SHUTDOWN IS PUTTING GAME ON KNIFE-EDGE
IN THE grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, of course. There are many more pressing issues to worry about – but rugby’s financial outlook has been left on a knife-edge. With the game in Britain shutting down as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, its predicament is destined to be exposed. Very few sports have the monetary resilience to withstand thiscrisis and rugby certainly isn’t one of them.
It is barely solvent at the best of times and these are definitely not the best of times.
Most important of all is public health, so anything being done to safeguard that is justified. But the sudden lack of action for an open-ended period will cast doubt on the livelihoods of thousands – from players and coaches to officials and support staff, from pitches to gyms.
Losing a large chunk of a season is a doomsday scenario, which is why there is such vehement opposition to any suggestion that playing matches behind closed doors might be a solution. Empty stadiums mean empty bank accounts and in many cases they are empty enough as it is. Some clubs and even unions face the threat of going bankrupt if this crisis lasts several months, so contingency plans are needed.
There is no clarity at this stage, but let’s imagine the Premiership’s consideration of a 12-week suspension becomes unavoidable. If competitive rugby was prohibited until the start of June, say, emergency restructuring would be required. The European nations’ summer tours of the south can be scrapped, as they were already an excessive demand at the end of a World Cup season.
The home unions and their counterparts in France and Italy should yield control of the players to their club employers in June and July, so that leagues can be completed.
In the case of the Premiership, there are nine rounds of regular-season matches to play.
In the event they could resume at the start of June – however far-fetched that appears right now – the campaign would finish on August 1.
That would allow the players to have a top-up break, after an enforced period of inactivity now, when full rest should be obligatory.
If the elite clubs’ fixtures are given priority whenever there is a resumption, they would have to accept the inevitable scrapping of the European season. Co-ordinating that between three heavily disrupted leagues would be too much of a logistical leap, especially as the finals weekend is meant to be taking place in Marseille on May 22-23.
There would also have to be an acceptance on the part of PRL that their final at Twickenham could not happen this year. The team finishing top of the table would be crowned champions.
As the London stadium has already been hired for a grand occasion on June 20, and tens of thousands of tickets have already been sold, a doubleheader could be arranged there for that day, with some of the proceeds shared so that all 12 clubs would benefit. It would require flexibility on the part of the designated ‘home’ clubs, but they would be more inclined to make the concession in order to secure a vital windfall.
In the southern hemisphere, the unions could prepare for Tests against each other in the window which would have been filled by the visit of northern nations, and prior to the start of the Rugby Championship.
Either that or hurriedly arrange to hold Barbarians-style non-cap fixtures. Any extra income would eclipse what would have been earned by Super Rugby, given its collapse in attendances.
Rugby and every sport has entered uncharted territory. There are so many implications which are impossible to fathom. If group training is deemed too risky, the mind boggles at the thought of household-name Test stars trying to maintain peak condition by lifting weights in their garages, or running around suburban streets wearing masks and surgical gloves.
One obvious consequence of the greater financial strain is that CVC will be able to shape future rights deals to maximise revenue. Unions surely won’t think twice about consigning the Six Nations and other prized assets to pay TV if the price is right. CVC could provide a rescue package, but they are more likely to take advantage of extra leverage.
What rugby needs is strong leadership, but there is little chance of that. Modern governance appears to be all about secrecy and self-interest.
The RFU and PRL have stuck rigidly to the mantra about following government advice while, in other countries, bold steps have been taken, above and beyond that minimum requirement.
As for the Welsh Rugby Union, they waited until thousands of visiting fans were in Cardiff before postponing the Wales versus Scotland game.
Senior figures need to step up and steer the ship through this storm. Whenever the all-clear comes, it must be hoped that there has been some organisational give and take, or jobs and careers will be lost.
Livelihoods will be hit hard by lack of action in rugby