British media split on TV deal: And along expected lines too

ALL IN THE SCRUM:A rugby miscellany

There’s been a wildly contrasting reaction in the British media to the tactics employed by Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty regarding pre-emptive TV deals and threats of an Anglo-French breakaway.

He is not without his loyalists, many of whom appear to toe the PR line. In Thursday’s Guardian, McCaffery (right) was quoted at length yet there was not a mention of ERC’s deal with Sky announced on Wednesday.

By contrast, in the London Times, rugby correspondent Mark Souster wrote: “Has Mark McCafferty got a death wish? Has the chief executive of Premier Rugby (PRL) lost the plot entirely? It would seem so judging by his decision to adopt the nuclear option in his “negotiations” with ERC over the future of the Heineken Cup. It needs a unanimous verdict to consign McCafferty to rugby history and that collective will has been absent. More than once McCafferty has been granted a stay of execution. It is time to pull the trigger.”

No prizes for guessing which newspaper is, along with Sky, part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

Row looming: Gatland's call

Another club-v-country row is brewing. The Lions' first game is against the Barbarians on June 1st, which clashes with the French Top 14 final. An IRB regulation suggests Warren Gatland could cite primacy for the Lions. It reads: "The . . . British and Irish Lions tour is a designated event and all players selected to participate shall be released. The release period shall ordinarily commence on 1 June and ordinarily conclude on the second weekend of July in the relevant year." Rule 9.9 also states the players should be "available to train at least five clear days prior to the commencement of the international match . . ."

French-based players with an eye on the tour are Jonny Wilkinson Gethin Jenkins (both Toulon), Luke Charteris (Perpignan) Lee Byrne (Clermont), James Hook (Perpignan) and Mike Phillips (Bayonne).

Back in limelight: Number eight joins Leicester Tigers

Michael Noone, the 6ft 3ins, 112kg number eight who has played for Ireland at schools, under-18, under-19 and under-20 level, as well as all the Leinster age grades up to the provincial A side, has joined Leicester Tigers after a couple of years outside the limelight.

Noone was widely thought to be on the verge of great things until suffering a broken leg in Leinster's last training session prior to their 2009 Heineken Cup final win over Leicester. That cost him a place in the Irish Under-20 World Cup squad that summer, since when he relaunched his career with Seapoint and Rotherham Titans before a brief stint with Doncaster Knights.

He made his first appearance for the Tigers Development XV in the Premiership A League, beating Newcastle Falcons A last Monday. Having conceded the opening three-pointer, Noone swiftly atoned. "The No8 stole possession on the floor before darting through the Newcastle defence and angling his run from halfway to the left corner for the first try," wrote the Tigers website. The Tigers, also featuring Niall Morris at fullback, won 45-23.