ABs vs Kangaroos?

In a statement issued last night, NZR chief executive Steve Tew immediately put a line through the proposed match.

"We get asked to consider a large number of proposals regularly, and in this case, we were approached over a year ago about the possibility of a hybrid game," Tew said. "Other than that initial conversation, there have been no other discussions and this is definitely not something we are pursuing."

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, speaking ahead of the test against France in Paris, was similarly dismissive.

"$50 million? Yeah, I chuckle at a lot of the media reports I read," Hansen said. "I haven't heard anything about it."

(#FakeNews #VeryFakeNews)

Herald fell for it hair-on-fire hard at first...

BREAKING - this could change the face of the trans-Tasman rivalry forever

Yet after the nosestretcher is exposed, they haven't updated twitter headline, they're still enjoying the clickbait hiding their correction behind the same uncorrected headline they posted 8 hours ago...

The update

I went on facebook last night and this shit was everywhere on my newsfeed ,

People were buying it too, it was being debated who was going to win

It's more likely the ABs will play a sevens or tens game v the Wallabies than a union-league hybrid v the Kangaroos, and even that I don't see happening.

Given the level of care Aussies have for the international game, our packed calendar and desire to field a full strength team for a festival match....is ain't gonna happen

I think they be better trying to get something between the Maori and Kangaroos, be more workable IMO.

@taniwharugby

They could always find 50-million reasons to change their mind... (if your read the inference in Shag's "denial"...)

@salacious-crumb that's a lot of coin, but can't see it being near that much, plus I'd still expect a team similar to last weekends starting 15 even if it went forward.

These sort of bullshit stories raise their head every year.

Usually some Aussie on one side or other of the league-rugby divide eyes up the market on the other side, spouts some idea to try and create interest and eventually Randwick plays the Newtown Jets in a game that resembles league more than rugby. Because Straya.

@salacious-crumb said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:

Organisers are already trying to sell the idea of global superstars like Sonny Bill Williams and Josh Dugan, Beauden Barrett and Michael Morgan, Aaron Smith and Cooper Cronk, and coaches Steve Hansen and Mal Meninga squaring off, the report claims.

"Global superstar Josh Dugan" made me laugh.

The window was apparently two weeks to a month after the RWC. Yeah OK. Win, lose or draw there's no fucking way the abs would want to play a game like that right after the RWC.

I don't mind if club teams or even a select group of players do something like this, but not the abs. No way.

I decided to click on one of the articles on Stuff and the hybrid game sounds farking ridiculous!

There would be 13 players per team (plus seven reserves), there would be lineouts but no lifting and the team in possession would have 60 seconds to cross the halfway line playing league rules, at which point, the referees would call change of play to rugby union laws.

I used to like watching the crossover games that the UK club champs for league and rugby played way back when.

This hybrid league nonsense raises its head occasionally. It's all about league trying to get some international relevance and some rugby following Australians trying to get the level of support league does in the delusion that this would make them rugby superpowers. Like England.

Add to that a healthy dose of used car salesmen looking for that one big break to catapult them into that middle ground between miners and mine owning bogans, the whole thing is an immense pile of shit.

The Daily Telegraph themselves must have been laughing as they wrote it: Kieran Read v Wade Graham, Boyd Cordner v Samuel Whitelock - giving away 22 cm and 32 kilos in just two forwards.

@act-crusader at least they were a half of league and a half of rugby, this 'hybrid game' sounds stupid.

Ah. Must mean the Melbourne Cup is over, and the ratings figures for the Rugby League World Cup of Sydney Players are in.

I remember watching the Wigan-Bath clashes in 1996. They were full games of each code.

Wiki says Wigan won the RL game 82-6 and Bath won the rugby game 44-19. Wigan was very good back then and were much fitter than their rugby counterparts.

@bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:

I remember watching the Wigan-Bath clashes in 1996. They were full games of each code.

Wiki says Wigan won the RL game 82-6 and Bath won the rugby game 44-19. Wigan was very good back then and were much fitter than their rugby counterparts.

Inga played flanker for Wigan.

Who wouldn't want to watch this?!! I don't care if you are a purist or not, there would not be a NZ man, women, cat, dog or amoeba that would not take a passing interest in this.

Of course its not going to happen but whats wrong with talking about who would win? We would only need to play our backs with Ardie, Read and Coles. No locks, no props. And we'd win. SWB, Laumape, c'mon, you already know.

@raznomore said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:

Who wouldn't want to watch this?!! I don't care if you are a purist or not, there would not be a NZ man, women, cat, dog or amoeba that would not take a passing interest in this.

Of course its not going to happen but whats wrong with talking about who would win? We would only need to play our backs with Ardie, Read and Coles. No locks, no props. And we'd win. SWB, Laumape, c'mon, you already know.

No Cane? He'd be great as a tackling machine.

I'd prefer a one game of each than any of this hybrid shit. And I guess the Kangaroos would win the league and the ABs would pummel them in the rugby.

Funnily enough, although he's departing, I think the TKB would be the best bet to play dummy half, good at running from the base and strong defence.

@raznomore said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:

No locks, no props.

If there are scrums and rucks I'd want locks and props. It would quickly become a game of 13 vs 7.