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Brisbane Tens axed for 2019 - reports
By Online Editors
The future of the Brisbane Global Tens hangs in the balance following reports that the event won’t be staged next year.
The New Zealand Herald have reported that after a lacklustre turnout across the tournament’s first two years Duco Events are set to cancel the event's 2019 iteration.
A trans-Tasman shift to Auckland could be the remedy the tournament needs as organisers are reportedly considering swapping the host city of the Tens with the NRL Auckland Nines.
The Nines are currently on hiatus with dwindling crowds also proving an issue.
Next year’s World Cup has emerged as a primary reason for Duco's Tens hiatus, similar to the Nines being skipped due to the presence of the Rugby League World Cup.
The Tens are hampered by an inability to attract Test players due to contractually obligated off-season rest, and teams would also want to remove any risk of injury leading in to the Rugby World Cup.
Duco Australia CEO Rachael Carroll said that premier Wallabies and All Blacks players wouldn't feature moving forward.
Carroll said a combined crowd of about 30,000 across two days at each of the first two tournaments was disappointing.
Brisbane is contracted as host of the event until 2020, but other Australian cities, the UK and the Pacific Islands have shown interest in taking over.
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Latest Comments
That's the worry. A great 30 mins could be enough for them. They are more than capable of turning it on.
Go to commentsI suspect the opportunity to ply your trade against the best of the best for the ABs is a big part of the decision process. Perhaps bigger than nationality if you have multiple options. So I can see why young very talented players take this route. If you play for the islands then world cups are really your only big stage. It is chicken and egg, but ensuring the island nations can play top tier teams or be part of a competition like the rugby championship would be a massive step towards retaining talent so that they mprove.
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