For a sport that has no full-time reporters in any of the national daily newspapers, rugby league in the United Kingdom and France has certainly seen an unprecedented amount of coverage in recent weeks.
The only catch is that very little of that coverage has been about the actual footy.
The signing of dual-code superstar Sonny Bill Williams by the Toronto Wolfpack created headlines either side of the Atlantic as he signed a record deal in either rugby code for the newly promoted club.
But it did not take long for the former All Black and NRL premiership-winner to create controversy when he recently sought permission from Super League administration to cover up the main sponsor of the competition – betting agency Betfred – as the business runs contrary to his Muslim beliefs. This drew the ire of many Super League clubs and fans across the channel with Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson coming out as the most vocal.
“We welcome Toronto into the league and the different perspectives they bring to things,” Pearson said.
“But I think they should embrace Super League now rather than moan about it.
“All I’ve heard so far is that they don’t like this, they don’t like that and I read yesterday that they ‘inherited’ this (central funding) deal.”
Toronto’s key recruit Sonny Bill Williams has ruffled some feathers already in Super League. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
In response to Williams’ refusal to wear the Betfred logo and also comments by Wolfpack coach Brian McDermott that Toronto have been unfairly disadvantaged by the Super League’s central funding and salary cap arrangements, Pearson’s combative response mostly drew praise in East Yorkshire and further solidified the sentiment in Canada’s largest city that their team is far from accepted.
While this sort of organic rivalry between rugby league traditionalists and evergreen newcomers from a farflung outpost is great for headlines, you have to wonder, is it perhaps making the divide a touch too wide?
After winning promotion last season, the welcome from heartland clubs and their fans has so far been about as warm as a Toronto January, so the Wolfpack can’t be blamed for feeling like it is perhaps them versus rugby league.
As the dust had barely settled on the Sonny Bill furore, expansion veterans the Catalans Dragons threw the rugby league world into a spin by signing controversial Wallabies exile Israel Folau. While the human headline delivered stories and editorials from Perpignan to Parramatta, once again the push back from traditional English clubs was swift and direct, particularly from Wigan, who announced a pride day celebration for when they host Folau.
Israel Folau has stirred the pot in both hemispheres. (Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
While these sort of disputes help sell newspapers and give commentators something to talk about, is it creating a division too wide in northern hemisphere league?
There is no denying expansion clubs in areas like Toronto and Perpignan have unique challenges and should feel supported by their fellow clubs, especially as they head into the marketplace and try to secure broadcast deals.
Reciprocally, expansion clubs should work hard to build harmony with the more traditional clubs. Decisions like signing Folau should be carefully considered as they are divisive, especially as several openly gay athletes play rugby league at professional levels.
Rugby league in the northern hemisphere is changing rapidly and when that happens there is always push back. Many of the bigger clubs come from working-class towns and many of their fans do it tough. Teams in Canada and France add little value to their Super League experience, so some reluctance to any sort of change is understandable. Yet to the broader rugby league community, there is an air of optimism in the game.
Before a ball was kicked last Thursday, a new energy crept over the crowd and through the Sky Sports commentary team, and Round 1 did not disappoint with some exciting rugby league being played, especially by Aussie imports such as Aidan Sezer for Huddersfield and Bevan French for Wigan.
Derbies like those between Hull FC and Hull KR and rivalries like that of Wigan and St Helens pay the bills, but you can’t help but attribute the healthy ratings on Sky in the United Kingdom to the anticipation around the game’s recent growth.
While both the expansion clubs had underwhelming outings in Round 1, the fact that rugby league is now in nightly news bulletins in Toronto and has recently made national sports news in France is overall a good thing.
Now we just all need to get along.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I know little about MLR Rugby at present but the sports writers that I have been making contact with in Toronto tell me that The Wolfpack are a bigger brand than the Arrows at the moment.
In brief
Guest
I was surprised to see rugby league define itself as a gay sport - it’s not a connection I had in mind- but if that’s what it takes to grow your fan base more power to them.
Paulie
Guest
Major League Rugby about to kick off in the US interesting to see how the two codes go especially in Toronto. MLR has recruited some pretty handy ex rugby stars to their teams and some big money owners opening their wallets...then again Toronto owner Aussie millionaire reckons he has enough money to buy any top rugby player...stay tuned.
Walter White
Guest
They need to get along at board level but preferably not at the player/fan level as you point out.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Nice article. Good to see.
Albo
Roar Rookie
The key is for the expansion clubs to keep developing, especially in terms of their local support base. Otherwise they will quickly be deleted from the local news reports, and the traditional Clubs will crow " we told you so". The ESL needs to lend support if they truly want the "expansion" to work. Both these Clubs have already shown the intention to develop and promote the game with the addition of recent high profile players, but squads overall are still limited and need to keep improving for the locals to fill their grounds and TV rights to escalate in value. If the visiting Catalans & Wolfpack teams are travelling well on the table, the English Clubs crowds will also gather more interest and the SL expansion can proceed.
Nat
Roar Guru
I'm not sure they have to get along at all. As you point out, there is no FT league coverage and Falou and SBW could be great signings but for different reasons. SBW is an AB (a globally recognised brand) a professional and great ambasidor for a fledgling club. It will get them into the news and if they start to win, it will attract bums on seats at home games. It's very hard to kick out a successful team that makes money. On the same line, why do Catalans care what the ESL think? They made Falou promise to be considerate of others to appease the PC brigade and he's agreed. He will make their team stronger without question but his mere presence will attract the news. Any games he plays will have a level on interest above the 'rusted ons' which is gold for ESL. Especially if other clubs start including 'pride days' etc around when Falou comes to town. That's a whole new sector of interest that would not have been there if not for Falou. Again, if they start to win, the media around him and the club gets bigger again. So the idea of 'all just get along' is nice but not necessary. As long as they are abiding by the rules a little bit of controversy isn't always a bad thing to promote a brand.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I have to agree with that, as good as a coach as Bennett is he failed to sell the game, International’s rate really well on the BBC and need the highest profile going forward as they can get.
Walter White
Guest
An interesting article on the BBC website on Wane Bennett's sacking and the appointment of Shaun Wane suggests that one factor in the decision was Bennet's aversion to the media. "The most visible difference between Wane and Bennett will be in their approach to the public role that being England Rugby League head coach demands. Bennett hated the media requests that go with the role. Which, when coaching in Australia, where media scrutiny is constant and inescapable, is understandable. But rugby league in this country yearns for a bigger profile than it usually receives. Wane understands that, and in a two-year period when publicity for the sport can be milked like never before, with an Ashes series and a World Cup to be staged, he's the right man to reflect the passion of the job and the sport."
Jimmy
Roar Guru
Yes to my knowledge they were on the sports report on 3 channels including Global Sport.
Walter White
Guest
Well written Article To that we could also add 1. a world cup draw being made by Prince William just days after he made such a contriversial anouncement. This was his first public appearance since the announcement and had the media focussed on him and the RL draw. 2. the application of Red Star Belgrade to join the ESL and declaration by them that they intended to work their way into Superleague within 5 years caught the eye of the press 3. The sacking of Bennett and appointment of Shaun Wane as England Coach. These last two would not normally have created such a stir or got noticed in a normal year but red hot on the back of those other things has had the media all over them. For a game that has had so little media attention during its history some of it cynically created, any coverage over there is like oxygen to a dying man. The few years could make or break the sport over there.
max power
Guest
nightly news bulletin in toronto?