Premiership rugby is now for the masses not the purists – enjoy it while it lasts | Michael Aylwin

01/03/2025 07:36 AM

A rerun of last season's final is a strong start to the year but the domestic game will soon be on hold for the Six Nations

There was a time when the first weekend of the new year meant immersion in what we kindly describe as rugby for the purists. The dark days between Christmas and spring are not easy for anyone, but they are largely responsible for giving rugby a bad name in this part of the world. Ten-man rugby, like asceticism, was pretty much invented for January.

And yet it is a concept that these days feels totally alien to the Premiership. An icy blast this weekend may yet precipitate a sudden tightening of coats, but such sobriety would represent quite the about-turn of current trends.