Booth and Ryan want Anglo Welsh cup changed

London Irish coach Toby Booth backed a plan to have the EDF Energy (Anglo-Welsh) Cup re-formatted so that it could be played in one block during the season.

An idea being mooted is for the tournament to be played during the international window and RFU officials believe that this would give the youngsters valuable game time.

The problem with the tournament is that it does not rank very high in team’s priorities as they use matches to field second and third sting teams as the priorities in England for example are the Heineken Cup and then the Guinness Premiership.

Matches are not played week after week and there are gaps in the tournament of a couple of weeks or longer so it loses it’s flow.

“Let’s have it all in one go so you can build momentum up with whatever you team decide to put in it.”Booth told the Press Association.

He added: “If you could block all these things together then at least coaches and players have a chance to prepare for things in a certain block rather than games here and there.

“Clubs can then use the competition for whatever they want to use it for.”

Gloucester boss Dean Ryan feels that if the tournament continues in it’s current format and calendar it will not survive.

“It is very difficult to have the priorities of the Premiership and the Heineken Cup and then think they can still have the same priorities for a third competition,” he said.

“We are trying but the amount of rugby will ultimately dictate that we cannot be successful. You are always in danger, when you run three tournaments alongside each other, that something will give.