Nice bit on Green and Gold about GRR.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/201...-up-from-here/
GLOBAL RAPID RUGBY – THE REBEL COMPETITION WE HAD TO HAVE
This year will see the emergence of Global Rapid Rugby, with eight teams from Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Samoa, Singapore and United States competing for a $1 million purse. It will see the Western Force finally return to a competition format, and as of January we know of two more teams, being the South China Tigers and the Asia-Pacific Dragons.
Let’s pause for a moment: the fact this competition has made it this far is unbelievable, in all honesty. It’s a testament to the fans out in the West who would not let their team fade into memory. It’s also a testament to Twiggy for putting his energy into keeping the competition going. But it is also a statement. It is a statement of how insane the game has got in this country: that Rugby Australia, as a governing body, does not control every part of the game in the land. It is honestly unbelievable, even more so considering the Force attracted more fans to their games than any of the Super Rugby clubs last year.
However, once the Force stepped out onto the field to play Fiji for the first of seven exhibition matches, something happened. There was a sense, at least to me, of rugby finally being a product that casual viewers would want to watch. There was pre-match entertainment, crowd engagement, and it was easily accessible. It was on free-to-air television! What is this?! Twiggy is a man on a mission, and it says a lot to me that Raelene Castle is keen to engage with that.
Let’s go down a rabbit hole for a moment: could it be that Twiggy might become what Kerry Packer was for cricket back in the 1970s? I have no idea, and there are plenty of mixed feelings in the rugby realms around that. But considering the comp has made it this far, we could be in for a massive opportunity. Asia is part of the world that is still to experience the game, but if it was to expand there, how good would it be for our game if we led that?
It’s clear that RA, the NZRU, the Pacific nations and World Rugby itself see value in this competition. And I think it is something we should champion. As a code, having this competition finds us in uncharted waters. But could it be a watershed moment.
Frankly, I’m tired of the way things are going. If we want the game to appeal to the Australian general public, it’s going to have to do something different to what it is doing now. So, why the hell not? What do we have to lose? If this crazy comp is a success, that can only be good right? If the Force prosper, how good would it be for the game nationally? Hell, it could even lead to reunification with the other states in the long term? From what I saw last year, I’m willing to give this competition a shot.