend AND attack. JimB In Toronto.
 
Vegas is getting every sport now. I heard that the NBA will be asking for a $5 billion franchise fee for a team there . I like Rugby but I have my doubts about it being viable there. I think baseball is going to be a disaster (if those plans ever finalize). I would go to Rugby matches if Phoenix ever got a team.
 
MarkinPhx said:
Vegas is getting every sport now. I heard that the NBA will be asking for a $5 billion franchise fee for a team there . I like Rugby but I have my doubts about it being viable there. I think baseball is going to be a disaster (if those plans ever finalize). I would go to Rugby matches if Phoenix ever got a team.
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Ten seconds of searching and I found this site. link. University of Arizona Rugby I think that at least 2 Universities in Arizona have men's Rugby teams. I know that some Canadian Rugby players have attended US Universities on sports scholarships. In Canada, our Universities do not offer sports scholarships even for hockey. Academic scholarships are common here, but not sports scholarships. I know of one young guy from Toronto who went to a University in Arizona, as a javelin thrower. That made me laugh. Jimb.
 
jimintoronto said:
Ten seconds of searching and I found this site. link. University of Arizona Rugby I think that at least 2 Universities in Arizona have men's Rugby teams. I know that some Canadian Rugby players have attended US Universities on sports scholarships. In Canada, our Universities do not offer sports scholarships even for hockey. Academic scholarships are common here, but not sports scholarships. I know of one young guy from Toronto who went to a University in Arizona, as a javelin thrower. That made me laugh. Jimb.
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A little off the topic of Rugby but you might be surprised that Arizona State University has a top 20 collegiate hockey program. They do recruit players to come play in a nice climate and have been successful doing so. They just opened up a nice arena a couple of years ago . Our NHL "team" also plays there and are seconds dogs to the ASU team.
 
MarkinPhx said:
A little off the topic of Rugby but you might be surprised that Arizona State University has a top 20 collegiate hockey program. They do recruit players to come play in a nice climate and have been successful doing so. They just opened up a nice arena a couple of years ago . Our NHL "team" also plays there and are seconds dogs to the ASU team.
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I am aware of the practice of using American Universities as breeding grounds for professional sports leagues. Auston Mathews the current NHL league's scoring leader with the Toronto Maple Leafs grew up in Arizona, as did his team mate Mathew Nies. US college hockey programs are scouted by NHL teams each year, and Boston College and Harvard grads are currently playing for the Leafs, as well as other NHL teams.

The problem for US college hockey players who are trying to transition to a professional league is the low number of games the colleges play per season. 35 games in College, versus 82 in the pros, plus playoff games, if their team goes that far. The usual progression for players in Canada is to be drafted at age 15, by a NHL farm team, to play Junior A in either the Ontario Hockey League, or the Western Canadian league. The OHL has 32 teams in it. It is no wonder that so many current NHL players came up through the OHL ranks.

By age 17 they are either being fast tracked to Team Canada which is our national under 18 team for international competitions, or the American Hockey League, which is just one step down from the NHL level. The Chicago Black Hawks Connor Bedard from Vancouver British Columbia is just 18, and he was the first round pick in the NHL's 2023 Rookie draft last summer. He is playing against full grown men who are 5 to ten years his senior, and he is leading his team in goals, assists, and blocked shots. One of those blocked shots broke his jaw in January of this year, but he was back playing in ten days, with a full face helmet.

JimB.
 
againstthegrain said:
How did you come to that conclusion?
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Bit of experience, bit of conjecture. I played highschool football and thought I was a tough player and in great shape. Rugby was a humbling experience, turns out I wasn't so tough and it took time to get the needed conditioning.

My comment about NFL players was half joking, when I see guys make a play then instantly take themselves out of the game to rest it bothers me, that doesn't happen in rugby. In reality I'm sure plenty of footballers could play rugby.
 
Dear USA,
There's 2 kinds of rugby, league and union.
Rugby league is a variant of rugby union.
League is rugby made easy and boring, 5 tackles and a kick, repeat ad nauseum until something happens.
 

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