Loose Pass

Oh say can you seeeee....

This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with promotions of all kinds...

The English Premiership will next year be festooned with a new name after all, following the success of London Welsh's appeal against their non-promotion at the end of last season.

It's certainly a victory for common sense and fairness, although now the decision has taken until July 1 to fall it ends up being somewhat harsh for Newcastle as well, who have to tear up their plans - and doubtless a few contracts - for the season ahead. Again, the assertion must be made: this process must never take this long again.

Maybe it won't, or to be more precise, maybe there won't ever be one. The judgement by an independent panel to overturn the 'minimum standards' decision has set a precedent for the promotion criteria to be closely-examined and possibly even scrapped ahead of next season.

Geoff Irvine, chairman of the Championship clubs, says it is time for change.

"The decision brings into question the whole principle of the criteria," Irvine told the Telegraph. "Forget the primacy of tenure. What I hope will come out of this is a pure and simple thing - whoever wins the Championship will be promoted, warts and all.

"Instead of Premiership Rugby trying to denigrate them because they haven't got their facilities right, they should give the clubs some time to get their facilities in order and also try to help them do it.

"This decision is a great step forward for English rugby and I hope it is accepted in the spirit it was intended."

But back to promotions... so now London Welsh need to get a few big names in to both bolster the squad and bring the masses flocking to Oxford.

But Gavin Henson? He of misbehaviour on flights and trains, of inane celebrity commitments, of undoubted potential but of limited mental power to help carry it through?

A wide boy of Welsh heritage, Henson rather epitomises the name of the club. But he will come at a cost and with a lot of baggage. After all the Exiles' hard work, is that really what they need on the eve of pre-season? Not according to a few coaches we've spoken to.

But he will bring some bums to seats. It's tough not to see the Exiles' courtship of Henson as more than a very public effort to bring a very high-profile name to the team the day after promotion became a reality.

Meanwhile over the pond, rugby is basking comfortably in the immense heat of this year's US summer.

All three June Tests were screened live on network television including the defeat to Italy in Houston which saw two USA players sent off for NFL-style no-arm hits on their opposite numbers.

A shame, but the numbers in attendance - in sweltering Texas heat - also don't lie: people are beginning to take rugby more seriously.

A lot of that is down to the IRB's efforts to help a willing USA promote itself, more is down to the success of Sevens and its impending jump into the Olympic arena in 2016. The USA are the reigning Olympic champions after all.

So it was with immaculate timing that the USA's little piece of unique rugby history was very visibly celebrated late last week as the IRB inducted the 1920 and '24 Olympians into their hall of fame - a hall of fame membership is a prized piece of American culture in any discipline.

Rounding off the tidal wave of good news sweeping the USA was a home win in Saturday's Junior World Trophy against Japan, a win which takes the USA youngsters to France next year and the challenge of the Junior World Championship.

Murray Park in Salt Lake City was rammed full for all the match days, network television again covered it all, not to mention the live streaming on the internet.

USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville praised the IRB for bringing the event Stateside.

"The JWRT has made a great difference to Rugby in America," he said.

"It has raised the profile of the Game, particularly in Utah, and has left an important legacy that we will capitalise upon in the coming years. I would like to praise the vision shown by the IRB in awarding the staging of the tournament to USA Rugby and thank them for demonstrating the faith in us to deliver."

"It's an exciting time for Rugby in the USA. It continues to develop and grow stronger. Being able to attract international events like the JWRT to our shores certainly helps us in that process."

The Americans are coming...

Loose Pass compiled by Richard Anderson