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Anyone who contemplates a “hybrid game” has his head firmly in the sand. They are not two similar games. They are like chalk and cheese.
Here are the reasons that it will never happen:
1. It’s not always what the fans want.
2. There is no way that anything other than a full contest scrum will ever be entertained by the rugby fraternity, because “our” scrum is one of the many contests in the game, whereas “their” scrum is nothing more than a re-start.
3. It’s almost not worth mentioning the line out, because they will never see the worth of that – way too intellectual for them.
4. There are about a hundred plus countries playing rugby and who have never heard of rugby league, nor could care less.
5. It is hard enough for Australian rugby to be taken seriously by the majority of the rest of the world, and we are one of the top four nations. Why should we prostitute ourselves when we don’t need to? The Northern Hemisphere people already think we’re trying to bastardise the game, when we’re not!
6. Ours is a game for all shapes and sizes and this is a fundamental tenet of rugby – even the promoters of the ELV’s recognised this. Happily, so does Geoff Carr.
7. Ours is a game of contests.
8. Ours is a players game, not a spectators game. Those at the top of the ARU would do well to remember it.
9. What is Phil Franks trying to achieve? Nothing more than a social experiment where we already know the outcome and the fulfillment of his dream to make a quick quid.
My advise to the leaguies is as follows:
a. remove the scrum from your game
b. take the word “Rugby” out of your name
c. call yourself something else like “Bashball”
d. stop trying to invent international teams and have artificial World Cups
e. be true to yourselves and your own game,
f. hang onto your own fans for grim death
g. forget about trying to be like us
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.