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With the 2011 Rugby World Cup now completed, and the AFL and NRL seasons a distant memory, the majority of sports fans attention will be turning to the Spring Carnival, A-League and upcoming cricket season. However, recent news indicates that rugby union and rugby league will not be disappearing from conversations just yet.
Code war articles have been identified by many Roarers as a cheap grab for comments, so I generally try to avoid instigating a debate between fans of different sports.
However, considering the proposed hybrid rugby union/league game between the Wallabies and the Kangaroos is back on the agenda, a debate between the two codes fans is going to be hard to avoid.
A few weeks ago, The Roar reported that the historic match between Australia’s national rugby union and rugby league teams, the Wallabies and Kangaroos, was significantly closer to becoming a reality.
Hybrid Code Pty Ltd, the organisers of the match, have struck a formal agreement for the game to be played at ANZ Stadium in Homebush. Broadcast rights discussions have begun with Channel 9, and the NSW government has also been engaged to ensure the match moves past the stage of simply being an idea, and into reality.
Whilst the ARU and NRL have yet to formally agree to the concept, the knowledge that the game is estimated to generate up to $40 million, with each organisation receiving approximately $10 million each, ensures that their participation is all but confirmed. Neither business is in a position to knock back that sort of money.
But apart from filling the financial coffers, what’s the point of the game?
Don’t get me wrong, the concept is so intriguing that it would generate enormous interest. There is absolutely no doubt that the game would sell-out and be a television ratings winner. I certainly wouldn’t miss it.
But what benefit, other than financial, is there to rugby union and rugby league? What would the two codes gain from the spectacle?
I personally think they have a lot more to lose than anything else.
Firstly, subjecting Australia’s best footballers to an additional representative fixture is filled with danger. If a key player for either side should sustain a serious injury in what is nothing more than a glorified exhibition match, the governing bodies will have metaphorical blood on their hands.
And make no mistake, whatever rules the game is eventually played under, there will be situations during the game when an elite athlete is put in a position they are not used to, and therefore susceptible to serious injury.
Nowhere else will this be more evident than with the technical aspects of rugby union: contested scrums, line-outs, and ruck and mauls. With the rugby league players unaccustomed to these elements of the game, the risk of injury to both sides would be significant.
And apart from the very rational issue of injuries, there is the issue of the potential damage a loss could do to either code.
Perhaps I’m prone to a touch of hyperbole here, but won’t the actual loser of the game on the scoreboard suffer irreparable damage to their game’s ‘brand’? Let’s face it, some serious bragging rights are on the line, and the winning side will ensure they reap as much benefit from the victory as possible.
The losing code will be subjected to intense media scrutiny, especially from the piranha-like tabloid papers who love a sensational headline and story.
And the barbs from opposing fans, now armed with what they feel will be the ultimate ‘ammunition’ in the code war, will be near on unbearable for the conquered sport.
I personally love both codes, and feel that anyone who feels they need to choose just one is completely mad and simply robbing themselves of enjoying two great games.
Whilst in reality the result won’t mean anything, and will certainly fail to resolve the pointless and stupid argument of which sport is better, there are plenty of one-eyed fans out there who will consider the victor the official winner of the code war.
Would the vanquished code lose the respect of the media and public after they lose? Will impressionable kids decide which is the better sport, and therefore the one they will play, based on who wins the epic encounter between the Wallabies and Kangaroos?
I’m probably over-estimating the impact a loss would have on either sport. I’m sure Roarers will let me know about it if I am. But I honestly can’t help but feel that neither code is currently in a position to gamble on the bad headlines, press and pub talk that would accompany a loss.
Both codes have a lot to lose from participating in the hybrid game. When you weight it all up, you do have to ask the obvious question of why play the match?
If it’s just for the money, I’m fairly certain there are better ways to generate revenue.