Gallagher PREM boss speaks out on Eddie Hearn's rugby push

Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor wants the Gallagher Prem to adopt a boxing-style “promoter mindset” to grow the profile of the league.

Massie-Taylor will soon meet with Eddie Hearn to discuss his plans for Henry Pollock and Finn Russell after he signed two of the sport’s biggest stars to his Matchroom Talent Agency.

As a successful boxing promoter whose stable of fighters is headlined by Anthony Joshua, Hearn’s expertise is seen as having the potential to increase interest in the Prem at a time when it is set to expand to 12 teams.

“It’s a great signal that someone like Eddie is seeing the opportunity within rugby and has picked two of its best stars,” Massie-Taylor told the Press Association.

“I’m looking forward to chatting with Eddie and the thing I’m interested in is this promoter mindset, which I believe is incumbent on all of us.

“Whether that’s me, but certainly it’s the players, we all have a role at whatever level to promote the sport. That’s our job, isn’t it?

“Players are the most powerful people to do it. If you take the boxing analogy, they’re the ones talking up a fight on the weekend, what it means and creating that moment, that jeopardy.

“First and foremost, whether you’re a boxer, a rugby player or a professional athlete, you need to perform.

“But the culture has changed. Henry Pollock single-handedly has made a big impact in terms of sticking himself out there and creating a personality for himself.

“It’s great for the sport seeing kids running around with headbands and queuing up for his autograph.

“Eddie sees unbelievable athletes who do incredible things on the pitch, who need to be recognised more for who they are as athletes and personalities.”

Title-challenging Bristol even take a player’s marketability into account during recruitment, with the intention of appealing to new audiences and commercial partners, according to chief executive Tom Tainton.

The Bears signed United States star Ilona Maher to their women’s team on a short-term contract and swooped for Wales’ Louis Rees-Zammit when he returned from his spell in NFL.

“At Bristol Bears, we don’t call ourselves a rugby club. We are a marketing agency that plays rugby,” Tainton said.

“There is no point going to market and spending marquee money on a player and just expect them to do something between the white lines on a Saturday.

“In the grand scheme of things, nobody remembers how Bristol got on against Harlequins two years ago. They will remember how a player made them feel.

“Yes, our players have to be competent and able to deliver on the field, but if they are not bringing any value off the field, that genuinely factors into our recruitment conversations.

“I’d argue we have done the hard bit – the product is superb. There are young, articulate men and women playing the game so we’ve got a great base to grow from.

“We now have to take some bold risks to get out of our comfort zone and do things that the sport hasn’t previously done.”