A Premiership to be proud of: why the English league is up there with the best of them

This is another article I wrote for TCS - it's from October so apologies for any parts that are now out of date! First published 14/10/10.

With the Heineken Cup kicking off over the weekend, predictions are inevitably flying around about how English clubs will fare. But this competition isn’t just about picking a winner – it’s also a chance to compare the general standard of teams and leagues throughout Europe.

In the past England hasn’t come out of this well, with Premiership teams often accused of adopting a negative, defensive style. But there’s a chance that might be about to change. If the past few weeks are anything to go by, this season’s Premiership is set to be one of the most open and exciting in years. And if that’s true, maybe at last we can be proud of our Premiership.

First things first – after the débacle of the ELVs, isn’t it nice to be able to talk about some rule changes that have actually worked? Even the grumpiest of grumpy old men (i.e. the commentators) agree that the new directives relating to the breakdown area have led to a more open, more attacking style of rugby. Surely this can only be good for the game, and especially for the spectators. Given the choice between watching Saracens at the start of last season and London Irish at the start of this, I know which one I’d pick, and I’m pretty sure most neutrals would agree.

Of course, there are those who argue that these changes are biased towards teams who already played this way. Certainly London Irish might have struggled to reach the top of the table under the old rules. But then again, couldn’t that be because the old rules were biased towards teams who adopted a more negative approach?

Now, teams can’t just rely on the power of their defences to carry them to victory. Quicker ball at the breakdown gives defences less time to get set, and creates more gaps for attacking teams to exploit. It also provides an incentive to run the ball rather than crash it up through the forwards, since players aren’t faced with a solid wall of defenders. This has benefited Irish especially, whose back line has looked in scintillating form so far.

The Exiles’ flying start has certainly been one of the stories of the season so far. And it seems that being allowed to play their own game in the Premiership is also reaping rewards in Europe. The Exiles’ win over Munster at the weekend can only have strengthened their Heineken Cup credentials, especially against a team with so much experience in the competition.

Not that I’m suggesting English clubs will find it easy – that was demonstrated when Leicester struggled to beat Treviso and Saracens lost to Clermont. It’s likely that English fortunes will be, as always, mixed. Hopefully, though, we can at least look forward to some more entertaining performances along the way.

It’s not just Irish, though, that have started this season on a high. Before the season kicked off, the Exeter Chiefs were most people’s favourites for relegation. However, the newly-promoted side have been showing how much can be achieved by a team that’s prepared to throw the ball around. This positive approach helped them to a shock win against Gloucester, and came close to upsetting champions Leicester.

From top to bottom, the Premiership is more competitive than it’s been in years, and that can only help to push the standard even higher.

So what could all this mean for the national team? Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those starry-eyed ‘England can win the World Cup’ moments. It remains to be seen whether the promising glimpses shown against Australia are any more than one in a long series of false dawns. But for those England players who haven’t felt the lure of French clubs, getting used to playing a more expansive style of rugby can only be a good thing.

Hopefully, playing this way regularly in the Premiership will give them the confidence to play this way at an international level. I’m not making any predictions about the Autumn Internationals, or about the Heineken Cup. All I will say is that when it comes to domestic leagues, the Premiership is up there with the very best.