Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan has revealed how the NRL overreaction to Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s decision to ditch league and return to union will help bankroll their code’s return to solvency.
While no-one at RA is popping any champagne corks yet because rugby in Australia still has a pile of other problems to resolve, including finding a new chief executive, the NRL’s bleating over losing Suaalii is the gift that keeps on giving.
Not only has it provided the embattled code with millions of dollars worth of free publicity, but it has also unintentionally helped reunite the rugby faithful.
“The media reaction has been extraordinary,” RA chairman Hamish McLennan told 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, during the grips of the pandemic.
But after a tumultuous few years of heavy financial losses and job cuts, just last week RA announced an $8.2 million surplus for the 2022 financial year.
The coming years will also see rugby given a second chance to create a legitimate World Cup legacy with
Australia awarded the hosting rights for the 2027 (men) and 2029 (women) World Cups.
Combined with the lucrative 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, RA conservatively expects to generate more than $200 million just from those mega events.
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