Missing faces at next month’s internationals highlight the row between clubs and countries that needs to be solved
Rugby’s autumn internationals will be ready to rumble this time next month. England have a huge game against South Africa at Twickenham, Wales meet Scotland in Cardiff and Ireland face Italy in Chicago. These are big occasions with significant revenues. It is strange, then, that no one in charge of selling tickets, hospitality packages or television subscriptions has added a vital asterisk: two thirds of the competing countries will be fielding weakened teams.
Many people will have shelled out for a Twickenham seat – costing up to £132 – keen to see if the visitors can repeat their June series success over England. Can the Boks’ key catalysts, the Wasps full-back Willie le Roux and Sale’s scrum-half Faf de Klerk, unpick the English defence again? We will never know, because neither man is permitted to play. The date of the game is outside World Rugby’s official window which means no Premiership-based player will be released, despite there being no league games scheduled that day.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/oct/02/club-versus-country-row under the title “Why the view from World Rugby’s autumn window is a worrying one | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
