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The blessed union bears fruit

Saturday, 26th February 2011

This is the year that rugby league will be relegated to second place

So union, thankfully, is on the up after coming close to bringing about its own downfall. For my money, the Wallabies are Australia’s most entertaining national team in any sport right now, while the All Blacks are the most talent-packed outfit on the planet, again in any discipline. The great shame is that union does not have more of a following here or a higher television profile. When first I arrived, and was still oblivious to the regionalism and class- consciousness of Aussie sport, I was astounded by the story of a businessman overnighting in Melbourne. Hoping to enjoy the Bledisloe Cup, he turned on Channel 7, where he was startled to see Julie Andrews Do-Re-Mi-ing in The Sound of Music. A couple of years later, the same thing happened to me, when the channel’s Victorian affiliate once again ignored the Trans-Tasman showdown and screened Cool Runnings, a comedy about the Jamaican bobsleigh team.

Yet with your cricket team in decline, the mighty Kangaroos strangely fallible against the Kiwis and the Socceroos set to remain a second- or third-tier outfit, this could be the year of the Wallaby. In its recently rejuvenated form, I promise you there is no better footballing spectacle. Tune in this September, when the World Cup gets underway in New Zealand, and let us hope you get to see the men in green and gold rather than the Von Trapp family singers.

Nick Bryant is the BBC’s Australia correspondent.

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Elizabeth Foss

March 6th, 2011 7:14am Report this comment

...Mark Latham arguing with unimpeachable masculinity...

Can I have whatever it is you're having, please?

Bill Rees

March 11th, 2011 5:14pm Report this comment

I don't think I have ever read an article more full of garbage on the Spectator website.

Dave Cogan

March 15th, 2011 5:00pm Report this comment

See how he doesn't mention the crowd for the NRL Grand Final; 83,000 sell out as well as being the main event for TV viewers of the year whereas the wallabies v england game only got 63,000. Also if Super Rugby is that attractive in Australia how come they dont get half the crowds than the NRL. He also forgot to add that various league players who went to union are now coming back saying that union was boring and not a challenge eg, wendall sailor, lote tquiri, matty gasnier and the production rate of players who will play league to union is far superior, union taking over from league in australia nick you are having a laugh

Daniel

March 15th, 2011 5:07pm Report this comment

Rambling, pompous nonsense. Nick Bryant appears to be labouring under more than one delusion.

1.That Rugby League being relegated to second place in Australia would put Rugby Union on top. The 15-man code has a lot more positions to climb to get to than level.

2.That the New Zealand Rugby League team don't do the Haka. They do, and it is generally a far more inspiring sight than the Rugby Union lot going through the motions.

3. Quantify "appreciative celestial crowds" please. What in the name of Wally Lewis are you jabbering on about?

Steve James

March 15th, 2011 5:11pm Report this comment

Has this idiot writer seen the latest TV ratings? A Toyota cup game beat the highest placed union S15 game.

Nick Owen

March 15th, 2011 6:53pm Report this comment

Editor,

Please tell me this the purveyor of this ill-informed fantasy didn't receive payment as a consequence of these ramblings.

Nick

March 15th, 2011 7:09pm Report this comment

Quelle surprise - a senior BBC journalist professes his undying love for Rugby Union (whilst disdain for Rugby League)

Bladderbrain

March 15th, 2011 7:25pm Report this comment

Nick Bryant , ex cambridge uni , BBC , Union apologist....kind of goes together.Must stick in the craw when you arrive in a country where they don't give a stuff about the old boy network and the most popular sport is one that you have always thought of as a niche activity because you haven't been exposed to it.Make him go and cover Origin and tell us then that League is going to be 2nd to Union.....

Jonesy

March 15th, 2011 8:09pm Report this comment

Does Nick Bryant actually get paid to write this tripe?

Ill informed, factually incorrect rubbish. Hilariously so in fact. The NRL will be far more worried about AFL or even Soccer than whatever Union can throw at it.

Apologies from a fellow Pom on Nick's behalf. Please don't send him back any time soon.

Arizonared

March 15th, 2011 11:19pm Report this comment

All I have to say is what on earth are you blabbering about. Did someone give you a dictionary and you decided to try using all of the big words?

As has been mentioned by others, Rugby Union is way behind the NRL and AFL. Enough said.

Tony

March 16th, 2011 2:35am Report this comment

To think that this fool is payed by the BBC licence payers to write such tosh. hasn't he looked at the TV viewing audience figures for the football codes in Australia. is he not aware also that the amount of people playing union at all levels is light years behind the other football codes. if he did he would have noticed that union is a long 4th behind Rugby League, Afl, Soccer in both fields

Perth Red

March 16th, 2011 8:49am Report this comment

lol. I'll have a pint of whatever he is drinking! Back in the real world the NRL under 20's comp is drawing bigger TV audiences than S15 and RU is desperately scrambling to change their rules to make up on 100 years of RL evolution.

Suzanne Charlton

March 16th, 2011 2:07pm Report this comment

The only reason numpties like this write such drivel is because here in England pure snobbery will not allow Rugby League to take it's rightful place in being broadcast throughout the country. You think Cool Runnings is a poor substitute? Try being in London expecting to watch the Super League Show on Sunday and being told that 'viewers in the South will be watching Diagnosis Murder'. Now you know why the Nick Bryants of this world are created. Poor deluded souls. Get him to an Origin game before he really loses his marbles.

Marc

March 17th, 2011 7:07am Report this comment

Im a soccer man but even I can see that union is garbage. I can watch any sport, even golf, but rugby union is just lol. Union = Fat men, kicking the ball out of play and patting each other on the back. zzzzzzzz

hutch

March 17th, 2011 11:39am Report this comment

surely this article is a wind up, or the journalist is living in some sort of fantasy land? rugby league would be at least 10 times bigger than union in australia. are you sure nick bryant is australian? i found it quite funny that the 3 players you mentioned, beale, cooper and barnes are all rugby league juniors. did you also know the current australian captain could only make the reserves for a national rugby league club.
and lastly, do yourself a favour nick and watch the world champion kiwis perform the haka before a rugby league test! it is amazing and leaves the union version for dead!

Catalancs

May 4th, 2011 10:56pm Report this comment

Paul Ackford and Stephen Jones are mere amateurs. Nick Bryant, take a bow my son.

Absolute brilliant surrealism.

Matt Z

July 5th, 2011 2:17pm Report this comment

How's that year of domination going for you Nick? Has the NRL fallen beneath the relentless domination of Rugby Union yet? Oh yeah, State of Origin happened and destroyed RU in the TV ratings. Must be a bit gutting that. Nice to see a BBC reporter starting from a position of complete impartiality and then making a fool of himself though. Respect.

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