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It is being widely reported in the press that some top club owners in England have been talking with their French counterparts about shifting the rugby union season in the north to the summer months.
It isn’t clear whether a wholesale move is under discussion, or whether they just want to reschedule parts of the calendar. The subject has come up, however, because the clubs are becoming increasingly frustrated at losing their international players for long periods.
For instance, during the World Cup, Leicester started their Premiership campaign without the likes of Flood, Croft, Youngs, the Tuilagi brothers, Castrogiovanni, Murphy, Cole, Waldrom, Deacon, Agulla, Ayerza etc. As a consequence, they lost six of their first seven matches and are only now putting together some wins to climb up from the foot of the table.
The benefits seem to be obvious. A clear separation of domestic and international fixtures; the opportunity to establish a global season and better playing conditions in the summer months.
Nevertheless, there’s a good deal of scepticism about whether any satisfactory deal can or should be struck. Mick Cleary in the Telegraph warns that competition from other sports and activities means that rugby might struggle to attract crowds – already a problem for some clubs. There’s no guarantee either that broadcasters will offer the same deal for TV rights.
Fran Cotton has also come out against the idea. He points out that pitches nowadays rarely throw up the mudfests of old, and worries that the professional game risks losing touch with the grass roots. Summer matches would also throw into question the future of tour schedules, in particular the Lions. He has called again for relegation to be scrapped to give more security to leading clubs.
Until now, it’s always been assumed that any move to a global calendar would involve some horse trading at the national union level and an all-encompassing solution.
The prospect now is for the clubs to take the initiative and force the unions to organize themselves in response. The reports haven’t mentioned any involvement by the PRO12 teams but the Irish clubs are a big draw for the Heineken Cup, so any major decisions would likely include them.
As it stands, the 2015 World Cup in England will force some scheduling changes anyway. Under IRB rules, the host country cannot run its domestic competition alongside the tournament. This has already led to discussions about bringing the season forward to August to get some matches in.
Few supporters in the north can really picture what the game would look like with a re-jigged calendar, despite rugby league having already gone down the same route. Most of us probably worry about what we might lose rather than what we stand to gain. The leading club owners might just be flexing their muscles to remind everyone of their importance.
If they really are willing to consider such a fundamental shift, however, we may well be presented with a fait accompli at some time in the future.
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.