Invisible IMG are losing rugby league's support as England disinterest adds pressure

Does anyone actually know what IMG is doing?

If rugby league's strategic consultants are revamping the sport, they're certainly doing a good job of hiding it from everyone at the moment. At the weekend, England's rugby league teams were in action, though if you weren't a hardcore supporter of the sport, you probably wouldn't have known about it.

Unlike the nation's football team, Shaun Wane's side was exciting to watch at the weekend, scoring some eye-catching tries in a dominant win over France. However, the entire occasion was entirely uninspiring, with Toulouse Stade Ernest Wallon practically empty for an international Test match. Empty seats were a depressing sight on a low-quality stream, with England's first matches in over six months tucked away on Super League+ and watched by a few thousand people, many of whom were only there to watch Toulouse's game with Featherstone Rovers. England were a curtain-raiser for a Championship match.

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It was a painful reminder of the challenges IMG faces in sprucing up rugby league, but a damning indictment of how little tangible progress has been made.

IMG were drafted in because, in essence, the Rugby Football League and Super League had failed to enhance the exposure and commercial appeal of the sport. IMG, which has an excellent reputation for doing just that across the sporting stratosphere, appeared to be the perfect company to fix the sport's glaring issues.

But over two years have passed since then, and there is little hard evidence of improvement. Gradings, by their very nature, have been divisive, but they have forced the hands of clubs, which are now investing in improving various areas of their business.

And while Super League+ has proven profitable, it's hardly filling the financial void left by previous broadcast deals from the days before they were involved in the sport.

IMG has always said this would take time, and certainly in the case of restoring previous broadcast deals, that is required. But they are now well over two years into their arrangement, and there is little in the way of evidence to justify their involvement right now.

Little has been done to make stars of the players; it's hard to see what efforts are being made to capitalise on every game being broadcast, and more importantly than ever, there's little to suggest the sport is cutting through to the mainstream like it so desperately needs to do.

The highly secretive new event that was proposed to replace Magic Weekend still shows no signs of being introduced, despite that recommendation being made almost two years ago. Meanwhile, the popular event is now being held at Elland Road, an underwhelming venue, after organisers couldn't reach an agreement with St James' Park, which many consider to be its spiritual home.

It was said that IMG's involvement would be a boost to the sport as it would help tap into contacts in other sports. Yet there was nothing different or special about the marketing or promotion of this year's Challenge Cup Final. Rugby league players have been regularly seen at major sporting fixtures in recent years thanks to IMG. But were any at Wembley to see Wigan cement themselves as one of the best teams of the modern era? If they were there, nobody saw them.

And then the weekend's dispiriting international fixture was further reason to ask what IMG are working on. Nobody is expecting them to be miracle workers, and making the international game attractive is a job that goes way beyond their responsibilities. However, this mid-season international is very much a fixture they can work on, but Saturday was an appalling look for the game.

It tells you everything you need to know that most of rugby league's full-time journalists used last week as an opportunity to take annual leave. The fans, simply, do not care, and there is evidence to show that. But it absolutely shouldn't be that way. It's no criticism of the supporters, but instead those who are supposed to make them care. And fundamentally, that is IMG.

At board level, IMG are losing support. Clubs, too, are growing frustrated at the lack of progress they are making. Everyone knew it would take time but they aren't giving anyone anything to get behind. If they have big plans, nobody knows about them.

It's not all bad news for rugby league. The Challenge Cup revamp has been widely praised and fears that attendances would fall with every game being televised have proven to be unfounded. But many of the weaknesses IMG were brought in to fix remain, and there's not much to suggest anything is being done to correct it.