Make rugby a summer sport and we will reap the benefits
Hnorthern hemisphere can step up as skill levels will have chance to shine and game can be truly global
While watching Exeter v Wasps, Northampton v London Irish and Bath v Leicester the same thought occurred to me – professional rugby is a far better product when played in clement conditions. Firm pitches and warm weather allow players to excel; sodden turf, high winds and driving rain limit what even the most talented players can do.
Watching Stuart Hogg dancing his way round Sandy Park is a remarkable sight. Perfect balance, great acceleration over the first 10 yards, and an instinctive awareness of space, he is glorious to watch. A stark contrast to seeing him struggle with wind and rain in some of the Six Nations games.
It was the same watching Northampton playing with aplomb and running in six tries and seeing London Irish scoring four in response to take a try bonus point. Then switch to the Rec to see Anthony Watson and George Ford thriving without having to deal with the notoriously boggy pitch at Bath.
I make no apologies for returning to this subject because each year I believe there is more evidence to support a move for the professional game in the northern hemisphere to become a summer sport.
When I first suggested this, it was a minority view, but over the past several years I believe the attitude of many supporters has changed and this move now has majority support – I fervently believe professional club rugby in the northern hemisphere should be a summer sport.
I understand the objections, but the advantages far outweigh the negatives.
A point which is overlooked – but which is of huge import – is that without this change, men’s rugby is highly unlikely to achieve its stated aim of having a global calendar. One or other half of the rugby world is going to have to shift its season and it makes far more sense for it to be the northern part of the game. The Six Nations and international tours could take place at or near the start and end of the season without much difficulty.
It is all about tradition, say some fans who seem to wear the travails of watching in winter as a badge of honour. They would soon get used to being there without several layers of clothing and enjoying a cool beer without shivering.
Rugby league fans were equally sceptical about their sport moving from winter to summer. I don’t know any league fan who genuinely wants to go back to enduring a cold, rainy night in Castleford; union fans would be no different.
Some critics have raised the issue of different skill-sets being required – this is illusory. Handling, carrying, running; all are improved when you practise and play in good conditions and you can adapt to occasional bad weather. You cannot train and play for good weather, and the extra pace and faster reactions required, by slogging about in poor conditions. It is a myth that northern hemisphere players like playing in bad weather. They do it because they have to, and it does not help them against southern hemisphere opponents.
This is by no means definitive and there are might be other contributory factors, but I find it telling that the total points scored in a Premiership weekend is well below 300 until you get to the beginning of March. Four out of five of the last rounds since then have produced well over 300 points scored. The average points per game pre-march is below 50 and sometimes in the low thirties. The past five round’s averages have been 51, 42, 62, 57 and 57. This is not just about how many tries are scored, it is about the speed of the games, better handling, fewer kicks and more ambition to run with the ball in hand.
If you leave the amateur game where it is, you will also give its players a chance to watch professional rugby, which they cannot do now. Lots of upsides and no insurmountable downsides – what is there to argue about?
Fans would get used to watching without several sets of clothing, enjoying a cool beer