Organisers of the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens will attempt to woo English Premiership clubs and the Fijian national team for future tournaments after hailing the inaugural event as a massive success.
Duco Australia chief executive Rachael Carroll said she was “thrilled” with how the first edition turned out.
Despite lower than expected crowds at Suncorp Stadium, it proved a hit for on-field entertainment and an ideal pre-season appetiser for Super Rugby.
All 14 teams had decent moments and rave reviews have been flooding in from players, coaches, administrators and fans alike.
With a four-year contract to keep the event in Queensland locked away, Duco are determined to make sure the novelty does not wear off.
Difficult and costly as it was to lure the likes of French club Toulon and South Africa’s Blue Bulls to Australia, the company already has feelers out for new teams to fill the four invitational slots to give a different mix of international flavours every year.
“We’ve had overwhelming feedback saying we’d love to see Fiji in this tournament and let’s look at the UK as well,” Carroll said.
“There are some challenges in terms of sporting calendars and when these competitions all land and we’ve got to work within that.
“But the core product that we have is the five Australian Super Rugby clubs, the five New Zealand clubs and then we have the opportunity to change the internationals, so that is what will keep it fresh.”
An anticipated move to a World Rugby global calendar this year could actually make it easier to attract sides from abroad if seasons align correctly.
Toulon assistant coach Steve Meehan was confident the positive feedback from players would spread and pique interest levels in Europe.
Carroll, meanwhile, would not be drawn on talk of a potential direct swap with the Auckland Nines, but it is understood the NRL has told Duco they want that tournament moved to Brisbane.
An official attendance figure for the tens was not given but organisers claimed just under 30,000 tickets were sold for the two days.
One-day passes were not available until Sunday, a strategy that will be reconsidered.
Carroll admitted walk-up ticket sales were well down on projections because of the extreme heat on both days but said the tens had already proven its worth.
“Even some of the skeptics – and there have been a few on this journey, it hasn’t been easy – have done a 180 once they’ve seen the product on the field,” he said.
