Jersey's offshore thanking business - trip to the island and some photos

Bermuda in the Bahamas

Front street Hamilton

They doin' more than growing bananas

They got a tax dodge going on

Offshore banking business

Who's got my money?

Who's got my sense?

Why is everybody trying to steal my pence?

Guy in the city

Guy in the news

Everybody giving me the financial blues, yeah

Offshore banking business

Offshore Banking Business - The Members

Although the weather did its best to put a dampener on Coventry Rugby's trip over to Jersey last weekend, no matter the rain or the miserable training conditions, in the end it was the game's core values of respect and sportsmanship that were ultimately the clear winners.

In press releases prior to Coventry's departure on Friday, the club had made it clear that even though it could have recouped some of the losses incurred in Jersey's decision to go into administration just a few weeks earlier, it had decided to honour its visit to the island.

An insurance claim would have meant that the financial hit Coventry will have inevitably taken could have been kept to a minimum. However, the club felt that it should go ahead with the trip in order to support the amateur side, Jersey RFC, (who are apparently unconnected to the Reds), as well as to show loyalty to the many Cov supporters who'd booked accommodation and paid for tickets upfront in advance of Jersey's surprise announcement in September.

It was a gesture that was well received on both fronts, with many supporters staying on after training to watch Jersey take on, and beat, Salisbury 50-15, thereby boosting Jersey RFC's coffers by an amount a good deal more than might have otherwise been the case, especially so considering the weather.

Arriving at the Stade Santander and wondering where everyone is...

Now I have to hold my hand here and say that although we went to the training session in the morning, given the rain (which was pretty persistent) and the lack of shelter where we were, we only stayed a relative short time. Had I been on my own, I might have endured the conditions for longer but with the rest of the family in tow, including a two year old, I resolved to move on despite the remonstrations of the rest of the Smith family present. It was the right decision as it didn't clear up for some hours afterwards and by the time the afternoon game kicked off, we'd all have been soaked to the skin.

I love Cov...up to a point.

There are others far more hardy than me.

I've been to the Stade Santander on a few occasions but had never realised just how much land the club owned. When we got there, there was nobody in sight and for a few minutes we thought we'd misread where the training session was to take place. Fortunately, someone eventually appeared and directed us to one of the four or five pitches that are hidden from sight to the left and behind the main stand.

It is a substantial acreage. In my head (zombie-ie-ie-ie, zombie-ie-ie-ie :) ), I thought Jersey Reds had bought this up a few years ago once it had managed to sort out previous financial concerns, but I might well be mistaken on that front.

There were a group of youngsters already out on one of the pitches being put through their paces by local coaches/players and on another pitch, adjacent to them, were the Coventry boys. With no shelter and those watching totally exposed to the elements, there were only a few of the more hardy and well seasoned supporters there for the early start but the players looked to be putting in a decent shift and were certainly being made to work hard by the coaches.

Below are a few photos (the only ones that were in any way useable. I only took a very basic 'point and click' camera to save space but the lens just fogged up all the time so apologies in advance. At least they provide some sort of a sense of the conditions).

We made our exits before the training session had finished so we weren't there to witness the players delivering the masterclass to the Jersey youngsters but, by all accounts, it was a great success.

As we left the ground the Food Heroes truck was being set up in readiness for the post training rush. I think I was more gutted at the thought of missing out on the burger and fries than I was at curtailing the visit to the training session, but we 'chipped' in with donation so that at least we'd contributed something to the funds.

Sunday was an altogether different day weather-wise and we were able to spend the best part of 4 hours in St Helier in lovely conditions. Whilst the sun and relative warmth made it a very enjoyable day for us, in many respects it's a shame that Saturday was the washout.

The contrast between the two days could hardly have been greater...

St Brelade's Bay on Saturday

St Brelade's Bay on Sunday

What Saturday brought home, for me anyway, was the huge gulf between the RFU and everyone involved in the game outside of the Premiership in terms of an understanding of what the spirit of the game actually means. As Coventry's gesture goes, it was magnanimous in the extreme - aimed at those at all levels hit most by the collapse of the game at the highest level on the island. The obvious juxtaposition between the RFU's apparent disinterest in rugby outside of the top tier on the one hand and the clear willingness of Coventry to help those caught up in the collapse of Jersey Reds on the other, brings into sharp focus the failings of the game's governing body.

I'm pleased Cov's decision to travel hasn't gone unnoticed further afield too, with articles on BBC Sport's website and a comment by Nick Cain in The Rugby Paper on Sunday - finishing as it does with 'That is what you call practical and spiritual sustenance for the game - RFU take note'.

And it's not just Cov Rugby that has reached out to support Jersey RFC. The Coventry Rugby Supporters Club also ensured that all supporters traveling to the island last weekend were aware of the arrangements for the day and encouraged them to go along and stay on after the training to support the local players, young and old.

I've never needed a reason to be proud of the club I support, even in its darkest of hours, but if I ever needed reminding of just what Coventry Rugby is about, then I would need look no further than the rationale behind Coventry's decision to travel to Jersey last weekend.

Whilst on the island I got to speak to a number of Islanders (I think they're also known as 'Crapauds' but I might have completely misunderstood the use of the word, so I'll get my apologies in now if that is the case).

None of them were rugby enthusiasts, at least not in terms of expressing any real interest in Jersey Reds as such. However, without exception, they were all hugely critical of the way events leading up to the club's demise had been allowed to happen (without understanding how) and clearly worried about the impact it might have on the island over the coming weks and months.

Taxi drivers in the area where we were felt it could affect their ability to earn a living wage over the winter months when tourism is a less than reliable source of income anyway. This was also true for a couple of folk working in small shops near where we were staying in St Brelade.

Several made reference to the fact that the island is not without its fair share of very rich businessmen and women who have gained their wealth from the island and its ability to attract vast sums of money through offshore investments and very low level of taxation (hence the choice of Intro). They all felt disappointed that a small group of 'super rich' Islanders couldn't have come together and found the monies to save the club. It's never that simple and they, nor I, are privy to political and financial machinations that have doubtless caused Jersey Reds' ultimate downfall, but it is interesting to listen to their views.

It's worth making the point here that even though no-one I chatted too actually attended games up at Stade Santander, or even followed the club particularly, everyone appeared to know of Coventry's visit and were extremely grateful for it. It had genuinely surprised and touched them and they were profuse when expressing their gratitude - a case of offshore thanking business, I guess.

Whilst it wasn't the weekend I'd hoped for, and certainly wasn't the one I'd expected when I booked the flights back in July, Coventry Rugby's response showed a degree of compassion and class that is so clearly lacking in the upper echelons of the game's governing body.

Although it is unlikely Coventry will play another competitive game on the island for many years to come, if ever, hopefully in future years the club will be in a strong enough position financially to use the island as a training base in the summer or perhaps arrange a pre-season friendly there.

If that is the case, then I'll be returning for sure...

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