Here's your rugby evening headlines for Sunday July 24.
Newcastle release statement over investigation
Newcastle Falcons have issued a statement in response to news that the Rugby Football Union will launch an independent investigation into racism at the club to follow up claims made by former centre Luther Burrell.
English rugby authorities will launch a feedback process this week to discover the extent of racism in the game in the wake of allegations made by former England international Burrell. He last month received apologies from the RFU and Premiership Rugby Limited after he said racism was “rife” within the sport and that racist “banter” had become normalised among team-mates.
The RFU, the sport’s national governing body, intends to begin a joint initiative alongside PRL and the Rugby Players Association (RPA) to uncover the scale of the issue. RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has twice met Burrell in recent weeks and said the player will be “part of the process”.
In response to the news of an inquiry, a statement from Newcastle read: "Following Luther Burrell’s recent media interviews, Newcastle Falcons - as Luther’s most recent club - said it would investigate whether any of the incidents referenced in the article took place during his time at Newcastle Falcons. The club also want to ensure that all our players and staff continue to feel they have a forum to raise concerns should they need to.
"We wanted the investigation to be fully independent and, as such, we agreed that the RFU would conduct the investigation and we will review their findings and recommendations before deciding on any appropriate action.
"The club has a rich history of cultural diversity within the squad and the wider business, with multiple nationalities and cultures represented across the company. There is no place for any discriminatory behaviour in rugby or in any walk of life.
"All of our employees are currently undertaking equality, diversity and inclusion refresher training and this will form part of a regular programme going forward. We are determined to continue to be a fully inclusive club.
"We would encourage everyone involved in rugby to work together collectively to ensure the right processes are in place and that rugby is the inclusive and welcoming environment it should be."
Club World Cup agreement could happen later this year
Mark McCafferty believes an agreement for a new Club World Cup could be in place by October and launched as early as 2024 as part of a radical shake-up of the sport.
The former chief executive of Premiership Rugby is currently a Director of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) who run the Heineken Champions Cup. He is also an advisor to CVC Capital Partners, the private equity company, that has bought a share of the Six Nations and leading European leagues.
And speaking to RugbyPass, he said that an agreement could soon be in place for a competition that would see the best of the northern and southern hemisphere face each other.
“If it stays on track then by October/November we could have agreement," said McCafferty. "There are certain points in a sports’ development where you have to seize the moment and there is a growing feeling that if rugby can deliver on the global stage a new international competition – Nations Championship – combining the July and November Tests windows and a new Club World Cup using existing weeks in the calendar, then it is good for everyone.
“It is not adding a new competition it is enhancing existing competitions once every four years. We are giving players and fans the opportunity to see who is the best club in the world with the chance for say Toulouse to face the Crusaders, or Brumbies taking on Saracens. I think it is very appetising and that’s the response we have had.
“Now, we have to make all the numbers work and those are the ongoing discussions. The starting point depends on a number of things and the date for the Nations competition is looking like 2026 and so for the club competition it could be 2024 or 2025. We have to make sure we give ourselves enough time and that is part of the current discussions with Super Rugby.
“While there is still lot of detail to be finalised, the direction of travel is promising. But, these things take a lot of nailing down.”
All Black coach still has backing of players
All Blacks coach Ian Foster insists he still has the backing of his players despite parting company with two of his coaching ticket.
Former Scarlets coach Brad Mooar and ex-Swansea coach John Plumtree have left their roles as attack coach and forwards coach respectively following a Test series defeat to Ireland. However, the move to change up his coaching staff might not yet be enough to relieve the pressure on Foster - even if he remains insistent that he still has his players' backing.
“I believe I’ve got the group and now I’ve got to deliver the plan and so part of the changes I’ve made is about making sure I’m not taking for granted their belief in the direction that I’m heading, but I’m also listening to them and making the changes that we all feel we need for this team,” Foster said.
Former All Black believes union is being 'dominated' by league
Former All Black fullback Israel Dagg has made a startling admission that rugby union is being ‘absolutely dominated’ by its rival code, with rugby league commanding more of an audience in New Zealand.
“We’ve got a real situation at the moment where rugby league and rugby union are competing and rugby league is absolutely dominating,” Dagg said on The 42.ie’s Rugby Weekly Extra podcast.
“If you want to go and watch sport for entertainment, you go and watch league at the moment.
“They’re ticking all the boxes and one of the biggest factors is that they have got clarity in how the game is being played.
“The game [union] is just… the rules, the officiating – it’s confusing. It’s so stop-start and there’s no ball in play.”
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