The Magners League, featuring some of the top teams in European competition such as Munster, Leinster, Ospreys and Cardiff Blues, has been getting some unexpected coverage of late with stories of its possible future expansion.
A fantastic story went the rounds of the Internet this week when The Australian newspaper published an article saying that the five South African clubs currently playing in the Super 14 were thinking of leaving the Southern Hemisphere competition following the completion of the current TV deal with its SANZAR partners and might seek to join the Magners League.
Condemnation, ridicule and some quiet chortling quickly followed from fans and opinion formers.
It’s not the first time that there’s been talk of South African realigning themselves with the closer time zones of its Northern Hemisphere neighbours – same time, more audiences, more money goes the argument.
The South African rugby federation was quickly out of the traps stating that nothing of the sort was being considered, and they planned to stay involved in the discussions with its Super 14 counterparts.
Interestingly, there was no comment at all from those running the Magners League. Maybe they thought the whole thing so fanciful as not worthy of comment to avoid giving the story any further legs. Maybe they couldn’t believe their luck, and decided to see what happens next.
Or maybe they have enough distractions with another set of eyes being made at them from the east – well, from Italy anyway.
John Hussey, chairman of the Magners League, was in Rome this week to watch Ireland play Italy. Whilst there, he also held talks with the Italian Federation about their plans to improve and strengthen the game by joining the Magners League.
Rome is already a popular destination during the 6 Nations championship – popular with the fans, both male and a fast growing female fanbase – and also because for most teams it’s a guaranteed two points to go with a weekend of fine food, wine and weather.
The Azurri are growing tired of it though. Not the visitors, but the constant drubbings their clubs and national teams receive at the hands of opponents in the Heineken Cup and the 6 Nations.
So the Italian Federation came up with a plan to have two teams – one based around the existing Treviso club and another based out of Rome to join an expanded Magners League – or the Celtic League to give it its official title.
The two teams would be required to field teams made up mainly of players qualified to play for Italy. Nick Mallet, the national coach, supports the move saying it’s essential if his team is to start winning regularly.
Priot to Hussey’s visit, Magners League officials have been holding discussions with Italian Federation and they appear to be going well, but so far no detailed proposal has been submitted. If the Italian officials do not produce one soon, then the expansion would be delayed until 2010.
Hussey is reported to have said that he’s reasonably confident that teams would be in place for the 201-2011 season.
However, the expansion plans have not been greeted with enthusiasm by everyone.
Former England manager, and now Edinburgh coach, Andy Robinson would like things to stay as they are. Calling the Magners League of ten teams a “gem of a tournament” he said that it is highly competitive where nine of the teams could possibly win it this year, if one of them went on a run. This might be stretching things somewhat since only three or four teams have competed for honours in recent times – Leinster being the current champions, and Munster heading the league currently.
Robinson is concerned that adding two teams may dilute the League performances due to player commitments to international sides. The present structure, he believes, has the right amount of breaks to accommodate other tournaments. And no one could quibble with the fact that the major teams and players are doing well.
Munster and Leinster provide the bulk of players for the Ireland team, and Ospreys and Blues for the Wales team. They currently lie first and second in the 6 Nations. The four clubs are also in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.
Some would view the League as somewhat cosseted and say the teams and players don’t have to face the same number of games as their counterparts in the English Premiership and the Top 14.
Equally, when it comes to getting a slice of TV money, they run a poor third compared to the teams in England and France.
Nonetheless, for a relatively young league the omens are good with a new TV deal already in place for the next five years.
Whilst the notion of the Bulls, Blues or Chiefs suddenly turning up in Thomond Park or Parc y Scarlet may be a bit fanciful, Treviso or Roma would have a much more familiar ring since some of the Italian teams already play in the Heineken Cup.
And that may be where the real core of concern for Robinson may lie.
A restructured Magners League with twelve teams could also bring changes to the qualification procedures for the Heineken Cup. There have been complaints since the competition began about the soft entry given to some of the clubs from the Magners League compared to English and French clubs.
Under the current system teams such as Munster, Leinster, Ulster, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ospreys, Blues, Scarlets and Treviso have all but been guaranteed qualification for the competition each year with three spots each granted to Ireland and Wales, two to Scotland, and two to Italy (from Super 10). (There’s a minor battle for the last spot between an Italian club and the best placed team in the Magners)
A revised and strengthened Magners League might be an opportunity for the English Premiership to insist on a strict Top 8 being guaranteed qualification and playoffs against English/French teams for any remaining spots. Scottish teams might start to feel the squeeze.
Leaving that aside, the future looks pretty bright.
If one of the four Magners teams win the Heineken Cup in May, that’ll mean three out of the last four European champions will have come from the smallest league of the big playing nations.
Who knows, maybe the South Africans may yet get interested.
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