WRW #1: Nothing to see here
Not exactly the biggest build-up I know...
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So here we go then with Welford Road Weekly, with news of Leicester Tigers and the wider world of rugby. It’s very much a one-man operation so work with the day job, radio commitments - and having a life - will occasionally get in the way.
But hopefully this will be the first of many newsletters which you can easily delete from your inbox…
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET
These are far from normal times and for once, I’m not describing the pandemic.
Two coaches of different vintages have now departed Oval Park in this abbreviated break between ever-longer seasons. While the experienced Boris Stankovich and new recruit Rob Taylor are at different ends of the scale of time spent, their exits give off similar vibes.
The main upshot is that Leicester are theoretically two coaches light going into the opening game against Gloucester, assuming it goes ahead after the Covid closure of Oval Park. Even allowing for Richard Wigglesworth filling an unofficial player-coach role and amid a credible report about the future of Geordan Murphy, this is hardly the most settled of preparations. Why is all this happening?
Change follows swiftly the arrival of any new head coach and Borthwick appears intent on root and branch reform. The former England no.2 is using the Eddie Jones model and putting the coaches under extreme pressure. Intense and driven himself, Borthwick is expecting similar from his assistants as Jones did from him, ensuring 12-14 hour working days.
This is proven to work in an international environment, where contact with players is short and focussed. But experience - such as Jones’ brief tenure at Saracens -suggests it doesn’t always work within a club environment. There is no doubt this atmosphere is a factor in both coaches leaving - although the compassionate reasons behind Taylor’s departure were entirely genuine.
The pace of change off the field isn’t slowing, either. Despite the arrival of Jan McGinity, there is a renewed desire to review the recruitment process, but who is calling agents to get their views?
And the position of Murphy - apparently out of contract in the summer - reveals the fluid position of life at Oval Park. It would be frankly a disgrace if he was allowed to leave Welford Road after 23 years with barely a by-your-leave.
The bottom line remains that this transformation seem all to bolster Borthwick’s position. These may well succeed. At the risk of sounding like Donald Rumsfeld, we know that Borthwick knows the areas he knows. The questions are what advice he is receiving in the areas he doesn’t, whether he is listening and how collectively Tigers can improve.
PAY-OFF
The Tigers’ Executive Chairman is certainly involved in Premiership Rugby’s lobbying campaign for a government bailout, but the most fascinating article during the autumn break showed how some would like to be more creative in their way out of current difficulties
With the Championship still unable to confirm its restart in January and Government furlough compensation now extended until March, there are plenty of reasons for wondering if the second tier will start up at all - in full form, at least.
So the Daily Mail’s report on November 2nd flying the kite of a 14-team ring-fenced Premiership - adding Saracens and Ealing - seemed to offer plenty of solutions to the issues in the game. In theory.
Someone - clearly within the Premiership’s orbit - thinks they can get the RFU to confirm ring-fencing, the Championship to accept it and give up their two best teams and Ealing to cough up £40-50m for an equal shareholding, which would just happen to bail out the rest of the league.
If only it were that easy.
Locally, the question of what state Tigers’ finances are in, continue. The hit taken by the pandemic remains substantial and while the accounts are normally available by now, they have not yet been published. At least, Pfizer’s announcement regarding their vaccine shows light at the end of the tunnel, though I wouldn’t expect anything concrete to affect professional sport until after this season.
I’m actually quite impressed with the number of sponsorship contracts agreed, particularly the naming rights deal with Mattioli Woods which is new money, of course. They’ll play an important part in getting Tigers’ finances back on track, but don’t be thinking telephone-number style figures.
Page 118 of Mattioli Woods’ 2020 Annual Report suggests an average fee of around £400,000 on the previous 3 year deal, which was only agreed last year. We don’t know the figure for this new 5 year contract or whether the cash has been front-loaded in the first 2 years, but it all helps.
Saracens’ deal with Allianz was reportedly worth £2 million a year but given that it also included shirt sponsorship, it would be a coup if Tigers’ agreement - without that element - was anywhere near it.
With a Government bailout possible by the end of the month and some form of vaccine due next year, what price takeover speculation resuming sometime soon?
CHEAP SHOTS
The Pro 14 shows its natural talent for raising rugby’s profile.
2. Another NRL recruit heading into Wallaby ranks..
BIG HITS
Looks like more South African beef arriving at Welford Road soon..
They seem to be getting things right in Australia and not just with Dave Rennie.
A new TV rights deal with a streaming network (Stan Sport) is agreed with regular prime-time Wallabies and Super Rugby games on Channel 9 - AND it’s more money per game. Fox Rugby are out.
Just shows what you can do with a bit of imagination..
RUNNING FROM DEEP
Here I aim to showcase some of the articles which have tweaked my interest over the last week..
Paul Rees in The Guardian details how it’s all going swimmingly for Wayne Pivac in the Wales job, after losing Byron Hayward and Sam Warburton.
On his own future, he said: “There has been no discussion around that [his future] at all. From day one it’s been about submitting a plan through the interview process, it’s about building a side capable of winning a World Cup in 2023. We know we’re not entirely happy with the results. We want to win all the time, but there has been no conversation around my future or the future of any of the coaches depending on these results.
Is that Mr Robertson? Oh I’ve got a message from some recruitment consultants in Cardiff for you…
Gloucester are finding ways to save money, according to Gloucestershire Live, moving their training to Kingsholm, when their deal with Hartpury College expires next June
Gloucester Rugby CEO Lance Bradley wrote to fans on Friday explaining the situation. He said: “We continue to face considerable challenges on the commercial side of our club, due to the restrictions around being unable to invite you back to Kingsholm to watch games and attend other events.
If the grapevine is anything to go by, don’t expect them to be finding another training ground anytime soon…
The German making waves in New Zealand, where RugbyPass quote a local podcast. He talks a good game…
“Definitely New Zealand. All Blacks over the German national team, just because the German national team isn’t that flash yet,” he said when asked which country he would rather represent.
“I like to say ‘yet’ because I hope the sport’s going to grow over there, but my end goal is to be the best athlete I can be, and if being an All Black is part of that journey, then that’s awesome, that’d be cool.”
Thanks for your company on the first edition. If you’ve a suggestion for what you want to see in future editions, then do please click the box below.
A season preview follows next week. Do spread the word and below is the link people need to subscribe. .
PS A small plug - in the meantime, join myself, George Chuter and the Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan tonight, with Adam Whitty’s Leicester Tigers Rugby Show from 6.
(Yes the BBC have moved us back to Wednesdays, with City playing Europa League on Thursdays.)
Chris
Good 1st article
Enjoyed - thanks Chris