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'If we can’t get that right there must be something wrong with us'
Alan Gilpin stepped off the plane in Paris this week with a real spring in his walk. Just 100 days remain before the latest Rugby World Cup jamboree swings into action, host nation France taking on the All Blacks in their Stade de France lair. The portents are great: 2.5million tickets sold for the 48 matches across nine cities, stats that have the tournament poised to break the attendance record set eight years ago by England 2015.
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The 50-year-old was just getting warmed up within the World Rugby organisation at that time when the All Blacks were beating the Wallabies in the final at Twickenham.
Having spent nine years at IMG negotiating the commercial rights across three Rugby World Cups, it was 2014 when Gilpin officially joined the rugby federation, going on to become its chief operating officer (COO) and Rugby World Cup MD in 2016 and then CEO in 2020 following the departure to NFL of Brett Gosper.
In public, rugby fans would recognise him as the official who took the lead in managing the delicate situation of the typhoon that cost the 2019 tournament in Japan three matches. That crisis, though, couldn’t compare to the world-shutting pandemic that followed.
That should have been a disaster for the planning of the 2023 finals in France. And yet, there was Gilpin with a big smile on his face in recent days, pressing the flesh with all and sundry in the comforting knowledge that things have apparently never looked so good 100 days out from the quadrennial festival.
What gives? Ironically, what assisted long-term was the World Rugby decision in November 2017 to hand France the hosting rights. That process was much criticised, South Africa and Ireland dissatisfied with how it all played out in the basement of a plush Kensington hotel in London. Its legacy was that World Rugby would never again use that particular process for anointing its World Cup bid winners.
However, council’s decision to vote for the French was unwittingly proven excellent when it came to ensuring the pandemic didn’t slam the brakes on preparing for the upcoming finals.
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Asked by RugbyPass about why World Rugby are in such rude health 100 days out from France 2023 despite the pandemic, Gilpin enthused: “Great question. Going back to 2017 when we were at the point of selecting the host for 2023, we were in a contest between France, Ireland and South Africa and we were very blessed at that point to have three potential hosts who we knew could deliver an outstanding tournament.
“Great infrastructure, great kind of rugby strongholds. You come through that and France were awarded the hosting rights. Part of the answer to your question is we did great early work with France, so it is a tribute to the organising committee.
“They put a lot of great work in place in 2018 and 2019 before the pandemic hit – and then we have been lucky because France is a fantastic hosting nation whether you are looking at rugby in the past, the Euros (in football), preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“It is a great nation from a sporting and hosting perspective. Whether you are dealing with the government, whether you are dealing with the French organsing committee who have been great partners for us, whether you are dealing with host cities and venues, we are dealing with people who have got a hell of a lot of experience of putting on big events and that really helps when you are in those challenging circumstances you have with covid.
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“Our confidence in them and their confidence in their ability in being able to deliver has been really strong throughout and we are fortunate that even in those very difficult times in 2020, 2021, 2023 seemed like far enough away that we were confident that we would be in a position to get to where we are now which is 100 days out from a fantastic tournament. Yes, it’s a great question because it has been a preparation period like no other.”
The off-field business of rugby isn’t the only aspect that is nicely approaching the crest of a wave in a timely fashion. Test rugby – and the sport in general – was a tough spectacle during the pandemic. Behind closed doors matches didn’t generate an inspired atmosphere and the sport became dominated by defence.
Now, though, attack is wielding the upper hand with stadiums packed to the rafters and it bodes well for some grippingly creative rugby to unfold across the seven weeks of the tournament in France. Gilpin, no more than the rest of the rugby world, is relishing the potential drama that could materialise.
“It’s interesting, and we have seen it across a number of sports: the on-field performance was challenging in the pandemic at a time when you haven’t got crowds there inspiring and creating that great stage, but rugby globally at every level has come roaring back,” reckoned the World Rugby CEO.
“We are seeing some of the best, most entertaining, compelling rugby we have seen for a very long time and we would like to think we have helped enable that as a sport by being braver, being more innovative, spending more time looking at and talking about the shape of the game and getting every part of the rugby ecosystem across coaches, players, medics, lawmakers together and try and innovate.
“Some of the stuff we are doing around the foul play review bunker for TMOs is part of that and again, how do we speed the game up, how do we make sure we have got consistency in decision making?
“We are trialling more and evolving more and evolving more quickly than ever before. That is not all going to be at the World Cup this year, but the direction of travel really supports the game becoming faster, more compelling, more ball in play and more enjoyable to watch and play hopefully.”
With demand for France 2023 tickets unprecedented, and with the women’s and sevens games set to accelerate appeal in the next year, is rugby is in a terrific spot to fire up the imagination, not just of the avids who follow every kick and pass but of people who haven’t come across the sport before?
“Absolutely,” replied Gilpin. “We have got this incredible opportunity as a sport in the next 12 to 15 months. I can’t overemphasise it enough, France will be an amazing host nation, with great excitement, shaping up to be a brilliant tournament.
“We are launching WXV in the women’s game, a chance to build on an exceptional, really special women’s rugby World Cup in New Zealand last year. WXV will be about building the competitiveness of the women’s game. We are reimagining, relaunching our World Sevens Series later in the year – it’s a quiet back half of the year for us!
“And then we play forward not only into the Olympic Games next year in Paris with the rugby sevens which will again be part of a brilliant Olympics and again because of France and Paris as a host we will have spectacular crowds, see the best of sevens, but we are also already incredibly excited about the World Cup 2025 in England and the moment that will give us in this journey in the women’s game.
“So, we have got a great opportunity with the sport. With the sport growing and with this enthusiasm around the sport the way it is being played, if we can’t get that right on this big stage there must be something wrong with us.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
30 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
30 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
5 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
30 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
5 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
5 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments