Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’landys’ latest AFL barb backfires as NRL unveils global plan
The chairman’s latest barb at his rival code had fans all reaching for two words.
Japan, Hong Kong, the UK, the Middle East and much more of America are just some of the global destinations the NRL wants to conquer.
It’s an ambitious plan but Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’landys has revealed expansion is on his mind, while taking a jab at rugby union and the AFL.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: NRL reveals global take-over after Las Vegas success.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Markets like Japan and Hong Kong are used to that other game (union) that only goes for 30 minutes, I think it’s called rugby union,” he said.
“So when they see the real game, rugby league, I think we can actually migrate them over.
“The key performance indicator for entertainment is how long the ball is in play.
“In rugby league it’s 60 minutes, in rugby union it’s 30 minutes. So no one would know what hit them in Japan and in Hong Kong when we take the game over.”
V’landys also said Miami was another market he was looking at while reiterating that “was very important to us”.
Meanwhile, some giants of the NFL also believe NRL is a winner.
The NRL’s big “sell” to the Americans is “no pads, no helmets” ... and it’s seemingly cutting through.
As NRL players ventured out to the home of NFL team the Las Vegas Raiders, Caleb Rogers, Atonio Mafi and Thomas Booker were just some of the American football stars who seemed to be captivated by the Australian game.
“The violence is higher .... Doing that without pads and having to have all the technique and leverage and all the rest of it that comes with it ... it’s a different sport. It’s impressive.” Booker said.
Clearly still in good spirits — despite his plane being turned back to Sydney after he had been in the air for an hour — V’landys also had a little crack at the AFL, too, when he landed in the US.
The reason the plane was diverted was due to a problem with the air conditioner units, and V’landys joked at the airport it was the AFL’s fault.
“Make sure that the plane’s not serviced by the AFL engineers,” he said.
He added: “That’s what’s happened, I think ... they’ve spiked the air conditioner.”
V’landys regularly throws barbs out the AFL and often claims that NRL is Australia’s No.1 sport.
His latest outburst had many sports fans suggesting that the AFL “lives rent free” inside the chairman’s head.
“AFL lives in his head 24/7 , he is a worried man,” one follower said on social media, while others just wrote the words “rent free”.
- With Jelisa Apps
Originally published on 7NEWS Sport
