Is summer rugby already being considered?

A damp lineout
By Richie the Rhino
May 21 2002

The summer months are here, the season has finished, and we all head off to the cricket grounds, beaches and pub beer gardens to suffer union withdrawal symptoms. But does it have to be this way? Is there an alternative? Why not move the rugby union season to the summer?

Why?

How many games have you been to that have been ruined by the weather? Where wet slippery conditions and mud-bath pitches have made a mockery of skill levels, reduced ball handling skills to a lottery and entertainment value to nothing?

Just imagine a land where fast powerful players give breathtaking exhibitions of skill, week in, week out, on hard dry pitches. What a great land that would be, and it doesn't need to be South Africa, it could be England.

Have you ever stood in the freezing wind and rain, and thought to yourself 'God I must really love this game', as you have watched highly paid professional sportsmen made to look like idiots chasing a bar of wet soap, because of poor conditions? Wouldn't you like to watch your beloved game in shirt sleeves, and the sun on your back, instead of huddled under umbrellas in the freezing cold?

Sounds good doesn't it?

But what about tradition, I hear you cry, what else would we do in the cold winter months?

Things to consider

Obviously there are questions to be answered. For one, what will be the effect on gates, will the football crowds come to watch rugby as a stopgap between seasons, could summer rugby be good for business? From the Leeds perspective, how does this fit in with the Rugby League side of things, and how would Rugby Union clubs in strong RL areas fare?

From the business perspective, would the TV companies pay more for summer rugby, and promote it as a viable replacement during the football offseason?

Easier organsation of internationals

One important business element that should not be overlooked is the switch to summer rugby would effectively merge the southern and northern hemispheres' seasons, making organisation of the international game easier.

The people who run this part of the game are the real powerbrokers, and if they sense that this move is good for business, it could well happen.

More injuries?

What about the players, injuries would be more likely on harder grounds wouldn't they? Or would they? As if that's the case just how do the South Africans get away with it?

A better game?

Playing in better conditions would help skill development and make for a faster game, but that doesn't necessarily mean a better game. In addition, we would lose the 'stick it up your jumper' element to union, which although not pretty, is still an essential part of the game. A move to summer would arguably change the shape and style of the game.

Is summer rugby already being considered?

On a recent episode of 'Rugby Special', Rupert Moon speculated that a move to summer rugby was in the air. This summer we have the ZP champs, the Baabaas tour, aswell as various sevens events including the Middlesex Charity Sevens and the Commonwealth Games Sevens.

There is already a lot of summer rugby out there. Are the powers that be testing the waters?

Consider Rugby League, which appears to have adapted well to the summer months, and is more popular now than ever. Will RU follow their example, as the game seeks to grow its fanbase?

It would be surprising if this was not already under debate at senior administrative levels in the game, but it would be surprising if summertime rugby was adopted in the short term. However, you just never know, what we, the fans, want, may only be one part in the calculation.

So what do you think? Is Summer Rugby Union inevitable?

Thanks go to Richie for the article and Timofe for the photo!