Jim Hamilton says it is a ‘tragedy’ that South Africa and New Zealand are slated to meet in next year’s World Cup quarter-finals and has called on rugby to raise its game off the field to match the levels being set by players on it.
Hamilton, Scotland lock turned broadcaster and podcaster, is still on a high from watching the epic four-Test series between the Springboks and All Blacks.
“Absolutely awesome, the elite of the elite,” he purrs. “So intense, so tribal, so cool. Our sport is in a really good place when you see games like that.”
Yet his positivity comes with an almighty caveat. The business side of the game, he insists, is not “marrying up”.
Frustrations from Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour
Hamilton, like many, watched in frustration as Saturday’s final Test in Baltimore was halted for 15 minutes midway through the first half after the officials’ communication system malfunctioned.
A big part of the reason for taking the game to North America was to grow a new audience Stateside. How many would have switched off as referees and organisers talked amongst themselves?
That is only one of Hamilton’s gripes. He can’t believe that after the 2023 World Cup was disfigured by the top five ranked nations being placed in the same half of the draw, next year’s edition will see the Springboks and All Blacks bracketed together in the last eight.
“It’ll be a tragedy to see South Africa face New Zealand in the quarter-finals,” he says. “We’ve seen there’s a gulf between these two sides and the rest at the minute, yet they meet in a quarter-final!”
Hamilton is not done. Midway through the Greatest Rivalry series a number of posts on his Instagram channel were taken down because they included footage from games.
In a sport desperate for new audiences he was highlighting the brilliance of what he was watching; sharing it, he claims, so others could see how good top-level rugby is.
Rugby is not at the level of football and the Olympics
It began when he posted a video of former All Black Ma’a Nonu responding to New Zealand’s Haka with one of his own, prior to the Sharks-ABs clash in Durban.
“My mate videoed it and I posted it because I wanted the world to see this cultural moment,” he explains. “I don’t make any money from Instagram. The video did over a million views and was then taken down by the TV rights’ holders.
“I’m gutted, genuinely. I’ve lost my Instagram channel when all I was doing was sharing this iconic moment. I know now this is not exclusive to rugby. Football and the Olympics are really strict on rights.
“But rugby is not at the level of football and the Olympics. For us, it has to be about growing the game authentically and getting it in front of a bigger audience.
“The way people consume sport has changed. We have to change with it, otherwise we risk becoming irrelevant.
“Maybe, I’ve had to fall on my sword to show there needs to be changes.
“Andy Goode spoke about referees and stuff like that on The Rugby Pod and took a rap on the wrist, but that changed how they went about doing things and having an independent TMO.
“Maybe I’m the fall guy, this time. Hopefully not. Hopefully I get my page back, but in that side of the sport, which I admit I’m not up to date with because I’m not a businessman, we’ve got a lot of work to do, we really have.”
NFL’s house is in order
Hamilton casts an envious glance across the pond to the NFL as its new season gets underway with a host of ‘international’ games, including a recent 100,000 sell-out for the 49ers and Rams in Melbourne.
“The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business,” he says. “US-based rather than global and the only real comparisons with rugby is that it’s a difficult sport to consume and it’s a contact sport.
“But their house is in order whilst some might argue our house is on fire. And what they’re doing with their international series is building houses globally.
“The game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a massive success. Next week they have the Ravens and Cowboys playing in Rio, then they’re in London, Paris, Madrid and Mexico City.
“They’re doing it strategically and slowly, all the while knowing they can go back to their house [the US] and their house is thriving and still growing.
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“Whereas at the minute we’re just scatter-gunning our approach in rugby, aren’t we? We don’t know what the strategy is.
“Let’s go to Baltimore. Let’s go and do this. Let’s go and grow the game. Let’s bring out the WXV. Let’s bring out a Greatest Rivalry. Let’s bring out a Nations Championship.”
Hamilton, speaking as an ambassador of this week’s London City 7s, acknowledges there are many good things in rugby and he needs to be conscious of not constantly shooting it down – “because if we’re constantly saying ‘this is s***’ or ‘this is wrong’, that drives the narrative.
“But I do think we need to narrow our focus on actually the things that are working in our sport. Because the game is growing in the markets where we’re strong.
“Look at South Africa, look at New Zealand. Australia are potentially on an upwards trajectory after having the Lions. Look at France, look at Ireland, look at England. We’ve got massive markets.”
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