Celtic Cup needs to get its act together

So the men from Munster, be it the provincial team, Shannon or UL Bohemian, came, saw and conquered. Nothing terribly new there then.On Rugby

But beyond the nuts and bolts of who made off with the booty, on the actual Lansdowne Road pitch at any rate, the weekend just gone reflected well on Irish rugby. Pity about off it.

In truth, Saturday's 9,000-plus crowd reflected well on AIB's promotional push in generating a carnival, family day atmosphere on the back pitch, akin to the Old Belvedere Sevens, as a complement to the three finals in the main arena. The good standard of the first division final underlined how important a vibrant club game is to ensure an effective pyramid system.

Much like Ajax in their pre-Bosman pomp, one might suggest every club send a delegation to Shannon and see how they do it. Everything they do appears a template for all others to follow. They even have the best press officer. Shannon probably support club rugby in more numbers than anyone else, although, like all clubs, their support levels have dipped. And you still feel Irish rugby will only move forward when twice, thrice or even quadruple that number converge on Lansdowne Road for finals' day.

Again, it would help if a formula was devised whereby the Division Two and Three finals had promotion at stake. That there were merely an additional 3,000 in attendance for the Leinster-Munster match is a credit to those who turned up and generated such an excellent atmosphere, if hardly on those involved in the running of the occasion. It's hard to imagine say, Leicester and Wasps, bumping into each other, even in a relatively meaningless makey-up, end-of-season cup, with 27 full internationals on view - nine of them current Lions - and either they, the tournament organisers or the host union not making a good deal more fuss about it.

Those there predictably got value for money. Leinster and Munster were never going to hold back, Lions' self-protectionism or not. There was too much baggage and pride at stake for that. There seems to be a tendency to wrap players in cotton wool nowadays, but it was interesting to note Lawrence Dallaglio saying after his barnstorming performance in Wasps' Premiership semi-final win over Sale on Saturday that "the best way to approach a Lions' tour is to keep playing until you get on the plane". That opportunity will now befall Munster's injury-free Lions trio and, hopefully, a fit-again Ronan O'Gara in Saturday's final.

Self-control wasn't all it could have been, and both sides made mistakes, but the sides played their best rugby into the wind by keeping it in hand. All in all, it was one of the most eventful, intriguing games at Lansdowne Road all season.

Yet, the planning, promoting and attendance at Sunday's game really was an indictment of all concerned and indicative of the poor marketing of the game in Ireland below international level and to an extent the Heineken Cup.

There are honourable exceptions, such as the Ulster Branch pulling in over 7,000 for a game against the Borders when Ulster were without their stars and not going particularly well. Yet, there seems to be a laziness now amongst the IRFU and the branches, and indeed the Irish rugby public, that unless it's one of the aforementioned "events", then why bother? Hence, a thought occurs, namely that those who go to the trouble of attending AIL club games and Celtic League matches, should be prioritised when it comes to Heineken European Cup games, and perhaps even Irish Test matches.

The first full-on meeting of Leinster and Munster at the venue in three years should have been a showcase for Irish rugby talent. Yet, it was one of the season's best kept secrets, with zilch promotional or marketing work in advance and, of course, an utterly unhelpful kick-off time.

Sunday evening kick-off times, at the behest of Setanta or more pertinently at the acceptance of the organisers, have not been conducive to sizeable attendances and the Celtic League board must consider the value of this arrangement.

But then, it's often an ill-conceived, badly-run tournament, with no central office or central planning. An example: the hugely significant board meeting last Wednesday, on foot of which, in the absence of any statement, not one of three central figures involved returned calls in the next 24 hours. Another example: last February for some reason the draw was made for the semi-finals of the Celtic Cup, whereby the winners of the third v sixth and fourth v fifth quarter-finals would have home advantage in the semi-finals. Go figure. A team consigned to second at best, might therefore deduce finishing third was in fact preferable.

The Celtic League seemed to follow the format of the European Cup in having an open draw for the Celtic Cup, yet in Europe a team will only meet three of the other 20 sides, so it's not comparing like with like. Indeed, there would be much to recommend a play-off system for the Celtic League title involving only the top four, with home advantage in the semi-finals and the final determined by the final standings.

Okay, so the team which finishes top might be denied the ultimate crown, but there still would be a reward and incentive for finishing first as well as generating additional income and interest from, potentially, three more full houses. It's not original, it's not completely fair, but it would guarantee a fitting climax.

But all rugby matters were put in perspective when the Leinster squad en bloc, a huge St Mary's contingent, those from the medical profession, patients, friends and family of Dr Jim McShane and his wife, Dolores, were in Glasthule yesterday in deepest sympathy for the tragic loss of their son, Teddy, baby brother of James and Matty. Our thoughts are with them.