Rugby - the good, the bad and the ugly

AS THE Tri-Nations gets underway, followed seamlessly by the Rugby World Cup, here's proof that the beautiful game is now as prone to sclerotic mood and behaviour swings as its round-ball cousin.

THE GOOD

Close to home, all hail Glasgow Warriors blazer Kenny Baillie's inspired marketing gimmick of producing promotional masks of second row Richie Gray. The big man's Six Nations performances were a real beacon of hope last season, and the ploy has worked better than he could ever have hoped, with Scots troops in Afghanistan and Scottish climbers at Everest Base Camp proudly wearing the mask in tribute to their peroxided hero. At last Scottish rugby may have produced an icon capable of intruding on the wider national consciousness. And all without spending more than a few quid - marvellous.

THE BAD

International rugby is supposed to be about nationality, about playing for kith and kin and the badge. Martin Johnson's decision to name 13 players not born in England - all of them from the Southern Hemisphere and several of them qualifying on the 36-month residency rule - in his 45-man World Cup squad makes a mockery of the whole concept of Test rugby and the World Cup. These are not British guys who grew up in Scotland, Wales or Ireland with an everyday awareness of their Englishness through an expat parent; all 13 grew up on the other side of the world wanting to be a Springbok, All Black or Wallaby. It is, however, part of a growing trend: three years ago, the Aussies relaxed their Super Rugby rules so that all four provinces could each recruit two talented teenage Polynesians, much as the New Zealanders have done for decades. By the time the next Rugby World Cup is held in England in 2015, unless the laws on eligibility are changed, maybe we'll see a Polynesian Wallabies XV take on the English Mercenary XV. It's time to review the eligibility laws so that it's parents only plus a residency qualification of at least five years.

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY

If reports seeping out of New Zealand are true, sledging is back, only nastier and more vicious than ever. Reports from Super Rugby allege the targeting of Polynesian Kiwi players by South African players, with racial overtones to some of the treatment meted out. The plan is apparently to soften up some of the key All Blacks ahead of the World Cup, with Jerome Kaino, the breakaway who plies his trade with the Auckland Blues, coming in for some particularly prolonged and rough treatment. The Kiwi philosophy of "what goes on the pitch stays on the pitch", plus the mutual admiration society between the Kiwis and South Africans, means the New Zealanders are keeping their counsel for now, but how much longer that can last is anyone's guess. Until the two sides meet in the World Cup is the probable answer.