The Celtic Challenge got under way last year. The good news is that the second version will see a dramatic extension in scope. The programme extends across eleven weeks from late December to 3 March; that is, to leave good time to prepare for the Six Nations.
Ireland, Scotland and Wales will each provide two squads of 30, as follows:
Clovers and Wolfhounds (Ireland), Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors (Scotland) and Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning (Wales).
The Irish pair combine the four provinces: Connacht plus Munster (Clovers); Leinster plus Ulster (Wolfhounds).
The two Scottish sides split along more conventional lines, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The two Welsh sides split like this:
Brython Thunder, wearing red and black, will be based at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, and play their home games at Parc y Scarlets and Stadiwm CSM in Colwyn Bay.
Gwalia Lightning, wearing blue and yellow, will be based and train at Cardiff Metropolitan University and play their home games at Cardiff Arms Park.
Wales
The WRU is making every effort to engage players from all over the country, hence the importance of establishing a presence in the north at Colwyn Bay. They were pleased to see the advantages last year’s competition brought: both Abbie Fleming and Lisa Neumann advanced rapidly to full membership of the 6 Nations squad.
70 players from Welsh clubs and beyond attended an Open Trial at the Centre of Excellence last weekend, so competition for places is hotting up nicely.
Scotland
By contrast, the SRU’s restriction to the two main cities reflects on its inability to keep the sport flourishing nationwide. Many decades ago four districts were defined for the men’s game, including the Borders and the Highlands. These two sadly failed to survive, and the effect is visible today in the naming of the two Scottish women’s teams. On the other hand, it eases the difficulties of assembling the squads for regular practice. They will use Scotstoun Glasgow, and The Hive Edinburgh for their home matches.
Ireland
The four provinces are well established in the men’s and women’s games, but uniting them in pairs brings with it that same problem of assembling the squads for regular practice.
They have sensibly decided to allow for some cross-over between provinces, to ensure maximum equality of strength.
They are spreading the net wide with three venues chosen, Musgrave Park Cork, Energia Park Dublin and Kingspan Stadium Belfast.
Logistics
There are huge decisions too be made over a short period of time. For example, as of 5 December the WRU announced that coaching staffs and squads would be announced ‘in due course’. And it was only 24 days to round one!
Even once the two squads are determined, players will have to be sure of travel arrangements: how often will they be called to training sessions, and how will they get to them? At least the WRU has established three Player Development Centres at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Swansea University and Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (ie North Wales), covering all of Wales. So the women’s game is being far better supported than heretofore.
Schedule
The competition’s new format is made up of five rounds, before three double-header play-offs to determine who will be this season’s Celtic Challenge champions in March.
The first round will be tasty. It spreads across the turn of the year and sees each pair of national sides playing each other in local derbies.
First Round Details:
Friday 29 December: Clovers v Wolfhounds, Musgrave Park, Cork, KO 13.00
Saturday 30 December: Edinburgh Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, The Hive Stadium, Edinburgh, KO 12.00
Monday 1 January: Brython Thunder v Gwalia Lightning, details TBC
The remaining rounds take place at weekly intervals, matches mostly on Saturdays, but with a fortnight’s break between January 14-27.
Summary
This doubling of the scope of the Challenge marks a brave step forward for all three unions. Pathways will be strengthened, player-involvement increased and, we must hope, support increased nationwide.
My concern must be the shortness of time between the initial announcement (5 December) and the competition’s start just three and a half weeks later. Much work has been going on in the background, but it would have been reassuring to see, for example, the names of the coaching staffs already in place.
And beyond all the arrangements comes the inescapable matter of cost. All the matters discussed above involve considerable expense. We can only hope that the unions’ coffers can stand the strain.
Let’s hope too that weather conditions are congenial for this time of year.
