England vs New Zealand in Vegas
Talks had been proceeding at pace for arguably the biggest one-off money match in rugby history, although it has now been confirmed that England vs New Zealand will have to wait for 2018.
Why the fans want to see it
It’s the McGregor/Mayweather of Rugby Union: both parties are highly talented, but you probably think at least one of them is a complete arse. New Zealand vs England is a mouth-watering prospect for many, and with the sides sitting at 1 and 2 in the world rankings right now, the marketing practically writes itself. That being said, capitalism dictates every drop of cash is squeezed out of the showdown, so we got our Don Draper hats on, downed a whisky, made inappropriate comments towards our secretaries, and started thinking about how to maximise the profits:
Keep Repeat the streak
At the time of writing the first draft of this article, England were undefeated under Eddie Jones, having matched New Zealand’s record of 18 matches in a row. Unfortunately, the men in white ballsed it up, meaning my points about how important it is that they remain unbeaten are now irrelevant. That said, in lieu of undoing the loss to Ireland through some sort of time machine related shenanigans, it’s important that England get straight back on the proverbial horse on their summer tour to Argentina.
For the proposed encounter to maintain its lustre, England must start stringing victories together again. New Zealand’s loss to Ireland in Chicago was disappointing, but nobody questioned whether they were still the best in the world afterwards. For all their victories, England rarely played particularly well, with the recent Scotland match one of the few displays that could genuinely be paralleled with the All Blacks’ top form.
England’s steady rise up the world rankings hasn’t been particularly pretty, so the winning run was arguably a bigger draw in itself than the match quality. After all, no-one cared about the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania matches after Brock Lesnar broke the streak. If England want people to take them seriously against the All Blacks, they need to start picking up the Ws.
Select the right venue
When the match was still being discussed, it looked like Twickenham would be the most likely host for the occasion. Whilst HQ is undoubtedly a fantastic ground, accusations of home advantage would forever be levelled at the men in white. Short of playing a return fixture in New Zealand, the best option would be to play in a neutral venue. The Swiss Alps or Vegas would be the best shouts. Or if they really want to avoid fan-favouritism, play it in Australia where both England and New Zealand are equally hated.
Make it count
Surely, global rugby supremacy is all well and good, but in order to maximise the appeal, there should be something at stake to attract the casual viewer. There could even be a forfeit for the loser – tell me you wouldn’t pay money to watch a match if you knew it could end with Eddie Jones shaving Steve Hansen’s head.
Go big
As well as the aforementioned forfeit, there needs to be a reward involved too. To truly see who is the best in the World, they should be competing for some form of silverware, possibly a Cup. They could even involve other nations. And if it’s successful, this could even be a regular thing! Say, every four years?
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope WRU cops a 12 month ban.
1 Go to commentsOuch. Pumped. Even Nohamba is a better flyhalf than Ford.
2 Go to commentsI hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
2 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
30 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
27 Go to comments