Fall of giants a warning for Irish
Twice winners London Wasps featured prominently with their last-gasp 27-20 victory over Toulouse in the 2004 final and their 37-32 win over Munster in the semi-final at Lansdowne Road the same year.
That semi-final really was a classic when a disputed try from the visitors’ Samoan hooker Trevor Leota broke Munster hearts once again in a tournament they seemed destined to never win.
Wasps had overtaken Leicester Tigers as the undisputed kings of the English Premiership and had a star-studded side, captained by the inspirational Lawrence Dallaglio, which also included Rob Howley, Josh Lewsey, Simon Shaw, Joe Worsley, Will Green and All Black prop Craig Dowd.
They were the team that Munster aspired to be and beating them in Thomond Park by 19-3 in their final pool clash in 2008 — having lost to Dallaglio’s men in their opening pool game that season by a single point — propelled Munster to a second success.
The news that this once mighty club is currently in serious financial difficulty and fighting to stave off administration just highlights once again how rugby is still coming to terms with the demands of the professional game and how exposed a club can be when it becomes over-reliant on a benefactor to underwrite its day to day activity.
Wasps are reputed to be losing in the region of £2 million per annum and are badly in need of new investment. Their owner, Steve Hayes, is owed £6.5m and the club has just about enough cash to last until the end of the season.
They are not alone. Bath, Heineken cup winners in 1998, lost £1.8m in the 2010/11 season and their backer, Bruce Craig, is owed £4.5m. Director of rugby Ian McGeechan and head coach Martin Haag are moving on at the end of the season and anyone who witnessed their humiliating 52-27 defeat at the hands of Leinster at the Aviva Stadium last December could tell that the club had serious issues on and off the field.
The Welsh regions are also haemorrhaging money with a real concern in the principality over falling crowds and a lack of interest generally in their composite teams. This at a time when Wales are not only winning Grand Slams and making the last four in the World Cup but also producing some world class young players.
The problem now is that with a serious exodus already in place; with the loss of Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips, James Hook, Gethin Jenkins, Luke Charteris and Huw Bennett to France, how long will it be before Lee Halfpenny, George North, Alex Cuthbert, Toby Falatou and Sam Warburton follow suit?
Not long if one considers that Racing Metro have already come in for Cuthbert, offering him three times more than what Cardiff Blues are willing to pay him on a new contract.
Cardiff are in serious trouble with their long-time backer Peter Thomas claiming the club can no longer afford to pay their players when they are on international duty with Wales. The recent move from their traditional home at the Arms Park to the Cardiff City Stadium — they share the 26,000 seated ground with Cardiff FC — has left their fans cold despite the fact their old home is in a dilapidated state.
Last season a crowd of 22,000 turned up for their biggest derby game against great rivals the Ospreys but for a recent encounter only 8,396 bothered to make the effort. The club is locked into a 20-year lease in the new stadium at a considerable cost but the fans have voted with their feet. Losing Jenkins to Toulon and Casey Laulala to Munster was a big blow to the fans while the decision of their former Welsh internationals Richie Rees and John Yapp to leave Welsh rugby and join Edinburgh broke new ground.
The news that Cardiff have signed Ulster squad hooker Andy Kyriacou and Robin Copeland, who was playing in the AIL with St Mary’s only two seasons ago, from Rotherham is unlikely to set the pulses racing of their supporters either. Bear in mind also that one of the two newly formed Italian franchises, Aironi, have had their licence revoked by the Italian Federation and you just wonder how many more Pro 12 sides are in difficulty.
Despite the fact that Munster announced they will record a minimal loss due to exceptional circumstances this season, it is fair to assume that the four Irish provinces are on a solid financial footing and remain competitive on all fronts. The fact that Tomás O’Leary has chosen to seek pastures new with London Irish and Luke Fitzgerald is in conflict with the IRFU over the terms of his new contract only highlights the fact the governing body here, despite recent success and associated prize money are constantly monitoring the finances and are actively seeking to reduce the wage bill of the players.
Leinster are bucking the trend and sustained success on the field since winning the Heineken Cup for the first time in 2009 has been reflected by an ever increasing number of season ticket holders and solid sponsorship.
The advent of the Aviva Stadium and their ability to attract more than 45,000 there on a minimum of three occasions a year has also added to their cash-generating ability and this in turn puts them in a very strong position when it comes to recruiting the best from overseas.
The recent signing of Brad Thorn to fill a potential injury crisis in the second row on the minimum allowed three-month contract for Heineken Cup purposes is reputed to be worth up to €90,000 to the recently retired All Black. Nice work if you can get it.
That purchasing power sets Leinster apart from the vast majority of their Pro12 colleagues but one only has to look at Wasps to understand that nothing is guaranteed in professional sport.
Those tasked with running the day to day activities of Munster rugby appreciate better than most just how important it is to be consistently competing at the business end of the season and that is why a place in the knockout stages of the Rabo Direct is so important.
It highlights also just how crucial it is to appoint the right man to continue the work done by Tony McGahan in recent seasons in keeping Munster at the forefront of European rugby.
To stay there, however, requires big financial resources and rugby appears to be going down the road of its soccer equivalent where the rich are getting richer and the rest are struggling to compete.
At present the likes of Leinster, Toulouse — despite their recent problems — and Clermont Auvergne appear to be pulling away from the pack.
Those of us who witnessed the dramatic rise in popularity of Munster rugby over the last 15 years often wondered what would happen once the class of 2006-08 retired.
A new side is evolving under our noses and it is time to support the transition. There are too many big name clubs falling by the wayside at present and nothing should ever be taken for granted.
