McRobbie said that some of the concepts behind the new league were inspired by the success of the shorter, faster sevens format of rugby, though he stressed that rapid rugby is not a hybrid. But it does bring together many of the elements that make sevens rugby an appealing spectacle, especially the emphasis on speed.

“We’re big believers in speed,” McRobbie said.

“With the success of getting sevens into the Olympics, sevens as a format has exploded in the region,” he said, in part because being made an Olympic sport brings funding to many countries.

In addition to the Western Force and the Tigers, teams from Singapore, Malaysia and the rugby-mad island nations of Fiji and Samoa will be involved. When the full league gets underway in 2020, teams from Japan and Hawaii are expected to be added, with even further expansion expected in the future.

Organizers also plan to produce tight, 90-minute game telecasts and are negotiating with regional broadcasters. Matches would be streamed live on the Global Rapid Rugby website.

Forrest and the head of rugby for Global Rapid Rugby, Matt Hodgson, a former Western Force star player and captain and Australian national team member, have been recruiting top international players to ensure high-quality rugby for the project.

The Hong Kong-based franchise unveiled a couple of gems last week, most notably Tom Varndell, a speedy wing from the Leicester Tigers of the top English league, Premiership Rugby. Varndell, 32, is the league’s all-time leading try scorer and a player who is widely considered a world-class finisher. After playing for three months in Hong Kong, he will return to Leicester.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Varndell said last week. “I’m excited about the way the Asian game is going. Sometimes the game in the Premiership can be turgid and quite slow for the fans, and with this new format there should be more focus on the skills and the speed.”