Brent Richardson’s Post

As the world of rugby union comes to terms with Louis Rees-Zammit’s announcement he’s joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) programme, I’ve been reflecting on my own experience with the NFL a few years back. It was 2015 and in the aftermath of England’s exit from their home Rugby World Cup. I was approached by the NFL and asked to meet with them to discuss one of my clients, Courtney Lawes. Initially sceptical, it became clear very quickly that they had done their homework on Courtney, and that this was dead serious. In a sport where tackling favoured raw power and reckless physicality, they couldn’t get over Courtney’s tackle technique: one that that saw a very tall man get his body low enough and straight enough to drive through the target so powerfully and effectively - often to devastating effect. Combined with his athleticism, they saw something that would be quite unique and potentially box office in the NFL. And of course, as a current England international they also saw a major PR coup for the organisation. Taking a household name from a major rugby nation would have been huge news on both sides of the Atlantic, and done the NFL’s international expansion plans no harm at all. With a dominant market position in the States (a recent study showing 65% of American sports fans watch NFL, basketball being next with 51%), the NFL has a Global Markets Programme designed to target international expansion - and a successful IPP, with high profile graduates is integral to that strategy. In the end the decision Courtney made was to stay as he felt he had unfinished business in rugby. Over a century of Test Caps, two Lions tours, and a place alongside the game’s all time greats later, it’s difficult to argue against his decision. But nor does that mean that Rees-Zammit isn’t making the right call for him. No two players’ circumstances are the same, and if he feels energised by it and has done his due diligence, then I wish him every success. I’ve been disappointed by the overall tone of much of the commentary around this move. Whilst this is undoubtedly a loss to Wales and Gloucester in the short term, this is not the hammer blow to rugby that some would fear. Arguably, if Rees-Zammit is a success, it will encourage more athletes in to rugby, even if it’s potentially as a stepping stone. But I wouldn’t be too concerned about a player drain: ultimately, until the NFL can establish a foothold at grass roots level to bring youngsters straight in to the sport without switching codes, rugby is as close as we get in the UK. And ultimately, we’re looking at the 1% who have the ability to make it, so I would not be concerned about this trickle becoming a flood. Rugby certainly has its challenges on and off the field but this isn’t one of them. To borrow a phrase from Dan Biggar’s Daily Mail article on the subject: “Good on him”. (https://mol.im/a/12987619) TLNT Global

Martin Rogers FOX Sports Insider LAS VEGAS — In the promotional build-up to Australia’s National Rugby League competition bringing the first two matches of its regular season to Allegiant Stadium, actor Russell Crowe promised the American audience would get to see “football, but not as you know it.” On Saturday night, that’s what happened. The league’s unique brand of breathless athleticism, ferocious collisions, outrageous feats of skill and raw passion has much in common with American football, once you get your head around the absence of helmets, pads, forward passing and breaks in the action. The scorelines from Sin City, as seen on FS1 and the FOX Sports app, were a 36-24 victory for Manly Warringah Sea Eagles against South Sydney Rabbitohs, followed by Sydney Roosters defeating Brisbane Broncos 20-10. But while each result may turn out to have serious significance as the season plays out between now and September, the big win for the NRL came in how its sport and its athletes were received in a place where entertainment is plentiful and attention must be earned. A crowd of 40,746 exceeded early predictions and seemed to be a fairly even split, between interested locals picking up the game on the fly and the swarms of Aussies who piled into Nevada after flights of 11 hours and more from Australia’s east coast throughout the week. “It has exceeded our expectations, both in terms of the Aussie fans who have traveled over here and really embraced it, and all the local fans who have come out too,” said NRL CEO Andrew Abdo. The American sports scene is crowded and competitive. The NRL knows it won’t grasp America’s notice simply by coming for one weekend, however well it was executed. The plan is to return every year until 2028 and to make small realistic steps. Somewhat similarly to the NFL, rugby league in Australia is probably close to having maxed out its potential audience at home. Coming overseas was a smart, bold next move, and Vegas made perfect sense as a destination. As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will tell you, taking games to a different country is no simple logistical task, but the time difference actually worked in the NRL’s favor, with a Saturday night timeslot sitting neatly into the regular Australian fixture slots of Sunday lunchtime and afternoon Down Under. On the field, some of rugby league’s biggest stars shined bright. Luke Brooks, one of the most high-profile new signings of the offseason, was outstanding for Manly, and finished off the team’s high-scoring win with a dynamic late try. South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell showed flashes of brilliance in defeat, his quick hands and fierce running proving why he is one of the stars of the sport. In the second match of the doubleheader, James Tedesco’s leadership was critical as the Roosters showed greater ball security to outlast Brisbane, although the Broncos’ biggest

I have released my Proposal to Make Rugby League Great Again and hereby submit it to the National Rugby League and Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) for their consideration. From my Proposal ... "The Problem: Administrators see Rugby League not as a game but as a ‘product’ to be commercialised and monetised. To appeal to the marginal viewer rule changes have made Rugby League manically fast with homogenised over-coached touch-footballised style of play with homogenised powerful ‘athlete’ players. Rugby league is being commoditised in an international market for sports viewing and gambling and has moved away from its traditional style of play. Rugby league is losing its DNA developed over a century of play." The Proposal goes on to discuss in depth the consequences for players and fans of the rule changes enacted to speed up the game to manic levels. "Taken together this continual speeding up of play through rule changes and refereeing/adjudication of play has turned a deeply tactical game into a try-a-thon." "While faster play may seem superficially more appealing, it actually makes the games boring as a spectacle." "The increased speed and power through the whole game increases the chances of more frequent and more severe head injuries (concussion) which has the potential of shortening careers and causing long-term health issues for players and their loved ones to confront." "the changed style of play suits a different type of player and thus changes the market value of those players and affects the lifetime earnings potential of those people and their families" The Proposal then discusses solutions. "the balance of ruck speed and where the defensive line is set must be altered to slow down play and eliminate the touch-football style of play from Rugby League." "Almost all of the change required to achieve greater balance in the game can be achieved by refereeing which allows defenders more time to get off tackled players so that ruck speed is reduced, and by restricting interchanges to a set number of replacements/substitutions (though potentially needing additional players on the bench for head injury assessment)." Other potential solutions to reducing the incidence of head injuries by eliminating gang tackles are discussed, along with a suggestion to get rid of the top 8 and reinstate a top 5 with a 3 game series to replace a Grandfinal to decide the Premier if acceptable to the fans.

Rugby vs. American Football: Key Lessons North America Can Learn from Both Sports

Particularly proud of this one! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇨🇳 Have a read of the full article HERE:

Star rugby player for Wales, Louis Rees-Zammit, is leaving the sport for the NFL's International Player Pathway. I am sure it doesn't make him popular in Cardiff, but the approach by the National Football League (NFL) to developing talent is outstanding foresight. This is how USA Rugby and Major League Rugby should be developing, but in the opposite direction. Take former D-1 collegiate athletes who are not continuing as pro football/lacrosse/soccer/wrestling and turn them into rugby players. They have the discipline, athleticism, and team dynamics to succeed. We keep going to the international rugby pool to draft, but it will never catch due to a limit of athletes willing to take the risk. We have all the talent we need right here. Don't tell me you can't take 9-12 months to turn the non-drafted backup running back or tight end from an SEC football program into a star faster than scouring the world for a unicorn. https://lnkd.in/ezBWf8cd Develop talent at home.

England Academy v France under 19s I attended a fantastic game of Rugby League yesterday evening in a game that France won in the last seconds 42-37. 14 tries shared by 2 wonderfully expansive teams in a real test match. Rugby League truly is a wonderful spectacle at every level. I simply enjoy watching the sport whether its under 11s or our Lions and Lionesses, NRL or Super League, every single level has something to offer. Now looking at the scoreboard I am assuming that those who weren't in attendance or watching online may think the defences must have been poor, far from it, every try was well crafted highly skilled expansive play. The French team who appeared considerably smaller than there opponents had 2 of the best half backs ive seen in a while and talk about the size of the fight in the dog they had it in abundance. If this is a sign of International RL for the future IM IN fully invested, having seen all the home nations playing in the last 12 months at youth level the sport has so much talent to develop. Here is where lies the following questions and (if anybody would like to join in the debate lets do it). 1/ How do we nurture this talent to play at the highest levels in years to come? 2/ Do we have too many overseas players or journeymen players in the UK game, blocking the progress of the youngsters? 3/ If 2 is a yes, what systems do we need to put in place to enhance player development? 4/ Once a player is at senior level to they learn play safe or is the FEAR of making a mistake ingrained, coached or a symptom of current competition structures? 5/ Do we overcoach to much and not let players experience play what you see? 6/ Players who are expansive are often referred to as a 'MAVERICK' is it time to change our own media narrative and just applaud, welcome and showcase players who promote expansive play in a positive manner? I have my own views on all the above, but wont share them just yet, Im just interested in the views of the others and whether my view is a minority or majority one.

The stats don't lie and rugby mad Chris Carter loves them and he has a PhD. Chris messaged me after reading my post about the size of All Blacks today compared with 20 years ago. He sent me a copy of a very cool little book he's published called Rugbynomics. I read it, have written him a wee media release which will hopefully get him some publicity. Here's a taster. Is your birth date a factor in All Blacks selection? Yes. Do we really play a different style of rugby in the Southern Hemisphere, compared with the North? The answer, according to the in game stats, no we don't. Some of the questions are random, like tracking the names of players alphabetically and asking whether that impacts selection.  The answer, weirdly it does.   Does playing at home affect how many penalties a side is given by the referee. The answer is yes.   By comparing the number of penalties awarded to home teams when stadiums were empty during the Covid-impacted 2020-2021 season, versus the 'normal' seasons either side of that, Carter was able to quantify how many additional penalties the home side was awarded when their fans were there to cheer them on. Is the referee influenced by the home crowd? French fans certainly felt that was the case in the final minutes of the RWC2011 final at Eden Park. Who remembers THAT game with a shiver. I can remember standing in the Eden park tunnel entrance with then PM John Key who stated the obvious - 'We better bloody win this." 😫   A more obvious statistic for fans is how much bigger rugby players are today compared to 20 years ago. Since the 1930s, props weights have increased by almost 34%, hookers 24%, and just behind them are centres by 23 %.  Heights of players have increased too but those numbers line up with an increase in height of the general population over the same time period.   Other interesting stats include, how scoring first, especially at a Rugby World Cup, leads to a win over 60% of the time, how the draw in a Rugby World Cup really does affect the outcome of the tournament and stats showing teams who score first in the first and second halves, go on to win games.   Chris Carter absolutely loves sport. He says he is addicted to the uncertainty of it.    “American sports fans get so much more data and analytics than we do here in New Zealand. Rugby is behind and we need to catch up. After all, the stats tell a very interesting and often surprising story.” New Zealand Rugby gregor paul Paul Cully Richard Knowler George Berry Andrew Burt Craig Fenton Nathan Rarere Sky Sport Now Kirstie Stanway Sir John Kirwan Jeff Wilson Toby Robson Tony Smith Mark Robinson

Interesting few weeks since rejoining The Halifax Panthers Rugby League board. Illness, a few "less than wonderful" results and all the current woes of the economic world.... However I've never been more optimistic about the opportunity for the team, its fans, and its commercial partners. Here's Why: - Commercial sponsors and partners are getting in at the Ground Floor on the journey to being "Super League Ready". Not only are we very early in the season, we are early in the journey to bigger things in this new era of Rugby League and how the wider game develops. Yes, there are some changes about promotion and relegation. While others bemoan a "closed shop" narrative, our Board and team are planning on how to take advantage and pounce on our opportunity when it presents itself - IMG Ratings are incredibly transparent. Any marketer wants KPI's, Likewise any sales person... now we know exactly what we have to do. (Unrelated to Rugby - But very surprising this week that gateshead have been ejected from National League playoffs due to lack of 10 year secured tenancy... Will be interesting to see how that came about to be missed/unable to remedy in time) - We have incrediby generous and supportive shareholder/directors, ego-less individuals, who have the long-term health of the club and fans at heart, and that of Halifax as a whole. - New faces, brains, and energy including myself, Rachel Garrod, Damian Clayton MBE. Yes, it will take a touch of time for me and Rachel to hit our stride, but rest assured, good things are coming. - Unity Staff, Directors, Players and everyone involved wants great things for the club. I've been involved in lots of large organisations, where you can have competing interests, and fiefdoms. Not here. Is it the finished article? No. Is it unified? Absolutely - Not just a "Boys club". A huge difference in the time I've been away from the club is the attitude surrounding how vital the Womens, Wheelchair, College Pathway and Mixed ability teams are to the future of the club. Having people such as Amy Hardcastle involved, and organisations like Calderdale College is incredibly positive. We're still early on the journey, but glad we're heading in the right direction PT1/2 See Pt 2 in Comment