When does a torrent become a flood?
Today we have news of a third Black Fern to sign for an English PWR club. Georgia Ponsonby will join team-mate Alana Borland at Trailfinders Women.
Amy Rule signed for Exeter Chiefs in June.
It’s quite a while since I spoke of possibly disgruntled Black Ferns deciding to emigrate to England. But I suspected they would be entirely ‘gruntled’ after walking off with a sixth World Cup.
In welcoming her, TF’s head coach Barney Maddison, referred to Ponsonby as a ‘world-class’ player, an adjective that is as hard to explain as it is overused. If we strung together every player thus labelled, they would stretch from here to the moon. Fears of a first ever 500-0 victory swim before our eyes.
Only 23 players will finish the coming RWC in that category.
To more serious matters
The move of more and more NEQPs (not England-qualified) to England continues unabated. When will it end, if ever? The PWR board is probably delighted at the news, but it comes at a great cost to women’s rugby as a whole.
We can’t tell how many of these players are contemplating a short-term stay. Few clubs publish the length of contracts, but the evidence points to multi-season residences.
The only alternative to high-quality weekly club games comes from France. Chloe Rollie is one recent example moving there – to the ambitious Toulon club on the Mediterranean coast from Trailfinders (yet again!)
My concern is the imbalance of power across the Nations. The Red Roses stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world (until the late stages of the RWC?).
Let’s take their closest rivals in turn.
Canada’s Maple Leafs have clubs stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Coaches and managements work wonders to produce so many players of fine quality.
The Black Ferns have history and tradition behind them. When they win yet another RWC trophy in England (the last was in 2010), fears will lessen of a continued migration northwards.
France, the other nation to produce a classy club competition, produce unbeatable age-group sides. At the weekend we’ll see how that works out in a final warm-up match against England.
Both sides are likely to be of an experimental nature, despite the lateness of the day. The selectors will be trying out more new combinations and playing-styles, though they are sure to keep secrets firmly under wraps.
The FFR and the staff have never publicly admitted a dislike of their players moving to England Elisa Riffonneau was a rare exception, but she spent a year at Brunel University, conveniently close to Trailfinders (yet again!). And she is included in the French RWC squad.
The following nations have top players operating in England (with rankings): Canada (2), NZ (3), Ireland (5), Australia (6), Italy (7), Scotland (8), Wales (9) and USA (10).
Today the PWR fixture-list is published. We still don’t know of any rumoured alterations to the regulations – especially those concerning qualifications.
That may come as a relief to the nine clubs, many of whom are full to the gunnels with NEQPs.
Will every Black Fern fall in love with England and decide to stay there for ever? Silly question.
