Rugby is a joy without pressure of relegation
The entertainment levels have been off the charts, unheard of in times of relegation
For the players, the fear of not performing is far better than the fear of not winning
Apologies to people hoping for a more jovial column this week, but I am going to be rather philosophical on the removal of relegation. So far nearly 30 more tries have been scored in the Premiership compared to last season. People are saying the product is fantastic and the games have been amazing, and they absolutely have been. I can think of only one relatively low-scoring game so far, and that was Newcastle against Bristol (13-5).
Everything else has been a try-fest, end-to-end action.
That gets you thinking about the players. They have not suddenly improved over the summer, developing brand-new skills and a fresh mindset. Does it actually come down to the fact that the stress being placed on the middle-tier teams to avoid going down, and the restrictive nature of that, previously turned them into sides who took to the field trying not to lose?
And how strong is that thought process, that fear, in terms of stopping a player going out there to do what he is instinctively geared to do – find space, run fast, make offloads and create tries? Has that all been stifled for so many years by the threat of relegation? Or does it speak more about the controlling nature of the coaches?
Look at a side such as Bath – littered with quality individuals across the team, yet so abjectly poor it is remarkable. Still playing like a side who do not want to lose, or one who do not have the capacity to express themselves. Why is that? Is it the marriage between the players and coaches? Would a new coach going in there with more experience and ability to bring out the best in people
enable that team?
Or does it actually need a coach so heavily into defensive structure you use that as your foundation and then build from there?
Look at Leicester Tigers. Now they are top of the league under Steve Borthwick and they are expressing themselves in all ways – forwards and backs, attack and defence, there is variety.
Same with Saracens, who are back to the side they were before. They have always had the philosophy of “we’ll play as well as we can, and if we win, great, but if we lose we’ll take it”.
I saw Jamie
George smiling, laughing when
Leicester went over for that winning penalty try the other week – he was not running over to punch the referee. That unbelievable desire to win is critical in elite sport, but sometimes, does it stifle you? Are you better off thinking about performance all the time?
I find it fascinating that, with relegation being taken away, you have Worcester, that Leicester result aside, playing brilliant rugby. Newcastle are forcing their way up the league. Northampton had a bad second half to last season, but have started well.
You can say good things this season about every Premiership club apart from Bath and, interestingly, Bristol.
Pat Lam’s side were playing that expressive rugby when there was relegation and middle-tier teams were playing it safe – it made Bristol stand out. Now that sides are playing with an open mindset, Bristol’s game looks a little out of date.
I wrote at the end of last season that I hoped Harlequins would win the Premiership final, given how they were playing, because it might change the mindset of how rugby
should be played.
It seems a lot of teams are picking that up. Yes, Quins lost to Sale last week, but is it going to change their approach? I do not think so. How restrictive is it when you tell a player not to do something, as opposed to encouraging them to do something. Is it better to let them express themselves? Fear should drive players to play better, not worse. And the fear of not performing is far better than the fear of not winning.
It is too soon for me to say that we should get rid of relegation for good because it is too early in the season, and we were always going to see the positive aspect of it now. If I lived in west London, I would be going to Harlequins on a Friday night and London Irish on a Sunday. The entertainment levels are off the charts, unheard of in the times of relegation.
When we get to 11th against 13th at the end of the season with nothing on the line, that is when we will know if no relegation can work. The games will still be entertaining, but you will not have the tension, the jeopardy. A new end-of-season format may be required. That pressure, a bit like a boa constrictor, is not suffocating players any more.
And if spectators are not getting to Premiership games already at the weekends, then they should be, because the quality right now is at another level.