It has been a while since I ventured into the murky world of professional Rugby Union in Europe. My main beef in the past has been how the Murdoch controlled media, in my case The Times, has represented the conflict to their own advantage ie SKY Sports, a Murdoch controlled if not owned TV Company, have the right to European Rugby and BT Sports, a new kid on the block but with a BIG company backing them, have the rights to the English Premiership Rugby Union – so current European Rugby set up Good – proposed English European set up BAD.
The dispute has been about two things control and money, which in truth is all about money, and is the logical outcome of the professionalisation of Rugby Union in the 1990’s. There are many faults on both sides but it is clear that money will win the day in the end over tradition as the clubs pay the players wages rather than the National Unions.
The one final element in this sorry story is that there are only two countries who can fully support a professional Rugby Union structure, France and especially England. The other countries are trying to, by many slights of hand, support professional Rugby but when you see the value of the TV rights in countries other than England and France it soon becomes clear that there really is no monetary value in the professional set up beyond some form of tie up with the England and France. The proposed European set up next year shows just how worthless any product is without England for one very delicate reason – Scotland, Ireland and Wales are in the same market as England – they are not in the same market as France – much as they might wish to think they are. Hence any marketing strategy that doesn’t include the English is going to be significantly less valuable.
Which brings us to this article and how Wales is caught up in the middle of this monumental struggle. Professional Rugby does have value in Wales but the way things are going it would seem that value is stagnating. To make matters worse South Wales has started to establish itself in the English Premier League which means Rugby has to compete against the most successful International sporting organisation in the world – which game would the punter like to see Swansea v Manchester United or Ospreys v Leinster? In truth, I suspect, the only thing that would get real interest is if Ospreys play the Leicester Tigers or Bath or Gloucester. In short, Welsh professional rugby only has a future playing in an Anglo Welsh set up because, well not to a too finer point on it, that is where the money is. Hence the dilemma.
This whole sorry story will only have one winner – Money and those who have the money – England and France will eventually set the terms on which the other professional Rugby set ups are run and controlled and it doesn’t matter how many meetings between national Rugby Unions take place to try and pretend this isn’t the case. One final thought which I think underlines my point. The last World Cup was held in New Zealand, the world power house of Rugby Union, not because it would be a good idea but because it would have been the last time New Zealand could afford to host the tournament. You see there are only 4 million souls in New Zealand, which is small beer and the commercial opportunities aren’t there to support the Rugby World Cup. That is very very sad but the way of the world which, after all, ‘…money makes the world go round, the world go round…’
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/dec/19/rugby-union-wales-deadline-heineken-cup
Simon Marchini
http://www.simonmarchini.co.uk
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