IS RUGBY BECOMING A GAME WE JUST WATCH?

I attended a Sunday Times Autumn Internationals review in town last week with Stephen Jones, Stuart Barnes, Lol Dallaglio and Big Jim Hamilton. All the debate was about us watching rugby at the elite level (obviously), rather than the state of the game at the amateur level. The international game appears in rude health, with the RFU claiming 2.5m+ applications for 82,000 Twickenham tickets this Saturday, even with the most expensive now costing some (corporates I guess) £195 each. It is New Zealand I hear you cry, and we have not played them for 4 years, so a game not to be missed, so happy to shell out a mass premium for the AB's - however, even the SA and Aussie match tickets are costing an eyewatering £150, hardly within the budget of a young millennial amateur player once food, beverage and transport thrown in! But, don't worry lad, you can go and watch Japan!  Apparently, the RFU needs the money, as even £8m per game is not sufficient to fund Eddie, the management team, the players and the community game ... anyway enough on the RFU Banana Republic. In summary, with even Scotland now selling out their home games, including Fiji, the professional game for Tier 1 countries, especially at international and club level (with TV money), appears to be making good progress (Tier 2 country debate for another day).

Banana Republic HQ

I fear for the amateur game, yes, all community rugby clubs across the country are buzzing with mini and youth on a Sunday, who now contribute the majority of the club revenue, but, especially in the South, when this homegrown talent leaves school to head off to Uni or world of work, the majority lose contact with their local club, and either join a city team, or stop playing the beautiful game altogether. I feel this pain personally as run an U23 side for my local club, which helps keep the club-lads bond strong during Uni days, and provides a bit of strength in depth for the lower club teams during holidays. But, it is becoming increasingly difficult, with most of them, either stopping playing due to fear of injury or wine, women and song, or drifting away to work in London (where their peer group is) or up North (where the maths work), As a result, ours, like most small amateur clubs, who used to run 6-8 adult teams back in the day, now struggles to field 2-3 teams on a good day. And what is the RFU response, with their £8m per game? They are making HQ management and community coaches redundant to fund the increasing cost of the professional game. And, finally, we have not even touched on the increasing physicality of the game, which the RFU and World Rugby are rightly trying to address, to deter parents from withdrawing their son or daughter once they reach a certain age (when size is everything). But after Farrell's tackle at the weekend, even the most experienced observer of the game is confused what is legal or not, let alone a 12 year old. Given the mother test, that challenge would have failed...

So is adult rugby union, like golf or American footy, set to become a professional sport we watch, rather than a game at the heart of the local community that we play to keep fit? If so, will it survive?