Policy threatens game’s soul

Charlie Mulqueen laments the fact that the provincial sides will no longer be able to test their mettle against the giants of world rugby.

AT a time when the provincial scene in Irish rugby is stronger than ever, it is ironic that Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht are no longer provided with the opportunity of taking on the great rugby powers such as New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

It was a common occurrence not very long ago for the Southern Hemisphere trio to visit our shores and expose themselves to the best efforts of the four home countries and France and also to some of the top regional and club sides in this part of the world.

Nowhere were their visits appreciated more than in Munster. The All Blacks first came here in 1905 when Dave Gallagher's so-called "Invincibles" hammered the home side by 33 unanswered points at, of all places, the Markets Field.

There was a lull until 1947 and the advent of commercial air travel meant tours at regular intervals. It quickly became apparent that no matter how good the opposition and how poorly Munster fared , no side was better able to test the tourists' mettle than the men in the red jersey.

And, of course, it all came to a head that famous October day in 1978 when the otherwise all-conquering New Zealanders were emphatically beaten 12-0 at Thomond Park. Fourteen years later, the world champions of Australia turned up at Musgrave Park and they, too, were vanquished.

The appetite for more of the same was whetted.

However, only one major tour incorporating matches at a level lower than international has since taken place. The advent of professionalism saw to that.

Instead of tours involving 12 to 15 matches, they were restricted to internationals such as we have seen for the past few weeks, high intensity stuff each Saturday. But, sadly, no mid-week games or visits to the regions aimed at spreading the rugby gospel and affording teams like Munster the opportunity to show what they were capable of achieving against the very best.

Quite clearly, it's all about money. The internationals bring in the folding stuff with no union benefiting more than England who, in successive weeks, have had the "big three" packing out Twickenham.

The Celtic Nations paid Fiji 50,000 each to ensure that they could afford to come here and bring in an even greater amount of revenue at the turnstiles.

Doubtless, there are sound financial reasons for this nor am I one to deny that the professional game has many, many good points. But isn't it also in danger of leaving behind a game without soul, one shorn of the memories of Thomond Park '78 or other occasions such as 1952 when London Counties defeated the Springboks, or 1972 when a ramshackle outfit known as a North-West XV lowered the colours of the All Blacks.

Such results will always be spoken of with pride in Munster, London and Manchester, but if present policy is adhered to, will have no replacements.

Can anyone truly argue that the recent Ireland-Fiji mismatch carries the same cachet as a clash of Leinster and Australia at Donnybrook, Munster and New Zealand at Thomond Park or Ulster and South Africa at Ravenhill?

There will be good reasons for the present scheduling of matches such as avoiding player burn-out but is there any point to the Irish team playing six internationals prior to Christmas and even more in the New Year before preparing themselves for the World Cup in Australia next autumn?

The Southern Hemisphere countries aren't unduly bothered. They make these trips safe in the knowledge that return visits next summer will keep their coffers ticking over. It is significant that they know the Lions come their way every four years or so and they will have the kind of matches which Munster and Llanelli, Hawick and Bristol, are currently denied.

Interestingly, it is the English RFU who now want a return to the old-style tours, although shorter than in the past.

Even the slightest show of support from the Celtic Nations would help bring about the day when we would again see the Wallabies, the Springboks and the All Blacks display their wares at Donnybrook and Thomond and Musgrave Parks, Stradey Park and Hawick.