Mailbox: There is no shortage of rugby players in Canada
Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Want to be featured? Email the editor: james@loverugbyleague.com
Dear Editor,
There are 56 Canadians playing in MLR, according to Rugby Canada’s head coach. And MLR currently only has one Toronto franchise, as they expand to BC and Montreal they’ll be well over a 100 Canadian players very soon. That’s not even factoring their Sevens players; Vancouver holds a World Sevens tournament every year and their team is ranked #7 in the world.
There is no shortage of rugby players in Canada.
RFL salary cap rules give an exemption to RU players switching to RL. Their first year, they don’t fall under the salary cap, and in their second year they only count 50%.
There’s easily 500 players in Canada sitting around waiting to get signed. You can’t tell me at least 5 of those guys aren’t capable of playing RL.
Wolfpack is hurting themselves not signing a Canadian or three, both on and off the field. Brian McDermott keeps coming up with pathetic excuses saying it will take 20-25 years to develop players. B-llsh-t. That’s how much it might take in a country where there’s no rugby, but in Canada it can be done in 1-2 years.
Wolfpack got no mainstream publicity in Canada after winning the Championship. I’m not talking about online articles but TV and talk show appearances. That’s because they don’t have any Canadians for enough people to really care about Brits and Aussies with foreign accents playing an unfamiliar sport. By the time there’s 2-3 more Canadian MLR teams, all attention will be on them and TWP loses out.
Wolfpack seem to be open to signing RU players in England but not Canadian RU players, which makes no sense. It’s just pathetic excuse after another, including one where supporters say them not getting a cut of the UK TV deal is why they don’t have a player development program.
There’s hundreds of players waiting in Canada to be signed to a rugby deal.
RFL just raised the salary cap recently but TWP supporters have been complaining about it before the season even started. How about wait till the middle of the year before trying to raise it again for next year? TWP can easily sign RU players to sit the bench if they won’t put them on the pitch asap. They’ve been so obsessed with getting ‘into’ Super League while blaming their shortcoming on everyone else that now that they’re here all they’re doing is blaming their shortcoming on everyone else but failing to promote their growth in Canada itself.
If Toronto Wolfpack win the SL and Canadians don’t notice it to care, then even if they win their second trophy they won’t care. That’s the danger that they’re treading close to: apathy.
Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Want to be featured? Email the editor: james@loverugbyleague.com
