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The move of Danny Cipriani to Melbourne is a beautiful thing for rugby. It might seem like Melbourne is bringing in a mercenary from the North; a big name player to put butts in the seats. This is only partially true.
What they are truly getting is a raw talent that will benefit from playing the game in the Southern hemisphere. In turn, he can truly live up to is potential.
The Northern hemisphere has the money and facilities, but fail to develop talent completely.
The level of skill in the Super 14 blows all the Northern comps out of the water. It has to do with the speed and intensity of the Super 14 game, and an emphasis on ball handling.
If you watch the matches in Europe, teams win through tactics and physicality. Skill, especially in the backline, is just not an obvious point of focus. Much of it could be contributed to the weather, but that really isn’t much an excuse.
What Cipriani’s move does for England could be something special. He could be molded into a top class five-eight through the forge of Super 14 fires.
Playing that Southern-style will open his eyes to attacking possibilities. The speed of the game will take some getting used to, but once Cipriani acclimates, his skill set will be complete.
The greatest issues concerning Cipriani are his intentions to return to England after his stint in Melbourne is complete.
England manager Martin Johnson has told Cipriani that his move South has effectively removed him from contention for England selection. Why Johnson would do this to himself is anybodies guess.
Cipriani will be a better player for his time in Australia. Bringing him back into the England set up would only benefit the team. This is yet another example of the narrow-minded English view of the world.
Granted, I am generalizing as there are a great deal to very talented rugby people in Europe. However, if the measuring stick on a rugby nation’s success is Test victories and World Cups, then the North is way, way behind the South.
I suppose Johnson feels he has a pass because he captained the 2003 Rugby World Cup England side.
However, this is a special opportunity. Not many of the Super 14 sides allow foreigners into their sides. Be having a density of local talent, you assure the national teams are stocked with experienced players.
The last thing the Southern hemisphere wants to do is open the doors to Northern talent, train and refine it, only to send it back to Europe with heads full of Southern secrets.
However, let’s think of what it would mean to Super rugby if the doors where open to foreigners.
First there is the economic benefit. More publicity could only benefit the competition’s profile globally which would help merchandise sales. Fans will want to follow their favorite players on television, so the ad revenue would increase.
Second is variety. If there is one thing that is a draw back to Super rugby, it is seeing that same players playing each other again and again and again.
Adding some spice to the teams would increase excitement from year to year. Players should be allowed to move between Super franchises at the very least and if you coupled that with European talent, it would be a very unique competition.
Lastly are the uncharted territories. The United States is a hotbed of athletic talent and economic wealth. If Super were open to foreign talent, it could tap into that.
The US sits between Europe and the Southern powers. If Super rugby were established in the US, they would have an extra ally against the powers that be in Europe.
When it comes to the IRB, the South lacks a powerful voice because it doesn’t carry the economic clout of their European counterparts. A country like America could swing that in their favour, but only if the US is firmly entrenched in favoring the Southern hemisphere’s style of play.
Hopefully Danny Cipriani’s move will allow those who in charge of Super rugby to see how much more dynamic the sport could be if it allowed on open trade of talent across boarders.
Fingers crossed, a US Super team?
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.