Australia coach Mal Meninga has called for the Nines version of Rugby League to become an international tournament, after another successful weekend in Auckland, where Parramatta won the NRL Nines by defeating the New Zealand Warriors in the tournament final in front of big crowds at Eden Park.
Meninga believes the shortened version of Rugby League can draw new fans to the game in the same way that 20-over matches has done for cricket.
“International Nines is an important part of growing the game globally,” Meninga said.
“I saw [ARLC chairman] John Grant mentioning recently that the next CEO should have that focus, growing Rugby League and the brand globally.
“International Nines would be a good way of doing it.
“You could do it off-season without encroaching on club commitments. You don’t need to be playing our best players all the time. You could make it a genuine emerging programme.
“You could have the top 16 international teams based on rankings through the year to play in those tournaments with three or four rotations through the world. You could have Hong Kong, Singapore, wherever you’ve got great support for that type of event.
“I could see that happening down the track. We need to put our heads together, come up with the right formula and we’ll see things like that to showcase our game. We need to expose people to the game of Rugby League.”
