BOWE: IT’S TIME TO REIN LEINSTER IN
FORMER Ospreys star Tommy Bowe has outlined his concerns about Leinster’s dominance over other teams in the Guinness PRO14. Bowe, still the competition’s leading try scorer and a double title winner with the Ospreys, gave his views on the current state of the league in an interview in Ireland.
He argues Leinster’s domination – they have just won their third title on the trot – is not good for the league and wants the Welsh, Scottish and other Irish teams up their game and challenge more.
“Leinster are head and shoulders the strongest side in the PRO14,” he said in an interview at home in Ireland, where Bowe works as a presenter for a TV station’s league coverage.
“For a competition to thrive it needs rivalries and that’s the big thing that’s missing.
“At the minute when Leinster send out their B and C team and beat other provinces as well as the Scottish, Welsh and Italian sides, it just isn’t good for the game.”
But he said: “I still think that there are positives out there. Edinburgh look strong again and I also think that Ulster are closing that gap and going in the right direction.”
The former Lions winger and Ospreys favourite, who spent four years at the Liberty Stadium, continued: “Unfortunately, given this Covid crisis we just don’t know where rugby is.”
But he said the £120m investment in the league by private equity firm CVC was a huge plus.
“They have a big and global plan so it will be very interesting to see where it goes,” said Bowe.