Rugby and Gallagher Premiership must learn lessons from football’s European Super League
New Zealand defeated England 41-32 in the 2017 Women’s World Cup in Belfast
CREDIT: Getty Images
It’s the story that has dominated headlines since news broke on Sunday.
Twelve football clubs, including the traditional “Top 6” in England plus Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus have stated their intention to be “founder members” of a 20-team European Super League.
The competition would have no relegation and staggering sums of money as the games rich and powerful have essentially spat in the face of the sport adored by millions.
Outcry from football associations, European football leagues, national governments and fans has been universal in an unprecedented way - but the gang of US, Russian and Arab owners seem to care not one jot.
This is a cautionary tale that should be a warning to the rest of sport, but most of all rugby.
There has been a sense that rugby could be going towards a similar crisis, that a seismic event could irrevocably change the face of the game is in the offing.
At this point, the most damaging looks like the likely move of the Six Nations matches to behind a paywall, a decision which almost matches the organisers of the ESL for boneheadedness.
CVC Capital Partner’s recent acquisition of shares in the competition coincides with the current broadcasting rights deal with BBC and ITV coming to an end and it looks likely the private equity firm will open up the bidding war to pay-per-view broadcasters.
Six Nations’ matches moving behind a paywall would be disastrous for the game in the Northern Hemisphere
CREDIT: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
As the one rugby event, bar the World Cup, which captures the national attention every year, the move could lead to a generation of rugby fans unable to enjoy the best tournament in the world.
With a sport struggling to keep up with cricket and football for popularity, it would be the equivalent of the northern hemisphere rugby bosses shooting themselves in the foot.
Lest we forget that English rugby has its own ring-fencing issues which also need addressing.
The temporary freeze of relegation (but not of promotion in the Championship funnily enough) has given credence to the proposition that once Saracens get their selves out of the mire, the Premiership will be ring-fenced for good.
It would leave no more room for a rags-to-riches Exeter Chiefs type story again, and deny teams like Ealing Trailfinders and Cornish Pirates the chance to reach the top level of English rugby.
If Premiership Rugby's administrative arm, the RPL, signs off on such an agreement then the nature of the league, which is celebrated for its week to week competitiveness, is completely eradicated and will lead to the same issues competitions like the PRO16 have.
Far from listing these potential issues as a sign rugby is stable in its current form, the sport needs to address problems currently at the heart of the game.
Chief among those is an increase in support for emerging nations like Japan and Georgia to be able to showcase their talents against Tier 1 opposition and perhaps more importantly the need to sort out the pacific nations.
Fiji, Samoa and Tonga could all be big hitters on the international stage but have been fleeced for far too long.
For countries that develop some of the most exciting players in the world, more needs to be done to ensure these countries have the full amount of talent at their disposal for all international fixtures.
Fiji have not always had talent like Semi Radradra at their disposal
CREDIT: Cameron Spencer
The development of the women’s game also needs to be continued with the recent cancellation of this year’s World Cup in New Zealand, while the calendar bends backwards for the men’s British and Irish Lions tour, showing just where the disparities lie.
All of this is to say that those traditional “values” connected to rugby need to be adhered to now more than ever.
While undoubtedly the pandemic has shown how fraught the financial situation of the game is, there needs to be a long term view taken for the sake of the future of the sport.
What rugby can’t do is follow in football’s current footsteps, while making sure current injustices and inequalities are addressed fairly.
If it can do so, who knows, perhaps those disillusioned with the state of the beautiful game can be swayed to a sport happier to actually make their teams compete.
Rugby is on a slippery slope that they need to climb back up from, all the while heeding warnings from their footballing cousins.
Fans, fair play and respect are just three of the things that make our sport great - three things the frontrunners of the European Super League seem to have forgotten. Let’s make sure rugby does not got the same way.
