The Rugby League International Federation and the NRL have come under fire in recent days over their handling of international rugby league, as well as rugby league internationally.
It’s time the game’s governing bodies made a decision about what direction the game is heading, and put a plan in place to achieve that goal.
Rugby league couldn’t survive as a professional game without Australia and the north of England. This leaves administrators with two options to ensure the survival of rugby league.
Do we want to change this, promote the game in other developing league nations, and make international league more appealing and competitive for other countries? Or do we want to consolidate what we have, the interests and rivalries that have made rugby league great for over 100 years as a professional sport?
The NRL website seems to suggest the latter, which is fine if that’s the direction the game of rugby league as a whole wants to take. But the current international schedule and attempts to promote the game in countries not traditionally associated with league suggests this is not the chosen direction.
Not being able to view NRL or State of Origin matches in developing league nations is a huge blow to a game that relies upon entertainment as its product. The NRL website blocks match centre content and match streaming content to many places based on TV deals, and others in the hope of subscriptions being paid. Subscriptions might work for Aussie expats, but it’s unlikely any new international fans will be signing up.
For example a friend was in Portugal for Origin 2 and created interest within his international tour group members by showing them highlights on YouTube. They were excited to see a rugby league match for the first time. The NRL website said it was available to stream in Portugal, but when the time came it was blocked and potential new, international fans to the game were lost.
Another problem with the international game is eligibility. If the RLIF is serious about development, World Cup teams can’t be loaded with Aussies who qualify through parents or grandparents. Americans and Italians would be much more interested if their mate, local team member, or someone they have seen play in their domestic competition is representing them, rather than an Australian with a half-Italian or American parent, in some cases who has never been to the country they are representing.
The farcical nature of the World Cup last year further highlighted the problems with international rugby league. Despite the brave efforts of the USA it wasn’t enjoyable watching them get predictably thrashed in the quarter-finals by the Kangaroos. The combined score of the quarter-finals involving the big three was 136-10, with an average winning margin of 42. This hardly showcased league at its entertaining best and is unlikely to win new fans in the nations on the receiving end of those score lines.
Adding weight to this argument is the fact that as an Australian league fan, I’m happy there is a game between Czech Republic and Greece. But I’m not bothered by the result, entertainment-wise I know no players involved and see better quality league in most country NSW and Queensland competitions. Even if I did want to watch the game, I wouldn’t be able to.
Scheduling also needs to be addressed, as evidenced by the amount of Australia’s World Cup squad unavailable for the Four Nations this year. If internationals were all world-class matches involving the best players for each country, more interest would be created.
If the game of rugby league is to grow internationally then every effort has to be made to make it relevant and accessible. You win by scoring tries, the collisions are harder, and the ball is in play more than its main rival, rugby. The sheer athleticism and toughness of the players is world class. Entertainment wise it has everything truly global sports have, but the administration is a long way from world class.
The current administration must decide on the direction the international game and promotion is going to take, then find the balance between keeping the existing fans happy and attracting new ones with entertaining and available rugby league for anyone who wants it.
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