In what is proving to be a wonderful summer of sport, the decision to rename Twickenham to Allianz Stadium feels like an almighty blow. It is one I was surprised and saddened to learn of. The reason for doing it is obvious. Money.
The RFU badly needs cash. It’s required to support the community game, to fund its new elite player contracts, to give the women’s game the support it richly deserves and to mobilise a rugby sevens programme capable of winning Olympic gold. It’s needed to drive England’s age group sides and deliver a pipeline of talent, to generate more coaches, to better support players off the field and much, much more besides.
Steve Borthwick’s England showed great promise in the second half of the season just finished, but English rugby as a whole and the RFU has fallen off the pace both in world rugby and in comparison to other domestic and global sports.
The RFU has a mountain to climb and the response of the board has been to take the decision to sell its soul and remove the name ‘Twickenham’ entirely from the historic stadium.
I and many others want to know why and how has it has come to this? As an England player, you are a custodian of the jersey. It is not yours. It is your responsibility to fill it with pride and leave it in a better place than you found it. The same applies to the head coach and the RFU board. I wonder how the RFU board or whoever approved this will reflect on it in years to come if replacing Twickenham with the Allianz Stadium is to be their enduring legacy?
The Rugby Football Union has taken the controversial decision to rename Twickenham
Sir Clive Woodward says the decision is a ‘blow’ but that the RFU ‘badly needs cash’ to support the community game, fund elite player contracts and give support to the women’s game
Twickenham stands for more than 100 years of history, heritage and English rugby folklore
Australia already has an Allianz Stadium so it won’t even be the only one in rugby
Upon reflection, the deal feels sadly inevitable. I take no comfort in the fact Ireland, Wales, and Scotland have already sold their stadium naming rights. England should not take pride in following their lead. Whilst Covid has hit rugby hard and I fully understand the need to drive revenue, I do not accept that as an excuse because every sport has faced the same challenges.
Australia already have an Allianz Stadium, so we’re not even the only one in rugby! Some people might think a name means nothing. But I couldn’t disagree more. Twickenham stands for more than 100 years of history, heritage and English rugby folklore. Those questioning this decision are being labelled ‘traditionalists’ by the RFU which is a cheap shot and no different than calling those people ‘old farts’ as Will Carling famously did all those years ago. Nothing is further from the truth. The history and tradition that Twickenham represents should be sacrosanct.
I wanted Twickenham to become a fortress in my time as coach – the stage upon which we took on the world and where we would inspire the nation and show fans rugby as they had never experienced it before. Twickenham meant everything to us and I mean everything. When I return home on the flight path over west London, I eagerly look out for Twickenham and still get goose bumps when I see it. I may be sentimental, but it is a connection many feel whether they played for England or supported from the terraces.
I was fascinated and impressed to hear recently of how much money Wimbledon leaves on the table each year. They could sell so many more sponsorship packages – not least the naming rights to The Championships or to Centre Court – but they do not because they understand the value of what Wimbledon represents as a brand.
Can you imagine Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz playing on Allianz Centre Court? How would Scottie Scheffler feel arriving at Allianz Augusta? Do we want to see the first ball in the Ashes at Allianz Lord’s? Or see England line up at Allianz Wembley?
This is not a dig at Allianz in any way. They are big supporters of sport globally and it is fantastic they want to continue backing English rugby as they have Saracens in recent years. But it is on the RFU to make it happen in the right way and show there are some things about rugby that are truly priceless. Unfortunately, that simply hasn’t happened.
So, what now? Well, the RFU must put their mouth where their new-found money is. But how far will a reported £10million a year go? On the face of it, it doesn’t seem like very much.
It would be difficult to imagine Carlos Alcaraz playing Novak Djokovic on the Allianz Centre Court if tennis were to go in the same direction in the future
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney says the partnership will be hugely beneficial for rugby
Bill Sweeney has been quick to say the revenue will go to the community game and rightly so, but exactly much? How will this deal help regenerate the artificial, dull atmosphere at Twickenham and get fans’ eyes back on the field instead of on their next pint?
Whilst I am questioning the strategy the RFU is moving the game to, what about the Olympics? I could not believe Team GB failed to field a men’s sevens team in Paris or that the women’s players were not on full-time contracts. These are the missed opportunities that the RFU board so undervalue and misunderstand. Hopefully some of the Allianz money will go into areas like sevens.
There remains a mountain to climb for the RFU to restore England to where it once was – at the pinnacle of world rugby and global sport. Money is needed to do so and I get that. But this naming rights deal is no silver bullet and for me, the total removal of Twickenham from the venue represented a very sad and poignant day.
