Oregon Rugby League

Opinión de la Liga de Rugby, traducción al español

 Ahora que la Rugby League tanto en el hemisferio norte como en el sur ha tenido campeones coronados, es hora de tomar un respiro y dar un paso atrás y revisar la temporada que acaba de ser. Hubo mucho drama dentro y fuera del campo. principalmente con problemas de covid para detener e iniciar el juego. Por mi parte, estaba muy agradecido de que aquí en América Fox Sports pudiera colocar algunos partidos de la NRL en sus canales de transmisión más primarios en FS1 y FS2, algo que la AFL realmente ha estado disfrutando al difundir su estilo de fútbol entre las masas aquí. Desafortunadamente, la Superliga fue un poco más difícil de ver. Chris Reid, quien es el fundador de la Liga Centroamericana de Rugby y también la mente maestra detrás de la Liga de Rugby de California, fue lo suficientemente amable como para responder algunas preguntas candentes que tenía. espero que todos disfruten!

LLR -Ahora que la NRL y la Superliga han terminado, ¿la temporada se desarrolló como pensaba, con la excepción del problema de Covid?

CR-La temporada pareció dar un vuelco tras el parón de COVID. Creo que la implementación de la regla 6 Again (donde un árbitro llamará 6 nuevamente por infracciones menores en lugar de un scrum) fue el catalizador del cambio repentino en la suerte de algunos equipos. Los Broncos de Brisbane se derrumbaron por completo, los Panthers tuvieron una carrera ridícula e invicta y los Titans también terminaron muy fuerte con su nuevo entrenador.

LLR- ¿Cuáles son algunas de las historias clave que los fanáticos deben tener en cuenta fuera de temporada?

CR- Ojalá no haya demasiada controversia esta temporada baja. Los Titans realmente están construyendo un gran equipo para el próximo año con David Fifita mudándose de los Broncos. La decisión de Cameron Smith sobre si jugará o se retirará será la gran historia. Estoy muy interesado en ver dónde termina Benji Marshall.

LLR- Siempre hay un gran debate sobre cuál es mejor, NRL o SL. ¿Cuál es mejor y por qué?

CR- NRL de lejos. El NRL es muy competitivo. Solo ha habido un equipo que no ha llegado a una gran final en la era de la NRL (desde 1998) y 12 ganadores diferentes. La Superliga solo ha tenido 4 ganadores en ese mismo período y uno de esos equipos ha descendido desde entonces. La Superliga tiene un problema de imagen en Reino Unido. Creo que el clasismo sigue siendo un gran problema del que no pueden deshacerse.

LLR- El crecimiento de la liga de rugby en América del Norte recibió un golpe significativo por parte de la Superliga al no admitir al Wolfpack de Toronto para la temporada 2021, ¿cuál es su opinión sobre el tema, movimiento correcto o no?

CR - Definitivamente el movimiento equivocado, pero no es difícil ver por qué sucedió. La estructura de dar al órgano de gobierno un solo voto, igual a un club, es ridícula. Luego, el resto votó por interés propio. TWP quería su parte justa de los ingresos y los clubes no querían renunciar a ella. Es de mente pequeña pero predecible.

LLR- Hace un tiempo estaba escuchando un podcast y se mencionó a Sonny Bill Williams, el invitado que habían mencionado que él (SBW) ya pasó su mejor momento y se ha convertido en un jugador sobrevalorado en los últimos años. ¿Qué piensas de SBW?

CR- No hay mucho que decir sobre SBW que no se haya dicho. Atleta supremo. Unidad monumental. Puro profesional. Obviamente, es un espécimen físico tremendo, pero en estos días eso es solo el 30%. Solo formar un equipo de la NRL es algo que la mayoría de la gente nunca logrará, y mucho menos ganar dos títulos de primer ministro y jugar para su país.

No hay duda de que ha pasado su mejor momento. Le pasa a casi todo el mundo a su edad. Es un deporte duro que afecta tu cuerpo.

LLR- ¿Qué es lo que IRL está haciendo correctamente para hacer crecer el juego?

CR- No mucho si soy honesto.

LLR- El partido de prueba de Nueva Zelanda e Inglaterra jugado hace un tiempo en Denver fue un éxito, desafortunadamente eclipsado por el fracaso de la empresa que organizó el evento, ¿deberían jugar más partidos de prueba en países de la liga de rugby reconocidos en países de la Liga en desarrollo?

CR- Absolutamente. ¿Por qué no NZ v Tonga en Hawaii? ¿Qué tal Italia contra Irlanda, donde haya grandes cantidades de expatriados o fuertes antecedentes de migración de estas naciones? No es una ciencia exacta. Creo que podría ser genial.

LLR- Gracias por tu tiempo una vez más, ¿algunas palabras finales?

CR- Gracias por invitarme. Sal y apoya a las naciones pececillas. Ese es el futuro.

Rugby league opinion.

 Now that Rugby League in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres have had there champions crowned its time to take a breath and step back and review the season that just was. there was a lot of drama on and off the field. primarily with covid issues stopping and starting play. i for one was very grateful that here in America Fox Sports was able to place some NRL matches on their more primary broadcasting channels in FS1 and FS2, something the AFL has actually been enjoying getting their style of footy out to the masses here. unfortunately Super League was a bit more of stretch to watch. Chris Reid who is the Central American Rugby League founder and also the master mind behind California Rugby League , was gracious enough to answer a few burning questions I had. hope you all enjoy!

LLR- Now that the NRL and Super League have ended, did the season play out the way you thought it would, with the exception of Covid issue. 

CR- The season seemed to be turned on its head after the COVID break. I believe the implementation of the 6 Again rule (where a ref will call 6 again for minor infractions instead of a scrum) was the catalyst for the sudden change in some team's fortunes. The Brisbane Broncos totally collapsed, the Panthers went on a ridiculous undefeated run and the Titans also finished very strongly with their new coach.

LLR- What are some key storylines fans should keep an eye on in the off season?

CR- Hopefully there's not too much controversy this off-season. The Titans are really building a great squad for next year with David Fifita moving from the Broncos. Cameron Smith's decision on whether he will play on or retire will be the big story. I'm very interested in seeing where Benji Marshall ends up.

LLR- There's always great debate on which is better, NRL or SL. which is better and why?

CR- NRL by a long way. The NRL is very competitive. There has only been one team that hasn't made a grand final in the NRL era (since 1998) and 12 different winners. Super League has only had 4 winners in that same period and one of those teams has since been relegated. Super League has an image problem in the UK. I believe classism is still a huge problem they can't shake.

LLR- The growth of rugby league in North America was dealt a significant blow by the Super League in not admitting the Toronto Wolfpack back in for the 2021 season, what is your opinion on the issue, right move or no?

CR- Definitely the wrong move but it's not hard to see why it happened. The structure of giving the governing body a single vote, equal to one club is ridiculous. Then the rest voted on self interest. TWP wanted their fair share of revenue and the clubs didn't want to give it up. It's small minded but predictable.

LLR- I was listening to a Podcast a while back and Sonny Bill Williams was mentioned, the guest they had on brought up that he (SBW) is past his prime and has become an overrated player over the last few years. What are your thoughts on SBW ?

CR- There's not much to say about SBW that hasn't been said. Supreme athlete. Monumental drive. Pure professional. He's obviously a tremendous physical specimen but these days that's only 30% of it. Just to make an NRL squad is something most people will never achieve let alone winning two premierships and playing for your country.

There's no doubt he's past his prime. It happens to just about everyone at his age. It's a tough sport that takes a toll on your body.

LLR- What is one thing that the IRL is doing correctly in growing the game?

CR- Not much if I'm honest.

LLR- The New Zealand and England test match played a while back in Denver was a success , unfortunately overshadowed by the failure of the company that staged the event , should more test matches be played by well known Rugby league nations in developing League nations?

CR- Absolutely. Why not NZ v Tonga in Hawaii? How about Italy v Ireland wherever there are large amounts of expats or strong histories of migration from these nations. It's not rocket science. I believe it could be great.

LLR- Thank you for your time once again, any final words?

CR- Thanks for having me. Get out there and support the minnow nations. That's the future.

Rugby League Passion: Tiffany Salmond

Over the past few years I've been fallowing Rugby League more closely then usual. Like many social media has been a great tool to find stories, learn what's happening and to fallow along with any new developments. Especially since league is very minimal here in the states and the NRL and Super League is not easy to watch or fallow. So when Tiffany Salmond tweets regarding the NRL and the various players involved came across my feed , due to another party retweet , I was hooked as fallowing her for another source to learn more on what's happening. Her passion and willingness to call out how the code is perceived and treated by the media and the players themselves is something I am excited about. I hope you all truly enjoy what she has to share and give her a fallow, she is truly a bright person and knows what she is speaking of. 

LLR- Please share a bit about yourself

TS- My name is Tiffany Salmond and I work for Sky Sport NZ attached to the rugby league team on live NRL games and The Kiwi League Show. My role includes finding interesting rugby league stories around the country, conducting interviews, editing stories and other content for our productions. I have a big passion for growing the game here in New Zealand and giving it the recognition it deserves in the professional game as well as grassroots. I graduated university with a bachelor of communications majoring in journalism in 2018 and have been at Sky Sport now for a year and a half

LLR- With so many options why rugby league ?

TS- I grew up in a rugby league family. My poppa played and has referred for most of his life, and my dad played the game up until he was 50 so it’s always been apart of my life. Almost every Friday and Saturday night of my childhood was spent falling asleep on the couch in front of the late night NRL games and being woken up by the cheering of the crowd every time a try was scored. My dad comes from the old era rugby league days when fans of the game knew the history of the unfair treatment the sport had experienced and how much it had to fight to stay alive in this country and around the world. He’s passed down this knowledge to me which I am very vocal about as I can still see the injustice within the rugby league communities around the country so that also strengthens my passion for wanting to fight for the game.

LLR- You seem pretty passionate about the NRL and the growth of the game in the southern hemisphere, have there been athletes or other reporters who have reached out in support?

TS- No they haven’t. As I mentioned before about the history of the game, not many people (fans included) know the difficulties the sport faces specifically in New Zealand so it gets neglected. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to be so vocal about it and get involved with the communities and do my bit to tell their stories on The Kiwi League Show

LLR- In your opinion how can women's rugby league grow in the south and north regions along with developing regions like USA, Canada and Latin America ?

TS- In terms of growing the women’s game, I think it needs to become more professional for it to develop anymore than it has. From the first NRLW (women’s NRL) season it was great footy but also very amateur, whereas the second season looked sharper and more professional. Within two seasons of the competition the quality of the football improved immensely due to clubs seeing potential in the game and investing in their female athletes in the way of coaches, money and facilities. One thing I have noticed in New Zealand that I think will be a big step in developing the game is creating more grades in the grassroots competition. If I wanted to play rugby league next season there is only one grade I can join, which means as a compete novice I would be coming up against NRLW players and even Kiwi Ferns. It’s a very intimidating reality, which is why I think having more amateur grades would be a great way of getting more girls coming along and giving it a go

LLR- Does there have to be, it's ether Rugby Union or League or can both codes exist at the same time?

TS- They have both existed alongside each other for years now, despite unions efforts to eliminate the competition. In New Zealand rugby Union is our national sport and dominates our media which makes it very hard for rugby league to get any recognition and attention. Despite the disadvantages, rugby league still thrives, has impressive crowds and huge TV ratings. If it wasn’t such a great game I don’t think it could have survived the adversity quite like it has.

LLR- What advice do you give to those trying to grow rugby league in the USA ?

TS- One thing we know is rugby league is a great product so selling it to the masses isn’t the problem, but getting the word out there is the hard part. We know Americans love their contact sports like the NFL and I’ve seen how they react to our league players smashing into each other with no protective gear, it shocks them but they love it! Getting it into the schools would be a great start. Rugby league is a very simple and basic game compared to rugby union with all their rules, which makes our game very appealing to new comers

LLR- Who wins the NRL restructure season?

TS- Every season it can be anyone’s game, that’s the great thing about the NRL’s salary cap restrictions which insures wealthy clubs can’t buy all the top players. This season in particular though could really be anyone’s! With the completion being so rattled and uncertain due to the pandemic, I think there could be a few dark horses going for the trophy. I’ll have to say my NZ Warriors though of course! I always have to back my team.

LLR- What would you like to see done to take the game to the next level?

TS- The end of last year we saw the inaugural Oceania Cup which shook international rugby league with Tonga beating Australia for the first time in history. The international game has unfortunately been neglected through the years as the NRL has taken priority. I think as a sport we need to take advantage in this turning of the heads within the international arena and boost it to the rest of the world because that is a big reason the game hasn’t grown past NZ, Australia and the UK. Unfortunately the NRL/Australia are the ones who have to allow this to happen as they are the heart of rugby league and all it’s talent. There was a lot of discussion about this at the beginning of the year so I hope they realise we have something special right now and they need to allow it to grow for the good of our game and it’s future.

LLR- How can people connect with you and fallow along?

TS- You can find me on Twitter @Tiffany_salmond, on Instagram @Tiffanysalmond and The Kiwi League show now has an Instagram where we will be posting all our local Kiwi content @thekiwileagueshow



* I would like to thank Tiffany for taking the time in responding back to my questions and with the NRL season getting ready to start back up from this horrible virus we have all had to deal with I look forward to see how the NRL and other professional sports leagues around the world play out. Again I hope you all give Tiffany a fallow on her social media accounts and I personally look forward to more of what she has to say.