THE RL1908 BLOG

News, Reviews & Opinion - Sean Fagan - RL1908.com

It comes up every winter, someone pops up with the question: "Should the rugby codes merge? A merged code could swamp Australian rules and challenge soccer globally."

Of course, the simple reply to that is to point out that a merged rugby code is, in effect, a third rugby code.

Unless Union and League are made obsolete in the process of creating a hybrid rugby,and no one keeps those codes alive, all it will do is dilute support for the two existing rugby codes, producing the opposite result i.e. less support for Union and League.

Looking at the question from the rugby league side of the fence, how can a merger be anything other than a takeover of League by Union?

League's strength is its two pro club competitions (notwithstanding that most of us would like to see the international game thriving).

While soccer has the balance between club and country fixtures seemingly about right, Union is dominated by international fixtures.

In a merged rugby code, surely the international game would be even more prominent than it currently is in RU - all of which would make club competitions secondary in importance.

The lifeblood of rugby league is week to week club footy.

In Australia, the merged code's club competition would be like the annual Origin period - 6 weeks of NRL games competing with rep footy for interest, along with with depleted club teams, and as a result, depleted interest from fans (crowds & TV).

All I could see a rugby merger doing is killing off interest in the NRL (or whatever its merged rugby equivalent is called), and giving AFL an open shot at national domination for the week to week club scene.

Where would rugby league gain anything from merging? (Unless the merged rules were RL rules).

If RU has been unable to challenge soccer as a global sport, how will RL merging with RU make it any more likely? As we are told ad nauseum, RL only trumps RU in pockets of Australia and England.

No doubt though, until such time as players stop swapping rugby codes, as long as one/both codes use the word "rugby" in its name, and whilever rugby league still has scrums, talk of merging codes will continue to arise.

American football, Canadian football and Australian rules football, all have their origins in Rugby football - bereft of the word "rugby" in their names, no one ever speculates that any of these codes should merge back with rugby.

Interestingly, while the codes themselves aren't merging, there seems to be a growing sentiment amongst rugby league players in particular, that RL and RU are essentially one sport, and they'll go wherever the best opportunities for themselves are.