It’s a shame Premiership Rugby stars aren’t playing this weekend
Off the back of two brilliant weeks of Champions Cup rugby and just a week away from the start of the Six Nations, it is a shame that this week’s Premiership fixtures will be devoid of all England players set to feature in the looming international championship.
Having seen the league drop from 13 teams to 10 after the downfalls of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish, swathes of the usually congested fixture list were freed up.
It has meant that, for the first time, the majority of international weeks do not have Premiership matches scheduled for the same time.
But ahead of both the Autumn Nations Series and the Six Nations England have jetted off for a warm weather camp, depriving their players of one final game with their clubs.
Why does this matter? Because the 10-team league is so congested – just 10 points separate second from eighth – that losing England internationals for just one game could make the difference at the end of the season.
It also strips fans of the exciting prospect of seeing their club’s biggest stars one last time before they’re on our screens representing England.
With so much time in the schedule being spent on the Premiership Rugby Cup there’s scope to make a subtle change to the schedules from next season that would have a monumental impact on the marketability of the league and its 10 clubs.
Looking at Friday night’s game, Harlequins – excluding injury withdrawals – will be without five players, two forwards and three backs, while opponents Northampton Saints will be missing two forwards and four backs.
Between the two there are 11 current or potential England internationals missing, in a fixture that would otherwise guarantee some of the most sensational, exciting rugby of the season.
It also has a monumental impact on the style of game we are going to get with, for example, both Marcus Smith and Fin Smith away.
I probably would have backed a Saints win were both sides at full strength but that feeling is weakened by the teams available.
Moreover, Sale’s home fixture against Bath sees eight players missing for the hosts – including six first choice forwards – and four missing for the West Country outfit.
Gloucester will be missing a solitary player in Arthur Clark but Leicester will be missing three forwards and a back.
Exeter, like Gloucester, lose one player but Saracens will be without five.
And while Newcastle have no absentees – apart from the abrupt departure of Adam Radwan to Leicester Tigers this week – Bristol will be missing two key players.
It does the league a disservice to take away the English stars at such a crucial point in the calendar, when fans are more than ever likely to be picking up on rugby discourse.
The training weeks are good for England and undoubtedly help with the preparation Steve Borthwick needs with his squad, but play a cup game in these training weeks rather than a full-blown Premiership one.
It is a minor criticism of what has been a super period of rugby, for teams and fans. But rugby needs to be built on the brands of players, and when fans cannot expect to see the big names at crucial Premiership matches it does make a difference.
Every point will be crucial when the final table is decided, and I hope clubs don’t look back to this weekend and their absent players as justification for underachieving this season.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11