I sometimes wonder what the world would be like without football.

If you think about it, all of our live sporting experiences - football or otherwise -have evolved into what we have today because of what has happened over the years in the world of football.

From the design of stadia and the facilities available to event goers to the insidious effect on society at large due to the insatiable appetite for soccer 'Wag' gossip and the resulting 'wannabe' culture and the 'look at me' neediness of a generation.

Rhinos: fighting with Manly ended in handshakes

On the plus side, football is the lingua franca of the world; the obsession of which unites the slum kid and the million-heir, 'United' by boots, ball and a common goal.

But, without football, whither rugby league?

Would our great game have had room to spread its wings and dominate the world?

On Sunday Leeds Rhinos took on the Australian league winners for the right to be named Champions of the World. We, rightly I think, consider it to be one of the many highlights of the rugby league calendar.

Whether you're a Leeds fan or not, we can still be united in support of a side representing the best of British, even if old rivalries resume after the final whistle.

Every single second of Sunday's game oozed pride and passion, sometimes spilling over into physical confrontation that revealed just how high the stakes were, for every individual involved - spectator and player alike.

Now, I'm not a violent gal by any stretch of the imagination, but the clash of fists seemed almost inevitable in that bubbling cauldron of hope, expectation and latent heartbreaking disappointment.

The very physicality of the sport itself means there is no avoiding violent contact in every single tackle. I won't go as far as to say the odd bout of fisticuffs adds to the game, but the fact that fights don't break out in every single match is something of a miracle given the high level of passion and hunger in a sport so physically confrontational.

Then, at the final whistle, came the hand-shakes, shoulder pats and back slaps, not just on the pitch but in the crowd too. Eighty minutes of bone-crunching, skin-splitting, bruise-infested action over, and entente cordial reigns.

Now, wouldn't the world be a better place if league were truly the global sport?

Dancing with Rhinos

If you were watching from home on Sunday you might have switched on your TV to find football where there should have been rugby league.

The Carling Cup final couldn't be decided in 90 minutes (yawn) so had to go to penalties (a far more interesting way to decide any game of soccer if you ask me).

Anyway, it meant the over-run ate into the build up to the World Club Challenge, resulting in a feature I'd compiled for the event hitting the cutting room floor.

Now I wouldn't normally get precious about this sort of thing but one of the elements of the feature was a fabulous artistic presentation that I thought you'd like to see.

'Dancing with Rhinos', performed to the music 'Hold On' by Carl Davis, was commissioned by Leeds Rugby Arts and if you click on the video link on the right, you can see some of it in action.

It translated the passion and poetry of rugby league into dance, the performers interpreting the moves of the game with dramatic, artistic licence.

The audience at Leeds Civic Hall - including the Manly and Leeds squads - were enthralled by the performance.

Whether you're a Rhinos supporter or not you have got to admire the way this club thinks outside of the box, finding unique ways of bringing the game to new audiences.

Bravo!

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