Rugby World UK – July 2019

Boozing is out of hand

I agree with Juha Tamminen’s comments

about drinking at rugby matches (July).

Like many others, I enjoy a couple of

drinks at the game but it’s being spoiled

by people who can’t hold their water.

I’m seriously considering just watching

games on the box. I go to Glasgow and

Scotland matches and the drink culture

is creeping up. The Pro14 fi nal at Celtic

Park was the worst. I think I saw more

bums in my face than the action on the

park, as a steady fl ow of people getting

up for drinks and comfort breaks

persisted throughout the match.

Clubs take heed because you may fi nd

your attendances starting to fall.

Robert Mckinney, Glasgow

Inclusive approach

Stockport U14 retained the Cheshire

Cup with victory over Chester whilst

fi elding a pure ‘mixed ability’ team.

Whilst some other clubs choose to

only select their strongest players in the

cup, Stockport bucked the trend and

saw both of their mixed-ability teams

make the semi-fi nals! Maybe this is the

reason why we have 42 registered

players at this age group, keeping

everyone happy with inclusivity?

Keith Warhurst, Stockport RUFC U14 coach

Premiership power play

If Premiership clubs had met to devise

a structure in which they called all the

shots, they might have come up with this.

First, you destroy any meaningful form

of domestic representative stage so that

never again will future Bill Beaumonts

and Wade Dooleys be able to reach

the top from ‘grass-roots’ clubs.

Second, you persuade the RFU to

agree that England internationals can

only be chosen from within your ranks,

and also to sign a long and lucrative

agreement to pay for the privilege of

using your players in the England team.

Third, you advocate ringfencing so

your league is sealed off from playing

contact with the rest of England’s clubs.

Having been given undue infl uence by

the RFU, you’re then free to ignore the

best interests of the national side by

employing as many overseas players as

you wish – Sale will shortly

have ten South Africans on

their books. Not much use

to aspiring English talent!

Jeff Gage, Bethersden, Kent

Don’s No 1 to us

Don Armand recently made

his 100th Premiership

appearance for Exeter

Chiefs. It’s such a shame he

isn’t given the opportunity

to be as infl uential for

England as he is for his club.

His form over the last

three to four years has been

phenomenal. England’s loss

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THE RW POLL

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STAR LETTER

INTOUCH

I was interested to read the column

by Mark Evans in the July issue

discussing how rugby can be taken

to a new continent, country, city or

stadium, quoting the examples of

Bilbao (2018), Newcastle (2019) and

Marseille (2020). So can somebody

please explain to me the advantage of

holding both major European fi nals on

consecutive days in the same city?

Not only does this place an

enormous strain on local facilities and

infrastructure but it also means that

fans from four diff erent clubs fi nd

themselves competing for the same

accommodation, often at infl ated

prices. Meanwhile a golden

opportunity to spread rugby to two

cities each year is totally wasted!

Pete Gough, Solihull, West Midlands

RW says: An interesting point. The

idea is to create a ‘big weekend’

feel in which rugby takes over

the particular city. Hoteliers and

transport companies, etc should be

encouraged not to hike prices.

No

30%

Ye s

70%

On the Toon

Clermont’s Greig

Laidlaw in Newcastle

WIN

SOME

GEAR!

Showing the way?

The Stockport U14 boys

Keep the European fi nals apart