How rugby can think outside the box and mitigate its losses during uncertain times
Without trivialising the worldwide economic and social impacts of coronavirus, there is a silver lining to be found.
Around the world, people are being forced to operate outside their comfort zones.
That might be something as simple as doing supermarket shopping online instead of heading into a store.
Businesses, too, are suddenly under pressure to modernise – employees are now being asked to work from home instead of coming into an office, for example.
The changes that have been forced are ones that won’t necessarily go away once coronavirus subsides either – many of them should have probably already been made but have been held back by a fear of the unknown.
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Now, the rugby powers-that-be are also being forced to innovate – 2020 could be a landmark year for the sport.
Globally, professional competitions have come to a standstill.
The Gallagher Premiership is the latest tournament to be officially suspended, following in the footsteps of the PRO14, Top 14, Super Rugby, Major League Rugby and the Super Liga.
Japan’s Top League isn’t currently operating either but there’s been no official confirmation yet whether the season will the continue any time soon.
This, of course, is coming at a huge cost to the tournament organisers.
No rugby means no ticket sales, limited sponsorship deals and, in all likelihood, refunds being paid out to broadcasters.
The short of it is that there is a very real chance that some unions and competitions could come frighteningly close to going bust due to just one season’s worth of lost revenue.
Even for the competitions and broadcasters that are able to take the hit and ride out the storm, rugby’s popularity will be impacted by the decreased presence on TV screens in 2020 which could have a flow-on effect in the years to come.
Unless, of course, the game’s organisers get innovative.
America’s Major League Rugby, which was one month into it’s third season when the plug was pulled, is the first competition that looks to be attempting some alternative solutions to the problem at hand.
Per the league’s official Twitter account, MLR is launching a virtual competition which will see well-known players duke it out on the Rugby 20 PlayStation, Xbox and PC game with matches streamed live on Twitch.
In addition, all MLR teams have partnered with local charitable organizations to raise funds during the live streams to support their communities during this difficult time. ?
Stay tuned on @usmlr channels for the full schedule and more information.— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) March 15, 2020
While fans won’t necessarily get to see which MLR team is the best in the business, they’ll at least get to potentially see players like Ma’a Nonu and Mathieu Bastareaud on show in a more casual and candid environment.
There’s no doubt that the players that take part will build up greater followings which will, in turn, encourage bigger audiences to tune into the Major League when it returns.
Sure, the revenue raised from the virtual competition itself might do little to cover for the lack of games, but it’s a step in the right direction.
And while it’s great to see MLR getting innovative – and they’re basically the only league that’s visibly attempting to do so, at least at this stage – it does make you wonder why its not a tactic that the competition has tried to use in the past.
Ignoring the fact that Rugby 20 was only released earlier this year, there’s no reason why Major League Rugby (or any other competition, for that matter) couldn’t have hosted similar events in the past.
Although social media have removed some of the barriers between athletes and fans, there’s still a significant separation and humanising the players can only be good for the game.
Over 15 years ago, EA Sports were called upon to provide game simulations prior to each match of the 2003 Rugby World Cup but that seems to have been when any sort of partnership between rugby and esports peaked.
With teams unlikely to be so caught up with their strict training regimes thank to the lack of actual games, now is the perfect opportunity to get a bit creative and broadcast some behind-the-scenes footage.
Again, anything that the organisers can do to remove the separation between fans and players will benefit both stakeholders.
On a more traditional note, we’ve heard recently that Super Rugby will almost certainly be called off if the competition has to for five or more weeks but there’s little rationale for this.
Yes, the tournament can’t continue in its current format – there’s not enough calendar weeks for the full schedule to be completed, but that doesn’t mean 2020 season has to die.
Provided that matches can be played (even if it’s behind closed doors), tournament organisers must be willing to improvise a bit.
Perhaps that means running local competitions to find conference winners then having those winners play off for a Super Rugby Shield when international travel becomes more feasible but, whatever the case, the show must go on – and other competitions around the world can follow a similar model.
Rugby in the most traditional sense may have come to a standstill, but that doesn’t mean fans should be switching off – it’s just time for the sport to get a little bit more creative and think outside the box in order to engage its audiences.
WATCH: Global Rapid Rugby has taken an especially innovative approach to the game, significantly changing the rules of the sport:
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments