The sponsorship of the Pro12 has once again changed hands. In recent times we have seen the Magners Celtic League and the last few seasons saw the Rabodirect Pro12. The Dutch bank never felt like a natural fit for the competition and Guinness feels a far more fitting sponsor.
Guinness has a long history with rugby and has long been involved with the sport. The ‘black stuff’ has sponsored the English Premiership in recent times. It also sponsors the Irish national side, as well as Leinster and Munster. Whether a league sponsor should be allowed to sponsor individual teams also is up for debate. Although Guinness is no longer Irish owned as a company, it is certainly another step towards the Irish provinces dominating the league.
John Feehan, the Chief Executive of the Guinness Pro12 said that, “we are delighted that Guinness, an international brand with a strong pedigree in rugby, will be our title sponsor and we are looking forward to working with Guinness in actively developing the profile and stature of our competition which boasts some of the biggest names in world rugby.”
The stature of the competition is something that all fans of the Pro12 will want to see improved as the league is being left behind by the French and English leagues year on year. Roger Lewis, the Chief Executive of the WRU was positive about the news. Lewis said, “The Pro12 has gone from strength to strength in recent years and has a vibrant future ahead of it and this new association with Guinness really feels like it signifies the dawn of a new and dynamic era for the competition.”
Along with the Sky Sports deal that that the Pro12 has signed this season does seem to be a pivotal moment in the leagues history. Charlie McEwen, the Sales & Marketing Director of the Guinness Pro12 commented that, “Today’s announcement and that of the Sky Sports partnership earlier in the year provides the backdrop for an exciting new dawn for the Guinness Pro12, we look forward to a compelling season of rugby and working with our new partners to promote the competition.”
Time will tell whether the sponsorship works out for the better of the competition but the early signs show that it will. Guinness have experience at the top table of rugby and therefore, will use every ounce of that experience to push the league forwards. The Pro12 has been losing ground on the other major leagues for some time now, and it shouldn’t be with the talent that remains within the Pro12. With yet another off-field issue sorted out we are almost ready to go for the new season, a season which should have less off-field distractions.
The Guinness Pro12 season will open with some outstanding games to look forward to, on the first weekend of September (5/6/7th) 2014, Glasgow Warriors will host back-to-back champions Leinster in a repeat of last season’s Final. Munster and Ulster, who both reached the Play-Offs, face Edinburgh at home and Scarlets away respectively. The Ospreys will face Benetton Treviso in Swansea and Cardiff Blues will travel with new coach Mark Hammett to Parma to take on Zebre who did the double over the Blues last year. Meanwhile, Connacht host the Newport Gwent Dragons in Galway.
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