This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with restructuring England’s season, free speech and repentance, in what’s been an awkward week for rugby’s PR…

An 18-team top flight?

You could almost hear the laughter from across the Irish Sea, behind Hadrian’s wall and on the other side of Offa’s Dyke as Leinster, Munster and the Scarlets booked their places in this year’s European Cup semi-finals (directed both at the English and those from across the channel).

Casting minds back, even as a neutral it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by schadenfreude at the way the Cup, re-jigged and collateralized three years ago by English and French clubs so they could cash in a bit better, is this season almost certain to be won by one of the Celts.

Meanwhile, while the French do their own thing with the Top 14 – noticeably better in quality this season – English club rugby, looking good on the field, is once again threatening to descend into chaos off it. The asinine idea of a longer season was only averted by the threat of a player strike (and it’s not entirely off the table yet). The singularly awkward number of shareholder clubs in the Premiership – 13 – is making debates about promotion, relegation and ring-fencing near unsolvable, meaning that the ‘new course’ of the tournament, which will start the season after the World Cup next year, is yet to be plotted.

The best bit of up-the-ante rallying up to now was from the immutable Nigel Wray of Saracens, who suggested that clubs would become more popular (and presumably therefore more money-spinning) than country in the future, as has happened to a large extent in soccer.

It’s a persuasive argument, not only because club matches are eminently more affordable and accessible than internationals, but also because of the potential greater variety of opposition and tournament on offer. Yet it’s hard to see club matches jamming 50,000 bums on seats week in, week out a la soccer Premiership, even if the facilities existed. English club rugby just isn’t that big yet – Wray’s intent was to look 10 to 20 years into the future, but it’s hard to see English club rugby ever being that big.

One idea that cropped up in media circles was to create a British and Irish league, over two tiers of 12. But it’s hard to see that ever becoming a proposition for the Celtic unions, who are rightly enjoying the way their system of central contracting and PRO14 balance is creating domestic and international success, as well as letting the tournament unearth many a sprightly young gem. They may also very succinctly and justifiably point out that it is England who need to get their house in order, not them.

Ring-fencing the Premiership is often touted as a solution, but there’ll always be someone on the other side of the fence. There are 13 shareholders in the Premiership right now (Bristol being the 13th) but many clubs in the Championship with both financial fortitude and will to compete a level up. Cornish Pirates, Leeds Carnegie, Eailing Trailfinders, Doncaster Knights and Coventry (in the Championship next year) all are expressing interest. It would be good to see what they could do given a long-term target.

Including those five produces a total of 18 clubs, significantly more mathematically adaptable than the current 13. So Loose Pass’ suggestion runs as follows: split these 18 clubs up into three conferences of six, with the conferences drawn randomly at the end of the previous season rather than being based on geography or any other criterion (we’re assuming these 18 are ring-fenced).

Each team plays the teams in its own conference home and away, and each team in the other conferences once. The top two teams qualify from each conference, plus the two best runners-up, for straight knock-out play-offs.

It’s inclusive, as close to full competitive integrity as possible under the umbrella of inclusivity, it opens up a couple of new markets (away days in Cornwall anyone?) and it gives us the grandstand finale we all seem to want.

But the crucial element is the inclusivity. This starts English rugby with a platform for five new teams to grow steadily into the top flight. If ring-fencing is to be a part of the solution, it should look to include at the start those who might otherwise be excluded, giving the opportunity for investors to invest, rather than be forced to wait three or five years. Imagine how strong English club rugby could be with six more top-flight squads to pick from!

Define ‘free’

Israel Folau’s ill-advised Instagram post about gay people going to hell has been the subject of much trolling and online debate this week, said debate polarized between those crying ‘homophobic hate speech’ to those defending ‘democratic right to free speech.’

Just as ill-advised was Folau’s follow-up appearing to portray himself as being persecuted.

His team-mates have kept neutrality, publicly declaring themselves undivided and unfussed, respecting Folau’s rights to free speech.

But a global star has more responsibility than just keeping his team-mates together, so Loose Pass is in favour of Folau having the book thrown at him.

Free speech is what it is, but Folau enjoys a position of societal privilege and influence as a result of his achievements. For him to attack any group of society in the way he does is deeply irresponsible and an abuse of the privileges he enjoys; we’re willing to bet that gay people, especially those close to the game, are feeling a little less free as a result of his words.

For example, free…

Loose Pass is less impressed with those who continue to castigate Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, not least those who would have them dropped and booted out of Ulster and Ireland rugby forever.

Both players – and two others – were tried by a court of their peers. Both were cleared of illegal wrongdoing. Both have had their private conversations plastered all over the media as a result of the trial, private conversations now being used to permanently tarnish their characters. But it has to be stressed: these conversations were private, not public, like Folau’s.

Both have expressed remorse and regret. And we’ll say again, both were cleared of illegality. Bad behaviour they are undoubtedly guilty of, but they have been cleared of any crime. They should be given the chance to improve their behaviour now, to learn from their bad decisions, not to be further pilloried because of conversations that, under normal circumstances, would never have been public.

Both have been, and still are, suspended for their stupidity and can surely expect further reprimand from their employers, but it cannot be in anyone’s interests for either to have their freedom to work and ability with a rugby ball compromised permanently because they did something stupid.

So to take out an ad in a paper calling for their employment to be terminated is a little much – tantamount to persecution, in fact. A lot more so than the ARU asking Folau to tone his social media down anyway.

Loose Pass compiled by former Planet Rugby Editor Danny Stephens