Premiership plan is a flawed gamble

Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of Premier Rugby, recently announced the proposal to expand the Guinness Premiership from 12 to 14 clubs. McCafferty himself identified the increase in games as a possible negative of the idea, but Brian Moore, writing in the Telegraph, believes such a decision could have serious ramifications for the development of fresh English talent.

Although the business aspects of the plan can be rationalised, the one thing that this proposal cannot claim is the wider interests of the English national team.

The best way of preparing players to compete at international level is for them to play an agreed number of games in the most competitive environment possible, thereby reducing the gap in standards between clubs and international rugby. Additionally, the most effective way of developing nascent talent is distilling it into a limited number of teams.

If you had a blank sheet of paper and wanted to draw up the best possible structure for non-international rugby you would never include the current arrangement.

It is clear from the present Guinness Premiership that there is simply not enough talent in England to fill 12 squads, never mind 14. This format has spread potential international players across the league and they have been supplemented with foreign players in the clubs’ attempts to either win the competition or avoid relegation. The clubs do whatever they feel is necessary to achieve one of these goals, because no clubs are going to sacrifice themselves for the national good.

That leaves Premier Rugby as the body charged with the responsibility, and expansion is going to make things worse on a national level. An increased number of games will boost revenue but it exacerbates the club v country issue and does nothing to produce more English qualified players.