Celtic League plan a recipe for disaster

RECENTLY, this column highlighted a worrying development which could lead to the Celtic League being expanded into a twenty-two game home and away competition.

Last week my worst fears were confirmed with the announcement that the fledgling proposal was indeed being implemented.

At administrative level, the Celtic Nations have always worked closely together, for obvious reasons. Big brother, England, would cut us off in an instant, if it suited them. In fact, they tried to do so with disastrous consequences a couple of years ago. Therefore the spirit of co-operation that exists between the Irish, Scottish and Welsh Rugby Unions is vital.

The game in both Scotland and Wales has gone through traumatic times in recent seasons. It is obvious that their newly formed provincial teams require an expanded season with more games.

They have now got their wish, but at what cost to the game in Ireland? Ironically, the rugby authorities in this country handled the transition to professional rugby better than most. While it took a number of seasons for a professional ethos to infiltrate the minds and bodies of our players, the benefits have been seen over the past number of seasons.

However, confirmation that the Celtic League is being dramatically expanded is bad news for Irish rugby and has the potential to seriously erode the progress that has taken place since 1995. The game in this country will become the preserve of four elite teams, though it is still likely that this will be reduced to three with the demise of Connacht over the next eighteen months. I am fundamentally opposed to the revised league format for a number of reasons.

1. Timing: Given that the World Cup will dominate the first half of next season, I could not think of a worse time to introduce an expanded competition. In excess of 30 players will be taken out of the system at provincial level from next month onwards. With the tour to Australia and the South Sea Islands followed by two training camps in the build up to the World Cup, top players will be absent from club and province until December.

This will require an influx of additional players to feed the provincial team rosters during the Celtic League competition, which will run parallel with the World Cup. Hence, the already hard hit clubs are set to lose even more players.

2. Quantity v. Quality: With a provincial fixture calendar now stretching to a minimum of twenty-eight games, the overall quality of rugby will suffer. This is exactly what is happening in England and Wales. On top of the revised Celtic League format, a knock-out Celtic Cup competition is also being introduced. Quite what the purpose of this competition is, nobody knows. With too many games there will be many meaningless fixtures and public interest will wane.

3. Heroes in abstentia: Many AIL clubs have suffered badly at the gates with the absence of their international stars. On a number of occasions this year, I have heard young lads enquire about Cork Con league matches, “is Ronan or Frankie playing?” When they’re not, they have no interest in going to the game. It is inevitable now given the quantity of matches in the Celtic League that many of the international players will be forced to sit out a number of those games. This will present a further excuse for the young support base to stay away. It is vital for the game that we continue to attract as many kids to the games as possible. Without the presence of the big names it will be more difficult.

4. Loss of Competitive Advantage: I firmly believe that much of the success our provinces have enjoyed in recent years is down to the fact that they do not have to play week-in, week-out. There are many advantages derived from the fact that players can have a break from their provincial squads at various times during the season. Indeed Munster have benefited even more so by having training bases in both Cork and Limerick. While at times we bemoaned the lack of games between final pool matches and the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup, in most instances it has actually worked in our favour.

5. Freshness: The drudgery of having to travel to Wales and Scotland every alternative weekend will have a debilitating effect on both players and management. It also means that the team management have less time to prepare for the next opponent.

The six-week gap in the build up to Munster’s quarter-final tie with Leicester enabled the coaching staff to analyse every detail of Leicester’s play. This was a significant factor in the victory at Welford Road.

6. Pride in the Jersey: There has always been a pride in wearing the red shirt of Munster. Even in the amateur days it was the most prized possession a club player could aspire to. In recent years, with the increased profile of our provincial squad, the jersey is recognised worldwide. But due to the expanded fixture list, upward of 40 players per season will be required. One hopes this will not dilute the honour.

With 12 teams now competing in the Celtic League, what is wrong with two pools of six teams playing home and away? The top two in each pool could play in a semi-final and final resulting in the winner playing a maximum of 12 games. Under the new scenario, if a top four is introduced, as it surely will be, the winner will be required to play 24 games.

There is no doubt that we have given too much to our Celtic cousins. Are we asking too much from a limited playing base in this country? I certainly think so. This will impact on the provincial and national sides. The consequences for the beleaguered clubs are too catastrophic to contemplate.