World League will add to the pressure
ALL the excitement in the game at the moment surrounds the upcoming World Cup in France, and that's the way it should be. But what is going to happen when we have the new World League in play? Where is the highest value going to go then? I'm not sure what the main reason was for the introduction of the new tournament but, in my eyes, it can only add extra pressure on the coaches and players.
Is this just the way for the international game to get more bang for their buck? Or has it just been supported by the players because it will mean they can get more bucks?
The good thing is that there appears to have been strong collaboration between World Rugby, the Six Nations, Sanzaar and the International Players Association. Who'd have thought it? The players finally get some say before the decision is presented to them as a fait accompli!
Don't get me wrong, whenever I played for Wales, I wanted to win. However, there were times on a summer tour or during the autumn series when the coaches could experiment and the pressure to win wasn't as great as it is in tournament time. Now, though, with every game counting towards a league position, there will be no escape. It is going to be win at all costs. With no relegation in the early seasons, when it inevitably comes the pressure will be massive.
I hate the idea of the Six Nations being reduced from seven to six weeks. That will add even greater pressure on the players, especially those from the nations with smaller populations. If France or England lose two or three front line players, they have a vast array of candidates to step in. That is not the case for Wales, Scotland, Italy, and, to a lesser extent, Ireland.
Throughout my career the dream of the organisers was to find a way to create a global season. If the new plans take us closer to creating that, with the Rugby Championship switching to the same window as the Six Nations, then that can only be a good thing. But when you add in the proposed World Club tournament, European and domestic competitions and the new World League, the intensity levels will never drop. Will the players get a close season, a chance to re-charge their batteries and work to get ready for a new campaign?
The real desire of a global season was to find some space for players to breathe, as well as to fit in all the competitions. Will the new format meet those objectives? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
One of my fears is there will be even bigger periods of the season in which the top players can't play for their clubs and regions. They will have to prioritise their efforts with so much at stake every time they pull on a national jersey. There will be five games in the Six Nations, three in the summer and three in the autumn – 11 Tests over the two intermittent years when the World Cup and British & Irish Lions aren't touring. It may not mean more games, but they will be more intense.
It's hard enough to jump off the rugby merry-go-round as it is, but coaches will have more pressure on them to produce the goods. I wonder how long contracts will be for coaches in the future. Traditionally, they have been for a four-year period stretching from one World Cup to another. Will that be the case in the future?
So, while the principle is sound, the pressure will be heightened. It will need to capture the imagination of the fans and will need some explaining. If your team isn't going to be able to win, and there is no relegation, will people turn up to see a dead rubber? The new Nations League in football is perhaps an indicator of the level of interest the new competition might be able to muster. Far better than friendlies, but not necessarily any more attractive if your team isn't doing well.
Anyway, we will have to wait until 2026 before it all kicks off and a lot of water, as well as planning, can go under the bridge by then. I hope they get it right, as much for the players and fans, as for the private investors and TV companies.
The whole landscape of the game at the top level is changing. Many thought the money model would change and tilt in favour of the clubs in the UK and Ireland, but once again this new move shows that all the major financial clout remains in the international game. There will be a new TV deal, no doubt, ticket prices for more meaningful matches will undoubtedly rise and there will be some big sponsorship packages to be purchased. Money makes the world go round, they say, and rugby needs more and more of it to keep the game alive.
I just hope the extra activity on the international stage doesn't lead to any more drop-offs in the club game. Regional rugby in Wales is on its knees, the Premiership in England has just lost three clubs and the money offered to the next tier down in the game in the UK has dropped off considerably.
Unless more money can seep down through the system, the base of the game's pyramid, those very clubs who offer girls and boys the chance to get involved in this great sport, could wither and potentially die.
The governing bodies need to ensure that as they take what they believe to be a giant step forward for the game, they don't find themselves falling out of step with the rest of the game.
