Pro14: What's the problem with it anyway?
By CardiffSteve
July 25 2019
In the past week, the promise of an Anglo Welsh, or a UK and Ireland league, has once again raised it's head.
And, once again, a certain amount of slating Welsh fans has come along. Many of us see a league with the English as an answer to our prayers. And, rugby folk from outside Wales, particularly of an Irish persuasion, tend to get uppity about that. They see it as an attack on the Pro14. A disrespect for a league that has a lot going for it. A delusion that fixtures against English sides will suddenly increase interest in our own sides for no apparent reason.
Its true that plenty of fans in Wales have never been enthused by Pro14 in it's various guises.
But it's equally true that Pro14 often produces great rugby.
The Glasgow game at the Arms Park earlier this year is one of the most exhilarating rugby matches I've been to in recent years. A game so good I almost didn't mind losing it.
So who is right?
Well, for me, when rugby people talk about the problem with Pro14, they always get the reasons wrong. They get it wrong because they're too used to it.
Pro14's problem - in a nutshell - is that you have to keep explaining what it is.
Seriously, what is Pro14? Why do these 14 teams play together? Where is it a championship of? What is it's identity? Can you explain it succinctly?
Which is significant because it doesn't matter how much you make the point that Munster are a great team, Benetton are much improved or Cheetahs play exciting rugby, it means absolutely nothing to the guy you want to attract: the casual fan.
You increase support levels by attracting casual sports fans. And, most people in Wales, like everywhere else, are casual sports fans. Most likely, your welsh casual sport fan is more likely to know the laws of rugby that the equivalent casual sport fan in Wolverhampton or Dundee, but that's it.
We tend to perpetuate this myth that there are 240,000,000 huge rugby fans in wales that don't watch games outside the 6 nations because they are "disenfranchised" and such bollocks. That stuff has no relation to my experience of growing up and living in south wales.
Most people do not have any affiliation to any pro club past or present and never have. It's a fringe interest.
And, when you try explaining Pro14 to the casual sports fan, it just baffles them. To someone outside the rugby enthusiast bubble, Pro14 is a bloody weird concept. The conversation goes like this:
"So you watch that Blues team yeah?"
"Cardiff Blues, aye."
"Which teams do you play again?"
"Oh we play Munster, Ulster..."
"Irish?"
"Yeah they are Irish, and we play Glasgow, Edinburgh..."
"So, the league is Wales, Scots, Irish and.... English?"
"No, Italy."
"Italy?"
"And some south Africans.'
"Shut up!"
"No, seriously."
"What? Why?"
"Its complicated."
"So... Why don't you play English teams again?! I know there's that team just over in Bristol that are quite big yeah?"
Looked at from outside our rugby bubble, its just a bizarre concept. Where is Pro14 a championship of? What does it represent?
That's the source of the league's lack of credibility. Always has been, always will.
Cardiff fans have been mocked a little for being chuffed with winning the European challenge cup, and never winning Pro14 in any of its guises.
But here's the thing, I get that winning Pro14 would be a bigger deal in a rugby sense. I know its a harder competition to win and a much bigger achievement. But in the eyes of the casual fan, it isn't the case.
When we won in Bilbao, around the pubs in Cardiff there were people who usually would never give a monkeys about our games getting excited. Because it was a European trophy. You don't need to explain it.
Pro14 on the other hand, winning that I just don't think would have the same response.
So basically, that's the real advantage of Anglo Welsh rugby. People get it. It makes sense for us to play Bristol, Bath, Leicester etc. It has a value you don't need to explain.
And THAT is why we KNOW there'd be a surge of support. I know for certain that it'd happen in Cardiff. Even notnewport with their disastrous branding and apparent plan to alienate everyone would get a surge in support, even whilst losing games.
And of course, the same would go for a Home Nations/Lions competition.
Whereas, in pro14, supporting pro rugby outside of internationals I think will always be the preserve of the true rugby enthusiasts and lunatics.
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The main problem with the pro14 is that every (most) games don't matter. To be honest over the past couple of seasons the only focus has been on the last couple of games in the season to try and get into the Champions Cup...
I can't be the only person who isn't over excited by the prospect of Blues v Zebre/ Southern Kings etc...
I always find teams more interesting to watch if I know something about the players. I know about the players in 2 ways: being aware of them coming through the youth and A teams; seeing them interviewed - even for a few minutes.
I completely disagree that the Pro14 matches mean nothing until near the end of the season. The moment a team drops points early in the season, we say how important that will be, come the end of the season.
Also, every match is vital to most of the players playing in it - especially the ones who might not make the team for the European competition. You can see the massive effort the fringe players put in.
It would be so boring having the same squad of 23 players and injury replacements involved week in, week out - it's refreshing to see newbies pushing their case but the clubs need to publicize each player so they are not just alien names on the team sheet. There are always interesting back stories about newbies and nippers; tell the casual (and other) fans these stories and they will get sucked into the soap opera.
There are just the right number of derbies (in Wales and Ireland anyway) and the international element adds so much spice. Irish teams absolutely hate to lose to Welsh and Scottish teams etc. Up to now, teams have hated being beaten by the Italian teams because they weren't expected to lose and because they knew it meant losing ground to their rivals.
The fascination of watching your team playing weaker clubs is that those fixtures give the coaches of the stronger clubs the chance to filter in some up-and-coming players, and we expect them to do so but obviously there is the risk of overdoing that and surprises do happen.
The art of attracting casual fans is maybe to win enough of your home matches first - ease the nippers into the team in away matches, especially as there is less pressure on them making their debut in front of family and friends.