Happy New Year. Not that there is an abundance of good wishes or festive cheer being exchanged in European rugby.
The Welsh Rugby Union and its four regions look destined for the high court in their dispute over control, the wrangle of the Heineken Cup has become horribly entangled, with allies turning on each other in the most recent meeting before Christmas, Richard Cockerill and Steve Diamond exchanged snarls after Leicester’s victory over Sale last weekend, while Gloucester, who have already signed John Afoa and Richard Hibbard, complained about players being tapped up illegally after their outside-half Freddie Burns was linked with a move to Welford Road.
Cockerill claimed that Sale had cheated in the scrums by walking backwards rather than taking the engagement and said it was clear their front row had been coached not to engage. It was no wonder, he went on, that the scrum had become a disgrace, uttering the word cheat three times in one sentence and leaving the Rugby Football Union’s disciplinary officials still pondering his allegations.
Diamond retorted that controversy over refereeing and Cockerill went together. He employed a word that rhymed with cheat – bleat – and he went on to claim that while Sale operated under the salary cap, Leicester spent two or three million pounds more than they were allowed to. In a subsequent press conference, Diamond also denied strongly that he coached any players to cheat.
The war of words overshadowed what had been a rousing contest. Both directors of rugby may find themselves having to explain their remarks to a disciplinary panel; more than 18 years into the professional era, rugby union is becoming increasingly reported like football, where what is said by protagonists, usually managers, after a match is considered more noteworthy than the contest itself.
Adrenaline-fuelled coaches speaking minutes after the end of a game struggle to contain their emotions. Some, like Northampton’s Jim Mallinder and Exeter’s Rob Baxter, have such equable temperaments that it takes something extreme to inflame them; others, like Cockerill, are more excitable, wearing their hearts on the place the sleeve of a rugby jersey used to extend to, invariably reacting when confronted by a questioner in search of a line.
Instant media duties prompt a flow of words when a period of reflection is needed. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Cockerill’s observations about Sale’s tactics at the scrum, Leicester sides have, for many a year, tested the tolerance threshold of referees in areas like the breakdown, getting away with what they can. Wait for the whistle.
Cockerill was sceptical about the change to the scrum engagement sequence this season, pondering aloud during the Premiership launch at Twickenham that he expected what had been a mess to remain so, not least because those at the sharp end – coaches and players – had not been consulted by the International Rugby Board.
The change had been made after three years of research and practical study. While it appeared to make little difference in the opening six weeks of the season, with penalties, free-kicks and resets as prevalent as they were in the previous campaign, the scrum has since become more fit for purpose, a platform for attack that is generating tries.
There are still refereeing inconsistencies, with some officials more insistent than others on the ball being put into a scrum (relatively) straight, but the set-piece has turned from an eyesore into a contest. Leicester expect to dominate every match up front and it is natural that opponents will look to find ways of neutralising that strength. It is up to referees to decide whether they do so within the laws.
Leicester are, from Thursday, free to talk to players such as Burns, who are out of contract at the end of the season. Gloucester feel they have done so already, with the player himself having confessed earlier this month that he was undecided about whether to remain at Kingsholm or join the champions.
Tapped up were the words used by Nigel Davies, Gloucester’s director of rugby, but what club in the Premiership does not begin its recruitment campaign in September? There is no transfer market in England, so the vast majority of players are on two-year contracts, unwilling to commit for longer unless in exceptional circumstances, not least because of the injury risk.
Gloucester have paid transfer fees for players from Wales, as Northampton did when recruiting George North last year, but movement between Premiership clubs happens at the end of contracts. While it is not permitted for a club to approach a player before the final six months of his deal, there is nothing to stop them making enquiries to agents.
Premiership Rugby will only act if an official complaint is made – and is there anyone in a position to hurl the first stone? It is the same with alleged breaches of the salary cap investigation: evidence is needed, meaning Diamond will not be asked to elaborate on his contention that Leicester are overspending by as much as 50 per cent, only to furnish any proof.
Is it bad for the sport to have some of its leading figures bad-mouthing each other? It generates headlines but mainly those that would otherwise have been devoted to the matches concerned. When a football manager, such as José Mourinho, who has been railing against various characters in recent weeks, with his Chelsea team enjoying a number of favourable refereeing decisions this season, lets rip, he commands extra column inches.
It was not that long ago in rugby union when there were no media conferences after matches and no press officers to organise them. Hacks used to hang around dressing rooms for a quiet word and/or invite themselves into the players’ bar; bursts of outrage were often watered down in print, reporters operating on a basis of trust with coaches and players.
Relationships now are, for the most part, impersonal. Coaches speak to dictaphones and notebooks rather than those who hold them, invited to let rip. They should be allowed to cool off for an hour before meeting the media but there are deadlines to be met and there is an emphasis on the instant, the action counting for less than the reaction.
Article source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/ulster-rugby/rory-best-ulster-rugby-for-life-29847989.html
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Rugby union"s managerial spats start to overshadow on-field exploits
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