Baabaas become part of rugby’s omnishambles
The madness that plagues our game continues to deepen: after doubts about yesterday’s Premiership final, the Rugby Championship has become the TriNations, the Six Nations will hopefully finally be completed next weekend, and most farcical of all, one of the greatest names in rugby, the Barbarians, were part of a classic omnishambles that resulted in today’s fixture against England being cancelled at the last minute.
A full inquiry into what happened will take place, but the BaaBaas management has already got its retaliation in first, expressing their ‘extreme disappointment’ about the players’ conduct.
Until all of the details are clear – although this being rugby who knows whether that will happen – care is needed, but whether the players were inadequately briefed, or simply decided to ignore instructions, it’s a right old mess.
Professional rugby players are surely among those who most understand the seriousness of the pandemic, having had it spelled out to them at their clubs, having trained in ‘bubbles’, and having been tested repeatedly. It’s an old cliché about them being role models, but to a
certain extent they are, and it seems that two groups knowingly breached instructions clearly given for their safety, for the safety of others, and to ensure that the game could go ahead, thereby letting down an awful lot of people.
You really couldn’t make this up, and you have to wonder what planet these guys have been living on.
The Rugby Championship – the southern hemisphere one, not our second tier – has always seemed a problematic competition to me, and the withdrawal of South Africa, resulting in a rapid rechristening as the TriNations, has further
exposed its frailties. It’s harsh, but probably fair, to say that not too many people outside of Argentina got excited when the big three nations played them – it’s the clashes between the Titans that excite the fans and the broadcasters. This time around, after Bledisloe 1 and 2, we get two more Wallabies v All Blacks games, both on Australian soil, and then four games involving the Pumas.
If life isn’t hard enough for Argentina then playing all their fixtures in Australia isn’t going to help!
One thing that will add an edge is the appointment of former Wallabies head coach, Michael Cheika, as a consultant to the Argen
tinians! Cheika resigned from his post, launched a blistering attack on Rugby Australia and its then CEO Raelene Castle, and clearly wasn’t happy with Scott Johnson being appointed as director of rugby, over him.
It’s not going to happen, but Cheika will be fired up to put one over on his former team.
Next Saturday’s the final day of this year’s Six Nations. When the Premiership reaches its final stages one of the best things about it is that all the games kick off at the same time – to me it’s important for the integrity of a competition that it should do that.
With six games to screen, the broadcasters have to make a choice, usually showing two and leaping off to another ground when a try is scored.
However, with the Six Nations, all thoughts of the competition’s integrity go out of the window, as the lure of the terrestrial TV euro takes precedence, with three games back to back.
This year there will be three teams – France, Ireland and England – all still in with a chance of becoming champions, and that inevitably means that someone will be advantaged by knowing exactly what they have to do. I can see the organisers’ logic, especially when every bit of revenue matters, but it just isn’t right.
The final example this week where it became clear that money is what matters, was the saga of the Premiership final. With Wasps’ players sadly sidelined with Covid, there was the suggestion that Bristol might take their place, as getting a televised match was all that mattered.
Luckily that isn’t going to happen, but if you wanted a snapshot moment for how mad things have become, that would have been it.
Had Bristol taken Wasps’ place, and won, while it might have appeared in the record books, how many would have regarded them as worthy champions?