EXPANSIVE PLAY
2016 has undoubtedly been the year of the sporting underdog. Wales reached the semi-finals of the European Championships, Leicester City won the Premier League, and Connacht claimed the Pro12 title.
The latter seemed an impossible feat just a few years ago – not least because the Irish Rugby Union was considering disbanding the province to save money.
It was the style of their victory that was so appealing. They won it with a genuine swagger, playing an expansive, fluid brand of rugby that belied the conditions they’re often faced with on the wind-blown west coast of Ireland.
Their actions have been contagious. At the Pro12 launch in Dublin on Tuesday, virtually all the coaches spoke of the need to seek the open spaces rather than the congested channels.
Statistics compiled by World Rugby underline the fact that the Pro12 already serves up an attacking feast each weekend, with more ball in play time than any other league globally, fewer penalties conceded than any other league in Europe, and a decade-high tally of 602 tries scored last season.
AMERICAN EXPANSION
If the coaches were talking about expansion on the pitch, the s were talking about expansion off it.
Financially, the Pro12 is Europe’s poor cousin, its revenues dwarfed by those in the Aviva Premiership and the French Top 14.
In order to close that gap, the Pro12 is widening it’s horizons, and gazing across the Atlantic.
It may seem like folly to partner up with a country in which rugby is a minority sport, but the Pro12’s Managing Director has spoken in enthusiastic of the country’s “phenomenal numbers” and “huge primary market”.
The plan – still at a formative stage – is to place two North American franchises in the league, and to secure investment from a US broadcaster.
Given that geography has been the league’s biggest obstacle (away fans are a rarity except for local derbies) adding two away trips to another continent doesn’t seem like an obvious solution.
But, with a sizeable celtic diaspora in the US, and a burgeoning interest in rugby following the Olympics, it may yet prove a visionary step in the league’s ongoing evolution.
WELSH HOPES
Last season, the Scarlets spent much of their campaign comfortably ensconced in the top four, before slipping out of contention at the last minute.
Their fifth place finish was the highest for a Welsh region, and secured them Champions Cup rugby this season.
This year, with a revamped backline that could strike fear into the heart of the most resolute of defences, they’re surely contenders.
For the rest, it was a season of underachievement.
The Ospreys are the most successful Welsh region in the competition’s history and are determined to atone for their eighth place finish last year.
The Blues were ultimately undone by their slow start – having to play the four Irish provinces away during the first five weeks of the season.
This time, the fixture list is friendlier, and their 4G Arms Park pitch is becoming a real asset, catching visiting teams cold if they’re unable to adapt to its pace and bounce.
For the Dragons, the only way is up. They had more losing bonus points than any other side in the league last year, suggesting the line between victory and defeat for them is a narrow one.
The solution according to head coach Kingsley Jones? Take more risks, score more tries. The terraces at Rodney Parade could witness some exciting action this season.
NEW ARRIVALS
The regions have long been accustomed to shopping on a budget, but perhaps that makes you better attuned to spotting a bargain.
That’s certainly the case for the Blues, who’ve secured the services of Super Rugby Champion, Willis Halaholo.
A bench-player when they signed him, he’s since been elevated to the Hurricanes’ starting line-up and was a crucial player in their run to the title.
As Blues’ head coach Danny Wilson has acknowledged, he may well have been beyond their budget if they’d approached him now.
The Scarlets and Ospreys have picked off a couple of the Crusaders’ shining lights with Johnny McNicholl and Kieron Fonotia on their way to Parc y Scarlets and the Liberty respectively.
All three will up after their Mitre 10 Cup duties are fulfilled in October, and will hopefully add to the long line of Southern Hemisphere imports that have lit up the league.
