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All the talk in the media before this year’s Anzac Test between Australia and New Zealand was about how Australia were going to smash New Zealand.
Everyone claimed the crowd was going to be ridiculously low.
Unless you were living under a rock last week you know what I am talking about.
So it got me thinking, what if Australia played a ‘Rest of the World’ team, similar to what cricket attempted to trial about 10 years ago now? Would it spark more interest or more competition?
Could it logically happen in the current rugby league calendar and could it turn into an annual series of matches to spark interest similar to the State of Origin?
I will attempt to pick the Rest of the World team and then look at the potential roadblocks for such a series coming to fruition.
Rest of the World Team:
1. Sam Tomkins (England)
2. Roger Tuivasa – Sheck (New Zealand)
3. Konrad Hurrell (Tonga)
4. Kallum Watkins (England)
5. James Tedesco (Italy)
6. Thomas Bosc (France)
7. Shaun Johnson (New Zealand)
8. James Graham (England)
9. Issac Luke (New Zealand)
10. Jared Waerea–Hargreaves (New Zealnd)
11. Sam Burgess (England)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
13. Kevin Sinfield (c) (England)
14. Remi Casty (France)
15. George Burgess (England)
16. Neville Costigan (Papua New Guinea)
17. Lee Mossop (England)
Squad Analysis:
The team is a very good one, and I think it is one that if they play to the best of their ability could certainly knock off the Australian team.
The team features five players from New Zealand, seven players from England, two players from France and one player from each of Italy, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
So, while many would think England and New Zealand would dominate the side, it is clear to see that there are still six countries represented in the team – truly making it a ‘Rest of the World’ side.
The Rest Of the World’s biggest strength will be its monster forward pack. The front row of James Graham and Waerea-Hargreaves is huge and, if that isn’t bad enough, after 20 minutes or so they can come off and be replaced by another two monsters in Remy Casty and George Burgess. That front row would create some very tough work for Australia’s forward pack.
Then we have possibly the best second row in the world, being Sonny Bill Williams and Sam Burgess. That is one way to certainly spark fear into your opponents, carrying a second row like that into battle. Both of these players also have the ability to play big minutes, if not the whole 80.
The key players on the field, the one, six, seven and nine, are all filled by men who are very creative and very good footy players.
Sam Tomkins, Thomas Bosc, Shaun Johnson and Issac Luke could really make some excellent combinations. Combined with the excellent outside finishers of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and James Tedesco they could really score a number of tries out of nothing.
Overall the team is well-balanced and could certainly beat Australia. It would create an incredible contest. The Rest of the World certainly dominate in the forward pack, but the backs have a few question marks.
There are some key questions that must be answered and overcome for this series to work.
The first is, ‘will having a rest of the world team spark more interest in international rugby league?’
The answer, of course, is yes. This question was basically answered in the squad analysis, but who wouldn’t want to watch Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams in the same team taking on Australia’s best?
This will spark more interest for the game in Australia and right around the rugby league world, especially if the ‘minnow’ countries of rugby league get to watch their best players take on the Aussies. It would end in an incredible spectacle for rugby league.
The next question that must be answered is, ‘when we would fit it into the international rugby league calendar?’
It should be directly after the NRL grand final. A two-week break after the NRL grand final would be perfect.
So, should it be a series of matches of just a one-off?
It would have to be one-off to start with, just to test how it could work. But surely if it’s a success, it could be extended to a three-match series. And where to play this match? It would have to rotate between the southern and northern hemispheres each season. However, this is where having a series of games makes it a lot easier. In the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand could take turns hosting the series.
If this series was to be introduced it could most certainly rival the State of Origin. The levels of anticipation and excitement, along with crowd numbers, would grow. This idea surely has to be on the Rugby League International Federation’s radar.
So what do you think Roarers? Could this idea work? And if so who makes the Rest of the World team?