Wales have recently been trying to push rugby league, but with the recent news of the Crusaders RL team stepping down from the Super Legaue, they seem to be struggling. Rugby league has also been growing in France, and it has strong domestic and National outfits.There are certain reasons that there may be an advantage to having quality rugby league competition for a Nation, so could Scotland potentially build a structure which may be of benefit to both codes?
At the moment Scotland have a professional National team and they are fairly competitive, ranked at 9th in the World. However, you will be lucky to hear one Scottish accent in that squad, and there is no team of professional or semi-professional level in the country. There is the talent and the numbers to have such a team, and it may be something we should be looking into as a sporting Nation.Competition is always healthy, and this is true not only in sports but between sports. Who has bragging rights in Australia as to having the best representative rugby team, league or union? The same could be asked in New Zealand and England, and surely this competition between the sports adds incentive for the teams to perform.
In the three countries mentioned in the opening paragraph there are a number of players who have crossed between the two sports, and several have had a significant impact on the other code. Before professionalism in rugby union this occurred more often in Britain, with players such as Jonathan Davies, Jason Robinson and Alan Tait, but it has been the three countries of note that are still producing players who are having an impact on both codes. The list is long and contains names such as Matt Rogers, Sonny-Bill Williams, Chris Ashton and many more.
These players have brought skills over that have had huge impact, and it is not just players who have done so. The amount of ex-rugby league players now coaching union, especially in defence roles is growing, and they too are having an impact. The fact that the game has been professional for longer means that the intricate, technical aspects have been broken down and studied longer in league than in union, so knowledge and specific aspects and views have been brought across, at times to great success.
Certainly at the top level there is no way a player could compete in both sports, but at grassroots, the option of both is surely an advantage. Rugby league creates certain traits for players which are extreme useful in union, and the same could be same the other way around.
The two games are very different and eventually a player who wants to complete at a high level will need to concentrate on one, but at a young age, or at an amateur level enjoyment and skill sets could be enhanced by participation in both. The season timings are different, so at the lower level, or when players are young they could be playing both codes.
There is amateur rugby league in Scotland, but the teams and competitions aren't widely regarded or recognised. If more support, time and help was given, could Scotland eventually have a semi-professional team playing in the English (and now Welsh) Championship?As stated, there may be benefits for both codes if this were the case, and if it worked and rugby league grew in Scotland, would this have a knock-on effect onto union? It may or may not be realistic, but it certainly is something that could be considered, and the possibility and potential positives and should definitely be looked into
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