Yep

Easily and by far the most innovative thing that’s happened in this country for a decade or so – hybrid rugby.

The rules are brilliant, rugby in the attacking half and league in the defensive half. I’d have never thought of that.

I’ve just watched the first match and my prediction is that it’ll take over from the two rugby codes. Eventually.

The ‘why’ is an interesting one.

Both codes have about the same number of active players, 2.5m each around the world. However rugby union is played in many more countries and hence attracts more dollars on a global basis for TV and sponsorship rights.

The big issue the codes face is liability resulting from injuries as the first world gets more first world-ish. People will just stop playing the games and the codes will be swamped with liability costs.

The new hybrid code reduces the number of players in each team to 13 and hence the number of players in the scrum to 10 players. This removes rugby union’s biggest single issue in regards to injuries – the scrum.

By combining the rules so cleverly, players from both codes can immediately play the game without being disadvantaged and each code will feel as though their code is being ‘preserved’.

Most importantly, by combining the codes the game would have that much more power with regards to TV rights and crowd participation. Rightly it could be become the second most popular sport on a global basis.

Resistance to a merger will be strong from the entrenched administrative beneficiaries of both codes. But money speaks in the end.

Importantly all of England, NZ and Australia would be more competitive under a merger because each has both a strong cohort of league and union players.

These three countries could lead the merger. The rest would have to follow kicking and screaming.

Maybe I’m dreaming, who knows.