Deafening sound of September silence tells us where rugby has messed up

The men’s competitive rugby season kicks off this weekend with the opening round of fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and All-Ireland League. It’s not before time. In truth, it is four weeks too late and once again rugby is missing a trick.

Time was when the old interpros would return in August on pristine, dark green pitches under warm, clear blue skies and still decent crowds turned up, no matter the competition or holiday season.

Indeed, the inaugural Celtic League season of 2001-02 kicked off on August 17th and every team had played two or three matches by the time September came. Then, from 2002-03 until 2019-20, one aspect of the Celtic League/Pro12/Pro14 in all its iterations remained consistent. The season started on the first weekend in September.

As sure as night followed day, rugby supporters could be certain the season started at the beginning of September. They knew their province and/or club would have a home game in either the first or second week of the month.

Back in 2012-13, for example, all four Irish provinces played two home games apiece before the fourth weekend in September, and over 90,000 supporters attended those eight games. It’s no wonder almost 7,000 turned up a fortnight ago to watch a Leinster side shorn of its frontline internationals in a pre-season friendly against Zebre. The same goes for the crowd of almost 4,500 at Munster’s meeting with Leicester in Musgrave Park last Friday.

Sure, there was a novelty factor around the return to the RDS in front of the new Anglesea Stand. But the main reason is that rugby supporters are itching for some matches to attend.

This was always a bumper month for the sport, and for good reasons. The holidays are over and the kids are back at school. The evenings are still bright and the weather is usually pleasant.

Rugby was also competing for minds, ears and eyes with the All-Ireland senior championship finals at Croke Park. To put the 90,000 aggregate attendance at the first eight Pro12 games 14 years ago into context, not only did Donegal beat Mayo in the football decider that September but Kilkenny beat Galway in a hurling final replay, meaning there were three All-Ireland finals that month.

Now, rugby having vacated the Irish sporting landscape in the month of September from 2019, then the GAA did likewise in 2022 by moving their All-Ireland finals forward from September to July.

An added consequence of the rugby season starting too late is, of course that it finishes too late. Where before the grand final was scheduled before the end of May, last season’s URC knock-out stages all took place in June, with the final on the 19th.

Rugby is simply outstaying its welcome, especially since the GAA shifted their All-Ireland season forward. Much like the media, rugby fans are programmed to switch their attention from June onwards, be it to communions and confirmations, golf trips and holidays, the GAA season or whatever.

Spread over five countries in two hemispheres, the URC is too disparate and too young in its inception to have a designated showpiece venue a la the Stade de France or Twickenham for the Top 14 and Premiership finals.

Compounding the difficulties in selling tickets at one or two weeks’ notice is that many venues, including the Aviva Stadium, the RDS and Thomond Park, are in concert season come June.

It’s true that the French clubs have bought into the Champions Cup and, indeed, are dominating it to an unprecedented level. But in their own selfish and insular way, they availed of the pandemic-enforced restructuring to bully everyone else into accepting a four-game pool format rather than the six-match format that worked so well since the 1997-98 season.

With a 26-game Top 14 guaranteeing each club 13 home matches per season, the French clubs can afford to sacrifice a home tie in the pool stages of the Champions Cup. However, the net effect is that the four Irish provinces, and all the URC teams, are now assured of 11 home matches per season in both competitions, whereas from 2011-12 until the pandemic, they could budget for 14 home games.

True, for every additional home match there will be an away game, and all the travel and accommodation costs that would ensue. Even so, the loss of three home games a season is still a significant shortfall in revenue.

And it’s more than the revenue. It’s the sheer presence, the sense of being there. It seems like every other ‘winter’ sport is up and running, be it all the football leagues around Europe and, indeed the Top 14. The Top 14 returned on the first weekend of September, playing out games in front of capacity attendances and with widespread TV and media coverage.

Unlike the URC, they will continue playing their championship on the first and fourth weekends in November, despite those being designated for the fourth round and playoff finals in the Nations Championship. The Top 14 will also have back-to-back rounds during the Six Nations, one in direct conflict with round three of the latter.

Time was when the 22-match Pro12 did squeeze in rounds during the November and Six Nations windows, and while this meant frontline internationals were absent, it afforded players valuable game time and arguably ensured a fairer and more balanced test over a season.

The catalyst for enforcing a later start and later finish to the domestic rugby season in 2019 was the decision by World Rugby, in their infinite wisdom, to move their Test window from June to July. Only it wasn’t so wise and begged the question: If it ain’t broke?

Interestingly, the calendar for the 2027-28 season, which of course features the World Cup in Australia from October 1st to November 13th, has yet to be finalised. For the URC and its 16 competing teams, there is a compelling argument for having four full rounds before the World Cup. As the French most certainly will do.

True it would be missing a sizeable World Cup cast, but it would ensure that Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales and South Africa had a well of match-fit players from which to call upon.

It would also fill what has become a yawning September void.

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