Money problems hit England and Wales
WITNESSING the gulf in abilities between England and France had me thinking of the issues going on in the WRU and how England have similar issues which threaten to dismantle its game.
The problems with the WRU all come from a financial base and so do the problems with England. Like with Wales, when the money was flowing in, many overpaid themselves, with no real longterm thought. Then, as the income decreased, the decisions made to save money resulted in coalface cuts and have had a catastrophic impact.
One has only to look back and see how many club sides Wales used to select from compared with today. When you then consider England’s current position and their decline since the 2019 World Cup, you can see English rugby is on the same trajectory as that of Wales and unless their is a collective coming together by all concerned then the game professionally could die very soon.
The Premiership talks up its exciting brand, but they can keep their balloon inflated for ever with their own hot air, but they are kidding themselves! The Premiership itself has proven corrosive for the English game. Its ring-fencing has removed jeopardy which has had a knock-on effect as to how the game is played and when you consider the influence of the TV sponsors on how games are officiated, it makes one question who is pulling the strings.
English rugby lost two clubs due to financial incompetence and could lose more – then where will the Premiership and the national side be?
For the game to survive in England, the focus needs to be the national team. If it is doing well then the game can compete for its share of the market. For this to happen more club sides need to be given the opportunity to grow, compete, fail, evolve and for this to happen the current protectionist policy must be removed. If this doesn’t happen, then the pool of English qualified players will get smaller.