Geoff Parkes is the author of âA World in Union - The Global Battle for Rugby Supremacy, published in 2017 to critical acclaim. He also writes for Australia's leading interactive sports website The Roar in his weekly column on rugby, 'The Wrap'.Â
He has published almost 450 articles, with almost 2 million views.Â
I chat to Geoff about Rugby, the writing he does for the sport, his views on where the game is at, and his views on the global game and its futureÂ
Geoff talks about his journey with Rugby, writing for The Roar and writing his in depth book about global rugby.
He discusses the best article he has written for The Roar and how he measures success. Geoff talks about the Rugby World Cup and an experience of writing articles that were immediate, on the pulse and by being immersed in the experience, it enabled the atmosphere to truly be captured.
Geoff says when writing online, the opinions of the general public appear live and are portrayed in a conversational way. He says it tests you as the rugby audience is informed, full of opinion and you must have your facts right, while also interacting with your readers.
Geoff tells us about the motivation for writing his book and why it was well received and consumed by the rugby and wider sports audience. The motivation Geoff says, was to address some discontent in the game and interview and discuss rugby people from around the globe. It evolved from there. World Rugby, SANZAAR, international competitions, media & broadcasting rights, weaker nations, and the impact of all of these on Rugby globally.
In the book it says 'A confused rugby calendar is subjected to a âland grabâ from clubs and national unions, all striving to maximize revenue.' We discuss whether the calendar has since been even more confused, particularly with the impacts of Covid globally. Geoff says it is not a clearer calendar or is there any real improvement in scheduling. Various reasons, including the Northern v Southern Hemisphere scheduling that is layered and difficult particularly with club competition. Private equity have invested in the game, there is an increased self interest in the game and the calendar is full with conflicting schedules.
