Back to rugby’s bygone era with Test stars in mix for club start
Australia’s top players could be turning out for their clubs once again for the best part of a month if rugby can revive one of its most yearned-for habits of the past.
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Australian rugby could revive one of its most yearned-for habits of the past by allowing its provincial players to turn out for their clubs if it transpires that this year’s Super Rugby competition starts later than the major club competitions.
As it is, 100 of Australia’s 192 professional players will be regularly able to play for their clubs when the rebooted Super Rugby season gets underway again but that is hardly news. That regularly happens each week of every Super Rugby season.
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What could be different this year is that the Michael Hoopers, Marika Koroibetes, Scott Sios and Harry Wilsons — in other words, Australia’s top players — could be turning out for their clubs for what could be the best part of a month in July, before Super Rugby kicks off.
It will stir the memories of older fans who readily hark back to the days when Wallabies would play a Test on Saturday and then front-up for their clubs the following day.
There is no question that getting the top Waratahs or Reds more heavily involved in Shute Shield or the Hospitals Cup is one of the main aims of those seeking to revive Australian rugby.
Admittedly, everyone is hazy on when rugby will be allowed to resume and whether the start date will be applied uniformly.
At present the expectation is that major club premierships will be allowed to begin on July 3, but the expectation coming out of Rugby Australia on Thursday was that Super Rugby might not be possible before the end of July.
The expectation is that the National Cabinet on Friday look at the schedule for the resumption of professional sport, with indications being that each step of the journey will be closely monitored, with an incubation period built in to allow for any new cases to be identified and isolated.
Rugby Australia has almost completed its “return to play” protocols for its professional teams. An important component of the plan is to minimise and control any external contacts of players and teams and to ensure that their training environments are as hygienic as possible.
The plan will then be submitted to the government.
The federal government will on Friday pass judgment on the NRL which effectively is setting itself up as a test case for an early resumption of its competition by announcing it has scheduled its first fixtures on May 28.
But while the NRL is monopolising the attention of the government and its broadcasters, Nine and Fox Sports, Rugby Australia has deliberately been having no talks with its broadcaster (also Fox Sports).
Until it has settled on a competition structure — and the two alternatives appear to be an all-Australian competition involving the four Super Rugby sides plus the Western Force, or an extended series also involving the five NZ sides — it does not want to waste Fox Sports’ time. “Otherwise it’s cart before the horse stuff,” said RA executive chairman Paul McLean.
All indications are that McLean will continue to fill the joint roles of chairman and acting chief executive for a little while longer, although Friday’s Rugby Australia board meeting is expected to recommend when the interim chief executive will be appointed.
A permanent chief executive is not likely to be appointed much before the end of the year. It is understood that one of the directors, Peter Wiggs, has no interest in the interim job.
It is all but certain that former Ten boss and News Corp executive Hamish McLennan will take McLean’s place on the board.
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Originally published as Back to rugby’s bygone era with Test stars in mix for club start
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