Just four weeks in and already there is a danger that this will become a sham season in English professional rugby – with none of the intended jeopardy.
Last Friday night, Newcastle suffered their 25th consecutive defeat in the Premiership, but it is unlikely to matter. Within a month, they have acquired a points difference of -100, but it is unlikely to matter. The faltering Falcons lost every league game they played last season and there is a very real possibility that the same grisly fate awaits them in this campaign, unless the return of injured players can spark a profound transformation. But… it is unlikely to matter.
The Tyneside club with such crucial strategic value to the game in this country simply can’t compete among the elite. Their director of rugby, Steve Diamond, specialises in ringing every last drop of potential out of every team he works with, but there just aren’t enough drops in his current squad. So, they appear doomed to finish bottom of the table again – a long way adrift, again.
That should mean that they have to face the drop, but it probably won’t come to that. There should be a two-leg play-off between the 10th-place team in the top division and the winners of the second – the Championship – but that arrangement comes with an asterisk attached. Now, it has become apparent that it is a giant asterisk, in bold, because of the dreaded, infernal small print.
After years of ring-fencing to cocoon the elite, the Minimum Standards Criteria are set to keep them safe again – whether that is Newcastle or another club who somehow finish below them. Already, it is feared that no club in the second tier will pass muster for promotion. Doncaster are expected to tick all the auditor’s boxes, when it comes to ground capacity, expansion plans and so on, but they are ninth after losing 12-0 at home to London Scottish on Saturday.
Newcastle Falcons were handily beaten 43-10 at the Salford Community Stadium on Friday
Director of rugby, Steve Diamond, specialises in ringing every last drop of potential out of every team he works with
Coventry are leading the Championship with four wins from four games and have ambitious plans to enhance their Butts Park Arena. They are viewed by the RFU as a prime example of a club outside the Premiership with vast potential, but they fear that they can’t cut through all the necessary red tape in time to satisfy the MSC terms and conditions in January. The same is expected to apply to title holders Ealing Trailfinders, currently in second place.
On that basis, Newcastle could survive on a technicality, even if they endure another winless season of suffering. Diamond was dejected after his side’s 43-10 thumping at the hands of Sale and his victorious counterpart, Alex Sanderson, said pointedly: ‘He is under-resourced. It is hard for them to be competitive on half the budget of the other teams.’
It is a major problem for a league seeking fresh investment to be carrying a club who can’t – despite the best efforts of dedicated players and staff – compete with the rest. But it is also a problem for the wider sustainability of the sport if upwardly-mobile clubs are expected to commit huge sums without proof that they can remain viable. Coventry could tick all the boxes, earn promotion, spend a fortune, then go down after a year. Then what?
This is the troubling scenario, two years after three Premiership clubs went bust. All of them; Wasps, London Irish and Worcester, are now applying for inclusion in a revamped Championship, but as yet there has been no repayment of rugby debts, which would allow them to be reintegrated high up the domestic pyramid. Their possible return is not being welcomed in some quarters and the RFU will be scrutinised closely in terms of how they regulate the process.
In their current state, Newcastle would probably fit well within a value-added, rebranded, marketed and broadcast second tier, but instead they are destined to remain out of their depth higher up. It seems wrong and farcical if auditors essentially decide in January whether there will be an end to ring-fencing or not.
Unfortunately, this is yet another example of so-called ‘professional’ rugby shooting itself in the foot. Flawed bureaucracy continues to undermine the sport.
Within a month, the Falcons have acquired a points difference of -100 and sit bottom of the standings
Michael Cheika living up to lofty expectations
Michael Cheika is rapidly living up to expectations at Leicester. The Australian has already been in disciplinary trouble and copped a ban, which would have been on most people’s check-list of anticipated events.
But the former head coach of Argentina and the Wallabies has also, true to form, instilled a tough streak and fighting spirit in his new side. Welford Road was heaving for the East Midlands derby on Saturday and what the partisan crowd witnessed were true Tigers going about their work.
They are rediscovering an identity which was lost under Dan McKellar’s regime last season. Leicester are supposed to be hard-edged, ferocious and direct up front. They are supposed to go for the jugular with set-piece and mauling dominance. They are supposed to grind visitors into their turf.
That is what they did to Northampton, in the course of a 24-8 win which will have left the biggest fanbase in the country buoyant about how this season can unfold. English rugby relies on certain familiar staples and Leicester being horribly intimidating at home is one of them. Cheika is the master of a revival mission and this latest one is on track.
The former head coach of Argentina and Australia coach Michael Cheika is quickly living up to expectations
Borthwick’s throbbing selection headache
On Wednesday, Steve Borthwick will name his England squad for the autumn Tests at Twickenham, and he certainly isn’t short of flying contenders out wide. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso touched down twice for struggling Exeter and provided another glimpse of his footwork and physicality in contact, while the night before in Salford, Tom Roebuck also claimed a brace and demonstrated his peerless aerial prowess yet again.
Tommy Freeman scored for Northampton, while Ollie Sleightholme has been in scorching early-season form for the Saints. Just to add competitive spice, Anthony Watson is back in action after persistent injury trouble, then there is a prolific finisher who up-staged everyone else over the weekend; Gabriel Ibitoye.
His rapid hat-trick capped Bristol’s crazy comeback at Sandy Park and showcased his dazzling threat as a runner. Two of his strikes were about awareness and pace, but the middle one involved a sublime step and one-handed carry clear of the last defender. He has some X-factor.
Ibitoye wasn’t named in England’s recent training squad – while Bath pair Joe Cokanasiga and Will Muir were listed as unavailable, suggesting they are higher up the pecking order – but if he keeps producing eye-catching feats in a winning team, he has to be looked at, surely?
Steve Borthwick has a raft of wide players to choose from when selecting his England squad for the autumn Tests at Twickenham
Gabriel Ibitoye (pictured) upstaged everyone by scoring three tries for Bristol this weekend
Union could learn a thing or two
This column’s focus on rugby union was punctuated by a detour into league territory on Saturday, with a trip to Old Trafford to watch the Super League Grand Final, where Wigan beat Hull Kingston Rovers. One notable aspect compared to what occurs in the 15-a-side code was the interactive nature of video reviews, when tries were scored.
This happened several times and the outcome was displayed on big screens, with the posts lighting up green or red, to signify the decision. In an era when there is such desire to maximise audience engagement, it is a good, striking system. Another highlight of the occasion was the raucous support of the Hull fans, willing their team to upset the favourites.
They filled one end of the giant stadium and, all together, made a thunderous noise. At a time when Premiership officials are considering the introduction of away sections in grounds, this was a good advert for concentrating rival groups, to oppose each other. It is not segregation, which isn’t necessary; it is about creating tribal fervour. However, union crowds are rarely as loud and passionate as the league hordes were in Manchester.
Wigan beat Hull Kingston Rovers in rugby league’s Super League Grand Final at Wembley
Ireland’s rugby boom continues
Irish rugby’s boom was perfectly illustrated on Saturday when a crowd of more than 80,000 saw Leinster beat Munster at Croke Park – the towering home of Gaelic sport. The game has become such an integral part of public life in Dublin, and the latest showdown between the biggest rival provinces generated a record windfall of EU1.7m for Leinster.
That was EU500,000 more than they would have made by playing the same match at the Aviva Stadium, which goes to show that the capacity of 51,700 there is woefully inadequate, to capitalise on their boom. It is a smart, modern arena, but it really needs another 30,000 seats.
Meanwhile, the festivities in Dublin yet again over-shadowed events in Wales, where rugby appears to be in trouble. A sell-out for the Cardiff-Scarlets game provided a rare bright spot amid gloom, apathy and financial turmoil.
A crowd of more than 80,000 saw Leinster beat Munster at Croke Park on Saturday
All tickets have been sold for Wales v England in the Six Nations, but outside that rivalry and certain derbies, much of the oval-ball appetite has gone. While Ireland proudly sit top of the World Rugby rankings, Wales are languishing in 11th, ahead of autumn encounters with Fiji, Australia and South Africa.
Warren Gatland and his side need an urgent up-turn in fortunes, to stop the lights going out entirely.
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