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World game warns Twickenham over Tri-Nations plan

Chris Hewett
Thursday 03 October 2002 00:00 BST
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The Rugby Football Union was, in its best Queen Victoria manner, profoundly unamused when the Australians leaked news of a possible Tri-Nations series involving England, the Wallabies and the Springboks, to be held at Twickenham on an annual basis from 2004. Now we know why. Cries of anguish and the grating sound of gnashing teeth could be heard in every corner of the rugby-playing world as players, union representatives and administrators warned of the consequences of any such development.

"They're killing us," said Agustin Pichot, the brilliant Argentinian scrum-half, as he considered the implications of a plan that would effectively deny his country the opportunity of making a high-profile Test appearance at Twickenham in the forseeable future.

"It seems to me that the big nations are interested in big money, and nothing else. The effect of this could be very damaging for teams like Argentina."

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the notoriously impoverished Samoan Rugby Union, Philipp Muller, warned that without a re-loading of the international dice in favour of those second-tier nations without whom the sport could not possibly sustain its claim to global status, the original "Big Eight" – the four home unions, the three southern hemisphere superpowers and France – will soon be on their own.

"Without exposure to Test matches, the Pacific island teams will lose all competitiveness, which in turn will spell their demise as early as the 2007 World Cup," he said. "We have our backs against the wall now."

Muller argued that the controversial North-South Challenge match scheduled for Twickenham on 30 November – a game threatened by a boycott of leading players from virtually every front-line nation – should go ahead. "It does not augur well for world rugby when rich clubs and players think only of their own interests," he added, pointedly.

There was considerable unease about the Tri-Nations venture from the players themselves. Jonny Wilkinson, the Newcastle captain and England outside-half, expressed concern about the effect on club rugby of an intense annual Test tournament involving three of the top five sides in the world. "The implmentation of any new series must be sympathetic to the clubs who provide the players," Wilkinson said. "Their needs can sometimes get lost amid the hype created by international rugby, but clubs remain vital to the health of the sport in this country. They, more than anyone, have the best interests of players at heart."

South Africa, like Australia, have made a habit of visiting Twickenham at the end of their domestic season, and will be here again next month. Their highest-profile player will not be travelling, however: Bobby Skinstad, the Western Province loose forward and former Bokke captain, fractured his left shoulder joint during a Currie Cup match in Pretoria last weekend and requires surgery.

In the English Premiership, Wasps are thought to be chasing the services of the former All Black flanker Josh Kronfeld, who is deeply unsettled at Leicester after failing to nail down a first-team place. A move would give Wasps, potential title challengers this season, a world-class breakaway unit featuring Kronfeld, Joe Worsley and Lawrence Dallaglio.

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