Plans for cross-hemisphere competition

RUGBY: The Celtic Unions and South African Rugby yesterday pledged their commitment toward the game's first cross-hemisphere provincial competition, to be held over the first seven weeks of the season and to start no later than the 2006-7 season, while striving to bring the "Rainbow Cup" in place by next autumn.

Heads of agreement have been signed by all three Celtic Unions towards this ambitious goal, although this is dependent on certain commercial and logistical criteria being met. There remain potential stumbling blocks, not just in the shorter term, while the Welsh are a good deal more lukewarm to the concept than their Irish and Scottish counterparts, amid suspicions they are still hankering after an Anglo-Welsh Cup.

There is a five-year commitment to the proposed competition, which has a working title the "Rainbow Cup", and is being driven by the South Africans with strong broadcasting and sponsorship interest which promises to raise millions per year and at least match the suggested participation fee of £250,000 for each competing team which came with the Anglo-Welsh competition.

Organisers would ideally like the green light to start next season but changes must be made to the format of the Celtic League with Italian clubs set to join the competition outside of the "Rainbow Cup". The "Rainbow Cup" would encompass a 24-team, seven-week competition to be played in the September/October window between teams from Wales (4), Ireland (4), Scotland (3), Italy (4) and SA Rugby's nine top provincial teams. It would comprise four groups of six teams each, thereby guaranteeing everybody five games apiece, with the pool winners advancing to semi-finals and a final.

"We do have some time to get it set up for next season but not much," conceded Celtic League tournament director David Jordan. "There are a number of things that have to be sorted out. For example, Italy is going to have to decide how it rationalises its teams, and there are some commercial and logistical criteria that will have to be met.

"We're looking to maximise the value of the tournaments but there is no point in rushing in to something until we are ready. But it is an exciting prospect for players, supporters and administrators alike to have a professional competition which is crossing the divide. It is a very positive dynamic which would reinvigorate professional rugby in the Celtic countries.

"It would also give access to a market in excess of 100 million people and even the Italian involvement in the (Celtic) League means the market would be increased to 80 million," added Jordan, as well as opening up potential new sponsors. Agreements are in place and there is solid sponsorship interest out there."

Were it to come on board, the Celtic League would then accommodate four Italian teams in a 15-team competition, meeting each other once with seven home games and seven away games, concluding with play-offs, most likely along Super 12 lines with the top two earning home advantage in the semi-finals against the third and fourth ranked qualifiers.

Given this would all have to be ratified within the next two to three weeks at the outset, one of the logistical problems in bringing all of this on board next season is the Italians would have to devise a means of streamlining their 12 first division teams into four districts within that time-frame. Nonetheless, the Italians would be a prime beneficiary of the new proposals, at last giving their professional structure more structure and better playing standards below Test level.

One of the great advantages of a 15-team Celtic League over, say, the Super 12, is there would be meaningful competition all the way down the table given Heineken European Cup qualification would be at stake within each of the four participating countries.

If these proposals are not ratified in time for the start of next season, when those on the Lions tour are unlikely to be made available for the early games, the Celtic League will retain the agreed format for next season, with the 11 teams playing 10 home and 10 away games over a 22-week period.

Similarly, the new competitions would amount to a minimum of 19 games, with up to four play-off matches.

Brian van Rooyen, president of SA Rugby, and John Hussey, Celtic League Chairman, expressed their support for the new competition, but the Welsh CEO David Moffatt was rather more circumspect.

"Our stance is that we've had various discussions but that there is an awful lot of water to go under the bridge before this is finalised. I would like to see the final detail in the proposals. There is quite a lot of flesh to be put on the bones. It's not a done deal."

Ultimately however, money will talk. As Jordan put it: "At the end of the day the reason we are doing this is as much for revenue returns as for rugby returns."

In welcoming the concept of these new competitions, Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson commented: "Any sponsorship and broadcasting deals that provide security for the professional game over a five-year time-frame has to be a good development. I'm all in favour of it. One thing about these new competitions though is that the international players are going to have to be available more often than they have heretofore."