‘You can’t ring-fence 12 teams’: Joe Schmidt backs players and calls for re-think from World Rugby

IRELAND HEAD COACH Joe Schmidt signalled late last year that he won’t be in charge of a team for whatever shape the 2020 season takes, but the Kiwi backed the players’ council in decrying the proposed ‘world league’.

As president of International Rugby Players (IRP) Schmidt’s long-term lieutenant Johnny Sexton led the criticism of the new tournament along with Owen Farrell and Kieran Read, captains of England and New Zealand respectively.

“When Johnny, when Owen, when Kieran Read are all saying similar things,” said Schmidt after leading an open training sessio in Belfast, “even from slightly different perspectives I think that World Rugby have to listen, don’t they?

The leaked format of the 12-team tournament, which could see the USA and Japan included for a lucrative 12-year run at the expense of Fiji (ranked ninth in the world, ahead of Argentina never mind Japan), Georgia (ranked 12, ahead of USA and Italy) and every other nation hoping to build their way into rugby’s upper echelons.

“Yes, you are trying to compete on a global stage where there is a lot of competition. But if you want to speak globally you can’t ring-fence 12 teams and say forever because 12 years is a long time for it to be exclusive,” said Schmidt.

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“There are things that they are going to have to work out and work through.

“I will be finished, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love the game and I don’t want to be watching teams play. And that includes some teams that maybe aren’t fashionable now but in 12 years’ time could potentially be.

“Georgia and England had a bit of a scrum session again and, I don’t know who won the scrums or the fights afterwards, but I do know that they are looking to match up and improve themselves.

“For those opportunities to go awry as well, it is a complicated conundrum for World Rugby.

“I’ve only looked from the outside in. I have seen a few emails float around amongst players and things, but I’m watching from the outside like you guys and hoping we can get the best of all worlds. Which is not necessarily a reality but what we are all hoping for.”

Meanwhile, former Samoa international Daniel Leo – now working as player welfare manager for Pacific Island players in Europe – is calling for a World Cup boycott from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.

“We are setting in place a vote of all our members over whether the Pacific Island nations should boycott this year’s World Cup,” said Leo.