World Cup boycott would shake the elite
There is a general feeling among some in American politics that to get rid of the scourge of Donald Trump’s presidency they must no longer take only the high moral ground but fight dirty and fight smart.
There could be something similar brewing in the South Pacific and beyond as the news filters through that World Rugby is about to shut the door on Fiji, Tonga and Samoa (and Georgia) via the new World League which would keep them and other tier-two nations out in the cold for the next 12 years at least.
It’s clear that the governing body’s decision is about lining the pockets of the elite — no change there — and it’s clear too that Japan and the US are now in that category for their ability to (possibly) forge new markets and bring in new cash.
So, stuff the hand-wringing and pleas to do the right thing, it’s time to take it up a level and that means hitting World Rugby where it hurts. Starting with the Pacific Nations and perhaps further afield, it’s time to boycott the World Cup or at least threaten to do so.
The world’s top players have considered pushing the nuclear button before over World Rugby’s inability to create a global calendar in which there is a clearly defined off-season. But such are the complexities of two hemispheres and club owners with different and competing agendas that it’s always been kicked into the tall grass. This is different because the players haven’t been consulted; in fact it appears they have been deliberately excluded.
When World Rugby’s player of the year Johnny Sexton calls the game’s decision-makers “out of touch”, and for All Blacks skipper Kieran Read to raise concerns about the game’s integrity at the top level and impact on players should this scheme go ahead, the organisation should take notice. It should know, too, that the feelings behind the scenes among those who actually put the boots on are a sight stronger than what appeared in an International Rugby Players’ Association statement, and the statement itself was strong.
Like watching political events from afar, it’s difficult to understand how some of those closely involved at the top can’t see how they won’t fall on the wrong side of history.