IAIN MORRISON REPORTS IN SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

BACK in 1997, at the height of the technology boom, Microsoft was worth about the same as Europe while its struggling competitor Apple was worth about a euro. Microsoft boss Bill Gates did an extraordinary thing; he invested $150m in Apple to keep them afloat through difficult times. This shocked the business world but Gates did not become the richest man in the world through philanthropy.

There are several explanations for this largesse, one being that Gates realised that without his principle competitor, Microsoft would attract anti-trust suits like lawyers to a car crash. But, more importantly, Gates also knew that without Apple's competition to keep their research and development guys on their toes, Microsoft would inevitably stagnate. Competition is the key to progress. If you doubt it, check the entry for C. Darwin in your encyclopedia for more details.

All of which makes the RFU's role in the demise of the Celtic League harder to understand, because the Welsh clubs could not compete in next season's Powergen Cup without their say so. The Twickenham bosses have not realised what Gates did - that you are only as good as your opposition - and undermining the Celtic League as they have done has terrible repercussions for the long-term health of the game in England as well as the Celtic nations.

The English need a strong Celtic League almost as much as the Welsh, Irish and Scots because the alternative... well, there isn't one. The Six Nations Championship has rightly been called the best in the rugby world, but if the Celtic League is allowed to wither and die there can only be two winners, France and England. The paying public will quickly lose interest and the Northern Hemisphere's golden goose will be well and truly basted.

RFU boss Francis Baron made this statement: "Agreement has been reached in principle but there are a number of details to be finalised," which suggests that Twickenham is, at the very least, guilty of doing nothing to prevent this stupidity.

But the WRU must shoulder most of the blame for the current debacle. Wales' decision last week to backtrack on an agreement on April 4 to keep the Celtic League free from Six Nations weekends was all about money - just £200,000 per club. If you are going to sell your soul then at least hold out for a decent price. In snatching short-term financial gain, the Welsh have effectively undermined their own bank balance because they have lost far more income from the cancelled Celtic League matches.

WRU's chief executive David Moffett said the reaction by his Celtic counterparts "smacks of childishness" but, in truth, the only thing in need of a smack is Moffett, who has ruined the Celtic League in one blow. The four clubs in Wales back their boss publicly but a poll on icWales ("The website of Wales") suggests that the Welsh public is more discerning because they supported the Scottish/Irish decision to expel their country by more than two to one (54% compared to 24%).

Moffett has placed Welsh rugby in a hole, which is why he is working overtime to redeem himself by netting the Celtic equivalent of the Holy Grail, an invite into the Guinness Premiership.

The WRU are saying nothing publicly - even they are not so stupid as to burn all their boats. But according to the well-sourced Western Mail in Wales, their officials admit privately that their ejection from the Celtic League offers them their best chance of joining the English clubs on a permanent basis and, naturally, they are blaming the Irish and Scots for forcing their hand.

This could yet happen because, historically, the Welsh clubs have always had close links across the Severn and it would also allow the English clubs to invite a few well-heeled Division One clubs into an expanded two-league Premiership. This at least has the merits of making the end-of-season play-offs a far more natural occurrence with the top team in Premier A playing the second placed side in Premier B and vice versa. Harlequins would be back in top-flight rugby without missing a heartbeat.

Naturally this "solution" would leave Irish and Scottish rugby stuck out in the cold with only each other, and perhaps the Italians, for company. It has already been suggested that the demise of the Celtic League will usher in semi-pro rugby in Scotland which some would even welcome.

Common sense dictates that the Welsh will come back to the negotiating table and thrash out a face-saving deal that will enable their clubs to commit to playing Celtic League rugby and allow their boss, Moffett, to retain his pride, which is obviously far too substantial for him to swallow. But, judging by all the evidence on display, common sense seems to be in desperately short supply.

And the final collective culprits in the whole mess are the three Unions - Welsh, Scottish and Irish - who consistently undermined the fledgling Celtic League by withdrawing the biggest names from matches in order to run national squad training.

It has masses of potential for the future, but if the unions don't take the Celtic League seriously, why should they expect anyone else to?

This article was posted on 5-Jun-2005, 08:52 by Hugh Barrow.