In what’s proving to be a beautiful summer time of sport, the choice to rename Twickenham to Allianz Stadium looks like an almighty blow. It’s one I used to be shocked and saddened to be taught of. The explanation for doing it’s apparent. Cash.
The RFU badly wants money. It’s required to assist the group recreation, to fund its new elite participant contracts, to present the ladies’s recreation the assist it richly deserves and to mobilise a rugby sevens programme able to profitable Olympic gold. It’s wanted to drive England’s age group sides and ship a pipeline of expertise, to generate extra coaches, to raised assist gamers off the sector and far, far more in addition to.
Steve Borthwick’s England confirmed nice promise within the second half of the season simply completed, however English rugby as a complete and the RFU has fallen off the tempo each in world rugby and compared to different home and international sports activities.
The RFU has a mountain to climb and the response of the board has been to take the choice to promote its soul and take away the title ‘Twickenham’ totally from the historic stadium.
I and plenty of others wish to know why and the way has it has come to this? As an England participant, you’re a custodian of the jersey. It’s not yours. It’s your duty to fill it with pleasure and go away it in a greater place than you discovered it. The identical applies to the top coach and the RFU board. I ponder how the RFU board or whoever accredited this may replicate on it in years to return if changing Twickenham with the Allianz Stadium is to be their enduring legacy?
The Rugby Soccer Union has taken the controversial determination to rename Twickenham
Sir Clive Woodward says the choice is a ‘blow’ however that the RFU ‘badly wants money’ to assist the group recreation, fund elite participant contracts and provides assist to the ladies’s recreation
Twickenham stands for greater than 100 years of historical past, heritage and English rugby folklore
Australia already has an Allianz Stadium so it will not even be the one one in rugby
Upon reflection, the deal feels sadly inevitable. I take no consolation within the truth Eire, Wales, and Scotland have already offered their stadium naming rights. England shouldn’t take pleasure in following their lead. While Covid has hit rugby onerous and I totally perceive the necessity to drive income, I don’t settle for that as an excuse as a result of each sport has confronted the identical challenges.
Australia have already got an Allianz Stadium, so we’re not even the one one in rugby! Some folks may assume a reputation means nothing. However I couldn’t disagree extra. Twickenham stands for greater than 100 years of historical past, heritage and English rugby folklore. These questioning this determination are being labelled ‘traditionalists’ by the RFU which is an affordable shot and no completely different than calling these folks ‘previous farts’ as Will Carling famously did all these years in the past. Nothing is farther from the reality. The historical past and custom that Twickenham represents must be sacrosanct.
I needed Twickenham to turn into a fortress in my time as coach – the stage upon which we took on the world and the place we’d encourage the nation and present followers rugby as they’d by no means skilled it earlier than. Twickenham meant all the pieces to us and I imply all the pieces. Once I return residence on the flight path over west London, I eagerly look out for Twickenham and nonetheless get goose bumps once I see it. I could also be sentimental, however it’s a connection many really feel whether or not they performed for England or supported from the terraces.
I used to be fascinated and impressed to listen to lately of how a lot cash Wimbledon leaves on the desk annually. They might promote so many extra sponsorship packages – not least the naming rights to The Championships or to Centre Court docket – however they don’t as a result of they perceive the worth of what Wimbledon represents as a model.
Are you able to think about Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz taking part in on Allianz Centre Court docket? How would Scottie Scheffler really feel arriving at Allianz Augusta? Will we wish to see the primary ball within the Ashes at Allianz Lord’s? Or see England line up at Allianz Wembley?
This isn’t a dig at Allianz in any means. They’re massive supporters of sport globally and it’s incredible they wish to proceed backing English rugby as they’ve Saracens in recent times. However it’s on the RFU to make it occur in the precise means and present there are some issues about rugby which are actually priceless. Sadly, that merely hasn’t occurred.
So, what now? Effectively, the RFU should put their mouth the place their new-found cash is. However how far will a reported £10million a yr go? On the face of it, it doesn’t appear to be very a lot.
It will be troublesome to think about Carlos Alcaraz taking part in Novak Djokovic on the Allianz Centre Court docket if tennis had been to go in the identical route sooner or later
RFU chief government Invoice Sweeney says the partnership will likely be vastly useful for rugby
Invoice Sweeney has been fast to say the income will go to the group recreation and rightly so, however precisely a lot? How will this deal assist regenerate the synthetic, boring environment at Twickenham and get followers’ eyes again on the sector as a substitute of on their subsequent pint?
While I’m questioning the technique the RFU is shifting the sport to, what in regards to the Olympics? I couldn’t imagine Crew GB didn’t area a males’s sevens staff in Paris or that the ladies’s gamers weren’t on full-time contracts. These are the missed alternatives that the RFU board so undervalue and misunderstand. Hopefully among the Allianz cash will go into areas like sevens.
There stays a mountain to climb for the RFU to revive England to the place it as soon as was – on the pinnacle of world rugby and international sport. Cash is required to take action and I get that. However this naming rights deal is not any silver bullet and for me, the entire removing of Twickenham from the venue represented a really unhappy and poignant day.
