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Boudjellal Pro 12 Suggestion

Good idea - and be like the English Premiership. I'd be in favour.
 
Me too.....never happen!!! To many vested interests........
 
It's that man again:
http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Le-top-12-de-mourad-boudjellal-une-bonne-idee/645754

It appears that he wants the Top 14 down to 12 now.

If I understand the Google Translation of that page, then its the first thing I have ever read from him that makes sense or that I agree with.

https://translate.google.co.nz/tran...12-de-mourad-boudjellal-une-bonne-idee/645754

► Oyonnax and Agen are 13 and 15 points behind the next team ahead of them. Would anything be lost from French Rugby if they were to go down to the ProD2 and not be replaced?

► The schedule for Top 12 reduced from 26 rounds to 22 rounds, so potentially less clash with dates for the French national XV

► The better players will migrate into the Top 12, improving the quality of the competition, and of French rugby, and it needs improving. the 62-13 thrashing they got in the RWC QF should be a big wake-up call to French rugby administrators at all levels a divisions of the game that their domestic structure is flawed.
 
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big wake-up call to French rugby administrators at all levels a divisions of the game that their domestic structure is flawed.
it wasn't. The union has been hiding under the cover since then. Not one peep out of them. They have strictly no intention of reforming anything because that would imply voting themselves out of their job.
FFR is going to hell with its team. Noves is wasting his time.
 
The article makes an interesting point, which is that the Top 14 is making huge efforts to expand its presence- semi-finals in Rennes, a (semi-enforced) final in Barcelona. Dropping to twelve teams would contradict that. Ultimately, they'd surely like the likes of Lyon and Lille to be regulars at the top table?
 
No, that would only make it harder for USAP to be promoted again. :p

Seriously, I think it makes sense not to have more teams than the other European leagues. They even have to play the odd midweek fixture due to the higher number of teams. The Super Rugby structure is different, their season is much shorter, so you can't make a direct comparison there.
When it comes to the overall level and the number of games, it would make sense, but that's not how you spread the game. Excellent article as it makes many good points.
 
it wasn't. The union has been hiding under the cover since then. Not one peep out of them. They have strictly no intention of reforming anything because that would imply voting themselves out of their job.
FFR is going to hell with its team. Noves is wasting his time.

I don't think that the QF thrashing can be hung exclusively on the door of the FFR. The LNR and club owners can carry a fair share of the blame for allowing and encouraging a competition structure that thrashes players week-in, week-out with very little rest and recovery time. Nothing was more indicative of this than the disgraceful behaviour of Noves in forcing an obviously concussed player (Florian Fritz) back onto the field. His attitude, indicated by his comment "I have been knocked out, played on and was fine; as you can see, I am still standing here", was appalling, and clearly shows his attitude of treating players as though they were disposable commodities.

Everyone knows the Top 14 goes on for too long. This is one thing that could be done about it.
 
Boudjellal does actually talk a lot of sense, it just comes out too often the wrong way. We all know the TOP 14, is too long, too many matches but somehow i can't see it changing, this competion is very different from anything that exists in the SH. The players come to play here for various reasons, but what ever they are they certainly deserve everything they earn as the bodytakes a hammering over 10 /11 months. The idea of having 12 teams is good but the Pro D2 would not like this, almost every year there is one team that runs away with the ***le, Lyon, Pau etc. thus leaving another promo place. The problem is 2 clubs go down, the finance is the big bug bearer you go down the sponsors walk out and the finance gets hits hard. The European leaugue is a great idea but woud it work, could everyone afford just the travel and what it involves, The Pro 12 teams would struggle except maybe the Irish teams. I personnally love the TOP 14 it is a long war with a battle every week, some people like fast running rugby and no or little forward contest each to their own i guess. With the season so long and intense the guys are prone to more and more injuries, so the first step would be lessen the games, easier said than done, with the battle between the FFR and the LNR never ceasing the first steps would be the hardest, but whether this happens i have my doubts. As i said above Boudjellal does talk a lot of sense and his ideas which have been quoted by others previously are worth digesting whether anything becomes of it that is an entirely different kettle of fish
 
Boudjellal does actually talk a lot of sense, it just comes out too often the wrong way. We all know the TOP 14, is too long, too many matches but somehow i can't see it changing, this competion is very different from anything that exists in the SH. The players come to play here for [strike]various reasons[/strike] money

FTFY

The idea of having 12 teams is good but the Pro D2 would not like this, almost every year there is one team that runs away with the ***le, Lyon, Pau etc. thus leaving another promo place. The problem is 2 clubs go down, the finance is the big bug bearer you go down the sponsors walk out and the finance gets hits hard.

Is there no sponsorship in the Pro D2?

Perhaps the promotion relegation can be reduced to one team only

I think the AP has "parachute payments" to relegated clubs so that they can hold onto some of their key players. Does the Top 14 have this also?

I personnally love the TOP 14 it is a long war with a battle every week, some people like fast running rugby and no or little forward contest each to their own i guess. With the season so long and intense the guys are prone to more and more injuries, so the first step would be lessen the games, easier said than done,

Lets be honest now. Oyonnax (W4 L14, -279) and Agen (w3 L15, -204) have been outclassed. They are the easy beats of the Top 14. All that would happen in a Top12 without them is that your "war" would be slightly shorter, but the battles would be more intense.
 
We have been down this, "its only for money" routine so many times, so i'm not getting involved you think what you like. I speak to SH players 3/4 times a week and i know what they say to me. So i'm not biting on this one OK.!!!!!!!

As far as sponsorship goes in the" Pro D2 yes of course there is but no where near the levels of the TOP 14. so if you have a large TOP 14 budget or even reasonable it will be cut massively if relegation comes along. The paracute payments are not similar to other countries and as far as i know are either zero or very small.

You have stated Oyonnnax and Agen yes i agree but the last 2/3 years relegation was decided on the last weekend of the season, i think it was 2 seasons ago a team scored in the 78min not sure if it was not Oyonnax and the team thinking they were safe went down. This season is different, Oyonnax had mass desertion last season coaches and players, they qualified for Euro Cup for the first time. Agen are just not good enough, (says he who is off to Agen this weekend so we had better win or !!!!!) Lyon are coming up with another next season, they have invested heavily to stay in the TOP 14 next season if it works then another will go down. 12 teams would be ideal with one relegation but i'm not sure it is going to happen. Mind you we could scrap the FFR and LNR and let Holland take charge then you could really seee the mess that would be created INSTANTLY!!!!!!!!!!
 
I don't think that the QF thrashing can be hung exclusively on the door of the FFR. The LNR and club owners can carry a fair share of the blame for allowing and encouraging a competition structure that thrashes players week-in, week-out with very little rest and recovery time. Nothing was more indicative of this than the disgraceful behaviour of Noves in forcing an obviously concussed player (Florian Fritz) back onto the field. His attitude, indicated by his comment "I have been knocked out, played on and was fine; as you can see, I am still standing here", was appalling, and clearly shows his attitude of treating players as though they were disposable commodities.

Everyone knows the Top 14 goes on for too long. This is one thing that could be done about it.

You got that wrong on 2 counts

First FFR is fully responsible as they are solely in charge of the national team. LNR and the clubs have no say whatsoever. And this is part of the problem. Instead of making the clubs major stakeholders in the running of the national team - which smart politics would imply - esp. when the clubs are the ones providing the players!

Then your point about clubs mismanaging players does not apply in the context of the WC as you mentioned. It's the one competition when the players are at full disposal of the national selector for an extended period. They don't play for their club during that tie. The internationals were in camp before the WC (August) and away from their club during the entire competition (September October). So they were fit and fresh and not being 'flogged'. Yet it made no difference in the end.
 
It's that man again:
http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Le-top-12-de-mourad-boudjellal-une-bonne-idee/645754

It appears that he wants the Top 14 down to 12 now.

Old chestnut. Not Boudjellal's idea. Been floatting around for a while.

The argument that moving from the current T14 to a T12 would fix the national team is lame. We went from a T16 ten years ago. Has the national benefit from it? Of course it hasn't. Les Bleus have gone backwards. They're in freefall since the last GS in 2010.
They may reform the league indeed. But not to suit the national team. Whatever reforms have been introduced have suited the clubs.

I would personally welcome a T12. I think the economics of it will force towards a move to 12 or 10 clubs. We may eventually to a T8 with super clubs which would open the way to the 'clubs world cup' or 'Euro super league' Boudjellal has alluded to in other inteviews.
 
Old chestnut. Not Boudjellal's idea. Been floatting around for a while.

The argument that moving from the current T14 to a T12 would fix the national team is lame. We went from a T16 ten years ago. Has the national benefit from it? Of course it hasn't. Les Bleus have gone backwards. They're in freefall since the last GS in 2010.
They may reform the league indeed. But not to suit the national team. Whatever reforms have been introduced have suited the clubs.

I would personally welcome a T12. I think the economics of it will force towards a move to 12 or 10 clubs. We may eventually to a T8 with super clubs which would open the way to the 'clubs world cup' or 'Euro super league' Boudjellal has alluded to in other inteviews.

Super clubs often crop up as an idea, but nobody ever wants it to be their club! Who would merge in this case? Dax-Mont-de-Marsan, the oft-mentioned Biarritz-Bayonne, Blagnac-Colomiers as a second Toulouse team, Angouleme-Cognac...all doable, but who really wants them?

Rugby league fans still shudder at the infamous proposed merged clubs at the start of Super League:
http://the18thman.com/2016/02/12/throwback-to-1995-was-super-league-before-its-time/
 
Super clubs often crop up as an idea, but nobody ever wants it to be their club! Who would merge in this case? Dax-Mont-de-Marsan, the oft-mentioned Biarritz-Bayonne, Blagnac-Colomiers as a second Toulouse team, Angouleme-Cognac...all doable, but who really wants them?

Rugby league fans still shudder at the infamous proposed merged clubs at the start of Super League:
http://the18thman.com/2016/02/12/throwback-to-1995-was-super-league-before-its-time/

Didn't say anything about mergers. What a ghastly idea. Nobody in T14 wants their club to merge. This is why the idea of provinces in this country will never work. No one wants it. Can't get past the club culture.

The big clubs will get bigger as they attract a larger fan base and expand their revenue.

Boujdellal has also talked about a 'world cup of clubs'. I like his idea of the 4 European semi finalists v 4 Super Rugby semi finalists. Tasty prospect rugby wise. Toulouse Toulon Racing have started playing games v SR teams. This is what the bigger clubs are interested in as an area for development.

This is the way forward for the T14 clubs. They're exporting the game to Hong Kong as well as looking for private investors (Bordeaux Toulouse Racing are) and expand their brand and the game. They're moving as far away from the union - they know they stand to gain nothing from more entanglements with FFR.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Mourad-boudjellal-veut-une-ligue-europeenne-et-une-coupe-du-monde-des-clubs/645287
 
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