Dead hand of PRL is no help to the game

THE self-importance of the Premiership, reflected in its self-serving administrative approach, is not winning it many friends.

Where coaches like Pat Lam, Rob Baxter and Lee Blackett understood the importance of keeping the game in the public eye, and their match-fit players firing, by calling for the Premiership to fill the two rounds of cancelled European competition, the optimism was soon squashed.

The dead-hand of Premiership politics was soon in evidence with a point-blank refusal to adapt or move the fixture list, and the peddling of the party line which saw Baxter and Blackett endorse the two-week break in a departure from their original script.

The Premiership’s continued refusal to make any concessions to the Lions, as well as their attitude that European competitions are of subsidiary importance, was glaringly obvious in the refusal to buy some space in a congested season.

The trumpeting of player welfare issues as the reason for the break were also laughable given that the clubs played midweek games when it suited them in last season’s restart. The anger expressed on fans forums reflected the frustration at these double standards. Many pointed to the constant moan from Premiership clubs that they have to play without their England players during international windows, and yet when there is a chance to play them before the Six Nations, they press the stop button.

To make matters worse, the Premiership’s disregard for the rugby public was emphasised by the way it took PRL until Thursday to explain their reasons for not budging an inch, even though they knew there would be no change last weekend.