Hybrid rugby to unite codes

Secret plans for a new multi-million-dollar hybrid rugby competition featuring the cream of both codes have been revealed by Australian magazine Rugby League Week.

Media company News Limited is involve in the push to get the codes together for an end-of-season tournament in the mould of cricket’s IPL competition, with teams representing major Australian cities and including superstars of league and union.

A meeting in Sydney today will discuss the idea.

“News Limited reckons the hybrid game has got legs and they believe it could be a TV rights bonanza down the track,” a senior official tells RLW.

“They see it as being like an IPL set-up where both codes come together during a short window and make a heap of money.”

Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer says: “We’ve done some work on the kind of revenues that could be generated and as you can imagine, they would be substantial.”

More details on the plan are available in Rugby League Week, available via iTunes.