League must build on Pacific platform
It’s one of the most famous lines in cinematic history — “build it and they will come” from Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams. My message to those trying to make international rugby league relevant beyond the Big Three is listen to the raucous sounds of the Tonga, Samoa and even Papua New Guinea supporters and get building now.
This World Cup would be boring without Pacific Island passion. Their fans have owned this tournament, much like in 2011, when the Tongan army kickstarted the Rugby World Cup.
Waikato Stadium has served up two of the most incredible sporting festivals ever seen in New Zealand. The Tongan hymn played around the ground with 15 minutes to go . . . wow.
How do we ensure these scenes are not consigned to history? One proposal is to play fixtures during the State of Origin period, when the NRL plays second fiddle.
There is an international window in place and there are negotiations taking place to ensure all players and teams get a better slice of the financial pie.
A Pacific Island tournament involving the Kiwis looks grand on paper but let’s not forget the insular attitude of our Australian brothers towards the international game.
Origin is their cash cow — the NRL’s 26-round format is way too long but it delivers a billion-dollar broadcast deal. So would Australia release their players for a new concept that doesn’t suit them?
I originally doubted whether anyone would give a stuff about this World Cup. But once Jason Taumalolo and his merry men took flight for Tonga, it was game on. Tonga’s victory over the Kiwis should be the day international rugby league changed forever.
The challenge now for administrators is to create an annual concept played in New Zealand and the Islands.
Sure, funding will be needed and commercial imperatives will have to be followed through. But unless they find a way, this sensational and unexpected World Cup will be forgotten.
Beauden Barrett
photospot.nz The five year old who’s learned the entire routine for All Blacks haka Kapo o Pango. This was far and away the biggest post on my page this week. What a little champion.
Bravo to Steve Hansen, who ever so kindly asked the media to get off SBW’s case. Yep, he forgot the rules of rugby. Yep, it did change the test’s momentum. But because it’s Sonny Bill, it makes headlines.
You have to feel for the bloke. He’s found his mojo in recent tests but it doesn’t seem to matter if he plays the game of his life, a yellow card and a brain explosion are all anyone talks about.
This post from Lars after the All Blacks’ disjointed victory over France sums up what has been a frustrating year for fans:
“After watching the ABs performance this morning, I couldn’t help but compare it to an office worker who wakes up in the morning fired up and decides today is the day they are gonna make a difference. Gets to work, smashes out some great work until about lunchtime, and then can’t be stuffed, spends the next four hours watching YouTube and avoiding any responsibility. It used to be the last 20 when the machine woke up. Seems the opposite now.”
So reigning World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett is up for the big gong again. Has he even been the best All Black this season?
I don’t buy into much of the criticism levelled at him this year but is World Rugby suggesting the Barrett of 2017 is on a par with the 2016 version? Because that’s clearly not the case. A lavish journey unfolds into a suspenseful mystery in a cinematic experience like no other. Kenneth Branagh as Detective Hercule Poirot leads an all-star cast including Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer and Daisy Ridley. Not to be missed on the big screen, Murder on the Orient Express is in cinemas now.
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