Three weeks after Ireland ended England’s grand slam hopes in the RBS Six Nations Championship, the Heineken Cup quarter-finals offer two more Anglo-Irish confrontations.
Leicester’s clash against Leinster on Saturday and the meeting 24 hours later between Northampton and Ulster will put the spotlight on the respective domestic competitions — the Aviva Premiership and the Magners League.
All four clubs are previous European champions and thus part of an elite. Leicester lead the Premiership with Northampton fourth, while Ulster are second and Leinster fourth in the Magners League. On a club level, the rivalry is as intense and passionate as any international. In their quest for European hegemony, it would be wrong to intimate that one league is superior to the other. They are simply different.
The Magners League, or the Celtic League as it was first known, had a difficult birth in 2001-02, and for some time was regarded as the poor relation of the two. It struggled for an identity, common purpose and sponsorship while the Premiership — in its various guises and despite its infernal politicking with the RFU — powered ahead.
Rich owners indulged themselves, star players flocked to England. The Premiership was glamorous, the place to be. The Celtic countries were regarded as inconsequential backwaters.
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That is no longer the case and, in many ways, it could be argued the reverse is true. Gradually and inexorably, the Magners League has evolved into a creditable and thriving league that appeals to overseas stars. Ulster’s recruitment last year of Ruan Pienaar, the South Africa fly half, illustrated its pulling power, while in recent seasons the emphasis, where possible, has been to keep the best players at home.
English and French clubs dominated in the early years of the Heineken Cup. Leicester and London Wasps, twice each, and Bath were winners. Ulster were the rare exception in 1999 when English clubs pulled out.
The Irish provinces have come into their own since the middle of the previous decade, Munster succeeding twice and Leinster once. John Feehan, the Magners League chief executive, says that although his competition is perhaps at 45 per cent of where the Premiership is, there is no doubt that it is gaining ground. In contrast, some of England’s senior clubs are worried that the Premiership is losing its lustre, hamstrung by a salary cap.
Despite the improved relations between the RFU and Premier Rugby, there is still a sense of “them and us”. From an Irish standpoint the national cause is paramount.
England and Ireland each have budgets of about £4 million, funded centrally through the unions and with squads of 35. The glaring differences are that there is no relegation in the Magners League and, in theory, no salary cap, although the Celtic nations are hardly awash with cash.
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Figures bear out the growth and popularity of the Magners League. It is estimated that it is now a business with an annual turnover well in excess of £50 million. Feehan reels off more positive news: total attendances should top one million for the first time — up 40 per cent — albeit bolstered by the inclusion of the Italian sides.
All but five of the 135 matches are televised, which contradicts the belief that overexposure affects attendances. In Britain and Ireland, the league is on terrestrial television with weekly audiences of almost 400,000.
“The Premiership is a mature competition compared with ours,” Feehan said. “I think the Premiership is a fantastic competition. We have been playing catch-up for a number of years. We are getting there fast, though.”
• Joe Marler and Marcos Ayerza, the props sent off for fighting during the game between Harlequins and Leicester on Saturday, will miss European quarter-finals this weekend after each was banned for two weeks last night.
Ayerza will miss Leicester’s Heineken Cup quarter-final away to Leinster on Saturday after pleading guilty to butting Marler. The latter will miss Harlequins’ Amlin Challenge Cup tie at home to London Wasps on Friday evening after he pleaded guilty to punching.
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Relative wealth
Aviva Premiership
Clubs 12.
Games per season (including play-offs): 135
Estimated annual turnover £110 million
TV deals: Sky, ESPN, ITV
Sponsor: Aviva four-year deal worth £20 million
Attendances (2009-10): 1.7 million overall, average 13,101
Magners League
Clubs 12 (4 Irish, 4 Welsh, 2 Scottish, 2 Italian)
Games per season (including play-offs): 135
Estimated annual turnover: £50 million
TV deals: BBC Northern Ireland, BBC Alba, BBC Wales, S4C.
Sponsor: Magners Cider
Attendances (2010-11, estimated): 1 million overall, average 7,407