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Premiership could be set for Six Nations player release standoff
By Online Editors
Monday is D-Day for Six Nations officials to decide how to finish the 2020 Guinness Six Nations championship.
The March 7 Ireland-Italy Aviva Stadium match was called off last Wednesday due to the threat of the spread of the coronavirus, and more postponements are possible particularly as England are due to travel to Rome to face the Italians on March 14.
Having agreed to the request from the IRFU and Irish health officials to call off the round four fixture in Dublin, tournament chiefs are now set to use World Rugby’s gathering next Monday in Paris for the second annual player welfare and laws symposium as the opportunity to fully discuss completion of the Six Nations.
With the reported case of the virus spiking in Italy and Italian rugby authorities cancelling all Guinness PRO14, national championship and youth games in their country this weekend, the loss of further Six Nations games to postponement could create quite a headache for officials as Premiership Rugby could wind up in a standoff with the Six Nations over the release of players who play in their league.
There are no restrictions regarding Eddie Jones’ England squad. They have an agreement whereby they can be released for Test team activity during out-of-window periods.
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The most ridiculous finish ever to a match
However, English clubs are under no obligation to release players from other nations such as Italy, Wales and Scotland outside of the Test window.
This, for instance, could result in Gloucester refusing to release their Italian duo Jake Polledri and Callum Braley if the Ireland-Italy match was rescheduled before the end of the season and clashed with an English league fixture.
The alternative would be to play hold the postponed match over until the July or November Test windows later this year, while it is also possible that currently scheduled fixtures such as Italy-England in Rome could go ahead as planned but behind closed doors.
Not since 1972, when teams refused to travel to Ireland due to the Troubles, has the championship not been completed.
Postponed matches affected by the foot and mouth crisis in 2001 were held over until the following September and October of that year, the rescheduling culminating in Ireland denying England the Grand Slam with a final round win in Dublin.
WATCH: The Rugby Pod rounds up all the Guinness Six Nations and Gallagher Premiership action
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Latest Comments
Yes that’s what WR needs to look at. Football had the same problem with european powerhouses getting all the latin talent then you’re gaurenteed to get the odd late bloomer (21/22 etc, all the best footballers can play for the country much younger to get locked) star changing his allegiance.
They used youth rep selection for locking national elifibilty at one point etc. Then later only counted residency after the age of 18 (make clubs/nations like in this case wait even longer).
That’s what I’m talking about, not changing allegiance in rugby (were it can only be captured by the senior side), where it is still the senior side. Oh yeah, good point about CJ, so in most cases we probably want kids to be able to switch allegiance, were say someone like Lemoto could rep Tonga (if he wasn’t so good) but still play for Australia’s seniors, while in someone like Kite’s (the last aussie kid to go to France) case he’ll be French qualified via 5 years residency at the age of 21, so France to lock him up before Aussie even get a chance to select him. But if we use footballs regulations, who I’m suggesting WR need to get their a into g replicating, he would only start his 5 years once he turns 18 or whatever, meaning 23 yo is as soon as anyone can switch, and when if they’re good enough teams like NZ and Aus can select them (France don’t give a f, they select anybody just to lock them).
Go to commentsThe only benefit of the draft idea is league competitiveness. There would be absolutely no commercial value in a draft with rugby’s current interest levels.
I wonder what came first in america? I’m assuming it’s commercial aspect just built overtime and was a side effect essentially.
But the idea is not without merit as a goal. The first step towards being able to implement a draft being be creating it’s source of draftees. Where would you have the players come from? NFL uses college, and players of an age around 22 are generally able to step straight into the NFL. Baseball uses School and kids (obviously nowhere near pro level being 3/4 years younger) are sent to minor league clubs for a few years, the equivalent of the Super Rugby academies. I don’t think the latter is possible legally, and probably the most unethical and pointless, so do we create a University scene that builds on and up from the School scene? There is a lot of merit in that and it would tie in much better with our future partners in Japan and America.
Can we used the club scene and dispose of the Super Rugby academies? The benefit of this is that players have no association to their Super side, ie theyre not being drafted elshwere after spending time as a Blues or Chiefs player etc, it removes the negative of investing in a player just to benefit another club. The disadvantage of course is that now the players have nowhere near the quality of coaching and each countries U20s results will suffer (supposedly).
Or are we just doing something really dirty and making a rule that the only players under the age of 22 (that can sign a pro contract..) that a Super side can contract are those that come from the draft? Any player wanting to upgrade from an academy to full contract has to opt into the draft?
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