The coronavirus-induced shutdown of sport has left rugby union and football on the brink of collapse, while the NRL is vulnerable to its cashed-up rival AFL.
No longer soaring, rugby union is on the verge of collapse in Australia. AP
When war was declared in 1914, the two rugby codes were locked in a battle for dominance across Sydney.
The class-bound and staunchly amateur rugby union was already falling behind what would become the working man's game, but its place near the top of Australia's sporting pyramid would slip irrevocably when competition was cancelled "for the duration".
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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/the-great-game-winter-sport-will-never-be-the-same-20200406-p54hgx
