It feels like defence is no longer the priority
As the regular club season ends with a whimper, but not a bang, and we await the final play-off for the champions to be crowned, there surely must be praise for all the clubs that have kept going through one of the most disruptive times the game has seen.
Slowly things are getting back to normal – or as near as is possible – but the consequences of lockdown are just beginning to bite as the financial implications of reduced crowds are starting to impact on clubs and players. The tradition of recruitment and transfer at the end of the season was seen as a time of excitement, as players and clubs look to build for the next season. But all that has changed.
With clubs now seeking to cut their budgets and with the lower wage cap, it means they are reducing player numbers and will see a number of older players retiring from the game. It could also see the likes of Manu Tuilagi, who seems to be constantly injured, leaving unless, like him, the club receives compensation for injuries received while playing internationals.
The truth is we have no idea how the game will pan out next season as the results this season were so far ‘off the wall’ with teams scoring 30 or 40 points but still finishing as losers. It’s gone from a time when tries were a rarity with an emphasis put on defence to this season where at club level it isn’t unusual to see games with as many as 10 or more tries scored.
Some – particularly in World Rugby – may say this is a good thing as they think it is tries that attract new fans to our game even if it is as a result of poor competition with unequal games. But a basic principal of the game of rugby is there is fair competition and that is why there are tier levels in world rugby and leagues at club level in developed rugby countries, ensuring there is fair and equal competition. Why else do the lower tier nations have to battle it out to qualify for a World Cup if not to show however unlikely, they at least have a chance of competing with the big boys in Tier 1?
Even so, no Tier 2 team has ever made it to the semi-final of a World Cup with many suffering humiliating high-scoring defeats in the pool stages. Everybody knows that this is not a good advertisement for the game and that is why efforts are made to raise the standards of the Tier 2 nations with occasional games against Tier 1 sides.
The thing is, making a game artificially high scoring is just as boring as seeing a team get thrashed, as it is a true competition that people want to see. A battle
“Making a game artificially high scoring is just as boring as seeing a team get thrashed”
between equals where nobody can predict the result, a level playing field for all. However you want to describe it, it is that style of game which has the most appeal to attract new players and fans. You only have to look at the comments following the Champions Cup clash between La Rochelle and Leinster to feel the excitement that game generated, even among the neutrals.
With so many of the games now decided by the referee awarding penalties that many don’t understand or agree with, especially at the scrum and tackle area, is it any wonder that a try is welcomed? At least with a try there is little or no controversy as we can all see the TMO in slow motion review and understand the answer.
However, the increase in the number of tries scored in the Premiership has coincided with a decline in the international team results. It could be that the standard of the Premiership games has declined to such an extent that most games are no longer competitive and that the ‘better players’ can score easily. Or it could be that defence is no longer the priority it was because of the ring-fence.
Either way, although it could be a coincidence, it seems to have had an impact on the international game with England having their worst results in the Six Nations for a long time over the last two seasons. It also makes things difficult for Eddie Jones in trying to assess which of the new young bucks is actually good enough to be given a chance at the top table. With players pulling out of the summer tour, Jones is having to virtually start again even though this is his last chance to experiment and find cover for his ‘go to’ players. Judging on the results in the Premiership alone was hard enough when it was a full-out competition but now, with results all over the place, it’s virtually impossible to choose who is the best prospect.
Without a representative stage to take players out of their comfort zone, Jones is picking blind – and without serious competition in the Premiership, it’s making selection more like a lucky dip. All things considered, it means it’s not boding well for the World Cup.
Efforts last week to compare the Championship and the ProD2 was impossible as the ProD2 has been around a lot longer than the Championship and has a level of support that even the Premiership dream of.
French Rugby is played mainly down in the south of the country where it is by far the biggest sport in every city, town and village. Bayonne’s victory last week was celebrated by the whole city with thousands lining the streets after the win that sealed promotion to the Top14. The only time I have seen something similar in this country was in 2003 when England won the World Cup and around 750,000 fans filled the streets of London to celebrate the team’s success.
Until the Premiership (let alone the Championship) can garner the same levels of local support as Bayonne, they will remain, as the new Premiership CEO Simon MassieTaylor said, a sleeping giant.