Here’s one approach to an exciting third season of PWR rugby, under new sponsors Gallagher.
How’s this for a starting Fifteen?
1. ROGERS (USA) 2 TUTTOSI (CANADA) 3 MENIN (CANADA) 4 DE GOEDE (CANADA) 5 JARRELL- SEARCY (USA) 6 ZACKARY (USA) 7 CALLENDER (WALES) 8 MIKAELE TU’U (NZ) 9. APPS (CANADA) 10 NELSON (SCOTLAND) 11 McGHIE (SCOTLAND) 12 TESSIER (CANADA) 13 PENA (SPAIN) 14 CORRIGAN (CANADA) 15 SCHELL (CANADA)
Take your pick of captain. There are at least five with armband experience
Of course you don’t have to stick to this choice. Alternatives line up around the block, for example :
PONSONBY (NZ) RULE (NZ) WASSELL (SCOTLAND) O’DONNELL (CANADA) MONAGHAN (IRELAND) BORLAND (NZ) ROYER (CANADA) SA’E (NZ) GRANZOTTO (ITALY) WAFER (IRELAND) HELE (SOUTH AFRICA) KONKEL (ex-SCOTLAND) ORTIZ (USA) GALLAGHER (CANADA) PERRY (CANADA) THOMSON (SCOTLAND) KELTER (USA) ORR (SCOTLAND) FARRIES (CANADA) LLOYD (SCOTLAND) BERMUDEZ (CANADA) and many more.
We could even stage a match between them for some good cause, like World Rugby or the RFU. That would bring the spectators in.
More seriously, while this trend is boosting the PWR mightily, how much good is it doing the many other unions, beyond giving their leading players regular top-quality rugby?
My fear is that it is slowing domestic standards. The biggest national stars can be seen only at a distance , not playing for a local club, where youngsters can meet and greet their heroes.
New names are being added to English club books day by day. A phrase now cropping up is “injury cover”. It’s applied to Olivia Apps, captain of Canada’s silver medal winning squad, as she joins Saracens. It does seem a touch demeaning.
It all kicks off tomorrow Friday at the Stoop. One missing figure is an actual Red Rose, Helena Rowland. We can’t have everything.
