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Could rugby ever be as global as basketball or even football?
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<blockquote data-quote="Tooting Carmen" data-source="post: 993902" data-attributes="member: 78546"><p>The gradual financial fallout caused by Covid has unfortunately put into sharp relief many much deeper and underlying problems with rugby. In particular, the few wealthy Tier One countries and their clubs spending beyond their means - even France, considered to have the most financially healthy and independent club system, has reported that around half of the teams in their top two leagues are close to running out of money; the poor and closed global governance of the game; but most of all, the inability or unwillingness of the promoters and practitioners of the sport to spread it globally. </p><p></p><p>Australian rugby's impending collapse would not actually be such an issue were it to occur in soccer, given that the latter has dozens if not hundreds of truly competitive nations, but this is not the case in rugby, where Australia plays a highly substantial role at the top level of the sport. The sad truth is that most countries ranked outside the top 20 by World Rugby would be comfortably beaten even by the Dragons and Zebre, while I'd also wager that even some Tier Two nations would really struggle against a full-strength Leinster or Saracens. That the Six Nations Championship is still regarded as such a crucial event in rugby, whereas the Home Nations Championship was discarded decades ago in soccer speaks volumes: in the latter, the Home Nations are ultimately just four/five nations out of many genuine players, whereas in the former they (together with France and yes, even Italy) have a very disproportionate importance.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tooting Carmen, post: 993902, member: 78546"] The gradual financial fallout caused by Covid has unfortunately put into sharp relief many much deeper and underlying problems with rugby. In particular, the few wealthy Tier One countries and their clubs spending beyond their means - even France, considered to have the most financially healthy and independent club system, has reported that around half of the teams in their top two leagues are close to running out of money; the poor and closed global governance of the game; but most of all, the inability or unwillingness of the promoters and practitioners of the sport to spread it globally. Australian rugby's impending collapse would not actually be such an issue were it to occur in soccer, given that the latter has dozens if not hundreds of truly competitive nations, but this is not the case in rugby, where Australia plays a highly substantial role at the top level of the sport. The sad truth is that most countries ranked outside the top 20 by World Rugby would be comfortably beaten even by the Dragons and Zebre, while I'd also wager that even some Tier Two nations would really struggle against a full-strength Leinster or Saracens. That the Six Nations Championship is still regarded as such a crucial event in rugby, whereas the Home Nations Championship was discarded decades ago in soccer speaks volumes: in the latter, the Home Nations are ultimately just four/five nations out of many genuine players, whereas in the former they (together with France and yes, even Italy) have a very disproportionate importance. [/QUOTE]
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Could rugby ever be as global as basketball or even football?
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