The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

Wednesday 28 December 2016 11.57 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016
00.55 GMT
The most pertinent rugby quote of 2016, inevitably, came from Eddie Jones. “There’s only pressure
when you don’t know what you’re doing,” murmured England’s head coach shortly before guiding his
adopted country to their 13th Test victory of a perfect calendar year. As a short, sharp Twitterfriendly
summation of how and why the Australian guru has turned English fortunes around, it was
inch-perfect.
What would England’s national cricket and football teams do for a milligram of Jones’s selfassurance
right now? Maybe the government should give him a call: who better to negotiate a
workable Brexit deal from a standing start? It is easy enough, too, to imagine him discussing the art of
influential leadership with the US president-elect. “Trumpy, mate, come over to Twickenham and I’ll
show you how it’s done.” The tide of global history could be turned for ever.
Lucky for New Zealand they were on the beach
rather than battling England | The Breakdown
Read more
In a post-truth world almost anything is feasible if enough people want to believe it. Rugby has long
been familiar with this concept. How else can the charms of a murderous eight-man shove or the
monarch-of-the-glen beauty of a ripe cauliflower ear be rationally explained? Perception is
important; if no one cares there can be no such thing as great sport.
Which is why, heading into 2017, the future shape of professional rugby union badly needs
clarification. On the one hand this should be a glorious 12 months, potentially even better than the
last, with a British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand twinkling at its heart. On the other the pro
game, now more than two decades old, is mutating from gung-ho adolescence into brutal adulthood.
What was a sport for all shapes and sizes, both physically and financially, grows ever less forgiving
on both fronts.
Only the most unashamed oval-ball politician or one-eyed Barnum could claim things have never
been healthier. In terms of global spread, admittedly, the graph is encouraging, while the 2015 World
Cup generated £2.3bn in overall economic output, including a £1.1bn boost to the UK’s GDP figures.
The Olympics were an inspiring advertisement for sevens; no one who saw Fiji’s giant, modest
gladiators kneel to accept their gold medals could fail to salute their humility and joy. The outpouring
of passion and local pride aroused by the passing of Munster’s Anthony Foley also showed rugby’s
soul remains intact.
Even so, there is a sense that, Jones aside, the game has never been more unsure of itself in more
respects. Where, exactly, does rugby want to be not just next Christmas, but 30 years hence? Does it
embrace sevens or 15s as its best vehicle for long-term growth? Does it want to be a game weighted