It was the English philosopher Francis Bacon who declared that the folly of one man is the fortune of another and as rugby union’s Premiership clubs continue to fall further into collective crisis, it would be little wonder if other sports are ready to take advantage – not least those in the opposite code, where expansion into union strongholds has always felt more like a dream than a reality.
That is still the case, even given last week’s demise of London Irish that followed on from Wasps and Worcester being kicked out of the league mid-season.
But it appears the door has perhaps been left ajar in the Midlands and London – not so much Worcester, where there is no professional league club – and the onus is on the clubs there to seize the moment.
Tens of thousands of rugby supporters have, in the sense of having a team to support, been in effect left homeless.
It may sound cold-hearted talking about league potentially exploiting the demise of others but the code has never been described as ruthless. “I think, and I hope, the game can take full advantage of what’s happened,” says the chairman of Midlands Hurricanes, Mike Lomas.
The Hurricanes are based in Birmingham and play in League 1, rugby league’s third professional tier, but they took over the professional franchise previously owned by the Coventry Bears in 2021. As such, they believe they have enough of a presence across the region to capitalise on Wasps’ woes.
Lomas argues they are already experiencing an uptick in Midlands rugby league. “We’ve seen some uptake from Wasps fans about coming along to our upcoming fixtures,” he says. “It’s not nice to see what’s happened to Wasps but we can’t pretend it’s not an opportunity to get more footfall in the region when it comes to rugby league.”
The Hurricanes work closely with amateur rugby league clubs in Birmingham, Coventry and Telford, and say about 700 juniors are playing the game in the region. They expect that to rise through both their own community outreach work and the fact rugby union has less of a presence in the area now.
“With the demise of those clubs … look, I know there’s a human element to this, but it’s an opportunity and something rugby league people should strive to get on top of,” says Lomas.
As well as supporters, hundreds of junior rugby union players having nowhere to play is also something league can take advantage of, something about which those in the capital are aware.
London Broncos have existed for more than 40 years but are still struggling to make a significant impact. The demise of the Exiles, who played in the west of the city while the Broncos play out of Wimbledon in the south, is not quite as clearcut an opportunity, but the Championship club are watching with intent to see how the union landscape in the capital could shift and the doors it could open for league.
“We used to battle with Wasps, when they were here, and Irish for young players,” Broncos’ head of rugby, Mike Eccles, says. “But you’ve still Harlequins and Saracens here don’t forget. I hear what people are saying about taking advantage but we still have competition.
“We’re certainly second fiddle as a sport. It goes back to rugby league desperately needing a detailed strategic plan for London and whether there’s an opportunity to exploit what’s happened in union … maybe. Probably. But it’s got to be part of a wider community-driven programme for the capital.”
Getting new eyes on rugby league in the capital has always been a challenge. But with IMG promising to make London a priority in its plans to revamp the sport, coupled with the chance to attract new juniors, there is tentative hope.
That could be boosted even further this summer, given how the Broncos are one win from Wembley, with victory in the semi-finals of the 1895 Cup taking them to Challenge Cup final day, albeit in the curtain-raiser in a tournament designed to give non-Super League clubs a shot at glory on the big stage. London, more than anyone, would relish that.
“I’ve been to Rugby League World Cup games at Wembley and hearing London voices in the crowd is great,” Eccles says. “How good would that be for London rugby league, to see their team in a final? It’d be great to help us and build on everything happening. Who knows, we could even get some newbies that fall in love with the game. There’s an opening there, it’s up to us to capitalise.”
