Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess is the latest to jump aboard a new rugby concept that could be a saviour for the RFL.
Burgess, who is entering his third year in charge of Warrington Wolves, has invested money into and is publicly backing Hybrid Rugby to be the next sports smash hit across the world.
The game in essence, is what it says on the tin, a hybrid game of rugby league and rugby union where effectively teams would play rugby league in their own half and rugby union in their opponent’s half.
Burgess has spoken to the Sydney Morning Herald to declare his support and interest in the sport, even confirming that he has put some of his own money into the project.
The concept may be familiar as back in December, the chairman of Hybrid Rugby, Paul Franks, pitched an idea for England rugby league and rugby union to face off in a game that he claimed would draw in a minimum of $3,000,000 for the RFL.
Warrington Wolves coach invests in Hybrid Rugby
Burgess has now backed the claim that there is an ‘appetite’ for a game in England, even noting the financial challenges that rugby league has.
“I think it’s another avenue for the game and the players to generate some revenue. England would be a great place to do this,” Burgess told the Herald.
On the sport itself, he said: “It really works well, I like the concept.
“It’s quite exciting for the game. I’ve played both (league and union) and I know the crossover between the two.
“At a high level, I believe there could be an appetite for a cross-code game… an international style game played under hybrid rules.”
Burgess even floated the idea that Australia’s rugby union side could play the rugby league side, much like the sport’s chairman Paul Franks had suggested for England.
At the time, Rhodri Jones confirmed that the RL Commercial had received an inquiry but if Franks’ suggested $3,000,000 windfall is legitimate then it would surely be something that will be considered.
Jones told the BBC: “We have not assessed this specific approach yet. There are a multitude of things we would need to consider, however if we believe there is some tangible benefit to the sport, we will.”
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.
