Rugby league should use Kangaroos and Four Nations games to expand the game's reach
DESPITE the problems, the Denver Test was a great example of what rugby league can achieve by thinking outside the square. Taking the Kangaroos into new markets is the key to helping our game flourish, writes MAL MENINGA.
Opinion
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IT was wonderful to see international football at the centre of conversations at the completion of the State of Origin series.
Rather than just bit-part solutions to repairing the reputation and importance of Test football, thoughtful steps and proper planning are now being proposed to help grow the area of our game that has been neglected for far too long.
The discussions about the return of proper Kangaroo Tours and Four Nations tournaments for the northern and southern hemispheres were a positive sign about some of the game’s greatest traditions on the international stage making a return.
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The key now is for rugby league to use these traditional foundation stones to build new frontiers.
The recent Denver Test between England and New Zealand, despite its controversies, was a great advertisement for the game and an example of what can be achieved by thinking outside the square.
The United States is a massive, largely untapped market for rugby league. We need to ensure the good work and progress created in Denver is not wasted.
We need to be playing more games, more often in bigger, new markets like America and Europe to help the game flourish.
I am sure all rugby league fans would be familiar with the story of the Toronto Wolfpack, and the great inroads they have made for the game in Canada in the past couple of years.
The work of the Wolfpack, like the Test in Denver, is a foothold rugby league should be looking to capitalise on at every opportunity.
The return of Kangaroo Tours will help us do that.
Once the final itinerary for a Roo Tour is settled on, we should make sure that one of the scheduled Test matches against England or France is held in Toronto to help grow the game.
I have spoken to the club bosses from the Wolfpack, and they are all clever businesspeople trying to make rugby league work.
So why shouldn’t rugby league get behind them to help?
A top-flight Ashes Test against England would certainly bring the necessary prestige to raise the profile of the sport in Canada, but given that country’s bilingual population and ties to France, a Test against the tri-colours would also bring emotional appeal to local spectators.
However it plays out, I think taking Test match rugby league to Toronto is an opportunity too good to ignore.
The work done by the Wolfpack justifies the investment, and the city has a 30,000-seat turf venue that is perfectly set-up to host it.
Remember the old line from the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams? If you build it, they will come.
Final Scenes #DefendtheDen pic.twitter.com/T3dS8dl1N2
— Toronto Wolfpack (@TOwolfpack) July 14, 2018
It is true for rugby league at international level. The game can prosper on a worldwide stage, but we have to build it for it to realise its true potential.
We have seen this in the past two years with the rise of Tonga as a rugby league powerhouse, and the outstanding success of the Pacific Test series.
These countries and competitions are thriving for one reason – they are getting more opportunities to play.
It is only through regular competition that international football can really start to mean something to the players and their fans.
Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Papua New Guinea have all made the most of the good momentum they built during the last World Cup.
But there is no reason nations like Italy, Ireland and Scotland could not be doing the same – growing the game by exposing their players to more regular quality competition.
The two Four Nations concept is a great start, but also only the first step.
Top-tier countries like Australia, England and New Zealand need to understand the responsibility for growing the game extends further than their own borders.
These countries must take charge of growing the game in other parts of the world – the Pacific Islands, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
It is great that we are talking about growing the game internationally. But let’s not let that talk go to waste. Let’s turn it into positive action by using our game’s traditions to build a better future.
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