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When New Zealand Prime Minister John Key sits in ANZ Stadium on Sunday as the Warriors do battle with the Sea Eagles, I hope that hundreds of thousands of kiwis across New Zealand tune in to watch a cracking game.
I hope the NRL Grand Final gets huge coverage in the New Zealand media, and I hope above all else the IRB notice the passion and excitement.
Why would an Australia rugby supporter want this?
This is not some cunning plan to dilute the future playing stocks of the All Blacks by getting them to switch to league.
Rather, I want the IRB head honchos to see how serious this end of the earth is about rugby league.
I want the IRB to realise the impact of competition and the need to meet the demands of the paying public.
I believe the IRB may see rugby league as a niche sport on the world stage, but on Sunday they will see much more.
They will see a ‘domestic’ competition sell out a 90,000 seat stadium. They will see a sport that is on the verge of a billion dollar broadcast deal.
They will see a sport that is easy to understand and is loved by broadcasters and the paying public.
They will see a sport that is making inroads into the top rugby talent pools in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
They will see one of the sports that has relegated rugby to the third choice winter code in Australia.
It highlights that the motto ‘build it and they will come’ will not work for rugby. There is tough competition out there.
Australia is a microcosm for sport. It has one of the most competitive sporting markets in the world.
It is a ‘canary in the mine’ for rugby. If the game is healthy in Australia it is in good shape to take on the world.
The Warriors success couldn’t have come at a better time for rugby.
If this had occurred at any other time the IRB heavies would be tucked away in Europe, oblivious to what was happening at this end of the earth, but now they are in town they will see what a slick competitor can do.
They will see the rugby nation of New Zealand tune out of their own Rugby World Cup bubble to focus on a rival game across the ditch.
I hope this serves as a wake up call to the IRB. Undoubtedly they have a done a good job expanding rugby in the 16 years of professionalism, but they cannot rest on their laurels.
They must continue to seek improvement as they try to embrace a wider audience. They must make the game easier to understand without losing the quintessential elements that make rugby, rugby.
If they do they will make greater inroads into the highly competitive markets such as North America that they so desperately crave.
Finally, I am not saying that rugby league will surpass rugby union on the World stage, nor am I saying league is better than union (or visa versa).
I am saying that to become the global sport the IRB wants rugby to become it must continue to seek improvement, it must continue to challenge itself. The IRB does not have the world to itself.
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.