League makes way for RUNIT

Otago Daily Times

2 days ago

For Hornby Panthers rugby league player Champ Betham, the pros of 'running it straight' outweigh any potential cons.
Betham returned home this week from Dubai, after finishing third in the RUNIT Championship League, pocketing AU$25,000 (NZ$27,000) in prize money.
It adds to the $20,000 he won at a trial in Auckland in May, qualifying him for the finals – meant to be held at Trusts Arena, which hosted the trials, before the venue pulled out due to safety concerns, and the finals were held in the Middle East.
It is life-changing money for the 30-year-old and his growing family, which includes four children and a baby due in August.
'(I'll be) stocking up the cupboards and fridges for my young babies, and prepping for my new boy, so (I'm) grateful for that,' he said.
RUNIT is a full-contact collision sport where competitors sprint into each other, with the winner decided by who 'dominates the collision'.
The format has drawn widespread criticism over its dangers, with sporting bodies and medical experts warning against participation.
Last month, a Palmerston North teenager died after sustaining a brain injury while mimicking the sport with friends.
At the Dubai event, former Kiwis rugby league international Kevin Proctor was knocked out and reportedly suffered a seizure during an exhibition match against Australian influencer Jordan Simi.
Betham admitted there were risks involved, but believes they're no worse than those in other contact sports.
'It's almost like footy – in rugby league you pretty much run it straight from the kick-off, but you're not running into one person, you're running into three or four,' he said.
"You've just got to try and prepare for it, and fingers crossed you don't come out knocked out.'
He first heard about RUNIT through a friend of his partner, who was working as a videographer and graphic designer at the Auckland event.
Organisers were looking for competitors from Christchurch, and Betham was keen.
'It got my attention straight away when I found out. It's pretty much just up the guts,' he said.
'Personally, I've been a guy who likes to crash and bang in the footy game. I didn't think I was going up to win, I was genuinely just giving it a shot.'
After his surprise success, Betham is now considering whether he could make a career out of running it straight, especially with the potential for more events later this year.
'I definitely see myself doing it if it does go pro. I definitely think I could do it.'
For now, Betham is back to his day job as a youth worker, with one heck of a story to tell people.
'All the kids were pretty shocked when they saw it, they were like, 'that's my youth worker, what the hell?''
He will likely not feature for Hornby in the CRL Premiership this season, wanting to save himself for RUNIT events.