Broncos and England coach Wayne Bennett on how rugby league could be sold to America

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...a/news-story/26c4e26149e9d56c441a29c76862c084

WAYNE Bennett has outlined his plan for rugby league to boom in Donald Trump’s America as the Broncos and England coach turned up the heat on the code’s bosses to grow the sport in the US.
Three decades after being part of State of Origin’s exhibition game in Los Angeles, Bennett is keen to sell the sport to Trump and 323 million Americans by returning to the US next year with the England team.
The England and New Zealand rugby leagues are currently in negotiations to stage a Test match next June in Denver in the first step towards promoting the sport ahead of the 2025 World Cup in the US and Canada.

Bennett’s contract with England expired a fortnight ago following a World Cup that represented a shot in the arm for the British game after the Poms narrowly lost 6-0 to Australia in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
Speaking exclusively with The Sunday Mail, Bennett revealed he wants to extend his tenure with the England team – but only if international league bosses support his dream for the code to take off in the States.
“We have to find ways to grow the game. We need to take rugby league to America,” Bennett said.
“The international bosses need to deliver on some stuff in relation to fixtures and the calendar and then I’ll look to commit to England.
“I’m sick of the game wasting opportunities to grow the game. We can’t do it with the game being played in the NRL, New Zealand and the north of England. That won’t give us a better game in 30 years.
“The rugby league World Cup in America is seven years away. They had the soccer World Cup in America 20 years ago and now look at how soccer has taken off in the US.
“Now it’s time for us to get over to America and make our statement.”

After a superb World Cup, the international game threatens to stagnate next year.
Under the current schedule, the Big Three of Australia, New Zealand and England won’t play again until next October.
Bennett hopes to change that with a mid-season Test between the Poms and Kiwis on the weekend of June 22-24, which coincides with the NRL’s representative weekend and State of Origin II.
The Test is slated for Mile High Stadium, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. It would be rugby league’s most significant contest on American soil since 2004, when Australia, then coached by Bennett, beat the USA Tomahawks 36-24 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Bennett was also Queensland coach when Origin was played in California in 1987 and says he is stunned rugby league hasn’t found its niche in the North American market.

“We have never bought into America in the way rugby league should have,” he said.
“America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Their people love the physicality of gridiron – there is so much scope for rugby league to succeed over there.
“I’m passionate about international rugby league and one of my ambitions is for rugby league to take off in America.
“I’d love to be part of going to Denver but I don’t want to waste my time if we aren’t serious about growing the game.
“The Pacific Nations like Tonga and Fiji have been incredible in recent years, but England and New Zealand won’t get closer to Australia if we’re playing one or two games a year.
“It (the Denver Test) would be played during the week of Origin so it can be done.
“America has more than 300 million people so there is a massive market for us to tap into. Hopefully, I might even meet Donald Trump while I’m there.”

WAYNE Bennett has outlined his plan for rugby league to boom in Donald Trump’s America as the Broncos and England coach turned up the heat on the code’s bosses to grow the sport in the US.
Three decades after being part of State of Origin’s exhibition game in Los Angeles, Bennett is keen to sell the sport to Trump and 323 million Americans by returning to the US next year with the England team.

Click to expand...

This is why everyone hates the media. Of course they have to plaster Trump's name all over this article just because they know it'll draw attention. Trump never has and never will have a rats piss amount to do with Rugby League.

I outlined a plan years ago which I was and still am certain would grab the attention of the yanks. Best part of my( advertising ) plan is...we only have to run the ads in one place and only for a couple of months during the football season. If it works the way I think it would, americans themselves would spread the gospel. News networks would be affronted, annoyed and would carry the banner for us. YouTube would take it further and all it takes is a cheap to make series of ads..plenty of stock footage available to pad it out.

How ? Picture the scene, three yobbos sitting watching tv ,beer cans, pizza boxes , bottle of Jack maybe, Bundy too perhaps strewn about on the coffee table....and one of our lads saying something along the lines of " how soft are those NFL guys, padding up the gazoo, 5 seconds of effort and they're blowing hard"
The other yobbos in full agreement adding their two cents worth...."not like real hard men, no pads, full contact rugby league"...footage follows of our biggest hits....yobbo one...trailling out with, " yeah, soft alright I reckon"

Guys at the pub watching it on the big screen while standing around a table with beer, chips and assortedother bits, pedaling the same line " how soft are these nfl guys, mumma doesn't want her little boy getting hurt "etc etc, comments like that...all disparaging and no one disagreeing...more stock footage...few more derogatory comments about how soft they are

Couple of ladies doing their bit about how tough the aussies are, no pads, bone on bone, muscles and manliness, sweaty heavily muscled and inked aussies in the sheds....a few comments about how 'pretty' the nfl guys are ...the girls look at each..."nah, oi oi oi for me "...more stock footage of big hits and hard men

Run the ads in just one town, a series of them, doesn't even need to be a major city...light a fuse under the yanks, challenge their toughness....and wait for the outrage to spread the word !!

Reckon it'd work...thoughts anyone, happy to hear why it wouldn't catch fire

I bleed Maroon said:

This is why everyone hates the media. Of course they have to plaster Trump's name all over this article just because they know it'll draw attention. Trump never has and never will have a rats piss amount to do with Rugby League.

Click to expand...

Yeah it's just not a story in mainstream media without working in a '**** Donald Trump' message.

Huge said:

I outlined a plan years ago which I was and still am certain would grab the attention of the yanks. Best part of my( advertising ) plan is...we only have to run the ads in one place and only for a couple of months during the football season. If it works the way I think it would, americans themselves would spread the gospel. News networks would be affronted, annoyed and would carry the banner for us. YouTube would take it further and all it takes is a cheap to make series of ads..plenty of stock footage available to pad it out.

How ? Picture the scene, three yobbos sitting watching tv ,beer cans, pizza boxes , bottle of Jack maybe, Bundy too perhaps strewn about on the coffee table....and one of our lads saying something along the lines of " how soft are those NFL guys, padding up the gazoo, 5 seconds of effort and they're blowing hard"
The other yobbos in full agreement adding their two cents worth...."not like real hard men, no pads, full contact rugby league"...footage follows of our biggest hits....yobbo one...trailling out with, " yeah, soft alright I reckon"

Guys at the pub watching it on the big screen while standing around a table with beer, chips and assortedother bits, pedaling the same line " how soft are these nfl guys, mumma doesn't want her little boy getting hurt "etc etc, comments like that...all disparaging and no one disagreeing...more stock footage...few more derogatory comments about how soft they are

Couple of ladies doing their bit about how tough the aussies are, no pads, bone on bone, muscles and manliness, sweaty heavily muscled and inked aussies in the sheds....a few comments about how 'pretty' the nfl guys are ...the girls look at each..."nah, oi oi oi for me "...more stock footage of big hits and hard men

Run the ads in just one town, a series of them, doesn't even need to be a major city...light a fuse under the yanks, challenge their toughness....and wait for the outrage to spread the word !!

Reckon it'd work...thoughts anyone, happy to hear why it wouldn't catch fire

Click to expand...

I'm not sure insulting your target audience's favourite pastime is the way to go, but it would certainly put a bee in their bonnet. Most Americans already know of "Rugby", even if they don't realise there are 2 different types. It would probably lead to them digging up footage of the girly-men in our comp who will take a dive and milk a penalty to ridicule how soft some of our players actually are. God forbid they ever get word of John Hopoate's antics on the field.

I bleed Maroon said:

This is why everyone hates the media. Of course they have to plaster Trump's name all over this article just because they know it'll draw attention. Trump never has and never will have a rats piss amount to do with Rugby League.

Click to expand...

They plaster his name in the article because he is a fan of Rugby League and a fan of the NRL. Why wouldn't he have anything to do with Rugby league?

Rugby League needs to try to avoid making out they are the superior sport to NFL and that only men play Rugby League.

It's not big enough to take on the NFL and if they try to, Rugby League will be destroyed very quickly.

Tom said:

I'm not sure insulting your target audience's favourite pastime is the way to go, but it would certainly put a bee in their bonnet. Most Americans already know of "Rugby", even if they don't realise there are 2 different types. It would probably lead to them digging up footage of the girly-men in our comp who will take a dive and milk a penalty to ridicule how soft some of our players actually are. God forbid they ever get word of John Hopoate's antics on the field.

Click to expand...

Ha ha....the thing is not the retaliation but the fact you'v got their attention. There isn't such a thing as bad publicity, I'm sure you've heard that before ! Insulting americans hahahaha...like that's a thing

Most Americans don't even know where Australia is let alone 'rugby' but yes, many yanks have at least heard of it. I reckon an ad campaign like this would rile them up and hell yes, that would absolutely be my aim. Anger and insult fades but the message remains...we play a tough brand of contact football, no protection except a mouth guard...and tough like Crocodile Dundee works with yanks !

I can picture it....nfl gear ,piece by piece , zoomed in one at a time forming a great big pile....then down the other end of the lockeroom bench, a single solitary mouthguard, perhaps with a dab of blood on it !

****, come to think of it...that's perfect as the tag line...." that's not football, this.....is football"

I'd laugh if someone did actually pinch this idea

It could work in the NFL off season. I'm 100% certain Americans would watch it over yawnion if the two got equal coverage.

Now is a great time to plug NRL. NFL is tankin with the kneeling, no respect, have nofkncluewhatimprotestinbutbutthemediasaidineedtohatetrumplol bs.

Blitz SOO highlight ads across fox sports, and point out -> no pads, no helmets, real testosterone..

I bleed Maroon said:

This is why everyone hates the media. Of course they have to plaster Trump's name all over this article just because they know it'll draw attention. Trump never has and never will have a rats piss amount to do with Rugby League.

Click to expand...

I dunno. He did have a poorly run team in the disaster that was the USFL. America's version of the Super League Wars.

Maybe Trump is exactly the guy Wayno should be targeting to get league off the ground (and then crash into a smouldering mess) in the US.

theshed said:

Maybe Trump is exactly the guy Wayno should be targeting to get league off the ground (and then crash into a smouldering mess) in the US.

Click to expand...

Sounds no worse then the games administration here. Trump and his administration working with Rugby Leagues, now there is a combination that surely couldn't fail. :porthozthinksthisishot: