WHEN Jonny Wilkinson dropped the World Cup winning goal against Australia, a chill went round the Rugby League ranks.
They may have warmed to the sight of at last putting one over against bitter oval ball rivals Australia but the celebrations were muted by the knowledge that the 13-a-side code was now facing its greatest challenge.
All the talk back in those heady summer days was of union building on its global success to run league into the ground, even in its traditional stronghold, the north west.
Yet the fans have rallied to re-affirm just where their allegiances lie as vastly improved marketing and promotional campaigns have proved key weapons in bolstering RL's counter attack.
Statistics show more people than ever before are now playing RL while attendances have soared.
Upsurge
Warrington Wolves, who have just moved from Wilderspool to the Halliwell Jones Stadium, are just one of the clubs revelling in RL's upsurge in popularity.
Media manager Gina Coldrick, reporting on the back of record season ticket sales of 5,300, said: "Interest here is stronger than ever."
And there's even more success around the corner as clubs have risien to the union challenge by going out there into schools and workplaces to sell their sport to an even wider audience.
"We know the potential for even more support is vast," added Coldrick.
"We go out to schools promoting the club and coaching. We touch on Liverpool and take in Crewe. We feel excellent marketing greatly helps our initiatives.
"Sean Mellor is a very innovative commercial manager, he tells it how he sees it and people like this."
Vital
Promoted Salford City Reds echo Warrington's sentiments. Lifelong fan Danny Gray is using his own website to promote games and football director Steve Simms said: "To be successful as a club, you build from the bottom. The next generation of supporter is so vital to every club. Our corporate facilties are among the best in the league. Things will also take off when we move to the new stadium at Barton."
Former Warrington star Kevin Ashcroft has seen many changes in Rugby League during an illustrious career spanning five decades.
He said: "Attracting fans to games is just like having a shop and making sure what's in the window will make you want to spend."
National League side Oldham quickly realised the importance of forging close links with the local community in order to promote the club.
Chairman Chris Hamilton said: "Great emphasis is placed on this and how best to attract family support."
Neighbours Rochdale Hornets are also trying to raise their profile within the town and chairman Ray Taylor said: "We've allowed under-16s to watch games for free for around 10 years."
Super League St Helens, one of the best-known clubs in the world, have no such problems about rasing their profile locally but also want to catch them when they're young.
And Saints' big rivals Wigan report record record season ticket sales at the JJB Stadium.
Is League booming? have your say
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I think Rugby League is beginning to see a bit of a boom period again, with growth in the numbers of people playing and watching the game. Any suggestions that the union world cup would spell the end for League were certainly wide of the mark.
Evidence of the boom in League can be seen on any Sunday morning around the playing fields of Lancashire. You can't get near the places for teams and spectators from U8 upwards. Some good offers on Junior season tickets has really shifted the age profile of crowds at all the major pro clubs. Crowds are booming. The salary cap is bringing the real chance of success to more and more clubs and forcing clubs to develop and blood new talent. The game is in its healthiest state for years.
League's current success has nothing to do with Union. It's been building steadily since the move to summer in 1995 and is the result of a huge amount of hard work done on the ground by many people who care deeply for the sport. This tremendous progress has often occured in the face of indifference or worse from the media.
The Rugby Union World Cup has done Rugby League a great favour! Many people in the UK and arent to familiar about there being two codes of rugby having been long established in these islands, hence there is a 'rugby feel good factor' also evident in the 13 a side game.
League looks forward to gaining revenge over the Aussies in this autumns Tri-Nations Series, and that will give the game an even further boost!
As a Rochdale Hornets fan we have done it tough in recent years but the feel good factor has reach our club with fans and directors working together and pushing the club forward, it realy is a boom time for Rugby League,Get down to spotland on sunday, Bobbie Goulding and the boys are buzzing.
I have no doubt that Rugby League is on the verge of nationwide credibility. Super League is growing fast, grassroots clubs are springing up everywhere and non traditional areas are looking are entering Professional Clubs. The National Team is starting to show a competitiveness not seen for a long time and they are far better to watch then the kicking comp of Rugby Union.
Rugby League is more popular than ever-all over the country, and its not all due to Mr. Wilkinson`s kicking.
The excitement and thrill of League cannot be matched (by any sport).
Now that it is being given a chance to be played and to a lesser extent watched all-over the country it can only grow and grow.
Vive la Rugby a trieze.
Despite little media profile, the game continues to grow apace. Pat on the back all round!
The fact that Rugby League were able to buck the trend of haveing to accept less money for a new T.V deal. To be able to command an improved deal says an awful lot about which way the games going. Clubs with new stadium and more to come Is also great news. Record season ticket sales, and record walk up crowds also add to the feel good factor. Also T.V audiances are on the up. And all this without anything like the help certain other sports get from the media. In the case of football thats fair enough, the live and television audiances are huge so It deserves the amount of column Inches It gets. As for Union, the amount of coverage In the written media especially Is totally disproportionate to the local and national intrest In the game.
Last weekends double-header,
tykes v sale & Rhino`s v saints really showed the difference in class and skill, the volume generated by the League crowd was three or four times louder than the union game, Given a fair crack of the whip in the national newspapers League would become even bigger than its union brothers
I went to my first ever rugby league game last weekend, St.Helens v Leeds and I have to say it was the best sporting even I have ever been to. The passion of both sets of fans was fantastic and the quality of the game was amazing - how those players keep going for so long is beyond me. One game and I am hooked.
You bet your @rse League is booming.
I say, gave us the same media coverage as Rugby Union and you watch how much League booms! The media know this and are afraid to do anything about it!
Rugby League hasn't suddenly boomed this year it has been booming for quite a while. The summer conference league has expanded the game into corners of the UK that would have been unthought of 10years ago. We now see league springing to life in Ireland and Holland. Now that rugby union has lost its excuse for stifling the game through the establishment the game is spreading at an alarming rate.
Booming yes, just this season no, you ain't seen nothing yet.
As your Rugby League article mentioned the Union code, it is worth pointing out that the Union crowds for club games are now actually lower than they were prior to the Union World Cup!
Sale Sharks only attracted 6k+ for a semi final game last weekend, whilst the likes of Saint Helens have had 30k+ for their first 2 home games.
With Warringtons new stadium, Salfords proposed stadium, Wigans state of the art JJB stadium, the future is definatley looking more rosy than Union.
Hi,
Moved 'up north' 12 months ago and until had only ever experienced Rugby League on TV. I now love the game so much am now a season ticket holder. From the Wolves perspective the new stadium has improved the profile of the club and the atmosphere around the town is much Higher than last year.
Rugby League is on the up on its own two feet and nothing to do with the success of union.
The Summer Conference has welcomed many more clubs nationwide, as well as a boom in schools in London.
Crowds are up in pro games with plenty of full stadiums to follow to watch some spectacular games.
Rugby League has suffered discrimination for many years but will never die such is the support of the loyal fans.
league is definately on the up at present with new teams appearing all over the country especially around the london area,since the change to summer attendances have improved every season and if the press would give THE GREATEST GAME the coverage it deserves we can only expect that improvement to continue.
Just read with interest your article on crowds in rugby league. It is certain that the new league season has got off to a good start, with some good promotion coming from the clubs. What is needed however is for the momntum to be sustained form all concerned, the clubs, the fans and the media. At the end of the day rugby league is the most vibrent, fast flowing all action team sport on earth and one that I believe should be enjojed by as many people as posible.
The chill which resonated around RFL circles when England won the WC could best be described as a warm south easterly.I find it incredulous that any RFL fan would change sports because of a drop goal.;)
Sell-out crowds at all the major Rugby League events of last season suggest that the further increase in attendances this season should not have come as a surprise. For shear entertainment no other sport comes close to the skill levels and physical impacts displayed in every game. Contrary to some media reports many fans thought the Rugby Union world cup final was a great day for League. The four key attacking players on the pitch were all from ruby league, bought by union to add skill and attacking flair. Add to that the key Union appointments of Joe Lydon, Phil Larder, Damian McGrath & a host of ideas and set plays pinched from league, it all goes to show the strength of the product of Rugby League. A point well illustrated by the 14,600 who watched Saints play Leeds in a 5th round Powergen cup game, compared to the 6,000 who watched Sale & Leeds play in the semi-final of the Rugby Union version of the cup. If its entertainment, skill & passion you want, Rugby League wins every time - as more and more people are discovering. It will however be interesting to see if this boom in attendace figures will produce more balanced reporting from certain Sports Editors. Coverage by the Manchester Evening News and BBC Northwest in particular is totally unrepresentative of the level of interest in the game. The number of column inches given by the MEN to one professional Rugby Union club compared to that offered to the whole of League is laughable. It is one reason why many league fans no longer bother with the paper.
I have yet to see any sport in Britain that can match Super League, football can only dream of games like the two Challenge Cup rounds the Saints have been involved in, yes the game is thriving and will get bigger on the back of the new International calendar that's just been announced.
Rugby league is dying . Change to rugby union is the only option if we are to survive .
League is definately on the rise in London and as a union follower I cannot help but marvell at the increased speed and flow that Rugby League provides in comparison. Go the Essex eels!!!
Of course, on & off the field. You just gotta look at the attendances and the quality of the product that is super league. Last weekend's rugby league games on BBC outrated the union semi-finals two-to-one, as did the crowds.
If the increases in crowds and viewing figures are anything to go by then yes it is. I for one am looking forward with a massive amount of enthusiasm to the try nations in the autumn. Hopefully this wave of enthusiasm might be reflected in the MENs rugby league coverage, because at the moment it is pitiful.