This year’s Autumn Tests, which start in earnest this weekend, are now the Autumn Series. This is a new arrangement which appears to be the first example of CVC’s mega-investment into the Six Nations.
Bringing everyone’s autumn games under the same umbrella into a collective “series” – even though it’s entirely an artificial construct – follows last year’s Autumn Nations Cup, an ad-hoc, quickly arranged competition for the emergence from the Covid-pandemic.
(Remember who won? No? I actually had to check to remind myself. England defeated France’s second XV in extra time in the final).
Why do we bother with an ‘Autumn Series’?
The @AllBlacks were dominant in Cardiff 🇳🇿
There are 5 matches on #PrimeVideo next weekend including England v Tonga, Wales v South Africa and Scotland v Australia#AutumnNationsSeries pic.twitter.com/zcJORs9Gz7
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) October 31, 2021
There’s no real structure to the Autumn Series, no final, and everyone’s back to doing what they did pre-Covid, playing three or four tests against touring Southern Hemisphere opposition. So why do we bother?
Well, bringing the whole thing under one banner ostensibly makes it more attractive to sponsors and TV rights. There’s no name sponsor on the Series, but Deliveroo’s logo was prominent on Murrayfield’s hallowed turf last week, and DHL and Heineken were all over the Principality as New Zealand thrashed Wales.
The entire series is exclusively on Amazon Prime, which bristles with those who feel all our rugby should be on terrestrial TV for the kids (virtually none of whom watch terrestrial TV now anyway).
It was reckoned CVC would insist on an exclusive subscription package for the TV rights for the Six Nations itself. Yet new deals with the usual home broadcasters were signed and delivered.
But having paid so many millions for a seventh share, CVC are entitled to insist on maximising any other revenue stream that’s available.
And, of course, everyone benefits. While the CVC investment has cushioned the Six Nations from the worst of Covid losses, none of them are anywhere near getting back to pre-pandemic turnovers yet. The past examples of the European Unions running their own commercial business suggests they could well do with the outside expertise.
There’s a purpose to those extra tests
Highlights of our 60-14 win over Tonga at BT Murrayfield this afternoon.
📺 Watch all our @autumnnations matches live on @primevideosport. pic.twitter.com/fNJDgejsde
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) October 30, 2021
As for the two “extra” tests outside the international window, I’ve got no problem with them either.
Wales have been doing this for years. Despite what should be a hugely profitable enterprise – the takings in beer alone for Wales home games must be astronomic – the WRU continues to struggle to break even.
Last week’s full house at the Principality against New Zealand outside the window was an absolutely necessity to balance the books.
The venerable Stephen Jones of the Sunday Times railed against the extra test last week. I have some sympathy with his view, but it’s an absolute reality of the game in the 21st century.
If Wales wish to maintain their astonishing success of the last 15 years – and one assumes they do – they have to make money. The best way to do that, as recent history suggests, is to play an extra test. Club or regional rugby will not do it.
Putting those two letters in front of “Murrayfield”
Inside the Scotland changing room 👀 pic.twitter.com/3w99uvWxWH
— BT Murrayfield (@BTMurrayfield) October 30, 2021
Scotland’s game against Tonga was along similar lines. Would it have been played at all if the three test matches had been played in the summer? Probably not.
But it allowed Gregor Townsend to get eight more players capped. 32,370-odd fans enjoyed a 60-point romp. And Scottish Rugby made a bit of extra money.
Again, I have sympathy with the view that money isn’t everything, but in the 21st century it’s a pretty big thing.
We definitely want Murrayfield to be modernised, more investment in development, and the coffers refilled after Covid.
Occasional games against Tonga and having to put two letters before “Murrayfield” every time we mention it, are kind of essential in that process.
Eligibility should work both ways
— Malakai Fekitoa (@MalakaiFekitoa) June 17, 2021
As we noted last week, Pierre Schoeman won his first cap for Scotland against Tonga after a three-year residency spell. The South African-born prop was to have served five years, but World Rugby reduced the period because of Covid.
It will go back to five years from January 1. That’s been good luck for Pierre and Scotland, but I don’t think anyone can disagree this is the right move.
In the meantime, there’s a further discussion for the World Rugby’s council meeting on November 25 about eligibility. There is to be clarification on players “reverting” to a different nationality.
This is almost all about the Island nations, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. They want to recoup some of their “native” players who have been capped and then been discarded by other nations.
A test case has already happened in Malakai Fekitoa, who has played for Toulon and most recently Wasps. Before that he had a test career that garnered 24 New Zealand caps.
Under Olympic rules, the centre was allowed to change nationality back to play for Tonga, his place of birth, in qualifying for the Tokyo Games this year.
A more complex connection
Official @WorldRugby “eligibility reform” proposal here for those interested
My solution; Players allowed to change Once in career provided they
A) observe 2 year standdown period
B) are born in/or hold passport of 2nd nation
C) only move from Tier1 down to T2/3Simples pic.twitter.com/okdH14qHMV
— Daniel Leo (@danleo82) November 3, 2021
World Rugby are being asked to consider whether to close this loophole, or to follow Olympic guidelines which allow the switch of nationality.
Before you scoff and moan about the All Blacks and Wallabies “pinching” players, you have to accept there are ties between the Islands and New Zealand and/or Australia that are far more culturally complex, subtle and strong than just having a Scottish, Welsh or Irish granny.
Daniel Leo, the former Samoa wing and now activist for Island and Tier 2 rugby, has a good four-point plan.
Players should only be allowed to change once. There should be a two-year “stand down” from playing test rugby before the switch. The player must hold a passport for the nation he or she’s switching to. Only moves back from Tier One to Tier Two nations are permitted.
This seems to be to be a reasonable solution to a complex issue. And it acknowledges the realities of eligibility while allowing all Tier Two countries to benefit in the long term.