From Shore to Shore
The person now in charge of PWR affairs, Genevieve Shore, was engaged in high-flying RFU affairs long before she became Chair of the newly founded PWR in 2023.
Once she had charge of certain financial matters at Twickenham Towers. This has come to public attention as the man at the pinnacle of power there, Bill Sweeney, faces calls for his resignation as soon as practically possible.
One among several controversial issues concerns his rates of pay, in particular his bonuses. Shore, responsible for overseeing them, has said she is competely satisfied with the way they were established.
The good news for PWR is twofold: she is a self-confessed problem solver, and she will have a clear grasp of the financial complications surrounding the league. They will bear on any changes to be implemented by the newly assembled board in charge. How far will each of the nine clubs be funded, and how will the monies be divided? The simpleton’s answer is ‘evenly’. But the nine do not have the same amount of pennies in their piggy bank.
That has been an ongoing problem ever since the Premier 15s were set up eight years ago. Clubs losing their funding have simply disappeared from view. Indeed, it was doubts over funding that stopped Lichfield Ladies claiming a place in the league in 2017, despite having almost a complete team’s worth of England players in their ranks. (A handful survive to this day, including Emily Scarratt, Harriet Millar-Mills, Holly Aitchison and Mo Hunt. Sarah Hunter has moved on to higher things.)
That brings us straight back to Sale Sharks. Can the PWR board prove more successful in providing meaningful assistance to its only northern club?
Through or Around?
Ilona Maher has informed Rhys Jones of Eurosport that she never goes round opponents, just straight through them, Yet in amongst all the hullaballoo covering her entry to PWR it was claimed she was a hot stepper. Not so, she asserts; the step she achieved in the game against Chiefs was the first she could remember.
Roc Nation
Roc Nation announces itself as the World’s Pre-eminent Entertainment Company. It is American. It has recently been branching into rugby, claiming amongst its new clients Siya Kolisi world cup winning captain. But another, Maro Itoje, has just ended his association with them.
Its relevance comes with its advice to rugby as it attempts to find favour in the States, a major target in World Rugby’s sights.
RN’s response is to say you have to establish stars. Star-power is what makes basketball, baseball, American football tick at home. Rugby simply must adapt to that principle if it wishes to crack the American market.
This strikes solidly against the traditions of the game we know and love. We all scream back: “Rugby is a team game! No fancy pants here, thank you!” But llona Maher is the outrider for the new approach in PWR, and she has stated she has no wish to be the only megastar in women’s rugby.
Other contenders for that tag have either retired (Portia Woodman-Wickcliffe) or are close to retiring (Ruby Tui?). Can we think of any younger players close to becoming megastars on the social media stage? Yes, we can.
