I was answering his post.

I don't think its ok.

Its a total waste of time but who is financing this "concept" that everyone is so keen on?



No one is, its a load of rubbish.

The players union? Lol.



And many stars did take part. It was a good mix of 1st graders and youngsters and the crowds responded accordingly.



Where does it say it will compete with the Auckland nines? Union has taken a one off sevens comp and made it a series played all over the world and in the Olympics. Nines is a great format and we should be exploiting it, same with touch footy which is by far the biggest and most geographically spread form of RL being played.



A SL nines in place of magic weekend, which should be ditched as it creates an unfair fixture list, with a end of season world nines would be welcome additions to the Auckland nines.

Absolutely and if there is no money there is no comp. if koukash is serious and has the financial backing there will be. Time will tell.



Ps ASADA will close down the Sharks and we will be fast tracked to ko off next year lol. Probably time to change it to 2018!

The Players Union have capped years where Tests are played overseas several times.



I am not fussed on what Union does to be honest, but League is not Union and does not have that profile or corporate support to sustain two Nines comps in one season at near full strength IMO.



ASADA are a joke and will not close anyone down, has there ever been a bigger fiasco in sport than how they have put their case forward.

Its set drug testing back a decade in Australia.

you are a terribly ignorant person, what makes you say that? you do realise that Lebanon although not strictly Arab have a rugby league team? and there is local rugby league comp here? And there has just been an international rugby league match played in Dubai?



Also in response to why not the USA have you ever seen a map? what country is half way between the UK and Australia?

Dubai.....



Hard to read what you were saying there, it was all included in my post.





Not that ignorant, I know how to post a quote and reply unlike you.



The fact is the country has been built on imported slave labour

The fact is homosexuality is illegal and severely punished if discovered.

Its run by a bloke that is not much better than many past dictators.

No I would have no interest in going to Brazil AT ALL.

I know third world people and I feel its terrible that people accept paying them slave labour wages and rationalize it because its better than they get back home. I work with many people from third world countries.



Many imported "workers" are treated like absolute e in Dubai and many females are almost nanny "sex slaves" they can not go to the authorities because they would be locked up and condemned.



Not interested in the place, Desert, Arab "culture" Climate, people or "skyline"



Mongolia looks more attractive to be honest.

Ah the great League country of Lebanon, I must have missed them in the recent world cup or even in the 2008 WC



Have you seen a map?

Dubai is not in between Australia/NZ and the UK.

LA is about the same distance for each League, Dubai is as far from Oz as LA is, its a dam site closer to the UK.



I mentioned the USA because it is a popular tourist destination for Australians and they did make the last world cup (full of ring ins)



There is a far better chance of the USA embracing or backing the game than Dubai.



There is no chance of the game ever being anything in the middle east so why promote it there.

Are you Arabic by the way?

Why do you keep going on about LA? There's no RL team in LA or Hawaii. How would it build interest in the US competition when there's no competition for those people to watch?

Also, go to some southern US states and kiss your boyfriend in public and see what happens. You won't be arrested by the state but you won't like the experience.



You really aren't getting it. It's not to try and build RL in Dubai so that eventually there's a Dubai team or league. It's to try and bring it to a global audience. People from all around the world visit Dubai and businesses and wealthy individuals pay attention to things that happen there. If it attracted just 1 more Marwan Koukash wouldn't it be worth it?

Maybe if we'd had a 9's comp in Dubai before then Dr Koukash might have got involved in RL earlier.



Do you think HSBC would be so closely involved with Union if it hadn't had the 7's in Hong Kong?

Take a look at the top British Union sponsors, like HSBC, Adidas, Land Rover etc they're all "proud" of the global reach the sponsorship offers them. Not once do they mention Leicester and London. They mention Britain, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai etc.



If we sell ourselves as small time we'll get small time. If we can offer world cities and destinations that sponsors can attach themselves to and get their brand out to then we'll attract bigger and better sponsors. If all we offer is 2 restricted areas then we'll get restricted, 3rd rate sponsors.

HSBC, Addidas and Land Rover have what market share in Australia? (answer is not much) and what they have has frigg all to do with the Union Sevens its about the same thing across the Globe at the moment Price and bang for your buck.



Because I think the USA and be it Hawaii, LA or East Coast it would serve the game better in the long run.

League is not Union with the old Hong Kong Sevens.



Dubai would get no support from the NRL or its fans, I do not know why you think a League game played there would get any more backers or sponsorship than a game of Curling.



It must be something that English fans dream of a game in the middle East will sort it all out and the Sheiks will pour money into the game.

The Arabs have taken control of much of old England and pretty well own London lets play in their backyard and see the money come in.



Dreamers.

Cracking thread this.

Ah. I'm getting it now. What would only benefit Australia and the NRL. I see.



What on earth makes you think RL would be built in an area with no team in the national competition? It's utterly bizarre. If you were to have a 9's comp in the US it would be on the East Coast, where the majority of teams are.

In that case why have an Auckland 9's?



Christ on a bike. Do you think AP fans or Super 15 fans fly around the world watching 7's? Of course not. It's locals, ex-pats and holiday makers who attend. It also introduces Rugby Union to a part of the world that can't sustain 15 a side Rugby. I'll say it again, would HSBC or Cathay Pacific have got so involved with Union without the Hong Kong 7's?

2 massive global companies putting the kind of money and partnership in that ALL of RL, including your amazing, wonderful NRL, would only dream of.



Rugby Union has spread beyond its traditional borders. Partly because of the old boys network & compliant media but also partly because in the 70's, when RL was in-fighting and killing themselves for the next 30 years, Union was planning for the future. We have to start that process now. If we stay within our own borders we'll slowly wither and die bar a small enclave of die-yards. Even the NRL will in the future if Australian RL doesn't embrace the international game.