Rob Andrew calls for timetable changes
Rob Andrew, England’s director of elite rugby, has called into question the future of mid-year tours in the years of a Rugby World Cup after England named a squad devoid of over 30 top-name players for the two-Test trip to South Africa.
The issue of Test matches being devalued by weakened teams has been on the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) agenda since at least last year and it will be discussed again at Wednesday’s executive committee meeting in Dublin.
The problem is all the more acute this year because of the World Cup taking place in September, which squeezes both the end of this season and the start of next.
Wales and Ireland have named shadow squads for their tours of Australia and Argentina respectively to ensure key first-choice players can prepare properly for the World Cup.
England are further affected by the loss of all players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath who are in action in European finals a weekend before the first Test in Bloemfontein on May 26.
Jason Robinson will captain a new-look England squad, which includes seven uncapped players and the return to international rugby of Bristol hooker Mark Regan and Saracens prop Kevin Yates.
Andrew explained England had no alternative and he expects the IRB to act swiftly to deal with the issue.
“You have to look at what a September World Cup means in terms of scheduling,” he said.
“We have been pretty unfortunate in one sense that three teams have got into two European finals on the weekend before the tour goes.
“You also have to consider how short the preparation time is between the end of the tour of South Africa and start of the World Cup training camp, with warm-up games on August 4 and the World Cup starting on September 7.
“It is pretty tight at the end of a long season. The IRB are looking at this window in a pre-World Cup year and whether there should be any touring from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was addressed moving forward.
“Opinions are being canvassed at the moment and it is part of the IRB’s look at the international tour schedule and the impact it has on a World Cup year, particularly a September World Cup.
“It has now become a live issue, not just in England but in Wales, France and Ireland as well.”
The IRB admit to being concerned that Test matches and Test caps do not become devalued by a preponderance of shadow teams.
“It is something we are looking to resolve,” and a spokesman told PA Sport.
“It is the subject of on-going discussions and it will be discussed again tomorrow.”
In addition to losing 31 potential players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath, head coach Brian Ashton is missing eight key players through injury.
That list includes experienced figures like incumbent captain Mike Catt, Mike Tindall and Mark Cueto while Shane Geraghty is omitted because he has not played since March 24 and would not be ready for a Test at altitude.
But Ashton refused to dwell on frustrations which are beyond his control and preferred to concentrate on the opportunities the tour would present for the likes of uncapped Bristol prop Nick Wood and Harlequins full-back Mike Brown.
Ashton said: “We have two Test matches to play and this is a golden opportunity for players to show they can handle Test match rugby in the heat of Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
“We will look to put in a challenging performance and we have one or two characters in the side who revel in that situation.
“It is going to be a massive challenge and incredibly tough but on a one-off occasion it has been known for sides to win when they are very much underdogs.”
Ashton was still able to draw on five World Cup winners in the form of Robinson, Regan, Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Gomarsall and Ben Cohen.
In the absence of Catt and Phil Vickery, who will have been on Heineken Cup final duty for Wasps against Leicester, Ashton opted for Robinson as captain ahead of Wilkinson or former skipper Pat Sanderson.
He explained: “I went for Jason because he has had more experience on the field of captaining an international side.
“Jonny has never set foot on the field as captain of England and Pat Sanderson has only done it twice.
“With the squad we are taking out there we needed someone who has done it before. He is a player who is massively respected by all the other players in the team.”
Finding four props has been Ashton’s toughest task.
Andrew Sheridan is injured, Perry Freshwater is staying with Perpignan while Vickery, Julian White and Matt Stevens are on European finals duty.
Ashton recalled Yates, 10 years after winning his first two caps, and Bristol’s veteran tight-head Darren Crompton along with Wood and Sale’s Stuart Turner.
“It is pretty well chronicled about the front row players who are not available. The key thing then was to look at who else was available with experience,” said Ashton.
