G'Day USA: Souths vs Leeds

Remove this Banner Ad

Ronin

Ronin

Club Legend
Veteran
May 12, 2006
1,254
0
Sydney
US says G'day to Australia Day Challenge



The Australia Day Challenge between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Leeds Rhinos has been added to the events of G’day USA week.


Heading into its fifth year G’day USA week is one of the largest foreign country promotions held in the USA every year. The 10 day program aims to promote tourism and business investment in Australia.


The historic match between the Rabbitohs and UK Super League champions the Rhinos on January 26 has been listed as a satellite event in the New York City events category.


The match is being held at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida which has a capacity of 10,000. Fans from around the world are expected to attend the cross-hemisphere clash.

To buy tickets to the Australia Day Challenge and learn more about the game go to www.australiadaychallenge.com.

To visit the G’day USA site go to www.australia-week.com.
 
Hopefully they can get a crowd over 5,000, preferably closer to 10,000. Having Russell Crowe plugging the shyte out of it will certainly help. I think if it can beat the Liberty-Bell Cup game between Aus and the Yanks a few years back it'll be a good result.
 
Souths adjusting to North Florida

The Australian team deals with the cold and time difference.


By FRANCINE KING, The Times-Union

Jacksonville's winter-weather mood swings probably weren't on the list of attractions that drew the South Sydney Rabbitohs to the First Coast for next weekend's Rugby League exhibition game against the Leeds Rhinos.




But that's just what greeted the Australian team Friday morning as the temperature dropped into the mid-40s and the clouds rolled in over its Jacksonville Beach hotel.

Most of the players, though, were too excited about their visit to give much thought to the chilly weather - though it did keep avid surfers John Sutton and Craig Wing from testing the waves in the Atlantic Ocean.
"The water's pretty cold," Wing said. "I don't think I'll last very long out there."

Still, the 28-year-old hasn't given up the idea of surfing in the United States. He said he hopes to find a wet suit and surfboard to use during the team's day off Monday.

On Friday, though, the Rabbitohs were still shaking off some of the jet lag from their all-day Wednesday trip to Jacksonville - a trip that was improved, surprisingly, by a delayed plane.
The team's 131/2-hour flight to Los Angeles left Sydney two hours late. But when United personnel informed Souths management of the delay, they also delivered some good news: The entire team had been bumped up to business class.

"That was a real treat," coach Jason Taylor said. "That made such a difference because some of these boys are big, you know. We were going to be traveling in what they call economy plus.
"I don't know what the plus means," he added, laughing, "but apparently it's a little bit better than just economy."

Several players said flying in business class really made a difference, especially when it came to trying to sleep. But not all of them slept peacefully through the flight.

"I copped some fingers in the nostrils while I was asleep on the plane," Ben Rogers said, hinting at the prankster nature of some of his teammates.

The business-class upgrade was particularly enjoyable for 21-year-old Jamie Simpson, who had never left his home country before, let alone taken a trans-Pacific flight.

"It was pretty nerve-racking to get on the flight first up because I'm from the country in Australia, so I sort of haven't flown more than an hour," Simpson said. "It was a good first way to travel, anyway.
"I'm not looking forward to going back economy," he said with a laugh.
Simpson, who always wanted to visit the United States, said he appreciates how special a trip like this is.
"At the previous club I was at [the Brisbane Broncos], we never did anything like this," he said. "This is my first year at Souths, and I'm in America already."

But being in America will take some adjusting - at least as far as the 16-hour time difference goes.
"The boys feel all right when they first get out of bed, but the hard bit is actually getting to sleep," Taylor said. "When we're trying to go to bed, it's just like the middle of the day over there [in Australia]. It takes a couple days to adapt to that."

One thing that hasn't changed for the players - despite being 9,000 miles from home - is their status as Australian celebrities. Taylor said that during one workout session on the beach Thursday, a few people were hanging out of a balcony screaming and waving an Australian flag.
"They certainly knew who we were, so that was good," he said, smiling.
Fans can watch the teams' first regular practice at 2 p.m. today at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium, where the exhibition match will be played Saturday, Jan. 26. The Rabbitohs are co-owned by Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe.

francine.king@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4372


http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011908/spo_237986370.shtml
 

Log in to remove this ad.

You're right Azz. The fact that something came from overseas originally makes it completely unAustralian and makes completely redundant its 100 years of Australian history.

Good point. Well thought out and argued.
 
pacifier.jpg
 
Azzballz Deluxe said:
Why the hell are they playing an english game with an english club for the G'Day usa thing? :confused:
Click to expand...


The South Sydney Rabbitohs just celebrated their 100 year anniversary this week.

They where founded in the tough streets of Redfern and got their monicker because their players sold rabbits in the streets yelling out 'Rabbitoh, Rabbitoh' so that the locals knew they where outside.

That is Australian as it comes, so get off your high horse chump.

In any case, the Yanks deserve to see football players in full blooded tackles without pads.

Well done Rusty.:thumbsu:
 
Ronin said:
The South Sydney Rabbitohs just celebrated their 100 year anniversary this week.

They where founded in the tough streets of Redfern and got their monicker because their players sold rabbits in the streets yelling out 'Rabbitoh, Rabbitoh' so that the locals knew they where outside.

That is Australian as it comes, so get off your high horse chump.

In any case, the Yanks deserve to see football players in full blooded tackles without pads.

Well done Rusty.:thumbsu:
Click to expand...

What the farrk is so aussie about that! LOL

If the yanks can hardly tell the difference between Australian football and rugby union, how the hell are they gunna tell the difference between rugby U and rugby 2? ;)
 
Azzballz Deluxe, you seem way too obsessed with where particular sports were created. I guess we're lucky the world isn't filled with people as bigoted as you or we'd never have the international community come together for events like the Olympics or the FIFA WC because "they're too greek/english, it's unaustralian".
 
Valleys FC 4Ever said:
Azzballz Deluxe, you seem way too obsessed with where particular sports were created. I guess we're lucky the world isn't filled with people as bigoted as you or we'd never have the international community come together for events like the Olympics or the FIFA WC because "they're too greek/english, it's unaustralian".
Click to expand...

HAHAHA

G'day USA is supposed to be an australian thing, yes? Not an international or english thing. What does that have to do with me being bigoted??

Anyhoo, i just thought it was silly.

And thought i'd troll you guys for a change..;)
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Angry_Eel said:
It might be Unaustralian for someone born in the shadows of the MCG but its not for me.
Click to expand...

Whats not for you?


And carn' Rhinos!!!

And carn' storm for the world club champs. Werent we the last aussie club to win it? If so, we will also be the next. No other club in the world can stand up to the might of the Storm boys. :):)
 
Hicham said:
Hopefully they can get a crowd over 5,000, preferably closer to 10,000. Having Russell Crowe plugging the shyte out of it will certainly help. I think if it can beat the Liberty-Bell Cup game between Aus and the Yanks a few years back it'll be a good result.
Click to expand...

Mate, heard the crowd was 12,000:thumbsu:
Leeds Rhinos won 26-24... It was 26-0 at half time.
 
I ended up actually listening to the live call from a local jacksonville radio station's website. The call was done by an Australian rabbitohs employee and an american from the radio station who was an ex-NFL player. The american had never seen a game before but was pretty funny and clearly got excited towards the end of the game.

The game was delayed half an hour as they tried to fit in an extra few thousand spectators who had showed up at the last minute. Crowd ended up at around 12,000 in a stadium with a capacity of 10,000. The crowd included a few Aussie celebs like Greg Norman, Russel Crowe and Layne Beachley but also some americans like a few guys from the jacksonville NFL team, Dennis Rodman and, amazingly, half the Wu Tang clan.

26 - 0 at half time to Leeds, then in the second half the Rabbitohs made a comeback by throwing the ball around and doing fancy plays (the american commentator was pretty excited by a behind the back flick pass) and got the crowd going.
The game got so heated that there was a punch up in the final minute of the game, which the crowd (and the american commentator) loved. A try on full time took the rabbitohs to within a whisker of winning. (26 -24)

Apparently the crowd gave a standing ovation as the players left the field. Pretty amazing stuff really and you'd have to call it a major success.

The american commentator declared he was going to start following the Jacksonville Axemen (the local rugby league team) and promote them on his daily radio show. The Axemen already averaged over 1,000 spectators at their games last year so this could really help them grow.
There was a lot of talk that this might become an annual event.

The game was apparently filmed by channel 9 and will be on TV here at some later date. Theres also been talk there might be a documentary made of it.
 
Just in case any trolls get onto this I should add a few points.
Everybody involved knows Rugby League is never going to be a major sport in the US. This event had the goal of helping the local Jacksonville RL scene and it seems it did that with great success.
They raised enough money from ticket sales to recoup all their costs and donate the profits to a local jacksonville charity.
 
Never expected such a response from the Jax faithful. Great little exercise. Although Rusty cops a bagging for a range of reasons, even from me, no one can deny that he, aswell as HAC, have done so much for Rugby League in their short official stints in the game. Certainly more than our incompetent Aussie administrators. Infact, HAC should replace that heap of slime Politis on the NRL partership board.
 
The Florida Times-Union


Some crushing hits, a couple of breakaway scores, an on-field skirmish and a second-half rally might have given the organizers of Saturday afternoon's Australia Day Challenge exhibition game exactly what they hoped for: a new crop of Rugby League fans.

England's Leeds Rhinos defeated Australia's South Sydney Rabbitohs 26-24 at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium before a crowd of more than 12,000 - 2,000 above the previously announced capacity.

With early morning rain and overcast skies, the size of the turnout surprised even some of the event organizers.

"It's a great testament to the sports-loving nature of this town that we had 12,000 people turn out today [despite the dreary weather]," said Kristina Keneally, the Sydney ambassador to the United States.

And while curious spectators might not have understood all the intricacies of the game, they seemed to enjoy the action - particularly the rough stuff.

"They liked it when there was a bit a biff," said Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe, a co-owner of the Rabbitohs.

South Sydney star Dean Widders, who didn't play in Saturday's game because of a hamstring strain, said he understands why American sports fans might like the physical part of Rugby League.

"They love the big hits, because that's what the game's about over here," he said. "I think they saw the side of [Rugby League] that we're trying to show out here, which is the toughness and the endurance of being able to keep playing for such a long time at a very high speed."

Apart from the quarter breaks every 20 minutes, the clock hardly stopped - even for injuries. One injured player was treated on the field while play continued, until he could be helped off.

During the game, the public-address announcer attempted to explain some of the calls on the field and how they related to football. University of Central Florida student Lynda Fireoved said that helped her a great deal, and she called the game a "good mix" between soccer and football.

Orange Park resident Carl Helmers and his friend, Richard Gray, who are fans of the local Rugby League team, the Jacksonville Axemen, said it also helped that referee Phil Bentham wore a microphone. Bentham could often be heard calling the players by name, giving warnings and even defending his calls to them.

One of his calls that the mostly pro-Souths fans were particularly displeased with came at the end of a strong drive by the Rabbitohs. Down 26-18, South Sydney appeared to score a try, but Bentham said the Rabbitohs' Eddie Paea hadn't crossed the try line. Paea was injured on the tackle, and the fans booed loudly.

The Rabbitohs were down 26-0 at halftime, but they thrilled the crowd with a second-half rally.

"We weren't just going to lay down and get flogged," Widders said. "We were in tough circumstances, backs against the wall, but we didn't want to lose badly. They saved face in the end."

South Sydney scored its last try as time expired, bringing the crowd to its feet with applause. Their reaction signaled to Rabbitohs co-owner Peter Holmes a Court that the event might have succeeded at its main objective.

"We've built a demand and interest in Rugby League in Jacksonville," he said. "Hopefully that means that more people jump on the bandwagon for Rugby League in this country - and more people jump on the bandwagon of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

"That's all we're looking for. We just want to be a strong, small sport [here]."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin...40814249.shtml

Well done to all concerned. :thumbsu:
 
THE success of their Australia Day Challenge match in Florida has ensured South Sydney and Leeds will repeat the international venture next year, but they could take the game to another part of the United States - or even to Dubai.

Despite wet conditions and temperatures that did not exceed 8 degrees in Jacksonville on Saturday, a crowd of 12,000 helped set an attendance record at Hodges Stadium, which has an official capacity of 10,000, and bought up all of the $39,000 in merchandise Souths were able to get through Customs.

Among them were colourful former basketballer Dennis Rodman, Australian golfing great Greg Norman and his partner, former tennis star Chris Evert, seven-time world women's surfing champion Layne Beachley, Muhammad Ali's legendary trainer, Angelo Dundee, and, of course, Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe.

But it was the enthusiasm which the locals showed for the game that left officials convinced they should make the match an annual event, although it could be up to other clubs to build on their pioneering work in Jacksonville.

"We've had conversations with other cities and there is a lot of interest in us playing in those places," Crowe said. "Jacksonville has been fantastic and obviously it is a sports town, so that weighs heavily in Jacksonville's favour … but we've got some pretty heavy hitters who are interested in having a game in their backyard as well. At the moment that interest is coming from cities on the west coast and cities in the middle of America."
With Souths' major sponsor, Virgin Blue, to begin long-haul flights to the US this year under the name V Australia, it is likely it would want the Rabbitohs to play in one of its new destinations.

But Leeds boss Gary Hetherington suggested Dubai as a venue and Souths executive chairman Peter Holmes a Court confirmed the emirate was under consideration as the site for a future match.

"I think in America you've got to keep coming back for three years to make a real impact, but Dubai has been mentioned," he told the Herald.
Hetherington, who told a gathering of players from both sides after the match that in years to come the game would be viewed as a "significant" moment in rugby league's development, said it was now up to the governing bodies of the sport in Australia and Britain to follow up the initiative begun by the Rabbitohs and Rhinos.

"I believe what we have done is create a demand in Jacksonville for an annual game but there's no reason why, going forward, that couldn't be Wigan versus Parramatta or some other teams," he said.
"As long as it's a good quality contest between two quality teams, that is what they will be craving for.

"For South Sydney and Leeds there may be opportunities in other cities around the world and ideally we would like to create a demand to stage this game in a number of venues.

"Dubai is an obvious one. It's a city that is easy to get to and is a place that is craving for more and more top-class sport. But what we have done here today is throw some very important seeds down and that needs to be cultivated. I truly believe the 12,000 people who turned up would have gone home pleased with what they've seen and looking forward to next year."

With the referee's comments played over the loudspeaker and the ground announcer explaining what was happening on the field, the game was easy for the fans to follow. What they appeared to like the most was the physical aspect of the game.

"The contact was unbelievable, there was some hitting out there today," legendary former Michigan Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said. "What a game it is - and I don't think it would have any problems gaining a foothold here."




http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/new...1201368941480.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
 
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/crowe-wants-more/2008/01/28/1201369037039.html

Crowe: US coverage doesn't go far enough
Brad Walter in Jacksonville | January 29, 2008

SOUTH Sydney officials are in negotiations to have their matches televised in the United States this season - but co-owner Russell Crowe wants all clubs to get more exposure and has called on the NRL to put pressure on international rights holder Setanta to broadcast games regularly.

Following the success of last weekend's match against Leeds in Jacksonville, which was given prominence over the build-up to Super Bowl XLII on the cover of Sunday's sport lift-out in the Florida Times-Union newspaper, the Rabbitohs have stepped up discussions with Setanta to televise all their games in the US.

But a frustrated Crowe believes Americans should already be able to watch NRL matches each weekend and wants Setanta to either show the games or allow another broadcaster to.

"Rugby league is not on TV in America, but there is a deal that is already in place that that particular television company is not really taking advantage of," Crowe said as the Rabbitohs departed Jacksonville on their way home. "I think Setanta show one or two games every fortnight. I think Souths got on TV here once last season and that's something the NRL has to examine, because that deal is not good enough.

"There's a thousand TV channels here. You could play it at one o'clock in the morning, who cares? Just get it on TV, get people to see it and get them used to seeing it. That's what happened with AFL, and now they've got quite a fanatical audience."

Souths executive chairman Peter Holmes a Court said talks were ongoing with Setanta and he hoped that the publicity the Australia Day challenge game received in the US - and the 12,000-strong turnout at Hodges Stadium - demonstrated to the pay-television company that the Rabbitohs and rugby league would attract new subscribers.

"Hopefully they will be increasing their broadcasts this year," Holmes a Court said. "Economically, it looks like we've done OK and we will be able to convince people that we should come back. We've helped spread the good word of rugby league all across America. It's been picked up by a whole bunch of media outlets over here."

Coverage of the match featured on television news on Saturday night, while the Times-Union - the state's biggest-selling newspaper - dedicated almost two full broadsheet pages to the match, under the headline: "It's A Crowd Pleaser: Over 12,000 weather rain and gloom to see Rugby League exhibition game."

In the main report, the paper said: "Some crushing hits, a couple of breakaway scores [tries], an on-field skirmish and a second-half rally might have given organisers of Saturday afternoon's Australia Day Challenge exactly what they hoped for - a new crop of rugby league fans."

"We've built a demand and interest in rugby league in Jacksonville," Crowe said. "Hopefully that means that more people jump on the bandwagon for rugby league in this country - and more people jump on the bandwagon of the South Sydney Rabbitohs."
Click to expand...
 

Remove this Banner Ad

G'Day USA: Souths vs Leeds

Similar threads

Santana
2023 Pacific Championships + England vs Tonga
Replies
24
Views
1K
moto748
moto748
balmainforever
NRL NRL 2023 - Grand Final Penrith vs Brisbane
27 28 29 30 31
Replies
757
Views
15K
PenrithGWS
PenrithGWS
juss
  • Poll
NRL NRL 2022 Season - Grand Final Penrith vs Parramatta
15 16 17 18 19
Replies
464
Views
12K
moto748
moto748

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top