An opening weekend of rugby that had it all... except bums on seats

Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale scores a try against Connacht as rugby returned after a six-month absence. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

Well thank goodness we have rugby in our diets once more after six months of malnutrition.

It was great to have something hearty to tuck into over the weekend as the Guinness PRO14 returned in style, serving up two terrific interprovincial contests at Aviva Stadium.

While it all took place behind closed doors, it still tasted good as the Leinster juggernaut rumbled to a 22nd consecutive win, Munster gave them a fright while having to roll with the considerable punches being thrown at them, and Connacht showed there is no such thing as a lost cause as they turned the tables on Ulster despite having little to play for.

Rugby has hit the ground running and the powers that be appear to be as happy with the outcome as the supporters watching from their armchairs or pre-booked, socially distanced pub tables.

The necessary post-match debriefs will no doubt throw out tweaks and minor changes to the operational side of the matchday experience behind closed doors but the Irish Examiner understands there was a broad satisfaction within both the PRO14 and IRFU about how the matches were staged and relief the games went ahead following rigorous planning amid so much uncertainty.

There will be no-one within the IRFU putting their feet up at the success of the first weekend.

Their aim remains to make a cast-iron case for letting supporters back into stadia and, most importantly, in time to get bums on seats for the rearranged Six Nations home game with Italy on October 24.

From there will follow the November Tests for which the settling of broadcasting schedules is the only factor preventing confirmation of the proposed Eight Nations competition featuring the regular half dozen, Japan and Fiji.

This is about building towards those Test matches and the opening weekend of project restart was the first stepping stone in gathering momentum towards that objective.

If rugby can show the Government they can safely stage high-performance sporting events backed up by a continuing lack of positives from the now weekly rounds of PCR testing for players and staff members then it will be able to build trust towards getting the turnstiles clicking over once more.

Rugby returning on these shores removes one nightmare scenario for the IRFU revenues, namely no home Test matches in 2020.

That could still happen if the public health situation worsens and will cost the IRFU €15-20m. Playing them behind closed doors will still cost the governing body €10-15m.

For those with the luxury of concentrating on the rugby alone, there is plenty of food for thought from these opening skirmishes.

Munster, still needing to qualify for the PRO14 semis, wait anxiously for the results of MRI scans on key forwards injured against Leinster, including the cruel blow suffered by RG Snyman, the South African lock whose debut was cut short after just seven minutes by a knee injury.

Snyman and Damian de Allende’s arrivals as newly-minted World Cup winners this summer really whet the appetites of Munster supporters and the positive performance of the team, even in losing to their arch rivals 27-25, shows the potential for Johann van Graan and his coaching ticket to chase silverware with confidence in the coming weeks, months and years.

Leinster remain the standard bearers, of that there is no doubt and the thought of Leo Cullen’s side operating at full capacity — they were missing Tadhg Furlong, Dan Leavy, and James Ryan to name but three world-class forwards on Saturday — should send shivers down the spines of their Heineken Champions Cup opponents with the knockout stages looming.

Yet forwards coach Robin McBryde yesterday underlined the areas for improvement in the defending PRO14 champions following their restart victory and highlighted the issues that will dominate the conversation as players strive to adapt to the new, stricter interpretations of the breakdown laws, Leinster conceding 17 penalties on Saturday night in Dublin.

“It really has set the tone in terms of ‘where weren’t we very good? What do we need to improve on’,” McBryde said.

“It’s improving our lineout, definitely, making sure we exit effectively, making sure we manage the contact, the breakdown.

That’s not being critical of the referee, but that was his first game in six months as well.

“It will take a little bit of tweaking here and there to get everybody on the same page interpretation-wise… It’s getting to grips with things like that and giving it time to settle down.

“When you think about Super Rugby in New Zealand, their competition, after two rounds everyone was shaking their heads thinking what are the referees doing? They’re killing the game, giving so many penalties away. It’s stop-start, etc.

“Following those opening games, everyone was on the same page and we saw some great rugby being played.

So, hopefully after last Saturday and this weekend there will be a better understanding and that will make it easier to be a bit more effective in that area.