Arrogant Britannia waives the rules

It's been a long season, and for those of us heading off to South Africa next Sunday it ain't over yet. To be honest, 10 months of incessant rugby becomes a bit wearisome and if you, dear reader, are growing tired of reading this column imagine how the writer feels.

It wouldn't be so bad if the season was confined largely to what happens on the pitch, but ne'er a week goes by without a prominent manager or coach resigning, or a new one being appointed. And if there isn't some upheaval at coaching level, then there are always the near weekly upheavals at politicial/beaurocratic/union level. The games, of which there are also too many, sometimes seem incidental.

Professional rugby, in Europe especially, continues to lurch along like a helicopter in a tailspin. It would help if there was a concerted and unified approach within the northern hemisphere, to match the clearly defined and structured seasons in the southern hemisphere - through domestic, representative (European Cup) and international (Five Nations) competitions. Instead, the English clubs, now seemingly supported by the supine and insular English RFU, go it their own way.

The recent, so-called Mayfair Agreement constituted a peace accord of a sort between the English union and their clubs, but also represented a two-fingered salute to the rest of the European game.

In it, the English union sanctioned the clubs' expansion from 12 to 14 clubs in both the top two divisions and with it their withdrawal from the European Cup, without even consulting their fellow unions in Europe. The unmitigated arrogance of it all. Britannia rules the waves? More like makes the waves, and tidal waves at that, which threaten to engulf the European game.

We shouldn't be surprised at English arrogance of course, nor when it emanates from Twickenham. It was the English union who sold out the Five Nations to the highest bidder, i.e. Sky, last year - the manifestation of which was the inability of the Irish public to access the England-Ireland game at Twickenham on terrestrial television.

Set alongside the selling of the English club game and the European Cup to satellite television it means that while there may be more rugby on television than ever before, there are far fewer people watching it. It was significant to discover, last autumn, that the European Cup, while often riveting, scarcely impinged on the greater rugby public. And all of this at a time when rugby needs to sell itself, not sell itself out. But as in most decisions made by the English union or the English clubs, long-term gains have been sacrificed for short-term expediency.

Incredibly, the English RFU have also signed over primacy of contract to the clubs. The Twickenham blazers will do anything, seemingly, to put one over Clive Brittle and Fran Cotton.

Even so, you'd have to wonder about the benefits of this agreement to the English clubs themselves. For starters, they have rejected the £3.5 million revenue from the European Cup, at a time when they cannot fund their own lavish spending. Brittle had even held out the carrot of including the top 10 English clubs in a re-modelled European Cup and surely it would be in the wider interests of the European game, and playing standards especially, to have an expanded rival to the Super 12s down under than nothing at all.

But clearly this isn't about wider interests or improving standards. It's about naked power, and the acquisition of it by a few wealthy benefactors, through whatever means. This all emanates from the English union ceding control of the leading players, and with it the game, to the clubs two years ago. It also emanates from the club administrators ceding control of their own clubs to these aforementioned sugar daddies.

Although Nigel Wray and Saracens seem an honourable exception, and a benchmark for others in the professional game, it is clear that Sir John Hall, Geoff Read and their acolytes have no understanding or feel for the game's traditions. How else could they demand that the Five Nations be put back to May and be run on successive weeks? How the English union could agree to this as a combined policy in the Mayfair agreement beggars belief.

In light of this agreement, which seems anything but fair, and could well be the means to a foul end, Cotton, in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph prior to yesterday's IRB meeting in Dublin, called for England's expulsion from the International Rugby Board (IRB) until the Rugby Football Union (RFU) proved it could control its leading clubs. Not so much as a slap on the wrist of course, though their isolationist approach warrants their isolation, so leaving the English clubs to play solely with themselves. Good enough for them.

Good riddance to them then, and good-bye to the 1997-98 season. It's been a curious one.

Tourists of the season: The All Blacks. A privilege to see them, if not quite at their vintage best, nor particularly so in that memorable 23-all draw with England. Nevertheless, the moaning early departers at Lansdowne Road missed the point. As near to `Total Rugby' as the game has ever been.

Occasion of the season: Leinster beating Leicester at a packed, sun-kissed Donnybrook one Friday evening in September. Great game, great home performance and professional marketing as it should be done by the Leinster Branch.

Performance of the season: Connacht storming the Franklins Garden citadel. Hammering Northampton at home was hilarious, but withstanding the best of Ian McGeechan's team, coming back with interest from a half-time deficit via two superb tries, and then surviving that tormenting finale was as uplifting as it gets. As with the above, a pity so few saw it.

Player of the Season: Malcolm O'Kelly. One of the constants in an ever-changing team along with Paddy Johns until the steadying hand of Warren Gatland came along. Awesome line-out play, huge work-rate and an ability to get out wide and read the game like a true modern-day lock. And this as a 23-year-old in his first international season. Ridiculous.

Club of the Season (Century): Shannon. May be a bit too percentage-orientated and minimalist at times, but often inspiring to watch. They never panic, never backbite at referees, and if only some of their mental strength in the final quarter could rub off on Ireland.

Coach of the season: Warren Gatland, for the Connacht metamorphosis, and, within a week, the Ireland metamorphosis.

Quote of the season: "I'm professional, Pat's an amateur," Brian Ashton saying a multitude, then adding in the same breath: "I'm English, Pat's Irish." Whatever that meant.

Referee of the season: Dave McHugh. His sensitive handling of the AIL final should be a benchmark for so many others who seem to be refereeing the modern game from a bygone era.