For the first time, rugby league’s Kangaroos and rugby union’s Wallabies would unite for a common cause – toppling the best the haka-driven Kiwis
can muster from both codes. The bold plan is the brainchild of venue management kingpin Harvey Lister, head of AEG Ogden, who is pushing for the two codes to come together for a Forty40 blockbuster next year. “The beauty of this idea is that rugby and league, playing 40 minutes each under their own rules, can unite for a common goal — supremacy over the Kiwis,” Lister said. The history-making plan would pack Suncorp Stadium, the proposed venue for an event that can finally get league and union’s finest on the same field on the one night. The titanic stoush would see Darren Lockyer’s Australian league headliners play the first 40 minutes against Benji Marshall’s World Cup-winning giantkillers. The carryover scores from first half to second half would accumulate to decide the champion Forty40 Footy nation. “Previous plans with hybrid rules for a league v union match diminished specialised skills,” Lister said.
“In Forty40, the league boys play 13-a-side against NZ under their rules and the Wallabies play full on as well against the All Blacks at 15-a-side.