News of London Irish RFC’s intention to set up a women’s section and apply to join the Premier 15s in 2023 is very exciting. All the more so as they’ve signed up Graham Smith to lead the onfield development. He was an unforgettable figure in the development of the England squad through to their triumph at the 2014 World Cup in Paris.
They are strengthening their links with nearby St Mary’s University Twickenham, which is currently home to at least one leading Red Rose. This is a move reflected across several elite clubs, but doesn’t guarantee immediate success. DMP Durham Sharks seemed on the right track when they announced a tie-up with Durham University last year, but that major sporting academy couldn’t gain the club a single point in the AP 15s till Round 17. Seasoned operators like Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough Lightning, both based on campuses, have needed to import quality players to add to the young talent already on site. Where would LI find those players? Perhaps all the Irish players now with English clubs would be only too happy to join. That would make the women’s team far more genuinely Irish than the men’s version.
Problems abound
With this welcome news from the Irish exiles come major problems for the RFU in seeking a path forward from the end of the current three-year programme 2020-3. Can the league become larger? Can it retain its nationwide spread? Can it even up the strength (playing and financial) of all participating clubs?
One unfortunate consequence of LI finding favour would be to add yet another London club to the mix; clubs and fans outside the capital reckon three are already quite enough, and those three, Saracens, Quins and Wasps, just happen to fill the top three slots this season.
Nor are LI the only London-based club with ambition. Ealing Trailfinders outlined similar plans in February, taking on Kat Merchant and Kim Oliver to oversee development at their two bases, Ealing and Henley. How many top-quality players are there in west London not already attached to a club?
Before them, other Premiership clubs like Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints had shown signs of interest. None of them got as far as being accepted last year, but might well figure prominently in a future beauty contest. Tigers are in the anomalous position of having a female CEO, Andrea Pinchen, but no women’s section. But then, they are only a stone’s throw from Loughborough. Saints’ Mark Darbon said it’s ‘when’, not ‘if’ a women’s section would be set up; but that was a year ago. Falcons set up a women’s section two years ago, but failed to make the grade.
And there have been loud noises from beyond England’s borders. Rumours of both Welsh and Scottish sides being admitted have floated around. My personal view is that that is unacceptable. It is reminiscent of the proposal to introduce the two Glasgow football clubs, Celtic and Rangers, to the English Premier league. A total nonsense.
I have argued before that the size of the Prem 15s, ten clubs, was exactly right for the shape of the season, home and away matches from September to April, with the necessary gaps. Even this pandemic-stricken season has fought through to the final stages successfully, with all the fixtures fulfilled.
If the league were to grow in numbers, then one obvious option would be to drop the home-and-away principle. That would be a huge shame, casting out the natural balance that makes the current format so fair. If it were retained, then the season would extend to a worrying degree. A new world calendar is on the cards. France Rugby has recently announced proposals for a reshaped season and league structure; England might well follow suit. Men’s rugby is greatly concerned at the demands laid on players; women’s rugby certainly can’t follow down the same route, where nearly every player is amateur, fitting the rugby into a demanding work schedule.
The second choice would be to repeat the previous policy, to expel the least successful clubs and replace them with the strongest candidates. They might well include those leading Premiership clubs, though Trailfinders are not one of their number.
The consequences for the unlucky clubs would be dire. The stronger the elite league becomes, the greater the gap between it and the Championship, one grade below. It was hard to imagine Richmond or Firwood Waterloo, the two relegated clubs, quickly regaining promotion. Both lost huge numbers of players to other Prem 15s clubs.
A third possibility would be to operate two equal divisions, organised on a geographical basis. That would reduce the pain of long-distance travel to weekend fixtures and leave the possibility of knock-out matches at the end of the season. But it would mean not everyone playing everyone else. Boo?
The Prem 15s is still finding its feet. While the playing standards go on rising sharply, other aspects lag behind. The players remain amateur. Public awareness is limited – one of the many pities of the pandemic is that we have no idea how attendances might have risen. It’s highly likely they would have gone on growing, but from a very low base. Mainstream media uptake still lies in the future. The RFU has used live stream platforms to cover matches, but the television companies involved lack the muscle and know-how of the big hitters like the BBC and Sky.
So London Irish become the next leading club to join the contenders. The best of luck to them. How this will all work out in two years’ time is hard to imagine.
