BBC SPORT | Rugby League | Super League | Sevens needs league input



By Ray French BBC Sport rugby league commentator

So where now for the Middlesex Sevens and its flirtation with rugby league clubs?

Where now for the likes of Wigan and Bradford after two wins in two appearances?

And what now for fans of both codes whose appetites have been whetted for even more cross-code challenges?

I believe that rugby league is the key to the future well-being of the Middlesex Sevens

It was obvious to anyone watching the Bradford Bulls beat Leeds Tykes, Gloucester, the British Army and London Wasps at Twickenham that the vast majority of spectators were engrossed in the battle between League and Union.

For over a century fans of both codes have debated and boasted of the virtues of both brands of rugby.

But as the cross-code games between Bath and Wigan in 1996 proved, the action and the rules in each game demand a different type of player with a different approach.

Not so in Sevens where, despite the naivety of the League boys in scrums and lineouts, the modified version of union provides a vehicle for a genuine contest of strength and skill between the two oval ball rivals.

Your say: Time for Sevens shake-up?

Wigan's historic win in 1996 and Bradford's spectacular display against the best of the Zurich Premiership sides has helped to restore the appeal of a 76-year-old tournament which was seen to be ailing in the new world of professional rugby union.

Shaun Edwards and Martin Offiah lift the trophy in 1996
Wigan won the Middlesex Sevens in 1996

Indeed, I believe that rugby league is the key to the future well-being of the Middlesex Sevens in the professional age.

If a convenient date can be found to satisfy both sports then a competition involving the top six rugby union and Super League clubs, a major French union and league side (perhaps Toulouse and Villeneuve?), and a couple of guest teams would have a great attraction for supporters of both codes.

Let battle commence with the best of Union - Johnny Wilkinson, Austin Healey and Jason Robinson - and the best of League - Sean Long, Robbie Paul and Andy Farrell - lined up against each other. Plus a little Gallic flavour!

But, though the Middlesex Sevens provides the perfect showcase for League stars to display their skills, the presence of clubs from the 13-a-side code must not be taken for granted.

Revenue from the event must be forthcoming to support the League's own charities as well as the Union's charities.

Crowd boost

And that revenue will surely increase considerably if the organisers of the fundraising event look seriously at the implications of the involvement of Wigan and the Bradford Bulls.

Such a competition could easily attract double the 26,000 crowd which attended this year's event.

The ranks of Harlequins, Wasps and Leicester fans would be swelled by the addition of many thousands from St Helens, Bradford, Leeds and Wigan.

The tournament would raise huge sums of money for various charitable bodies while the mix on the pitch and on the terraces would prove ideal for television audiences.

The perfect Festival of Rugby - and we would soon find out which game had the fitter, stronger, more skilful players!