Here are two lists, purely for purposes of comparison. The first is an evocative Who’s Who of instantly recognisable rugby arenas: Ellis Park, Ravenhill, Lansdowne Road, Murrayfield, Newlands. Now here is the second: Coca-Cola Park, Kingspan Stadium, Aviva Stadium, BT Murrayfield, DHL Newlands. Same stretch of turf, a far less romantic feel.
Do people’s sensitivities over such issues still count for anything? The Rugby Football Union clearly does not think so, judging by its apparent interest in flogging the naming rights to Twickenham. Welcome, one and all, to Hooters Twickenham? Or Twickenham brought to you by Carpetright? Or Twix Twickers? Talk about an idea that deserves two fingers stuck up at it.
No prizes for guessing why sporting organisations opt to head down the branded route. Professional players need paying, bottom lines need massaging but selling your stadium naming rights comes at a price in other respects. If, like rugby, you are trying to market yourself as a sport stuffed full of history, noble tradition and Corinthian values, it does not pay to add too many artificial sweeteners to the “brand”.
We are all familiar with the most extreme examples of the genre, past and present. The Mend-a-Hose Jungle (Castleford rugby league), Hunky Dorys Park in Drogheda, Tony Macaroni Arena in Livingston and Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, might all be faintly amusing on first hearing but name alterations are invariably done for financial not comedy value. In the RFU’s case, there is the minor matter of a redeveloped East Stand costing £54m, including upgraded corporate facilities, to fund.
“We wouldn’t rule out any appropriate commercial opportunity for the venue, the fanbase and the stakeholders,” Steve Brown, the union’s new chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph. “We have an obligation to maximise the potential of our assets and ensure we have money to reinvest. We wouldn’t rule it out at all but it would have to be right. It’s more than just the value – it has to match what we’re trying to do here.”
That last line is the crucial one. What the RFU should be doing, if it cares about how others perceive it, is looking to rebrand itself as something other than a frenzied money-making operation with some rugby posts attached. Last week, when I pointed out to Brown that England’s international gate receipts are only as buoyant as the continued competitiveness of their less wealthy visiting rivals, he did acknowledge “that the seven big games we stage here require six or seven big opponents”. He went on to confirm the RFU had invested with USA Rugby in a company called Rugby International Marketing to investigate ways of giving the game a bigger foothold in the US, with China potentially the RFU’s next target. “There are 40 million people [in the US] interested in rugby union, alpine skiing and lacrosse,” Brown said. “If you can get some traction with that you could see something really quite interesting.”
Maybe. At no stage, however, did he pledge to help the Pacific Islands or other poorer unions around the world who must exist on a fraction of the annual income the 82,000-capacity Twickenham generates and face an increasingly uncertain outlook, particularly in XVs. Nor did he intimate that the new, improved East Stand would be named after Jason Leonard or Andy Ripley or Bill Beaumont or Jonny Wilkinson or Alastair Hignell or any of the other top players and inspirational people who best symbolise the spirit and ethos of English rugby.
Admittedly Ireland, Wales and Scotland now all have stadium title sponsors and famous venues such as Carisbrook and Athletic Park are no longer on the circuit but still: how gloriously refreshing it would be if England actually chose to think a little differently? Of course sponsors are crucial to modern sport but oiling the wheels can be done in a variety of ways. Cricket has yet to stage Tests at AIG Lord’s and there is no pressing need for Twickenham, in the current economic climate, to join the lemming‑like dash for venue‑naming cash.
If the RFU really wants to change the name of its old cabbage patch, then fine. By all means re-christen it Wilko Stadium, Jonny Park or the Fun Bus Arena and stand by for the waves of global love. Even better, get together with a few existing sponsors and donate a substantial sum annually to global rugby development for the benefit of the many rather than a few.
Before jumping greedily into bed with yet another wonga-waving suitor, Twickenham’s finest should think long and hard about the perception it will inevitably provoke. In terms of preserving the intangible mystique upon which Test rugby relies, less will always be more.
Waiting game
Increasingly rare is the game of top-level rugby that ends within two hours of kicking off. The TMO referrals, the injury interruptions, the scrum resets … add it all together and a supposed 80-minute contest becomes nothing of the sort. At Wasps on Sunday, the TMO debate over whether Nathan Hughes had led with his elbow into a tackle lasted for an age, even though the on-field referee twice said he could see nothing wrong with it. Hopefully the day when each side are permitted a maximum of one potential TMO referral apiece beyond “yes or no” try confirmations is drawing closer; the citing officer can then deal with the rest at his leisure and everyone else can be home in time for tea.
One to watch this week
Leinster v Munster. The European Champions Cup is looming and here is a chance to assess the readiness of two of Irish rugby’s prime contenders. Both have lost only once in the Pro14 this season, both would love to kick off in Europe with some momentum behind them. Leinster will have to do without their injured captain, Isa Nacewa, but their Lions centre Robbie Henshaw could be back. Munster, meanwhile, are hopeful the Springbok assistant coach, Johann van Graan, will succeed Rassie Erasmus, despite the insistence of the Boks head coach, Allister Coetzee, that Van Graan remains contracted to the South African Rugby Union.