Leeds Rhinos legend and Sky Sports pundit Barrie McDermott has put forth three ideas to help revive international rugby league.
Internationals are the pinnacle of almost every sport in the world but for rugby league, they are often an afterthought. That is slowly changing with a more established international calendar created and the recent revival of the Ashes helped, even if the actual on-field product did not.
However, it still must be said that international rugby league still trails behind the domestic product in terms of passion and former Leeds Rhinos man Barrie McDermott has suggested three ways to change that.
Posting on his LinkedIn, McDermott underlined the fact that the sport does not lack ‘passion or talent’ but he argued that it needs ‘bravery, ambition and the confidence to think beyond what we’ve always done’.
That surmising argument came after he put forward three suggestions which he claimed were maybe radical but in his view, absolutely necessary.
How Barrie McDermott would save international rugby league
The first of McDermott’s suggestions was that the Great Britain moniker should be revived with the ultimate argument put forward by the ex-Leeds Rhinos man being that it ‘makes international rugby league feel bigger than one flag’.
He explained how those from Welsh, Irish and Scottish backgrounds perhaps can’t support an English team, whereas a Great Britain identity ‘brings those people back in’.
A second suggestion was a need for meaningful games, something we can all agree on. McDermott called for: “We don’t just need more games, we need more meaningful ones. Fewer fixtures with no context, more with rivalry, narrative and time to breathe.”
McDermott also called for the return of the ‘Rest of the World’ concept, stating it cannot be either a ‘gimmick’ or ‘filler’ but a key part of the calendar.
The idea he put forward called for: “A genuine invitational side made up of the absolute best players from across the game, as many RL playing nations invited as possible like the Barbarians model. Played against a host nation, in that nation.
“Make it an honour to be involved and an event fans actually look forward to. That’s how you could build profile and give international rugby league something special.”
As it stands, England don’t even know if Shaun Wane will be coaching them for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup with Wane’s position still under review. They also won’t play a game before that tournament, again showcasing the way the domestic game is prioritised over the international.
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