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why does the olympic rugby have to be union ? do you think they considered league?

Great Britain got the silver medal after an embarrassing display v Fiji who got the Gold medal

Fiji 43 -Great Britain 7

formulamoto wrote:why does the olympic rugby have to be union ? do you think they considered league?

No they probably didn't. Most of the world aren't aware there are two codes, they just see the shape of the ball and know it as rugby. Then because of greater global financial backing and a larger international presence, union is the predominant code. As it's such as rubbish game, but 7s is faster and more open, 7s found its way into the games as more different countries started to do well in it.

There is a push to have 9s in the commonwealth games. I think if the IOC decide to keep 7s after Tokyo 2020 then the commonwealth games may look to 9s instead.

The Olympics concept has been ruined by the introduction of professionalism in sports like individuals in Tennis and team sports like Football and Rugby Union.

And is it fair that the BBC has to have all day coverage on all three of its television channels when many license payers who might not be interested in the Olympics are not getting any real alternative and the main rival ITV is showing nothing else but repeats.

And then there is the question of how much money is now spent on staging the Olympic's in countries like Brazil when there is much bad poverty.

Even the each day highlights of the games are for near three hours.

Now, like everything else in major sport, it is now all about making money for those running it!

josie andrews wrote:Great Britain got the silver medal after an embarrassing display v Fiji who got the Gold medal

Fiji 43 -Great Britain 7

I remember Bradford Bulls playing in the Twickenham 7's on a Saturday travelling down to London immediately after a hiding away to sintelins. The union pundits said the competition would be an embarrassment to the Rugby League, with commentary belittling the league boys at every opportunity. It was embarrassing to Union as the Bulls beat wasps in the final, and all that d1ck head John inverdale could say was, that rugby 7's is more suited to rugby league teams as it's more like league than Union. Another big gob sh1te just like wooden head Woodward who try to big up such a second rate form of rugby.
Just my opinion of course, and rant over.

Panchitta Marra wrote:

josie andrews wrote:Great Britain got the silver medal after an embarrassing display v Fiji who got the Gold medal

Fiji 43 -Great Britain 7

I remember Bradford Bulls playing in the Twickenham 7's on a Saturday travelling down to London immediately after a hiding away to sintelins. The union pundits said the competition would be an embarrassment to the Rugby League, with commentary belittling the league boys at every opportunity. It was embarrassing to Union as the Bulls beat wasps in the final, and all that d1ck head John inverdale could say was, that rugby 7's is more suited to rugby league teams as it's more like league than Union. Another big gob sh1te just like wooden head Woodward who try to big up such a second rate form of rugby.
Just my opinion of course, and rant over.

With a little bit of training how would the Fiji team have coped against players like ingliss, sheck, Sam Burgess to name three out of many.

Whelley Warrior wrote:The Olympics concept has been ruined by the introduction of professionalism in sports like individuals in Tennis and team sports like Football and Rugby Union.

And is it fair that the BBC has to have all day coverage on all three of its television channels when many license payers who might not be interested in the Olympics are not getting any real alternative and the main rival ITV is showing nothing else but repeats.

And then there is the question of how much money is now spent on staging the Olympic's in countries like Brazil when there is much bad poverty.

Even the each day highlights of the games are for near three hours.

Now, like everything else in major sport, it is now all about making money for those running it!

Are you a fan of the Olympics WW?

No of course they did not. To be honest I am not a fan of sports like football, rugby either code etc being part of the Olympics, Tennis too. If the Olympics is not the pinnacle of your sport then you should not be in the Olympics IMO!

I think match angling should be in the Olympics!

I liked the way Fiji played their rugby. EVERY other Union country was dreadful

Personally, I enjoy the rowing, the swimming and feel the real Olympics is athletics. Biggest negative that kiss ass commentator Inverdale!

There was an article in the "Sunday Times", 4th August 2002, headline: "Rugby set to be Olympic game".
It suggested that RU could be part of the 2008 Olympics and that the IOC and the IRB had been negotiating for several years.

I wrote to David Lloyd at the RFL in Sept. 2002 - subsequently Richard Lewis - drawing their attention to this, and the fact that Rugby Union could become "Rugby".
Richard Lewis replied thanking me for alerting him to that fact.
I think I raised this again a few years later.

Just as a side issue, why are we (UK) so brilliant across the board at the individual sports, yet so pathetic at our team games.

Soccer done nothing on the international stage for decades (despite all their riches), ru had a hopeless world cup in the UK (and terrible in the final of the Olympic 7's). I can't think of any other major team sport that's been a success?

But we're currently second in the world at the Rio games with mostly individual efforts. Is it down to 'bottle', coaching, techniques, or what; or do we have the completely wrong attitude/character within our team sports ?

Be interesting to have a "take" on this.

And by the way, that Inverdale is a RL "hater" along with the journalist, Stephen Jones.