Call Ricky Gervais – rugby needs a fresh injection of honesty and transparency | Robert Kitson


If the Golden Globes host ever does oval-shaped speeches he will have no shortage of similarly juicy targets at which to aim

Perhaps the best way to embark on a shiny new rugby decade is to listen to Ricky Gervais’s coruscating speech at the annual Golden Globe awards. Fair play to the boy Gervais, there was absolutely no dull, formulaic box ticking (or kicking) involved. “If Isis started a streaming service you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?” he challenged his wincing audience, before slaughtering virtually every other traditional sacred cow in Hollywood within seven and a half minutes.

If Ricky ever does oval-shaped speeches he will have no shortage of similarly juicy targets at which to aim. “So, how come it’s taken this long for anyone to be publicly punished for breaking the Premiership salary cap?” might be a nice opening question. “How come there are all these playing laws and you don’t apply half of them?” would be another. Or “If you really love Pacific Island rugby, why don’t their teams receive a share of your home gate receipts?”

Related: Saracens salary cap fine will mean club losing players or wage reductions

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