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Rival coach makes ballsy call: 'Unbeaten all year, miles in front of the competition... give Leinster the title now'

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Outgoing Glasgow boss Dave Rennie believes it is time to call time on the indefinitely suspended 2019/20 season and declare Leinster the Guinness PRO14 champions. The next Australia head coach does not feel trying to resume this season in late summer or the autumn would be fair given all clubs will lose players and some coaches too beforehand.

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He also warned against “flogging” players by trying to squeeze the end of the campaign in before next term. Champions Leinster have won all 13 games and sit on 61 points in Conference A, 20 clear of Ulster and with 14 more than Conference B leaders Edinburgh.

Warriors, who lost last season’s final to Leinster at Celtic Park, sit third behind Ulster and are on course for a quarter-final spot with eight games left, but Rennie thinks it is time to call the season quits. “Clearly, in the time frames that we started with, we are not going to be playing rugby in June,” he said.

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RugbyPass went behind the scenes at Aviva Stadium when Leinster won the 2018 Guinness PRO14 final

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RugbyPass went behind the scenes at Aviva Stadium when Leinster won the 2018 Guinness PRO14 final

“So that complicates issues obviously for players and the coaching staff who may or may not be here beyond that point. There’s a lot of people dying and all over the world people have lost their jobs, the whole world is taking pay cuts. I guess the importance of getting back playing doesn’t really rank with the things I have mentioned.

“Whatever decision is made needs to have integrity involved because to try and push the finals back in August and play with whoever is here, I’m just not sure that will do it justice. We have seen other comps just reward the team that is leading. It’s hard to argue that Leinster, unbeaten all year, miles in front of the competition, it’s hard to not just award them the comp.”

Celtic Rugby chief executive Martin Anayi claimed two weeks ago he was “really confident” the competition could resume behind closed doors sometime in July or August but Rennie wants the players to get proper rest. “All of the decisions have got to be made around player welfare on one hand and what’s best for the state of the country,” the New Zealander said.

“I don’t think they are going to rush into relaxing laws. What we really want is some sort of clarity from the PRO14 as to what the future looks like because at the moment players are in limbo, everyone is still training hard in the hope that maybe we will come back and play some footy.

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“I just worry about the effect that will have into next season if they continue to train and eventually we get a date and try to finish this season and go straight into next season. I just want to make sure they are not trying to flog the players and they end up with a 13 or 14-month season.”

– Press Association 

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Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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