RFU in talks with Sarries about Farrell

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17559995

Risca said he'd seen something about this yesterday. Seems there are talks going on, but we'll have to wait a bit to find out with what results.

I feel that dealing with the Sarries will prove to be a thusfar unexplored territory for the RFU (or even global rugby).

The Sarries represent a more hard-nosed, commercial proposition akin to football and US sports or subcontinental cricket.

In other words, I think that the the Sarries would extract the maximum bang for their buck - which in commercial terms makes absolute sense, but in the spirit of traditional rugby values, it's new.

Plus there is the question as to whether the (Andy) Farrell defensively-inclined coaching methods represent a real threat to RU. If it proves to be Internationally successful, I fear for the game.

As a youngster I used to love football as my experience was the like of Brazil and Pele and Garrincha and Dutch total football and the open football West Ham and the Man Utd Law, Charlton, Best etc. magic under Busby and the way that Ipswich Town happily effectively donated Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson to the England cause.

And since then football has become sterile and blighted by defensive attitudes, corporate dominance, inflated egos and budgets and every spare penny passed to enhance the bank balances of star players.

I for one don't want to see Union going down that route. But my initial fears about professionalism are steadily becoming realised. Cynicism, profit, corporatism and the bottom line of the P/L and Balance Sheet.

RL had 99 years head start on RU and is in essence not a tad forward in global recognition.

In another 84 years, will RU be any further forward?

In hope you are painting a more extreme picture than will actually be the case. Yes, commercialism has led to a lot of unsavoury practices and will lead to more. But players were going pro by the back door anyway and I myself think it was better to bite the bullet and go pro in a more controlled fashion. But we will see players taking dives and running to the ref and all sorts of things - but then (talking of biting ), what do people think of Ferris, now we've a pretty good idea of what he was up to? Personally I now find him a bit contemptible.

Sarries will want big compensation for Farrell. Fair enough. We'll find out more about Leo Ritchie and the new look RFU - and indeed, how much they really want him.

The Olympics will give Sevens global recognition and that version of the game night well be the big success story of the next 20 years. And a good few of the ex-Soviet states are getting into their Rugby.

Things could be worse. They haven't ring-fenced the top division yet.

My more immediate concerns are physical if not medical: can players of the size and speed we are now getting really have careers that don't end in wheelchairs?