THERE is a line in the traditional Barbarians club drinking song that goes, “there's a way we have in the Baabaas, and a jolly good way too…”, but this week there were not many at the RFU, or the pro sporting community at large, who would agree.
In fact, the impression that a significant group of Barbarians players have left following their breakout from a Covidprotected bubble at their team hotel, and the subsequent cancellation of today's fixture against England, is that they are professionals in name only.
Other sports have had their well-publicised issues with Covid infractions, but for the most part cricketers, footballers, boxers, Formula One drivers, and those in the big US sports like NFL and NBA, have shown the discipline and professionalism to stay inside their bubble boundaries.
This week, however, a group of 12 Barbarians players, including former England captain Chris Robshaw, and ex- Saracens and England scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth, had an unauthorised Wednesday breakout from their central London team hotel to dine at an Italian restaurant.
When the breach was discovered by an RFU security guard at the hotel, an investigation was launched, and it soon transpired that there had been another breakout to a pub the previous day.
This led to the RFU cancelling the Barbarians match as the infection-free health of the England squad could not be guaranteed with the final round of the Six Nations to be played on Saturday, and the Autumn international series also imminent.
Robshaw and Wigglesworth, and their teammates, have apologised profusely for not considering the implications – which could cost the financially embattled RFU £1m of lost TV revenue.
But the over-riding impression is that Rugby Union, while professional in name, is truly amateur in most aspects of its organisation.
