If the rugby directors of Old Wesley, Queen’s and Greystones were to compare notes on their end-of-season reports, they might have a footnote in common: if a new pandemic hits us then we’ll move heaven and earth to scrap the play- offs and presents the cutlery at the end of the league campaign, no matter how long it lasts.
Covid shattering the integrity of this season’s competition meant the play-off system was expanded below Division 1A to include teams that were top of the table. So instead of automatically packing the promotional bags and bowing out on unbeatable points, you rolled up your sleeves for the knockout stages.
As it turned out, Covid was a bit of an irritant to the fixture list, but by then the system was settled.
The drama of moving into the top four leagues was extraordinary. In Division 1A, Clontarf finished the season with 18 wins from 19 games, 16 points behind second-placed Terenure. When the clubs met in the final last Sunday, the topic was live until the final whistle.
A few things were certain going down the stretch: when it came to a scrum the referee, struggling to read some vital signs all day, could have given a different result; and if there was a conversion that needed to be kicked for Terenure to win, Caolan Dooley wasn’t going to miss it.
In the end, the title went to the best team in the competition, which you might think is appropriate – that a league is about consistency over a season and not a series of one-off cup games. Alternatively, you might like the idea that a team has two tracks to prove: get close enough to the top of the table when the playoffs are set, and then switch on your “rugby cup” mode for the knockout rounds.
Everyone here knows the state of the country by now, so whether you’re going into the playoffs on the back of an outstanding campaign or scraped in with the skin of your teeth, it’s almost set in stone.
It was different in the lower leagues. For Old Wesley, Queen’s and Greystones all ended up empty-handed after being ambushed in the knockouts. Wesley finished a season with 16 wins from 18 games, seven points behind the second-place team, which doesn’t matter now. They managed to lose to Naas at home in the semifinals. End of the story.
As for Queen’s, they sped away with Division 2A to lead the table by 14 points over Cashel after winning 15 of 18 games. Then they lost in the playoffs by a point to Buccaneers, who only had 10 wins in the regular season. you get the picture Buccs started the long journey home with the special feeling that he had slipped in through the back door and disappeared with the cutlery.
For Buccs, however, part of that Belfast to Athlone rotation will have been spent wondering what adjustments are needed for next season, in which they will play a higher standard of rugby from start to finish.
With Queen’s cursing the Covid-induced format, Buccs need to watch what they wish for.
Meanwhile, the Greystones in Division 2B ended the regular season four points clear of the playoffs. Two big paydays came their way, at home against Corinthians in the semifinals and then again against Blackrock in the final. From a winning position they were overtaken by Rock.
This format was purely a response to Covid and fears that teams would automatically be promoted due to a string of canceled games. So you can imagine next season it’s going to be back to normal with only the Division 1A standings having to sing at dinner, right?
Maybe not. The reason for attaching playoffs to a league campaign is all about drama and money: a few extra weekends with the prospect of an upset, which is good for the punters – well, some of them – and good for the sponsors . It’s the chosen route to settling disputes further up the food chain, with France’s top 14, England’s Premiership and URC all testing teams before they can claim champions.
In addition, the clubs themselves like the idea of ’finals days’. The treasurers especially love them. With crowds flocking to games across the country for the divisional do-or-die games, perhaps the IRFU should reconsider.
They can claim that the club game is in the best of health now that they no longer have to write checks. How many casual fans have walked through the gates of clubs they had previously passed just because of the appeal of knock-out rugby?
Perhaps the fairest solution is for the IRFU to retain a bit of both worlds. So when the regular campaign is over and dusted off, the top club gets a pennant and a check.
The AIL trophy, maybe even an improved version that looks good and another check await the winners of the KO series used in all divisions. Almost everyone takes something away from the exercise.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ail-finale-provided-great-drama-but-wasnt-always-fair-to-the-top-teams-41614341.html Brendan Fanning: The AIL finals offered great drama but weren’t always fair to the top teams
