STEVE MASCORD takes in Hull KR and York’s Dutch adventure.
“HOW about a Magic Weekend?”
On the surface it’s classic Rugby League hyperbole after 2,715 people saw York Knights beat a vastly understrength Hull KR in the first professional Rugby League match to be played in Amsterdam.
But the speaker, Netherlands Rugby League president Daan Van Rossum, had already shown, 90 minutes before he floated that idea, that he was not afraid to stick his neck out. At half-time in York’s 26-12 victory, he had knelt on one knee in front of the festive crowd at NRCA Stadium and proposed to his girlfriend Inge.
“If nobody dares to says it,” Van Rossum reasons (in relation to Magic – not marriage) “it’s never gonna happen.”
Despite the semi-rural setting, the home of Dutch rugby union is handy to the centre of town and to Schipol Airport – my Uber from my airport hotel cost just 16 euros. One need only set eyes on a facility that should be pictured next to “boutique stadium” in the dictionary for the idea of a Super League game here to take root.
The night before, at Belushi’s in central Amsterdam, not far from the Red Light District, delirious Rovers fans had chanted “Jared is a Robin, da-da dah dah” as Kiwi icon Jared Waerea-Hargreaves took to the stage.
“This feels like … real, the real thing,” he said in between posing for endless selfies.
Some Hull KR staff had been in town all week, running coaching clinics and getting the saturation branding ready for the big day.
This reporter has never seen a more professional and clear marketing strategy for an event of its type – the logo, font and colours were certainly more striking that the shimmering gameshow gold the NRL uses in Las Vegas.
But for the players on both sides, there was no cheese, cafes and window shopping.
“Pretty much after this interview I’m back on the bus and heading straight back,” smiled York’s Ata Hingano, who got an unwelcome opportunity to experience the event as a spectator when Marcus Griffiths sent him to the sinbin for dissent.
“I wish we could stay longer….
“To hear the ground announcer today say ‘are there any Netherlands fans’ and the whole stadium erupted…. Wow, there are people here who want to know the game.”
Danny Ward, who took the Hull KR coaching reins for the day, offered: “We’ve literally flown in and out. That was probably a safe bet. You might have to go into the fan park there and see if anyone’s got any interesting stories.
“I can show you the four walls of an airport and a hotel room, that’s about it.
“As for the fans, if they’ve had a decent time in Amsterdam. I’m sure they’ll say ‘yeah’. We’ve got to be branching out. We always say we’ve got the greatest game in the world. Let’s get around and show it off, showcase the game where we can grow it.”
It was cold, overcast and raining when the Dutch women’s Origin kicked off before the gates – adjacent to a transplanted version of Craven Street – were open. But by the time the main game kicked off at 2.30 amid the requisite chants from the red army, the sun had not just poked through but had assumed control of the afternoon.
Then came that moment at half-time when Van Rossum stuck a knee on the 4G pitch.
“People that know me know that Rugby League means everything to me,” he explained.
“Family and friends are super important and Rugby League is the second-best thing to that. I had them all here today.
“Also she has a little bun in the oven. We’re expecting a little girl, a Dutch Lioness in 18 years hopefully.
“So I thought it was the right thing to do. This day means everything to me. She means everything to me. So one and one is two.
“She came from a soccer background. Since she met me she’s completely dived into the madness and she’s a complete fanatic about it. She watches my Storm games … she goes with me to the Super League games, to Hull KR every single time. She’s a Robin as well.”
York want to be back next year too, says owner Clint Goodchild.
“We’d love to be part of this for the next few years … hopefully KR invite us back next year and we create some sort of pre-season rivalry.”
And even though the five-year rugbyleague.com Challenge could be played at other European capitals, Van Rossum says: “I “can’t speak for Hull.
“I think they’re going to do it here a couple more times. We want to conquer the Netherlands and after that all of Europe is open. Our game is the best game in the world but we don’t market it properly. It doesn’t have the market it deserves.
“Initiatives like this help with that.
“More people watching, more people playing, means more talent, means more money and that’s what the game needs.
“I’ve been in this game for almost 20 years now. When we started out we had to scratch to get 13 players on the field for a ‘national’ (team). Now this is 2,500 people watching Rugby League in the Netherlands and probably 500 have probably never seen any form of rugby. Fantastic!”
Magic Weekend in Amsterdam could be a decade off, but, Van Rossum says, “I’m a dreamer. I like to stir crazy shit before anyone else thinks of it.
“Now we’re in this beautiful stadium here. Who’s to say that in five years to a decade we can’t do a Magic Round at Ajax Arena?
“Dream big!”
As for what he and Inge would say to their daughter one day about the day mum and dad got engaged, Daan said he was “lost for words”.
But as one wag pointed out, at least the Hull KR faithful refrained from chanting, “You don’t know what you’re doing”.
