The Guardian’s take on rugby union: A sport steeped in drama at a crossroads | editorial staff

AAre we here to praise or bury rugby union? In recent days, the sport has celebrated “the greatest try ever” – the one Gareth Edwards scored for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in January 1973 – and on Saturday the Six Nations Championship begins with Wales v Ireland at the Principality Stadium and England versus Scotland at Twickenham. France plays Italy in Rome on Sunday. These are games to enjoy: clashes of styles, traditions, sports cultures. That’s the beauty of the Six Nations and why the competition, the pinnacle of rugby in the Northern Hemisphere, never ceases to captivate. Sometimes the anthems seem to last longer than the games – Ireland insists on singing two, and Italy has a practically full-fledged Verdi opera – but that’s how it should be. The theater of sport is everything.

But there are worrying noises behind the scenes and some suspect rugby union – the 15-player game as opposed to the 13-player rugby league version – is facing an existential crisis. That was the term used by Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) acting chairman Nigel Walker over the weekend after allegations of a “toxic culture” of misogyny, racism and homophobia in the organization prompted the resignation of the WRU boss led executive on Sunday.

The crisis in Wales is just one of the unprecedented challenges facing the sport. Safety concerns, with several former players showing symptoms of early-onset dementia and in some cases threatening to sue rugby authorities for negligence, have prompted tackle laws to be recast to minimize head collisions. In England, this revision has become a shambles. The Rugby Football Union has announced that from 1 July tackling will be restricted to no higher than the waist in amateur play, but that upper body contact will still be permitted in professional play. Critics argue the new law will make matters worse as it will result in tacklers’ heads being what Ireland coach Andy Farrell calls “sitting ducks” for ball carriers’ knees. It also risks a fork in the pro and amateur games.

All of this adds to concerns about the financial viability of professional rugby: two English Premiership clubs, Wasps and Worcester Warriors, went into administration last year; In Wales, the regional structure introduced as a result of professionalisation, which has never been popular with fans, is faltering. Rugby only became a fully professional sport in the 1990s and aspired to take on the football juggernaut, but that was always hopelessly ambitious.

Many of the sport’s current difficulties are the result of problems left unresolved 30 years ago, when an amateur, primarily recreational game based on traditional rivalries was attempting to become a global megasport. Rugby union lacks the simplicity of the best football; its stop-start nature, the impenetrability of the scrum, and the mysterious nature of the laws make it a challenge for viewers. It may have to accept that it will always be more of a minority taste – a passionate game, but not a mass-market game. It needs to stay true to itself, improve its governance, and directly address the safety concerns of players and potential players’ parents. It is imperative for the sport that schools and amateur clubs continue to play rugby. The Six Nations are the sparkling icing on the rugby cake, but if the sport isn’t careful, the cake may soon be gone.