Radical rugby evamp
Pacific bosses hit out at global plan ‘We might as well start playing league’ ABs captain joins chorus of disapproval
World Rugby’s proposed 12-team ‘World League’ is a cash grab that will be the ‘‘death of Pacific Island rugby’’, Pacific Island rugby bosses believe.
‘‘I would go as far as saying that,’’ Aayden Clarke, the chief executive officer of Pacific Rugby Players, told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘I’ve been in discussions with the three CEOs [of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga rugby] last night and we talked about the impact of this and one of them straight out said that ‘this will be death of Pacific Island Rugby’ and another discussion indicated that ‘we might as well start playing league’.’’
All Blacks captain Kieran Read was among those to express opposition to the proposal, citing concerns about player welfare and the integrity of matches.
World Rugby’s proposal essentially slices the game into the haves and have-nots by locking out the Pacific Island nations while inviting Japan and the USA to the top table based on their commercial clout. The deal is thought to be for up to 12 years, effectively condemning the islands to the rugby wilderness.
Asked if it represented a betrayal of Pacific Island rugby, Clarke was unequivocal.
‘‘Definitely. Historically the islands have contributed hugely to the game across the world,’’ he said.
‘‘Looking forward, there are 18-year-old young Samoans, Tongans and Fijians now who will now be looking at ‘who do I make myself eligible for’ because if I play for my home country I will never play in the bright lights of Twickenham and possibly will never have the opportunity to play the All Blacks or Australia.’’
The Pacific Rugby Players represents more than 400 professional players globally and Clarke added that the proposed deal made a complete mockery of World Rugby’s recent move to extend the eligibility stand-down period from three years to five.
The International Rugby Players council, which comprises 40 senior figures representing a cross-section of the game (including captains of nine of the top 10 nations), spoke via conference call earlier this week and have presented a united front in their condemnation of WR’s proposed new competition.
Read, a member of the council, said: ‘‘We need to be very careful that we balance the commercial needs of the game with the player welfare needs and ensure the quality and integrity of matches meets expectations.’’
Other top players backed Read’s viewpoint.
International players’ president and Ireland star Jonathan Sexton said: ‘‘While players gave this idea a cautious welcome at the end of last year, it now seems like a commercial deal on the future of the game is being negotiated at a rapid pace with little consideration given to the important points we raised.’’
Added England skipper Owen Farrell: ‘‘Players are open to discussing a new global season, but [it] has to work with the club game in order to reduce conflict, deal with player release issues and make sure their welfare is looked after.
‘‘The proposal presented to us doesn’t seem to have considered this properly.’’
Not surprisingly, Samoa captain and council member Chris Vui was aghast at being shut out for such an extended period.
‘‘Our biggest issue has always been the ‘club v country’ factor. We feel that that a 12-year deal is not workable, particularly when it presents no hope of advancement.’’
RADICAL REVAMP
World Rugby’s radical proposal to create an annual global 12-team championship appears to have been rushed through much faster than expected, and is likely to face fierce resistance.
Stuff understands a major commercial opportunity has resulted in a proposed worldwide league involving the designated top 12 countries being formalised a lot sooner than anticipated.
If it went ahead as mooted – a 12-team league without promotion-relegation, locked in for a period understood to be as long as 12 years – it would be the biggest overhaul the international game has seen.
But Stuff understands the proposed format is headed for major objections, including from the players being asked to take part in the championship.
The proposed new championship, which would see Pacific Island nations shut out, has been widely covered in the media over recent months with World Rugby making no secret of its desire to oversee a formal competition to replace the annual July (formerly June) and November test windows.
The international game’s key stakeholders all met in Los Angeles at the end of January to thrash over details of the proposed new competition and though most left those talks under the impression there was still much to be done to come up
with an acceptable format, latest indications are that serious movement has taken place.
The proposed format is likely to involve the current Six Nations teams being joined by the existing Rugby Championship, with Japan and the United States being brought in to supplement the southern hemisphere competition. Cash injections of up to $14 million a season per team are being talked about.
But on top of the shutout of the Pacific Islands nations, and the closed nature of the competition over an extended period, it is understood other factors are set to create major objections.
The Rugby Championship would become a one-round, six team competition for the foreseeable future, with a major noncompetitive element in the form of Japan and the US.
The scheduling also creates serious issues. Northern hemisphere nations would be required to play three southern countries on three consecutive weekends at the end of their long season.
It evidently gets worse in November when the southern nations would play their three matches against the other northern unions they had not played in July, followed by semifinals and finals over consecutive weekend.
The two teams that make the final would thus be required to play five tests over five straight weekends, with travel thrown in.
It is understood the plan is for the competition to be played every year except World Cup years. The only concession to Lions tours would be to cut back the number of tests from 11 to 9.
It is understood World Rugby is looking to push the new format through as early as next month.
That is likely to be severely tested as interested parties react to the realities of what is being proposed.