Nigh on 12 years and almost 3 World Cups since rugby union first embraced professionalism, it is sadly instructive that the world’s two foremost provincial competitions are to be disrupted by the quadrennial tournament in France later this year.
The New Zealand Rugby Union have banned the top 22 All Blacks from playing in the first seven rounds of the Super 14 as the No. 1 rugby nation seeks its first world title in 20 years. But apart from seemingly derailing the Canterbury Crusaders’ bid for a third straight championship with Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter and Chris Jack among their six players affected by the edict, what damage has been done to the tournament itself?Television rights holder News Ltd are reportedly seeking compensation for their suddenly diminished product – either through legal redress or reduced future payments – but the integrity of the entire competition has also been thoroughly compromised. Meet the Crusaders in the first half of the draw and you’ll not have to worry about McCaw, Carter, Jack, Greg Somerville, Leon MacDonald, Aaron Mauger or Reuben Thorne. Too bad if you’ve got Canterbury, containing six fresh and ultra-keen All Blacks, afterwards.
It is a testament to the Crusaders and their conveyor-belt ability to produce new talent, that they’ll probably be thereabouts at the end, but it doesn’t stop it being a sham. Nor will it reflect well on the competition if a Kiwi team still manages to win the Super 12/14 for the 10th time in 12 years. Players from the four Australian and five South African teams are also centrally contracted to their national governing bodies, but apart from an enforced rest period prior to the tournament, coaches’ selections will remain their own.
That still hasn’t stopped a cold war developing between Wallabies coach John Connolly and his predecessor and Queensland Reds counterpart Eddie Jones before a single tackle has been made in anger. At the heart of the storm is a serious knee injury to fullback Chris Latham, inflicted in a standard training session or when he should’ve been resting, depending upon what side you believe. Jones says that ARU policy over which players to rest and for how long is so informal he’s still in the dark over who can and can’t play.
But what’s the alternative? In England, the players are all contracted to, and paid by, their clubs, resulting in a perennial battle about being released whenever an international looms on the horizon. International coaches bemoan the limited time they have with players who are leg heavy and exhausted from 35-40 matches a season, while clubs complain about receiving no compensation when players are missing or injured.
A tentative agreement has recently been reached in which the RFU would pay the wages of the 32 elite English players while the Premier League clubs retain their contracts. Limits would then be placed on how many games they play, and in return the salary cap is lifted to allow for larger squads with added incentives for signing English-born players.
But it may be too late to save next season’s Heineken Cup. The French clubs have already signaled their intention to withdraw due to an overly crowded calendar. Unwilling to truncate their regular league season which brings the bulk of TV revenue, the French clubs are blaming the RFU for not allowing them (and English and Italian clubs) a say in a new European rugby accord. The Club vs. Country War goes on ever and anon. If the withdrawal goes ahead, it would effectively turn the Heineken Cup into a contest between the English clubs, Munster, Leinster and Llanelli. Hardly the stuff to inspire rugby fans to consume the sponsor’s product; that’s if Heineken decides to continue its support.
So, two systems and neither appears to be working. More infuriatingly, these scheduling conflicts are anything but a surprise, yet it’s only eight months out from the start of the World Cup that it’s now coming to a head. Most professional businesses work on three or four-yearly plans, but with so many stakeholders possessing competing interests it is little wonder that a far-reaching and mutually beneficial calendar can be agreed upon
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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