One step ahead: but the Italian arrivals in the Magners League could spell trouble for Scottish rugby.
The news that two Italian clubs, Benetton Treviso and Aironi Rugby, have been granted entry to the Magners League by their Scottish, Irish and Welsh counterparts next season will be welcomed by anybody who believes that international expansion can only benefit the sport.
The discussions might have dragged on longer than was desirable amidst reports, which were hotly denied, that the SRU was trying to stall the Italians’ admission to the tournament. But finally, as common sense has prevailed, the competition will now feature 12 clubs and that can only increase the intensity of an event which has helped raise the profile of Celtic rugby significantly throughout Europe in the last nine years.
Certainly, the confirmation has been greeted with delight amongst the sport’s adherents in Italy, where there have been concerns for several years about the failure of that country’s clubs to raise the necessary investment to fund full-time professionalism.
Off the pitch, the Azzurri’s officials have been bickering amongst one another about where the aforementioned “superteams” should be located, Meanwhile, the majority of the leading Italian players have elected to ply their trade in England and France, a process which might now be halted as officials connected with Treviso and Aironi provide the sort of lucrative contracts which will keep the best youngsters within their homeland.
At the same time, considering that one Italian administrator told me on Monday that sponsorship is already in place to allow the two organisations to spend between £7 million and £10 million in their first year, there are ambitious proposals to recruit high-profile overseas stars to Italy during the next few months, in the prelude to the launch of the 2010-11 season.
Whether that scenario materialises immediately must be debatable, given the short timeframe in which a host of logistical and operational decisions have to be implemented. But the bottom line is that the Italians regard this development as the most important in their history since they were allowed to join the expanded Six Nations Championship in 2000. They have no intention of being also-rans against the likes of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Munster, Leinster, Cardiff and Llanelli. Instead, they will spend whatever it requires to gain credibility and they will do so quickly.
From a Scottish perspective, this development might have mixed blessings. On the one hand, the success of Glasgow and Edinburgh this season, allied to an increase in attendances and a higher profile, should mean the city-based organisations have little to fear from their Italian rivals, at least in the short term. Yet, on the debt side, the game in this country remains in financial difficulties and the loss of such players as Kelly Brown, Dan Parks and Mark McMillan from the Glasgow ranks next year can only hinder their future prospects.
It will be more galling still if the Italians, both of whom have major corporate sponsors in addition to the backing of their national federation, manage to lure an All Black or two, or a couple of prominent Australians to their squads, over the next three or 15 months. The SRU is faced with having to cling on to what they have and even that might be difficult unless the national side’s fortunes start to improve.
Nonetheless, the Magners competition has invigorated its participants, leading to a situation where there is no doubt it is of a higher standard than the Guinness Premiership. If you doubt that, consider how few English clubs have won the European Cup in the last five years.
Although the sceptics may continue to wonder just how many supporters have the money to afford trips to Italy in the middle of winter, there will be initial novelty value then, if Treviso and Aironi rise to the challenge, these matches will inevitably attract a wider audience. The only potential concern is if the newcomers are not fit for purpose, but my sources in Italy insist that is simply not an option.
“This will be the start of a new era because, until now, most of our best players have gone abroad to pursue their careers and that has weakened our domestic game,” said Claudio Tinari, the president of the Rome-based Capitolina club. “But I have no doubt that the chance to take part in the Magners League will result in a lot of our international guys coming home, as well as persuading our best youngsters to stay in Italy.
“But this won’t just bring benefits for us. We are a big country, we have a population of 60 million people and there is huge interest in sport. I am sure that lots of people who haven’t been regular rugby spectators will be thrilled at the chance to see some of the biggest names in the European game playing in Italy on a regular basis.
“There are commercial opportunities, travel opportunities, media opportunities for all four countries whose teams will be involved from next season onwards. It’s a win-win situation.”
I happen to believe that he is correct. But, on the other side of the coin, the Scots have the most to fear from Italy’s arrival, as was illustrated in Rome at the end of February. Let’s hope that this isn’t a move which ultimately further weakens the sport in Caledonia. It shouldn’t do and the SRU deserve credit for recognising as much.
