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21 highs and lows as professional rugby gets set to celebrate its 25th birthday

By PA
(Photo by Steve Cuff/EMPICS via Getty Images)

Rugby union turned professional on August 26 1995, a landmark moment for the sport which came a couple of months after reigning champions South Africa clinched World Cup glory on home soil. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the sport’s highs and lows during the past 25 years.

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High – A new era begins. The International Rugby Board declares the sport an “open game”, lifting restrictions on payments to those connected to rugby union.

HighWith professionalism comes the introduction of European club rugby. The inaugural Heineken Cup is made up of twelve sides from France, Ireland, Wales, Italy and Romania and starts on the final day of October 1995. English and Scottish teams join the following season.

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England forward Courtney Lawes guests on All Access, the RugbyPass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

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England forward Courtney Lawes guests on All Access, the RugbyPass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

Low – England are kicked out of the 1997 Five Nations after selling TV rights for the tournament to BSkyB for £87.5million. A ‘Four Nations’ competition is initially formed before England are later reinstated.

High – The British and Irish Lions become only the third touring side to win a Test series in South Africa. With the scores tied at 15-15 in Durban in June 1997, Jeremy Guscott nervelessly slots a decisive drop goal to give the Lions an unassailable 2-0 lead.

High – In 1998, the Women’s World Cup is officially sanctioned for the first time by the International Rugby Board. The tournament in Amsterdam follows unofficial competitions in 1991 and 1994.

LowLawrence Dallaglio resigns the England captaincy in May 1999 following newspaper allegations he had taken and dealt hard drugs. Dallaglio categorically denies the claims.

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High – Hailed by some as rugby’s greatest game, a record crowd of 109,874 are in attendance in Sydney for New Zealand’s remarkable 39-35 win over rivals Australia. Each side runs in five tries, with the Wallabies managing to be level at half-time after trailing 24-0 inside ten minutes.

Low – South Africa’s sports minister Ngconde Balfour calls for urgent talks with rugby chiefs after reports of unorthodox Word Cup preparations in 2003. Springboks players later speak of climbing nude through tunnels dug by foxes, having cold water poured over their heads, and killing chickens with their bare hands during the military-style boot camp.

High – England secure a new generation of fans back home by becoming world champions in 2003 thanks to Jonny Wilkinson’s dramatic extra-time drop goal against Australia in Sydney. England remain the only northern hemisphere side to have won the competition.

Low – The 2005 Lions tour lasts just 45 seconds for captain Brian O’Driscoll. The Irishman is left writhing in agony with a dislocated shoulder after New Zealand pair Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu execute a controversial spear tackle. They escaped punishment for an incident which continues to be debated.

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Low – Toulouse and Ireland forward Trevor Brennan receives a lifetime ban, which is reduced to five years on appeal, after jumping into the crowd and punching an Ulster fan at a Heineken Cup match in January 2007.

Low – Harlequins escape a ban from the Heineken Cup after being embroiled in a 2009 scandal dubbed ‘Bloodgate’. Tom Williams uses a fake blood capsule during the quarter-final loss to Leinster, which allowed the already-substituted Nick Evans to return as a blood replacement.

Rugby Union turned professional in 1995 Package

Low – Days after England are knocked out of the 2011 World Cup by France, centre Manu Tuilagi is warned by police and fined £3,000 by rugby officials after jumping from a ferry in Auckland.

High – Japan, who would go on to reach the 2019 World Cup quarter-finals as hosts, announce their arrival on the international stage in 2015 with probably the biggest upset in rugby union history. Dubbed the ‘Miracle of Brighton’, Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms shock South Africa 34-32 thanks to a late Karne Hesketh try.

Low – England are embarrassed on home soil at the 2015 World Cup, becoming the first host nation to be eliminated from the competition at the end of the group stage following Twickenham defeats to Wales and Australia.

LowJonah Lomu, arguably the sport’s first true global superstar, dies at the age of just 40 in November 2015. The New Zealander – pictured above in action for the Barbarians – suffered an unexpected heart attack linked to previous kidney problems.

High – Rugby Sevens appears in a summer Olympics for the first time as the men’s and women’s events get underway at the Rio Games in 2016. Fiji win gold in the men’s event, with Australia successful in the women’s.

High – The Rugby Football Union announces England Women’s first squad of full-time professional players in January 2019.

High – The 2019 World Cup in Japan, won by South Africa, becomes the most-watched rugby event in history. More than 857million people around the world tune in, an increase of 26 per cent from the previous tournament in England.

Low – In January 2020, reigning Premiership champions Saracens are condemned to relegation to the Championship after breaching salary cap rules during the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.

Low – Rugby union in England is suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, with the Six Nations and other tournaments across the world already halted. The pandemic casts uncertainty on the future of the game.

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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