RUGBY AT THE CROSSROADS

World Cup winner Grayson insists the game can’t rush back but fears a ‘CATASTROPHE’ if action does not return by the end of the year

PAUL GRAYSON has urged rugby union not to rush back – but admits that “catastrophe awaits” if it has not returned by “anywhere near year end”.

The World Cup winner comes at the debate from the unique perspective of former player, current coach, respected media voice and father of a Premiership star.

While he believes it would be fairly straightforward for him to resume coaching safely at Northampton, where son James is one of the kickers with whom he works, he concedes that going from there to contact training and actually playing a game is a “hugely complex” step.

“I’d urge caution,” said Grayson. “If you go gung-ho now and end up back at Ground Zero in terms of total lockdown, everyone at home, everything stopping, that makes no sense.

“Common sense says proceed with incremental steps which work in tandem with what is happening more broadly in dealing with the pandemic.

“Once people generally are able to do more and the disease is doing less, that’s when you’re in a position to make the next step stick – as opposed to saying, ‘Everybody back in, we’re playing in June, whoops massive spike, everyone off ’til Christmas’. Do that and we’re in a world of pain.”

Premiership Rugby boss Darren Childs (right) raised eyebrows in March when declaring: “We are all working to try and hopefully be the first sport back on television.”

Grayson describes that as an “ugly soundbite because it lacked nuance”. But he can fully understand why players are eager to get going again as “in what is a short career, missing a year could be 10 per cent or more of your earning life”.

He jokes that returning behind closed doors won’t seem that strange as “we’ve all watched

Super Rugby, so we’ve got half an idea what to expect!” – but knows rugby’s financial plight is no laughing matter.

“You get anywhere near the year’s end before anything’s happening and catastrophe awaits,” he said. “Something has got to happen before then in a safe way.

“The clubs are desperate for cash, everyone is. Everybody is fighting for the same small window of time to play catch-up.

“The danger is, having spent years talking about player welfare, we go, ‘To squeeze things in to try and survive we’re playing three games a week for two months’.

“Do that and the product you’ll get is going to be massively diluted. You’re going to get blowout scores.

“I can’t see how that is not inevitable if you’re going to try and finish competitions off. There’s going to be a joyous outpouring of love when rugby comes back. But we must proceed with caution.”