Last week was a historic day for rugby union when it was announced that Australia will host the men’s 2027 and women’s 2029 Rugby World Cups.
This signals a real opportunity for rugby and gives the sport the opportunity to reinvigorate Australian rugby fans. The opportunity is sorely needed.
As a sports fan, my observation over recent years is that rugby has stagnated.
Despite being an avid consumer of sports media, I know very little about what is occurring in the Super Rugby and would struggle to name five current Australian Wallabies.
While women’s sport has continued to thrive with pressure being put on the major codes to professionalise and expand their women’s sporting leagues, I don’t see enough pressure being put on Rugby Australia to grow their Super W competition or even to pay the players competing.
Why is that? Potentially because not enough people know that the competition even exists.
With those observations as background, it came as no surprise that instead of focusing on their own backyard, Rugby Australia Chair Hamish McLennan decided to make comments about Rugby Australia’s intention to try to poach some of the male rugby league players ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
His focus was outward, rather than inward.
My message would be, if you want those players, come and get them.
To begin with, I find the concept of code wars infantile. As a person who loves and supports a wide variety of sports, it’s childish when administrators use their time in the media to take shots at a sport that isn’t their own.
It’s been especially prevalent between rugby league and AFL in the past and serves very little purpose.
On McLennan’s intentions, there is no player in rugby league that I would fear losing to rugby union. There is no player that is bigger than the game and no player that cannot be replaced.
There is too much talent in rugby league and too many new players continuing to be unearthed for it to be a concern.
Just this year we’ve had the chance to see new talent like Jeremiah Nanai and Toby Sexton follow a rookie class in 2021 that included Sam Walker and Reece Walsh.
While Rugby Australia have had some success in poaching league players in the last couple of years including Suliasi Vunivalu and Tepai Moeroa (who has since returned to league), league has done exactly the same with the likes of Angus Crichton, Joseph Suaalii and Cameron Murray.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
While playing for the Wallabies may be a big drawcard, rugby league has plenty of its own including its huge following, the chance to play State of Origin and earning capacity.
There will also be another Rugby League World Cup in France to look forward to in 2025.
I also question why Rugby Australia would be looking to the current rugby league stars for a World Cup that is five years away – can you imagine how much more talent will emerge during that time?
The focus should be on grassroots, particularly when you consider that poaching rugby league players on big contracts certainly contributed to the challenging financial situation that Rugby Australia found itself in and which it is still trying to recover from now.
When McLennan made his comments, I assume that he was only referring to male players.
At this stage, given the relative position of the Super W and the NRLW, I cannot imagine a situation where any player would make the move from the NRLW to the Super W.
Leading into the most recent Super W season, the Western Force became just the second Super W team to announce that they would be paying their players. Additional bonuses were also included by the Force for players who represented the Wallaroos.
My understanding is that the remaining franchises do not pay their players at all (except for the Waratahs, who undertake fundraising to pay their players some money).
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
While the money that our NRLW players earn is not enough right now, as part of the expansion of the competition next year, players will receive an increase in their pay.
In the men’s competition you could argue that the drawcard to move to rugby would be to play for the Wallabies, but in the women’s space, the Australian Wallaroos are only now beginning to get the opportunity to play more consistent Test matches.
There is still a long way to go for the Wallaroos leading into the 2029 World Cup and I hope to see this team continue to rise to prominence in the lead-up.
In the women’s space, not only are players interested in coming across from the XV version of the game to the NRLW (including the likes of Grace Hamilton), but we are seeing players from the successful Australian women’s rugby sevens program coming across.
Evania Pelite and Emma Tonegato lit up the NRLW competition this year and both are in contention to play State of Origin.
It says something to me that players like Pelite and Tonegato are coming across to play in a competition that is not full-time professional from a program that is full-time professional.
McLennan may have hoped that his comments generated some controversy and put rugby league on notice, but rugby league has absolutely nothing to worry about.
Springboks prop Frans Malherbe joined The Roar rugby experts Brett McKay and Harry Jones to talk about his unusual rugby origin story, what surprised him about the United Rugby Championship coming out of Super Rugby, and Rassie Erasmus’ call for a specialist scrum referee.
hogie
Roar Rookie
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - Rugby League World Cup to look forward to.... Yeah can't wait to see which one of three countries will win it....What a ridiculous statement
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
The All Blacks have an impressive record and are a credit to NZ. For a such a small population NZ does produce plenty of elite sportspeople. NSW has the population but there are large sub groups of RL and AF. The dominance of AF in Victoria/SA means the Wallabies are mostly from NSW and Qld but they do a good job on the international front. Australia have won two world cups so if they can win the next world cup they or I should say we will draw level with SA and NZ.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
AMD had a quick look at your piece. It looks very good I would encourage further exposition of your theory. If it ends up on the rugby pages, I’ll promise I’ll back you up, not necessarily by agreement but at least by giving you a fair go. :happy:
Redcap
Roar Guru
Thanks Ken. Agree with all of that, especially your point about the USA. I recently wrote an article about league in the USA. Predictably it attracted a few siege-minded unionists, but overall it was an interesting discussion. League is tiny on the states and COVID might have just about killed it off. If it has any future - a big if - it needs to piggyback on union's presence. I've thought about writing one about my loose theory, but it would probably be interpreted as another shot in the so-called code war.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Great post AMD. The strange but true reality of this thread is that the core argument is uncontested. I won’t repeat how the article found a way to raise some passion. All your points are very well made, and I also have noted the cross code friendliness in England, even to the point of sharing facilities and resources. And I have wondered out loud on this very site, if we really need to be so adversarial. I can imagine for instance some Panthers player hopefuls deemed too chunky or too giraffe for RL who could find more opportunity at RU Prop or Second row at the Emus. What we have instead is one of the biggest sporting clubs in the Southern Hemisphere dwarfing the struggling code down the street who can’t field a team- in an area with a ton of rugby love, but little opportunity. There are those who perceive this imbalance as one of differential code quality. I would argue for other factors to be considered. On the other side of the ledger, Rugby has international reach. And could be an introduction for RL into the potentially revolutionary US market. We could all be better friends. I like league. Played it. Some great memories. Happen to prefer the other one. So many of these arm wrestles are silly. Good on you mate.
Redcap
Roar Guru
I hear you, Ken. I do wish certain folk would be less provocative and, most importantly, keep things in perspective. What are we really talking about here? Rugby maybe (or maybe not) finding a bucket of money to entice a few of league's best. At most we might be talking about 3-4 players. I hope it doesn't happen, but it would hardly be the end of the world (or even anything radically new). I actually have a loose theory about the league-union dynamic in Australia - make of it what you will. There are four countries where both codes have a long established domestic presence: Australia, England, NZ and France. Australia is the only country where: (a) league is the bigger player; and (b) where the split from union wasn't really acrimonious and ugly. The Kangaroos and Wallabies even played against each other during one of the more acrimonious periods - when league was in the process of poaching virtually the entire Wallabies team in 1909. It's not that long ago some people were talking about the two codes merging. It's no contest in NZ. In England, the two codes have settled into their respective geographical areas. League and union clubs have even started being civil and sharing facilities in the south of France (what?). Australia is, and always has been, out of kilter. Does this leave something unresolved in the minds of some? League has the upper hand and must keep pushing down lest things change. Union has been pushed down and must counter, emphasising the advantages it does have. I've seen a bit of both in this thread and it seems manifest in the posturing on RA. I could also be reading way too much into things. :happy:
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Fox’s post was a tad OTT, true AMD. As was my response to Mary at the start of this ‘non-code war’. However, Mary triumphantly announced that she knew few of the nation’s male rugby players names as if it were evidence of what? Who knows? Imagine if a similar statement was made snidely about the Wallaroos names? What defences might mount? What motives might be questioned? Australian rugby’s invisibility and fringe status is widely known and uncontested. As is Mary's view that McLennan’s poaching statement was silly. Also that a few backs would matter little to the commercially stronger NRL. Her derision of rugby will matter little pretty soon. But the myopic group thinkers (not including you) that came out from under their logic-less rocks to throw other rocks offers proof that prejudiced pot shots at the minority code of rugby are just fine if the chip on your shoulder tells you to. I repeat, Fox (and I) may have been over sensitive around our preferred code, but when ya love a game?
Double Agent
Guest
Indeed.
Paulie
Guest
The Golden nugget of USA Rugby about to be taped into with the US staging the Rugby World Cup 2031 with Joe Biden releasing the news how big will that be...
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
“5o’clock somewhere” Why doesn’t that surprise me Jacko? :silly: Did you know that Sydney is west of NZ? Therefore kiwis must stop being mean to me now? Can I ask, that we start with you?
Jacko
Roar Rookie
To me if an NRL back wants to play Union and try for the squad at the home WC then thats fine but just like RTS its about what he wants to achieve not what he decided to do after a lot of money was offered. If a NRL player has the desire to change codes thats fine but no player should be enticed with money.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
Haha did you know that if you are on Homebush bay drive and go west for long enough you will eventually end up on the eastern side of homebush bay drive!!! :laughing: :laughing:
Jacko
Roar Rookie
Everywhere is west of somewhere Ken...Apparently! I much prefer the "Its 5 oclock somewhere" version tho.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
I think a lot of people would love to earn 55K min a year and have all their expenses paid Jimmy
Daffyd
Roar Rookie
Oh I agree.. in many respects it is quite a slap in the face for the union players.
Old Bugger
Roar Rookie
I was kidding about RTS's heritage connection above but, it'd be neat if there is a connection, for him to be eligible.
Ad-O
Guest
Has anyone ever considered the fact that if Australian's weren't such abject babies about their favourite sport we'd actually be better at all of them? Nah, didn't think so.
Ad-O
Guest
LOL! Australia' insular "code wars" are infantile
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
My issue is that the author was so interested in belittling a code, while pretending to ‘love all’ that she made news beyond her point. All seem to agree on her point. I certainly did not miss it. Both ‘sides’ (if this dizzy, circular storm in a teacup has a side) agree that RL player ‘poaching’, as spouted by an RA suit, is folly. How many minority groups were benefited by the author’s sneaky derision of Oz rugby’s flagship (and coincidentally male) team? The cash magnet that adds funds to currently non-commercial engagement measures? You, and others here seem too interested in attacking the messenger to have any ear open to the message. I am a league fan too. And an ex RL player. And a stated supporter of indigenous and women’s sporting engagement.
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
Kinda like womens RL until a few months ago. As far as earning capacity goes, I would take AFL before RL and still RU in front of RL. Plenty of OS money to be earned in RU.