Paul Lewis: The nasty smell behind rugby's new cash-rich tournament

OPINION:

It's overshadowed by the Rugby Championship right now but make no mistake – the proposed World 12s rugby circus will raise its head again, even if rugby needs it like it needs square-wheeled bicycles.

The people behind it say they want to collaborate with World Rugby but it has potential to be a rebel breakaway if the money is as plentiful as suggested and with its facility for enhanced player power.

There's a bit of a nasty smell about the 12s, even if they've roped in former NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew as a non-executive director and former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen; who has made noises about benefits to the All Blacks and high-sounding opinions about how the 12s can help change rugby's complex laws.

It'll provide an alternative, Hansen said, to players disappearing for long stints playing overseas – as they could play in the three-week 12s competition and make their money before returning to first-class rugby and tests.

Which is a bit odd as the All Black players' mantra about playing in Europe has always been that it's not just about the cash; it's more about a change in culture, the chance to travel with the family, experience new things, yada yada yada.

However, if you want to see the effect the 12s might have, look no further than the cash-rich IPL and the recent, aborted England-India test cricket series. India led 2-1 after four tests. Coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for Covid-19 (as did three other support staff; no players did) after a large gathering at his book launch where social distancing was not observed.

Indian cricket agitated for the fifth test to be called off (now being played as a one-off test in some unspecified future). Many think that behind all this was the IPL, which kicked off in the UAE on September 19.

But it wasn't really about Covid-19 or the players being alarmed or even tired; it's about power. The muscle given Indian cricket by the IPL stems from big money – attracting many of the world's best players, giving them a lever against national bodies who can only give-in when IPL obligations get in the way of test matches.

That's the potential context for the Rugby 12s – 192 of the world's best players in eight franchise teams of six forwards, six backs; 30-minute games played in 15-minute halves; men's and women's global competitions with players purchased at auction, IPL-style, supposedly offering $500m over five years.

It has the sense of a back-door grab for control, using the pulling power of lots of money for not much work. Hansen has said he can see the players "pushing their clubs and unions" to make room for it; they will have noticed how much power the IPL gives cricketers over national bodies.

Steve Hansen (L) and Steve Tew have a long and successful history of working together. Photo / Photosport

What makes things a bit whiffy for New Zealand is that both Hansen and Tew were big noises in New Zealand rugby when the traffic in players to the wealthy north was at its height. They are now odd bedfellows with 12s boss and former adversary Ian Ritchie – past head of England's Rugby Union.

He clashed with Tew and Hansen back in 2016 when the cash-strapped south was trying to enlist the aid of the wealthy north in a global calendar. Ritchie's response was: "Go and build a bigger stadium if you want to increase revenue growth" – great to see the global arms of the game encircling each other in the warm glow of helpful humanity.

Ritchie then criticised the schedule for the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand, recommending a reduced number of matches to guard against player burnout. So, knowing the south needed ways of boosting its financial base, Ritchie advocated lessening New Zealand Rugby's ability to fill that "bigger stadium". What a guy. Oddly enough, he made no mention of player burnout in the 12s launch.

But here's an idea: why not fix rugby's soul – surely the first task of anyone who cares about the sport? The 15-aside test match and first-class versions of the game are beset by complex rules which sometimes choke on their own stodginess, dominated by defence and kicking.

The 12s people (with complete silence on the possibility of truckloads of money to be made by someone) want us to believe new rules in this lesser form of the game would somehow lead the 15-aside game to better things. So just cut out the middle man – changing the existing rules is the best way to attract more people to watch and to be "fast, exciting, innovative and entertaining" (Ritchie's description of the 12s).

Ritchie said he wouldn't call the 12s a "rebel" enterprise – but he presumably wouldn't mind if some top southern hemisphere players opt to go into the auction instead of the Rugby Championship, with which (surprise, surprise) it is scheduled to clash.

Maybe the 12s won't even get as far as the Global 10s; they lasted for a couple of years in 2017 and 2018 with no great impact on anyone before disappearing.

But you get the distinct feeling that, if it happens, it is not likely to benefit the southern hemisphere.