4 Nations

[sportsmad]

an interesting snippet from steve macouds "discord" on rleague.com:

INTERNATIONAL Rugby League is about to get what it should have had 10 years ago - centralised sponsorship, licencing and broadcast rights deals.

Discord can take you inside last week's Rugby League International Federation meeting in Singapore and tell you exactly what that mysterious "strategic plan for the future" entails.

Australia is pushing for the RLIF to finally take over the selling of sponsorships for tournaments such as the Four Nations, after the shambles of Coca-Cola allegedly pulling out of backing this year's series because of the Matthew Johns drama in Australia.

Britain's Rugby Football League had to accept Gillette as this year's naming rights sponsor even though that company had earlier said it would relinquish the position and concentrate on backing England.

I understand the figure Gillette is paying is considerably less than the RFL could have received if it held out a little longer.

It was also made clear in Singapore to Britain, Australia and New Zealand delegates that internationals must be left out of future domestic television rights deals so that those properties can be sold by the RLIF.

In case you missed it, the opening match of the Four Nations will now not be Australia-New Zealand on October 24 but England-France on Friday, October 23. England-France has been moved from Sunday to Friday night to suit Sky. England-Australia on October 31 has been slotted in for a rare Saturday afternoon kick-off, at 2.30pm.

We can also tell you that a television issue could result in New Zealand's matches being played in the afternoon or on Friday nights. The Kiwis are yet to sell their Four Nations TV rights and Sunday advertising restrictions mean it may be more profitable for their matches to take place before midnight Saturday, NZ time.

Orange TV have the French rights, Channel Nine in Australia. The Kiwis' warm-up match will be against Tonga at a venue outside Auckland, perhaps on Thursday night, October 15. Australia's only preparation will be the Prime Minister's XIII game in Port Moresby on September 27.

One New Zealand and two Australian referees will join the Four Nations match officials panel, with Thierry Alibert representing France and two Englishmen to be appointed.

International eligability was also discussed last week with a feeling expressed that most members of the public would have preferred FuiFui MoiMoi to have been allowed to play for Tonga in the World Cup. That is good news for the likes of Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings and Neville Costigan, who may be allowed to take part in Origin but still play for their second country of choice if they miss out on Australian selection.

There has, however, been no final ruling on these players with regard to this year's Pacific Cup.

[Druzik]

www.lasttackle.com/news_2440-bbc-to-show-live-four-nations-games.html

BBC to show live Four Nations games

The BBC will televise Australia's games with England and France live in the end of season Four Nations.

It is the first time live coverage of an international has been on terrestrial television since the last World Cup.

England open up the competition on Friday October 23 against France, while Australia take on New Zealand on Saturday October 24, with both games live on SKY.

BBC will then show England against Australia on Saturday October 31, with a 14:30 kick off. France host New Zealand in Toulouse on the same day, live on SKY.

The following weekend, BBC will show France against Australia live from Paris.

The final group game between England and New Zealand and the final on Saturday November 14 will both be televised on SKY.

RFL Chairman Richard Lewis said: “The fact that two major broadcasters are showing all the fixtures live underlines just what a prestigious and fantastic tournament this year’s Gillette Four Nations promises to be.

“Millions of viewers around the country will be able to see some of the best players in the world compete in the biggest international Rugby League tournament to be staged in the northern hemisphere since 2000.”

The BBC will also show highlights of all games via the red button.

[sportsmad]

im really looking forward to this tournament as the build up is really starting now. aus will be...well australia! nz look awesome, france will be an unkown and england are under pressure to come up with something.

interesting that richard lewis described the tournament as the biggest one in the UK since the 2000 world cup.

[Druzik]

Aug 7, 2009 6:22:08 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

im really looking forward to this tournament as the build up is really starting now. aus will be...well australia! nz look awesome, france will be an unkown and england are under pressure to come up with something.

interesting that richard lewis described the tournament as the biggest one in the UK since the 2000 world cup.

Because it is... I just hope that the European Nations cup is not lost in all this, at least the Final should be shown on TV I think.

[sportsmad]

been looking at the schedulling for this tournament. i must say i think theyve undersold it a little bit. i realise why aus v nz is at a 12,000 seater stadium (because its the only rugby league one in london) but i think at the very least game 3 (aus v england at wigans jjb stadium) could have been played at elland road. i also think the final should be up for discussion

[sportsmad]

bryson goodwin was named in the nz squad for the four nations. he qualifies on the grandparent rule. i heard that he didnt even know he was named in the squad and found out from the papers!

[jim]

Aug 9, 2009 21:45:36 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

been looking at the schedulling for this tournament. i must say i think theyve undersold it a little bit. i realise why aus v nz is at a 12,000 seater stadium (because its the only rugby league one in london) but i think at the very least game 3 (aus v england at wigans jjb stadium) could have been played at elland road. i also think the final should be up for discussion

Yeh we went through this when they first announced it. If it was up to me Wembley would host Aus V Eng but now I think that would have been a bit much.

I can understand the stoop for Australia V NZ because it's a neutral game, the expats are in london and it will help Quins by exposing an audience to where they play.

Elland Road from what I hear is a dump, looks nice from what I've seen but people who have been there would have a better idea than me. I would have liked to seen us push for a soccer stadium for the final and try and get England V Australia in a 30,000+ ground. The soccer stadiums would have to be either Anfield or City Of Manchester but they are hard to get a hold of.

Overall I'm not too disappointed about the schedule, we've done the best with what we've got and we should get a few full houses and a tidy profit.

[jim]

And while we're back on scheduling, here's what I'd like to see for next year. If the PI team that gets through is PNG or Fiji they can host England. OK assuming PNG gets through.

AUS V ENG - SFS, Sydney
NZL V PNG - Yarrow Stadium, Taranaki

NZL V AUS - Eden Park, Aukland
PNG V ENG - Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby

AUS V PNG - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
NZL V ENG - Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Final - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

or

AUS V ENG - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
NZL V PNG - Yarrow Stadium, Taranaki

NZL V AUS - SFS, Sydney
PNG V ENG - Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby

AUS V PNG - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
NZL V ENG - Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Final - Eden Park, Aukland

Ofcourse there are so many variables it's hard to get anything concrete until after the Pacifc Cup and 4 Nations.

[sportsmad]

will eden park be finished by next years four nations? it will be a close call. if it is i see no reason why NZRL cant put in some effort and lure the final there. i look forward to the day that eden park sells out for a warriors finals home game.

i dont think its being that over optomistic in saying the final could be at wembley. it might not sell out but i think with good promotion a 60,000+ crowd would attend. 25,000 for aus v england though..... we need to stop selling ourselves short.

[jim]

Aug 10, 2009 11:09:09 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

will eden park be finished by next years four nations? it will be a close call. if it is i see no reason why NZRL cant put in some effort and lure the final there. i look forward to the day that eden park sells out for a warriors finals home game.

i dont think its being that over optomistic in saying the final could be at wembley. it might not sell out but i think with good promotion a 60,000+ crowd would attend. 25,000 for aus v england though..... we need to stop selling ourselves short.

Not too sure actually?

If it isn't then that rules out a NZ Final.

[ashulster]

I cant wait for this 4 nations tournament, I will hopefully be heading to the final.

Will matches from the 2010 4N be played in NZ or when they say Aus and NZ do they actually mean just Australia?

[sportsmad]

Manu Vatuvei - who refused to tell the Star-Times whether he had been playing with painkilling injections - is likely to be the first Warriors player ruled out of the Kiwis' Quad Nations campaign next week, but others seem certain to follow, with the club increasingly resistant to wholesale rep calls.

Vatuvei says he's "50-50" for the tour because of a persistent knee injury and Warriors club doctor John Mayhew says he would put a "big question mark" next to the names of Vatuvei, Simon Mannering (knee) and Sam Rapira (chest).

Asked about the issue, Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said: "Certainly I will be having discussions with the medical team and players over their state of mind and body."

Coach Ivan Cleary wouldn't direct players to refuse international call-ups, but added: "We have a few guys medically who are in a lot of doubt."

Vatuvei has talked regularly with Kiwis coach Steve Kearney and says he will Kearney a final decision after meeting knee specialist Barry Tietjens. "I don't want to go on the tour when my knee is like this, because I don't want to waste my time and the rest of the boys' time by going on tour just to play one game," Vatuvei said.

Mayhew says he and Tietjens haven't decided on Vatuvei's best treatment, but says: "You would be reasonably confident he won't be going away but nothing is set in stone."

* New NZRL chief executive, Jim Doyle, says he's been working 18-hour days to complete a new five-year strategic plan for the sport, "More than a Game", which will be unveiled next Friday. The Star-Times has seen a draft version of the document, which includes some blunt analysis of the sport's failings and what it needs to improve immediately.

The other focus for Doyle, a Scot recruited from GPS navigation system company Navman, has been meeting some of league's most outspoken identities: including Peter Leitch, Graham Lowe and Dean Lonergan. "I'd be blind, deaf or stupid if I didn't consult the guys who have been involved in the game a long time," Doyle said. "If I was one of them and a new CEO came in and didn't talk to me, I would think it quite rude, I would be pissed off. Most have been pleasantly surprised that I got in touch early on."

* Clad in "Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior" T-shirts, 30 former Warriors first-graders will hold a reunion at the final game of the season against Melbourne, playing touch against a team of homeless people and policemen coached by ex-Warrior, Tony Tatupu. The club wants to hold a reunion at the last home game of each season.

that report would be very interesting to see

[supersteve]

This pisses me off so much.

Rep time comes around and as always the Kiwis top players drop like flies!. I cant wait for the day they actually get to field their best team. Tuiaki got injured aswell. If Vatuvei doesnt play that is two top quality players gone.

[Druzik]

Sept 6, 2009 16:20:25 GMT 10 supersteve said:

This pisses me off so much.

Rep time comes around and as always the Kiwis top players drop like flies!. I cant wait for the day they actually get to field their best team. Tuiaki got injured aswell. If Vatuvei doesnt play that is two top quality players gone.

Well that happened last year and look what happened! A World cup!

Look the issue comes down to the way the NRL and all that is structured. there shoulod be 22 weeks of NRL, then State of origin then internationals.

[beez]

Sept 6, 2009 16:20:25 GMT 10 supersteve said:

This pisses me off so much.

Rep time comes around and as always the Kiwis top players drop like flies!. I cant wait for the day they actually get to field their best team. Tuiaki got injured aswell. If Vatuvei doesnt play that is two top quality players gone.

I don't mind too much as long as the Australian clubs don't pressure the guys not to play like has happened in the past. Injuries are a part of the sport, not much we can do.

Tuaki is no great loss, if a loss at all, given that he was Tongan last year (maybe some sort of karma for him to miss the international season).

On a bright note, Mannering sounded like he was looking forward to the Four-Nations when interviewed after the Warriors match, it had been mentioned that he may need off-season surgery.