Andrew Alauni has played rugby league in western Sydney for as long as he can remember. But he has never experienced anything quite like a Run it Straight tournament.
“What hypes me up is the crowd,” Alauni, 24, says. “When I’ve got the crowd behind me, when they scream out my name … honestly, I’m blessed being part of the event.”
Run it Straight is a rapidly growing social media trend that has racked up millions of views across Instagram and TikTok. The object is simple: two players run at each other from opposite ends of a 10-metre strip and collide as hard as they can in a rugby league-style hit-up, aiming to knock the other over and win the collision.
The risks are obvious, and the craze has already ended in tragedy. A week ago, 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite had his life support turned off after sustaining an ultimately fatal head injury playing the game in an Auckland backyard. His family said he had been influenced by social media.
On Saturday, the Manly Sea Eagles vowed to step up game-day security after footage of fans skolling beer and running at each other behind the main hill at 4 Pines Park was watched more than 200,000 times online.
Concussion expert Alan Pearce, a professor at Melbourne’s Swinburne University, says the game is supercharging the most dangerous aspects of rugby league tackles and is gaining popularity among those who perceive safety rules in sport as “woke”.
Andrew Alauni (left, in black shirt), competes at a Run It Straight event. Credit: @Runitstraight24 / Instagram
“What you have is two large men running at each other at almost 25 to 30 kilometres an hour, but not stopping,” Pearce said. “This is just pure collision with the idea of knocking out the opponent, which is the main concern that we have here from a brain injury perspective.
“You do not need a direct impact to the head in order for a brain injury to occur. It only requires what we call an impulse force travelling to the brain.”
Pearce is worried about the knock-on effect of the popularity of the game, which could result in early dementia, disability or death.
“We have some real concerns around what is known as second impact syndrome where an impact of the brain can put it into vulnerable state, and then a short time after if they get another hit to the brain it will certainly result in death – and that’s what we saw in New Zealand the weekend before.”
Still, crowds continue to pack ovals in rugby league’s western Sydney heartland and further afield for Run It Straight events, competing and sharing footage online. Tournament organisers have offered up to $20,000 in prizemoney, staging large-scale events involving food trucks, DJ’s and teams of photographers and videographers.
Alauni, who has competed in two local tournaments run by Run it Straight Official, says the game imposes safety regulations which, if broken, will result in a player being disqualified.
“There’s actually rules in the game, [which are set] before the game starts, so there’s no head-highs (high tackles). But the people that get hurt, they actually signed a waiver … so that’s that person’s choice at the end of the day. They’re not forced to do it.”
He insists the buzz of attending the events, which he sees as a way to express his Pasifika cultural identity, outweighs the dangers.
“The whole atmosphere is just beautiful at both events I was at – the Mount Druitt one and Campbelltown. They’re both big crowds,” said Alauni.
“If they can’t get any games going on, then I’ll keep supporting them because that’s what Islanders love doing – because we’ve been through the trenches, us Islanders. We’ve been through hell and back.“
Former New Zealand cross-code star Sonny Bill Williams last week posted footage on Instagram of his trademark NRL shoulder charge with the caption, “Playing run it straight before it was called run it straight”, but later apologised after learning of Satterthwaite’s passing.
“I put a video up last night, and I just want to ask for forgiveness of the young fulla [sic] that passed away,” Williams later said on social media. “I’ve been asked to collab with the Run it Straight people, or a couple of people, and I haven’t. Simply because I wouldn’t put my kids in it.”
“It’s gonna [sic] carry on because people love it. It’s entertainment. But I’d like to see some heavily controlled safety restrictions come in.”
Rugby Australia, along with New Zealand Rugby League and rugby, have distanced themselves from the trend.
“Run it Straight has no relation to rugby union and is not supported by Rugby Australia,” a spokesperson for the code said. “Rugby Australia advises people not to participate in it or associated competitions.”
The NRL was approached for comment.
