The East is a key frontier for rugby union’s future. And I don’t mean the far east. I am talking about the land of Tsars, vodka and the former USSR. If geography isn’t your strong point, I am talking about Eastern Europe.
For too long now the powerhouse triumvirate of the IRB, SANZAR and Six Nations have been protecting the established nations of the rugby world.
How long did it take Argentina to gain entry to a major annual tournament? How many times do the likes of the Pacific nations get to play established top-tier nations? What exactly is the IRB doing to fast track the establishment of rugby in the next tier of rugby nations?
As evidenced by the growing competitiveness of the second tier during Rugby World Cup tournaments, where previously 100-point scores were regularly dished out, scores are now getting closer and upsets becoming more possible. Just think of Georgia versus Ireland in 2007 and Romania versus Scotland in 2011.
Professionalism has given players from developing nations the chance to gain experience and learn in some of the toughest leagues in the world. The great benefit of this is that it then has a knock-on effect on the international stage.
For some time the IRB has been pinning their hopes on the development of the game happening in Asia. This is a fundamentally flawed concept. Asian nations have historically struggled to compete physically in the high-impact sport and Eastern European clubs would be more suited to dominate the game.
There is a gold mine of talent that the IRB can’t quite seem to grasp in Eastern Europe. If managed correctly the region could be the future of international rugby development.
I’m referring to Romania, Georgia and Russia. Men in this region are born to play rugby – they are big, hulking men who pride themselves on being physical and strong, and have often grown up in a tough and uncompromising environment. They fear nothing. They are made to play the game.
In some ways the Eastern Europeans share the same sort of physical make up as rugby’s greatest talent production line, the Pacific Islanders, and this is something that the IRB can no longer ignore.
I read recently that Georgia qualified for the World Cup in a game against Russia played in front of 55,000 fans. At the time of reading, I found this hard to believe so I logged on to YouTube found out it was true. That would be a huge crowd in any established rugby nation and the potential of rugby still seems to be almost untapped in this region.
Believe it or not but rugby in Romania was once a hugely-followed game. Between 1960 and 1990, Romania beat France eight times, the most famous being in 1990 when Romania marched to a 12-6 victory in Auch, France. This was only three years after France made the Rugby World Cup final.
Romania won rugby internationals over Scotland in 1984 and 1991, and also over Wales in 1983 and 1988, with the 1988 victory coming in Cardiff. In 1981 the All Blacks scraped home 14-6 in Bucharest with the Romanians having two tries disallowed during the game. The talent is there, it just hasn’t been nurtured properly for some time.
Why can’t the Six Nations be expanded to the Seven Nations? Are Georgia or Romania any worse now than Italy were when they were included in 2000?
Why not have a promotion-relegation game between the bottom-placed team in the Six Nations and the winner of the next tier down? Imagine Scotland having to go to Bucharest for a play-off game? Given Scotland’s recent results, I don’t think they would have any right to claim they are above this now.
There would be a strong case that should rugby in Romania and Georgia prosper, then their traditional local rivals such as Poland and Ukraine could potentially follow suit.
There is a sense of irony in the level of hypocrisy spouted from the stakeholders of the Six Nations every time they criticise the SANZAR nations for ignoring the Pacific Islands. After all, what exactly are they doing to promote rugby in Eastern Europe? What’s that old adage about those in glass houses?
It is time for the IRB to stop its short-sightedness, wake up and pay attention to the enormous potential they have in Eastern Europe.
If they do, then who knows, perhaps November tours in the future will pit the All Blacks and Wallabies against the likes of Romania in Bucharest or Georgia in Tbilisi. I for one would love to see this.
Tornike
Guest
Georgia isn't a land of Tsars and Vodka!!! We are culturally far from our historical enemy - Russians! Shame on you, author!
Ed
Guest
Rugby being started up/played under another country with a dictator in control??? No.... Surely not!!!???? I lived in Georgia for 2 years and i never once saw anything about Rugby... And i went looking for it! I saw a guy wearing a Georgian Union 7s coaches jersey and i saw a guy wearing a Rugby League jersey from the mid 90s but the was it! Until.... An international against Romania was advertised and they were giving out $25 (us) food stamps if you attended!! I would have gone anyway but all this talk about Georgia and Romania being the next frontier is a joke. Concentrate on NZ and Australia and the Pacific before these guys. Ive taught in Samoa and Tonga and the NRL dominates. Whereas 8 years ago when in Samoa Union and League were on equal terms. Maybe Union just ahead. Ive also spent 8 months living in Bucharest and probably another 8 weeks travelling Romania and same situation... It doesn't exist. Rugby needs to concentrate on where it supposedly "strong" before fantasising about these countries. Union in Australia is almost dead!!
Ozee316
Guest
The Heineken Cup has just expanded to include a third tier which will include Eastern European clubs. A two month Test Rugby Season of September-October every year to reolace the current two windows was presented to the IRB by SANZAR in the 2000's. The English and French clubs rejected it roundly.
Cam Avery
Roar Guru
Good points The Bush, perhaps we can get you working for the IRB?!
Garth
Guest
NZRU doesn't own the stadiums, Johnno. They have to share the facilities with other teams/sports. If, for example, Samoa really wanted to play a test in Auckland, it could be done, assuming the stadium owners were willing.
Garth
Guest
You know what I meant.
Johnno
Guest
And the IRB Samoa rugby academy in Apia. Has a modern gym,playing fields. And has been a good gateway for Euro clubs to find talent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou0KgSZQPVU
The Bush
Roar Guru
Battered Slav, It is difficult being logical on this site - people don't usually respond! Poland has certainly done well over the last few years, mainly thanks to a pool of "ex-pat" players in France. The question is, can the sport step up to the main platform, or will they just be another Germany, better than most, but never taking it seriously? I agree that Georgia is somewhat like the PIs in it the fact that it is a small, poor nation, but filled with talent. Mind you it still has a population nearly the size of New Zealand's so it is significantly larger than any PI nation (in fact all of them combined probably) and far more future potential. The question has to be, do we simply focus on the money and try and carve out profitable markets in countries like Russia, Spain, Japan, Canada and the US, whilst accepting the sport will never be mainstream or do we make a genuine attempt to create a world sport by growing it in countries where it has a real chance to be the dominant sport (Moldova, Georgia, Madagascar etc)? I suppose in a utopian world the answer is simply, in this world, not so much...
The Bush
Roar Guru
But Cam the IRB already subsidises a huge number of tournaments around the world: 1. Pacific Nations Cup involving Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, USA, Canada and Japan; 2. Pacific Championship, involving Tonga A, Samoa A, Fiji A and various development teams from Australia and New Zealand (it rotates); 3. Tbilisi Cup, featuring Georgia, A sides from South Africa and Ireland and Uruguay (I think this year); 4. Nations Cup, in Romania, featuring Romania, Russia and two more A sides, I think it is Argentina and France this year. 4. Americas Championship, involving the A sides of USA, Canada, Argentina and I think Uruguay national team. They used to invite sides like Tonga into it as well to increase the quality. This is on top of development work that includes running training camps for coaches, players etc, all around the world. The World Cup makes a profit of over a $100m US, but when you think about the expenses of growing a world game, that money will go fast.
Johnno
Guest
+1
AdamS
Roar Guru
I think a better idea would be for a proper Eastern Championship to be funded, a 6 or 8 nation home and away.. If you are going to have relegation, there needs to be somewhere to be relegated to....
AdamS
Roar Guru
"We need a global test ‘season’, the current ‘test windows’ need to scrapped." Damn that infernal 23 degree axis tilt, dammit to hell!
Tigranes
Guest
Dont know if Greg Martin could pronounce that name!
Johnno
Guest
It's called Johnno is the roar king for the day Battered Slav. Feel the roar of the crowd Battered Slav when Georgia take in Ireland in Dublin.
The Battered Slav
Guest
Second time I've agreed with you today Johnno, I'm wondering what the world is coming to...
Johnno
Guest
Georgia has pinched a Test VS Ireland this year in Dublin in November. Georgia to make money doesn't need to play big tests V Tier 1's at home. It can play away where ticket prices are higher eg European nations. It can also play home tests in France, if France allows it. Big Georgian population in France and in Germany. Dimitri Yachvili the French halfback at RWC 2011 was French born of Georgian heritage. But many other countries don't seem keen on helping other countries by allowing them to play tests matches on there home turf. There so concerned about keeping market share for there home union rather than allowing another union to come in and steal market share for the betterment of rugby. Selfish atittude. NZ is like that now, the NZRU don't allow Fiji/Samoa/Tonga anymore to stage test matches in NZ. So Samoa can't use Auckland as a de-facto home ground at North Harbour stadium, as NZ only wants the AB'S to host matches and hog all the market share in NZ, selfish. Be awsome for rugby if NZ still allowed pacific islands nations to use NZ as a de-facto home base, even if it stole a bit of AB'S market share. Greedy NZRU, only concerned about the AB'S revenue, not about doing things for the betterment of rugby. Can't even be bothered to tour the pacific islands as they only care about revenue, not the betterment and development of rugby.
ncart
Guest
Maybe the best way to help these developing teams get more experience against the likes of Australia is to have the ARU send an A Team like NZ have done with the Maori ABs to the US and Canada - it gives these countries more high calibre competition which helps them to improve, and gets the next level of players getting more experience at touring and playing different styles and locations. Cost is of course the issue. Possibly some of the Super Rugby sides could use it as a preseason build up for their non Wallaby players like the Waratahs did in the past with tours to Argentina I think it was.
ncart
Guest
There was a story on the Total Rugby show recently that I watched on the IRB website about the Modovan props playing in the UK - one in Wales I think. They talked about the need to bring these guys up to speed training wise etc but the benefit that their profile gives the game back in Moldova and the experience that they will bring back to their country will be valuable.
The Battered Slav
Guest
Kubrayashvili st tighthead at the Tahs (or any other SR team) as a marquee import would be a glorious sight.
The Battered Slav
Guest
There you go bringing logic into the debate again Bush. What you say is absolutely correctv though, the commercial viability of bringing nations like that into the fold of top flight is much more of a road block than the quality of rugby they play. Still, as these economies develop, so will the prospects of commercial viability. Not so much with yuor Madagascars and Sri Lankas, but more with nations like Georgia and Poland etc. Poland is one of the few countries in the Eurozone that escaped recession, and the economy is growing on the back of a huge influx of cash making it home from Poles in other more wealthy countries such as England. The potential for both economic and sporting growth is there, but it is a long term prospect. Georgia on the other hand, well. the qualilty of rugby is there, the demand is there, however the money is not. Sounds a lot like the PIs to me, and I think the wealthier nations could do a lot to help grow and promote the game in both these regions, and like all foreign aid, it requires us to turn out our pockets a bit, but is very much worth it.