Players rightly up in arms over proposed World League
There was a time when the Golden Lions of Ellis Park trained on the fields near the bottom of the sprawling Marks Park sports club. They were led by Andre Vos, a good, honest and straight-up man who was wellliked and respected.
During one of those long days at Marks Park, he took a break from training to sit down on the stands and let the pain of the afternoon seep out of him.
He and his team had been drilled into the ground, a koppestamp session that went on and on. It was old-school rugby training, and old school is not always best.
Vos had a lifetime of oldschool rugby and training. He wasn’t happy with the way they were being smashed.
He had been smashed throughout his career. He spoke of how one of his shoulders was smashed to the bone, the other wasn’t much better. There were other bits of him in states of disrepair, but he kept on keeping on.
He loved the sport, but it had taken its toll. He spoke about how he would play
36 games a season. That was too much. There was too much rugby. His body had paid the price. In 2002 Vos was forced to give up playing for the Springboks after 33 caps, 16 of them as captain.
“It’s a heartbreaking decision, but I have no other choice but to say goodbye to the green and gold,” said Vos. “Physically, I am no longer up to Springbok rugby.”
He was just 27.
The welfare of players came to the fore this week after the New Zealand Herald reported on World Rugby’s proposed 12-team World League that would revamp the international calendar. Each of the 12 teams would play each other once during non-World Cup years, with a semifinal and final to be played in the northern hemisphere in December. The Herald reported World Rugby is about to sign off on the plan.
International players are, understandably, not happy. They believe they have not been able to give more input into the global league. Johnny Sexton, the World Rugby player of the year and president of the International Rugby Players, said World Rugby is “out of touch” with the physical demands on players.
Kieran Read, the All Black captain, said the tournament could reduce the quality of rugby in the pursuit of money.
Forty players from around the world had a teleconference about the World League. Their welfare concerns aside, the plans leave out the Pacific nations and developing nations: no Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. No Romania and Georgia.
Japan and the US would join the Rugby Championship and Six Nations teams. Pacific rugby, already starved and on its knees, would have nothing to hold on to. There would be no tours, nothing for them to aim and dream for.
“While players gave this idea a cautious welcome when we met at the end of last year [2018], it now seems like a commercial deal on the future of the game is being negotiated at a rapid pace with little consideration given to the important points we raised with World Rugby in November,” said Sexton.
“To suggest that players can play five incredibly high-level Test matches in consecutive weeks in November is out of touch and shows little understanding of the physical strain this brings.”
It was reported that all 12 unions involved have already agreed to it. That means the SA Rugby Union has given it the nod. World Rugby issued a statement noting with surprise the reaction of Sexton and International Rugby Players, and have spoken of ongoing engagement with players.
For a body that still can’t figure out how to sort out the engagement at the scrum, that could mean anything.
World Rugby believe their new league will provide “greater long-term global media revenue for reinvestment in the global game”.
So, don’t fuss Pacific and Tier 2 teams, you’ll still be treated like development teams. But you will be standing in the cold, knocking on the door, begging to get in forever.
And there will be more and more players choosing to chuck in international rugby before their time. There will be more like Vos, sitting on a stand, shaking his head, nursing his shoulders and leaving the big stage at the age of 27.