Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan has revealed how the NRL overreaction to Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s determination to ditch league and return to union will assist bankroll their code’s return to solvency.
While no-one at RA is popping any champagne corks but as a result of rugby in Australia nonetheless has a pile of different issues to resolve, together with discovering a brand new chief govt, the NRL’s bleating over dropping Suaalii is the reward that retains on giving.
Not solely has it supplied the embattled code with tens of millions of {dollars} price of free publicity, but it surely has additionally unintentionally helped reunite the rugby trustworthy.
“The media reaction has been extraordinary,” RA chairman Hamish McLennan advised a CODE Sports Investigation.
“As Gus Gould quite rightly said, ‘every time they see Joseph everyone will correlate that with his return to union’.
“Joseph will be a sponsor‘s dream, he’ll put bums on seats.”
RA was a basket case when McLennan agreed to step in as chairman in mid 2020, in the course of the grips of the pandemic.
But after a tumultuous few years of heavy monetary losses and job cuts, simply final week RA introduced an $8.2 million surplus for the 2022 monetary yr.
The coming years may also see rugby given a second likelihood to create a authentic World Cup legacy with Australia awarded the internet hosting rights for the 2027 (males) and 2029 (girls) World Cups.
Combined with the profitable 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, RA conservatively expects to generate greater than $200 million simply from these mega occasions.
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Originally revealed as CODE Sports Investigation: How Rugby Australia recovered from being $27 million in debt
Source: www.news.com.au
