No matter where they end up playing, there will be no escape for this pair
WHEN Paddy Jackson returned from Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa in 2016, his rugby career was flourishing.
In Johnny Sexton’s absence, the out-half had performed superbly against the Springboks and, though the series was lost narrowly, Ireland achieving their first win away to South Africa in the first Test was a notable achievement.
Jackson had played a critical role in achieving it. Everyone was well aware of the out-half’s footballing skills, his progress through the ranks in Ulster to the Ireland squad had been on the back of excellent passing and running ability.
What he displayed in South Africa, in highly pressurised circumstances, was the ability to properly control a game at the highest level – a level of game management that boded well for the future as Johnny Sexton’s understudy in the run-in to the 2019 World Cup.
His Ulster teammate, centre Stuart Olding, also emerged with credit from that tour, performing well in two of the Tests and the pair returned home ready to kick on their careers with Ulster and Ireland.
The events of their night out following their arrival back in Belfast have ensured that cannot now happen.
The statement by the IRFU and Ulster Rugby yesterday terminating the two players’ contracts means they are highly unlikely to play for Ulster or Ireland again.
That is devastating for their careers, both financially and in terms of the cultural drive to play for their home teams, and their suspensions around the trial have already cost them – notably Jackson who was likely to be in possession of a Grand Slam-winner’s medal, had things worked out differently.
All of that adds considerable weight to yesterday’s powerful message about the consequences of players not adhering to the ‘core values’ of behaviour off the pitch.
Both players are in their mid-20s and talented enough to continue their careers abroad. However, a senior Premiership source in England maintains it would be a ‘brave move’ to sign Jackson or Olding given the negative baggage they bring with them in the fallout from the Belfast rape trial. While a move to England or France would create a remove with the events of the past few months, it would still be close enough to allow the repercussions to stay in the public eye. Moving to an English or French club would create the rape trial issues resurface if their new club was drawn against an Irish province in the European Champions or Challenge Cups. To properly re-launch their careers away from the spotlight, it might be advisable for Jackson or Olding to consider moving further afield, with the high wages and low exposure in Japan carrying definite advantages. Traditionally, Japan is the destination for players in their 30s whose international days are behind them and the standard is nowhere near the levels played at in the European Leagues or in Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere. It would be possible for both players to earn a healthy living away from media scrutiny and, at this stage, Japan looks like the best option available. The fact both players were found not guilty of the charges brought against then in the rape trial could promote a defiant determination to continue to play at a high level in Europe, but that route would be the more hazardous path to follow. The nature of behaviour surrounding the trial that led directly to yesterday’s contract terminations, allied to the huge public interest in the case, ensures that it would be hard to properly move on if the two players remain in European rugby. And moving on is what everyone needs to do. In Jackson and Olding’s case, the further away the better.