Rapid Rugby can be game-changer in Asia
GLOBAL Rapid Rugby in Asia and the Pacific could change the face of world rugby according to the fledgling league’s new chief executive Mark Evans.
Ex-Harlequins supremo Evans recently took charge of an organisation that, by its own mission statement, aims to ‘disrupt, originate’ and ‘explore new markets’.
Funded by billionaire Australian businessman Andrew Forrest, owner of Perth-based Western Force, Global Rapid Rugby kicksoff this March, initially with six teams playing home and away.
Franchises in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Fiji and Samoa will compete against Super Rugby outcasts Force, with a sixth team – likely to be in China – to be confirmed.
Trial laws backed by World Rugby will aim to promote more ball-in-play time.
These include nine-point ‘power tries’ for scores originating in a team’s own 22, rolling substitutions, no kicking out on the full even from inside your own 22, 35-minute halves and 10/22 kicking options whereby if a player kicks the ball from behind their own 10-metre line and it bounces inside the opposition 22 before going into touch, the kicking team gets the throw into the lineout.
Evans told The Rugby
Paper: “There’s going to be a lot of change in this part of the world in rugby over the next ten years. Anybody who says they know how it’s going to finish up is fibbing because there are currently so many moving parts involved.
“What does Japan do? Can we resolve the Pacific Islands issue? Will South Africa head north? What will Australia do if their TV rights model starts to creak? Is there a future for rugby in places like Hong Kong, Malaysia or a major Chinese city like Shanghai?
“All these questions are linked, so to have an opportunity to influence and engage with that, with the type of resource Andrew Forrest has at his disposal, is an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day.”
Evans added: “If South Africa did go to the Northern Hemisphere, what would that mean for the AsiaPacific region or Argentina? Then there’s Japan.
“There aren’t many sports where if you get a domestic audience of over 50m watching on television it won’t move forwards. The Sunwolves are out of Super Rugby next year, so what opportunities might there be there?”
With playing and coaching rosters currently being finalised, Gobal Rapid Rugby is operating from a low base to begin with. However, with a one-million Australia dollar prize to the champions, Evans expects the league to grow quickly.
He said: “We’ve got a proper competition starting in March – home and away matches, a ten-week programme with a grand final in Perth in June.
“It’s a big step forward and we know there’s a market for rugby in Perth. Global Rapid Rugby might also be the home the Pacific Islands have been looking for for many, many years and it might be a gamechanging bridgehead into mainland Asia.
“We’ve made some significant tweaks to the way the game is played and World Rugby have been pretty supportive. People in Perth are still upset about losing their Super Rugby team so we’re trying to build something out of adversity too.
“Adversity can be a powerful thing and we aim to be at the forefront of innovation.”