When the three Celtic unions contemplate the relatively poor impact which the pool phase of the Celtic League has made, or its comparative lack of media coverage when set against the European Cup, they could do worse than undertake a bout of navel contemplation. You reap what you sow.
One of the underlying tenets of this column is not to bleat on about the difficulties we in the media may or may not occasionally encounter. But take Sunday as an example of the lack of energy which these unions put into selling the competition. The pool stages had just been completed and not a word emanated on behalf of the Celtic League issuing final tables or even the quarter-final line-up. Those who had reached the play-offs had to work it out for themselves, and not everybody was certain of the final line-up.
It was a bank holiday weekend, of course, and for the three unions concerned the Celtic League bleeds money without a title sponsor. But who's fault is that? And besides, if it was my competition I'd want to make sure the participating clubs or provinces, as well as media outlets, were informed of up-to-the-minute developments, not least the quarter-final line-up. Amid all the passing of the buck, surely somebody in the three unions could have been delegated to take charge.
The undeniable impression since before the season resumed is that there is an underlying lack of cohesion and drive among the three unions. All of them should feel a duty to share the blame. It's as if the Celtic League has been left to run by its own devices, for as one participating head honcho commented: "It's been an unmitigated disaster."
The Welsh union at least issued a combined Welsh Premiership League Guide/Celtic League guide. By contrast, nothing came from the IRFU. There wasn't even a launch for the competition, and the exact fixture times and venues for the first weekend were confirmed less than a fortnight beforehand. Travelling away sides were, in some cases, notified of changes to the appointed kick-offs only a fortnight in advance. Frankly, that isn't good enough.
It was a similar story for the All-Ireland League. Time was when the IRFU and their public relations team would have been selling the competition well in advance, and a new campaign would coincide with launches, marketing initiatives and a sense of eagerness within the governing body, with maybe a few inimitable Mick Cuddy tongue-twisters or the like at the AIB head offices to set the scene and photo shoots with the previous season's champions and the trophy.
Up until the Monday before this season's league, there wasn't so much as a guide or a fixtures list. No recognition whatsoever that an AIL involving all of Ireland's 48 senior clubs was about to start. In the ever-changing rugby climate, it may not have made a huge difference, but the clubs deserved better and it raises the question, have they gone beyond caring themselves?
And yet the Celtic League, by everyone's admission, should be a vital component of Celtic rugby. It may not ideally prepare the participants for the European Cup, but it's still a damned sight better than nothing. That the competition enjoyed such a relatively successful inaugural campaign, in Ireland if not so much in Scotland and Wales, was due to the enthusiasm of the provincial players and supporters alike.
THE Welsh and the Scots were suitably galvanised this season, but even so, in their eyes as well as Irish eyes, the September pool stages were undermined by Ireland's three-Test programme - through no fault of anybody's. The main fall-out from this has been the eviction of the holders, Leinster, from the competition. It's hard to dispute Matt Williams's assertion: "I think our absence has devalued it. One of the best sides in Europe is not going to make it and I think that's a shame for the competition."
Nonetheless, I'd dispute his claim, for public consumption at any rate, that it was "impossible" for Leinster to make the quarter-finals. Difficult, maybe, but not impossible. Leinster missed the play-offs by two points and, reflecting on their home tie with Connacht, when the holders had a full hand to play from save for the injured Girvan Dempsey and Brian O'Driscoll, that 26-23 defeat ultimately cost Leinster a quarter-final place.
Leinster were also missing Eric Miller, but they still had seven forwards from the Ireland squad, whereas Connacht had none - the bottom line was that they wanted it more. Even so, but for Mark McHugh's 84th-minute drop goal that night Leinster would have travelled to Edinburgh for a quarter-final while Connacht would have missed out to Cardiff on their quarter-final in Munster.
That too was typical of Leinster's luck, and but for a match-winning try being wrongly ruled out away to Borders, the same quarter-final scenario would have panned out. In the heel of the hunt, however, it's also hard not to dispute Williams's tongue-in-cheek claim that Leinster's absence has also strengthened Munster's hand as favourites, though Pontypridd may have something to say about that. Either way, the broader competitiveness at this juncture and having quarter-finals in all three countries rather than one has to be good for the Celtic League.
It's worth stressing that despite the international demands and the lack of organisational drive, crowds in the four provinces have held up well this season. Take Ravenhill, where more than 7,000 attended a game against Neath, despite Ulster coming off back-to-back defeats and being without David Humphreys, Andy Ward and Paddy Wallace, not to mention the 10,000 that witnessed the following week's game against Munster.
Likewise, crowds of 5,000-plus have regularly swelled Donnybrook for Celtic League games, and at the Sportsground the games against Cardiff and Pontypridd drew crowds of 2,000-3,000 - records in the province for competitive games. That Thomond Park or Musgrave Park have not been filled can be attributed to Munster's miserable Celtic League home draw - with three of their seven games at home, and two against Ebbw Vale and Caerphilly. Not exactly sexy stuff.
Clearly the rugby community at large wants the Celtic League. The question is, do the Celtic unions?
