Expand or die. Improve or implode. Stagnate and watch the world drift away.
The Guinness PRO12 chiefs do not enjoy the international windows.
Every November, February and March, the league’s best talents pack up and re-train their focus on Test rugby. The rest are left to fight over the scraps.
Joe Schmidt and Declan Kidney, in their IRFU-emblazoned polo tops, have been dismissive of the competition as a true test of a player’s skill, and mettle.
In an interview with Wales Online, PRO12 managing director Martin Anayi revealed that crowds and TV audience plummet by 45% during Test windows. He said:
“We have more international players than any other competition, but we play games in the international window.
“That is self-defeating. What should be our big strength is our biggest weakness… With the star players missing, it creates the perception that it’s a development competition. We recognise that perception and we need to address it.
“We need to give people more reason to watch our teams more often and that means the international players. It’s not a maybe, it’s a must.”
The overall consensus is that a positive change is needed, and soon.
That could mean the league split into conferences and invites in the post for London Scottish and London Welsh. London Irish? Worth asking the question.
A Georgian super-team may be included and, rather than kill them off, more investment in Italian sides.
It may also mean playing less games and structuring the season around the Test windows. “The critical thing for me,” Anayi added, “is give a team the best possible chance of playing the best possible rugby.”
