EURO RELIEF

After months of being in the proverbial wilderness, it finally seems that things are beginning to sort themselves out, and that’s good for all parties concerned.

If you didn’t see what is being proposed as the new European competition, it is that there will be a new 20-team tournament with seven teams from the Pro12 (the highest placed finisher from each of the leagues, plus the next three top finishers), six each from the Top14 and Aviva Premiership and the final place will be awarded to the winner of a play-off between the seventh placed finishers in France and England.

There are more pressing issues such as finances and TV rights, but certainly things seem to be looking up – they will be sorted at another time. But for now, it looks like European rugby will be safe for another few years, and with the Italian teams pledging their support to the Pro12 for another four seasons, domestically our future looks secure too.

And as proven by yesterday’s announcement of the signing of Ruaidhri Murphy from the Brumbies on a two year deal, the transfers will hopefully begin to roll in now, and I have every confidence that David Humphreys is doing a lot of work in the background to ensure that Murphy isn’t the only player to move to Belfast ahead of next season.

Players weren’t going to agree to sign for us with such uncertainty over Europe, so now a few deals can hopefully be closed.

It also gives fans the peace of mind to begin booking season tickets for next season. A lot of people have been on edge recently (or people I know anyway) and don’t want to commit to signing up for potentially a ten-team Celtic league and no European competition, but now that there seem to be guarantees on both continuing more or less as they were, potentially there will be a surge in season ticket buyers for next season, especially with priority being given to those who do for this April’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens.

It also gives all parties what they initially bargained for: the PRL get to run the competition and have a meritocracy-based qualification system for the Pro12, while the unions still get to keep a check on the leagues through the higher council if they step out of line. In my opinion it is a fair compromise, and probably the best that we’re going to get. Secretly all parties are yearning for a solution, and this is one that suits everyone well – it should be (and probably will be) signed in the near future.

So, happy days then? Watch this space…

Swing low, sweet chariot

And so to the game that could define Ireland’s Six Nations hopes this season. Wales have been defeated so that’s one of our rivals down, now if we can beat England and then France the week afterwards then a Grand Slam is on the cards.

Ireland are in a great position though. Joe Schmidt seems to have brought in a new direction for the international team and so far it has worked wonders. Apart from that humiliation against Australia back in November, so far Schmidt has been a very successful coach for Ireland, and he has a policy of getting the win no matter what.

England have shown over the last two games that they’re beatable. France defeated them even though England were the better team, and despite the fact that this Scotland team is possibly the worst side to ever grace the Six Nations, the English could only put twenty points on them, and they squandered numerous opportunities. For all the positives being thrown at England, the stats don’t seem to back them up.

So in my opinion Ireland won’t get a better chance to win at Twickenham than this weekend, and if they go there and play for the full eighty minutes and come away with the win, then a few players can be given a well-deserved rest against Italy (who aren’t up to much more than Scotland) ahead of what should be a huge game against France in Paris that will decide whether the Grand Slam comes back to Dublin or not.

Then again, I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself, England can easily win this Saturday too. I backed them to win the Grand Slam at the start of the tournament, and although that won’t happen anymore, I still believe they’re one of the better teams in this competition, and although I now think that Ireland will win, England will push them all the way.

It will be an incredible match. I think Ireland will sneak it buoyed by the possibility of that final day Grand Slam shoot-out against France, however no team likes to lose at home (obviously) and the Twickenham crowd will demand that their side make up for that opening day loss at the Stade de France.

Time for Ireland to de-rail the chariot!