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EXCLUSIVE: 48 polled Premiership players on what they really think of an extended season
When World Rugby announced its reforms for the global season back in March, it understandably provoked a mixed reaction.
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With the June internationals set to be played in July from 2020 onwards, it creates a dead month at the end of the Premiership and PRO14 seasons, which currently culminate in May.
International players cannot begin their offseasons at the conclusion of the domestic season and face a month of limbo, before going on tour with their national teams and then returning home just a month before the new Premiership and PRO14 seasons would begin.
Premier Rugby Limited (PRL) Chief Executive Mark McCafferty responded to these alterations by proposing several changes to the structure of the Premiership season, most notable of which was to extend the season into June, whilst also retaining the September start date. As a result, this would mean less overlap between the Premiership season and the international windows.
For non-international players, it would reduce what is currently a three-month offseason to a two-month one. Players are already brought back into preseason training five weeks – the minimum required downtime by Premiership contracts – after the previous season finishes and reducing the time between seasons will only see them return to a more intense and attritional training regime.
As for the previously mentioned internationals, their offseason would amount to a grand total of a month away from the game before the new season started. Based on the current five-week offseason clause in players’ contracts, they would only begin their preseason training once the regular season had begun.
Several high-profile players have come out publicly in opposition to this, including England and British and Irish Lion loosehead Joe Marler and Northampton Saints lock and Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) chairman Christian Day. They are not alone, either, with Tom Youngs, Mike Brown and Billy Vunipola all also speaking out and Vunipola even going a step further, criticising the length of the current season.
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The England N8 has suggested cutting the Premiership season to 11 games
We at RugbyPass decided to take an objective approach and poll players and coaches around the competition on their feelings towards the prospect of an extended season, as well as the threat of strike action should the Premiership season be extended into June.
We asked 48 players and coaches from 12 of the 14 PRL member clubs, including a range of players from recent school graduates to seasoned international stars, the following two questions:
1) Would you support an extended Premiership season?
2) a. As a player, would you participate in an RPA-led strike if the season were to be extended?
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2) b. As a coach, would you support your players participating in an RPA-led strike if the season were to be extended?
To say the results were emphatic would be an understatement.
In answer to the first question, 100% (48) of responders said that they would NOT support an extended season. Two responders did qualify their answers by saying that whilst they would still not support the extension, they would be content with it if there were a four-week winter break incorporated into the season.
As for the second question, it brought a bit more diversity in its answers.
There was strong support for a strike, with 56% (27) stating that they would participate in or support their players participating in RPA-led action. A further 12.5% (6) stated they would strike, but only with RPA data on the detrimental effects of a shorter offseason, club support and/or senior figures at their respective club, such as team and club captains, leading the way.
In total, 19% (9) of players polled said they wouldn’t strike if the season were to be extended and 12.5% (6) were either uncomfortable talking about the prospect of striking or did not know how they would react until they were in the situation.
Whilst it is important to keep the poll as objective as possible, there are a few bits of anecdotal evidence worth considering when dealing with these results.
Firstly, two players who said they would participate in strike action also said that they would consider going a step further and quitting if the season were to be extended.
Secondly, of the nine who responded saying they wouldn’t strike, many were players in their first, second or third years out of school and still on academy contracts. For them, playing time, financial security and earning second contracts are understandable concerns.
Lastly, there was a general contentment among the responses with the current length of the season. Vunipola may have recently called upon the Premiership to cut its season in half, but the majority of non-international players polled enjoyed the current season structure, as it provides opportunities to fringe and young players to stake their claims for playing time.
The ball is now in the PRL’s court.
Players, coaches, fans and the media have all criticised the proposals for an extended season and the threat of strike action is there to be seen.
RPA STATEMENT
In response to proposed changes to the Premiership season structure.Follow link to read in full: https://t.co/ShDjhkHpYc
— The RPA (@theRPA) May 22, 2017
Pushing back the start date of the season to October may not appeal to PRL chiefs keen to grow the brand of the competition – something which is positively boosted by the firmer grounds and attacking rugby on display in September – but it is infinitely preferable to swathes of players around the league downing tools and initiating an NBA-like lockout.
Player welfare is not a term to be bandied about for PR purposes, it is the chief concern in any proposal to extend the season and it is hard to see how reducing the offseason and increasing the amount of games international players can play, has any beneficial impact in this regard.
Grab your popcorn, the next two years could be very interesting.
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments