Northern lights will burn bright
WHAT a time for this code of rugby in the north. Good news is stacking up courtesy of the region’s two leading clubs and a new, inclusive outlook from the RFU.
Sale ran riot against Worcester to climb towards the Premiership playoff zone. Newcastle are already there and reinforced their position by beating Northampton at St James’ Park. They nearly trebled their record attendance, by attracting more than 30,000 fans.
When the two teams collide at Kingston Park on April 13, it could be an all-northern showdown with a top-four finish up for grabs. The stakes haven’t been so high in that area of the country for years. And now there will be proper, senior international rugby in the north again, too. At last. England last played a home Test outside of Twickenham — other than at the last World Cup — in 1997.
But they will face Wales or Ireland before next year’s showpiece in Manchester or Newcastle. RFU chief executive Stephen Brown has also suggested that the union are prepared to stage one autumn international each year up north.
Credit where credit is due. This is belated recognition from the union that money is not all that matters. There must be a drive to be a truly national game. Congratulations to Brown for seeing the bigger picture. In previous years, calls NICK KENNEDY cannot be blamed for walking away from London Irish after the shabby way he was treated — with Declan Kidney and Les Kiss brought in over his head in a belated scramble to avoid relegation. It was an act of chronic short-termism from the Exiles’ hierarchy and Kennedy is a smart enough young coach to come back to haunt them one day. His sudden exit means the tally of Englishmen in charge of the 12 elite English clubs is now down to four — Rob Baxter, Steve Diamond, John Kingston and Dean Richards. This is an alarming trend. to take fixtures away from HQ have been dismissed on the grounds that the loss of revenue is too significant. But there is no point pumping money into community projects if the community itself is shrinking and interest in the distant shires is declining. Put bluntly, in some parts of the country, rugby union is still scorned as a ‘posh southern sport’. Making fans far from Twickenham feel connected to the England team is a major aspect of any crusade. The strength of the northern grassroots game is reflected in the volume of players from those parts selected in national agegroup teams. But elite-level representation and accessibility is essential to prevent a migration of talent or a loss of public affection. If Brown realises this, he can make changes which will leave a profound legacy, rather than just enhancing the RFU’s vast wealth.