I’m not expecting you to tell me who will win the next World Cup. Rather, I’ll point out a few areas where doubt still lingers in the air.
A. The position of head coach of Wales.
We should know the result of the WRU committee’s deliberations this month; that was Abi Tierney’s commitment. But the process can’t be smooth or simple. She and her fellow board members have plenty on their plate, quite apart from this key appointment. Then there is the question of demand for a job that will prove taxing for the most committed coach.
He or she will almost certainly be demanding precise details of the remit, the scope of the Union’s support for the successful candidate and all the players.
An overnight revolution cannot be expected. The first round of the Six Nations comes on 22 March. By then a squad will have been selected and a new game-plan introduced.
Wales won’t be the only nation experiencing a new person in charge. Italy now have Fabio Roselli, who has already been putting his squad through their paces in Rome. And he has the benefit of the reappearance of Elisa Giordano, the captain, and Giada Franco, the much admired ex-Quins flanker.
B. A related matter.
Our friend at Ladies Rugby Club in Italy had presented a fascinating case (ladiesrugbyclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/perche-le-franchigie-italiane.html) for two Italian teams to be added to the Celtic Challenge, presumably Benetton and Zebre. He argues strongly for the Azzurre’s need of more high-quality competition, and his eye alights upon the CC. He, like many others, sees only good coming from the tournament; it has already introduced a number of talented young players to the international stage.
My doubts focus first on the same matter as concerns any extension of the Six Nations. How do you fit it all in?
The CC takes place in the run-up to the 6N, between mid-December and March. Any extra contestants mean a longer programme. To disregard the once-in-four-years RWC for a moment, there is hardly time before or after the current dates to fit the extra matches in. Each nation has its own inbuilt programme; few have spare weeks available for use.
Then funding is always a major stumbling block. With the present six franchises, travel is as short as is reasonably possible between Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Add in Italy, and where do the extra costs come from?
The Ladies Rugby Club piece mentions the Latin Cup, which, instigated last year, brought together Benetton, Zebre, and two Spanish franchises, based on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia. It was very small-scale, as if hoping for growth the next time round.
The Italian franchises proved stronger than the Spanish. If they gained admittance to the CC, that would handicap Las Leonas even more. World and European Rugby should be doing all they can to promote their cause.
C. Who will become the new Chief Executive of PWR in England, and when?
It didn’t speak well for the way the new league was set up that Belinda Moore’s resignation has caused such a vacuum. The Chair, Genvieve Shore, reckoned Moore’s decision came as little surprise.
Yet I first noted Moore’s announcement way back on 8 October. Don’t most well run organisations have a fall-back plan in place in just such an emergency? Why has Shore needed to act as the spokesperson? Is there no secretary or media rep to carry out such tasks?
For all the splendid achievements on field, the PWR has massive problems to solve for its short and long-term welfare.
D. News from WXV, please
We still await news of any changes to the structures of the three levels. Most observers see the need. John Birch, of scrumqueens, has pointed out (https://www.scrumqueens.com/features/ wxv-the-devil-in-the-detail) grave miscarriages of justice the present system allows.
We shouldn’t expect the moon, but a repeat of the same pattern as last year would do a disservice to many nations, whether well established or emerging.
