European Rugby Continental Shield 2017-18

[Brigantine]

RC Batumi will participate in Continental shield for the first time.

Also reading this article about it.

Essentially:

• Pool A: (Changes from 2016-17 Pool B)
  • Timisoara (relegated from Challenge Cup) replaces El Salvador (Spain - mid-table last season)
  • From Italy, Viadana replaces Mogliano (Semifinalist last season)
• Pool B: (Changes from 2016-17 Pool A)
  • Batumi replaces Krasny Yar (promoted to Challenge Cup last season)
  • Also CDUL (from Portugal, also in EPCRQ 2015) replaces Dendermondse RC (from Belgium - worst team last season)
• The format is also changed so only one new team can be promoted to the Challenge Cup, and only one Russian team can remain

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Also reading this article about it.

Essentially:

• Pool A: (Changes from 2016-17 Pool B)
  • Timisoara (relegated from Challenge Cup) replaces El Salvador (Spain - mid-table last season)
  • From Italy, Viadana replaces Mogliano (Semifinalist last season)
• Pool B: (Changes from 2016-17 Pool A)
  • Batumi replaces Krasny Yar (promoted to Challenge Cup last season)
  • Also CDUL (from Portugal, also in EPCRQ 2015) replaces Dendermondse RC (from Belgium - worst team last season)
• The format is also changed so only one new team can be promoted to the Challenge Cup, and only one Russian team can remain

Harsh on the Russians, but I agree with the change. Great to see a Georgian club involved and Portugal return.

Very disappointed that the Spanish clubs are prioritising domestic activity rather than supporting this project.

I read that it will change next year to become a "league" of some sort. Good on the FIR for being the only Tier1 union in the NH to support Tier2 club rugby.

 

[Car]

Will they show it anywhere?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Will they show it anywhere?

I imagine it'll internet streaming only. I was able to see a couple of games last year. Can't remember if it was the ERPC website.

 

[Car]

That would be fine by me, I'd really only like to see how competitive HRK is.

 

[Brigantine]

First leg of the qualification final is this weekend. Timisoara vs Heidelberg and a Russian derby.

The Rugby Bundesliga just resumed last saturday - Heidelberg won 93-0 (not that that says very much). This leg of the qualification final falls in a Bundesliga fallow week which is lucky, but IIRC Heidelberg still had to re-postpone a match which originally clashed with an earlier Continental Shield round. The return leg of the qualification final (21/04) also clashes with a Bundesliga round. (and so does the grand final on 12/05 - just recently since the announcement of the 6NB relegation match on 28/04 forced a reschedule). The upshot is Heidelberg now have 2 games per week from April 8 to May 5 (except the day of the relegation match, but there will be considerable pressure for the players to play in that game too).

Even though this week is the away leg for Heidelberg, it's the better opportunity.

What sort of shape is Timisoara in? If they're even half fit they have to be the favourite.

 

[amz]

Timisoara played a Cup semi-final this season, the only official match.

https://www.super-liga.ro/informatii-meci/?im=5141

It was supposed to play Bronze final this week-end but with all the snow we got all rugby matches were postponed.

In the semi they lost 27 - 22 to CSM Bucharest without national team players. First half was really bad for Timisoara but they had a big come back in second half and they were close to winning.

Sosene Anesi as a head coach I don't think is a good idea, I didn't see any improvement so far. They have a new forwards coach, Leonardo Ulises Gamboa (Argentina) who coached in Italy until now.

About HRK I know they trained in Ireland for few weeks during REC pause and played a match with a Munster team (academy?)

 

[Brigantine]

About HRK I know they trained in Ireland for few weeks during REC pause and played a match with a Munster team (academy?)

Yeah, Munster Academy but they got destroyed. Can't remember the score but one of the Irish posters mentioned it somewhere. It was something like a 50 or 60 point margin.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Semi final results are Enisei defeat Kransy Yar on aggregate. Heidelberg RK defeat Timisoara on aggregate.

An unacceptable result for the Romanian Superliga, but it means German representation in the Challenge Cup for what I assume must be the first time, so I'm not going to grumble about that.

 

[Brigantine]

Oh hell, they actually did it!

but it means German representation in the Challenge Cup

Hopefully, depending on the intra-German politics working out somehow.

HRK's Bundesliga match on May 12 (already a week after the regular season was originally supposed to finish) has been cancelled, so they obviously intend to go to Bilbao for the CS Grand Final vs Enisey. It's gonna be a bloodbath!
(HRK can forfeit a Bundesliga game and still qualify for a SF after being penalized, albeit an away one, so they're still in the running for their usual ***le)

 

[amz]

Congrats to HRK, well deserved win!

Timisoara Saracens is let down by their management which can settle things at club from one year already. main sponsor of the club seem more focused on his old quarrel with FRR than solving the issues of bad discipline on and off the field and lack of proper technical staff.

 

[Brigantine]

Enisey STM win, as expected, but... Only by 4 points? I really did not expect Heidelberg to get that close!

To be fair, the other 2 finals were even closer I guess.

 

[Osezno]

It wasn't as close as the scoreboard suggests. Enisei was leading 24-6 with 15 or 20 minutes to go but Heidelberg scored two converted tries. Then they weren't even close to score a third.

 

[Car]

Yep, it was much more one-sided than the score makes it look, but it still was nice to see a bit of a comeback.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I hope the Pro14 were paying full attention to Heidelberg. A year or two ago this would have been a comfortable 40+ points victory for Enisei.

To me the development of HRK in such a short time shows the massive value of the Continental Shield in contributing to the development of the sport in Tier2&3 nations.

Everything with Rugby Europe is a mess at the moment, but when the dust settles hopefully this competition has representatives from all REC countries plus Italy in the future.

 

[Brigantine]

Enisey vs Timisoara today, final game day for [2019-20] Challenge Cup qualification. This is the return leg - Timisoara currently have a 2 point lead.

Do Timisoara fans not fancy their chances? (should have been Heidelberg anyway)

Also the other game to decide the 3rd Italian team in the Challenge Cup - Rovigo vs Calvisano.
But Calvisano lead by 16 already so should be big favourites, and there's only one person here who follows Eccellenza teams anyway...

 

[amz]

match will be live here

https://www.rugbytv.ro/2019/04/19/test.html

why do you think Timisoara fans don't fancy their chances?

 

[Brigantine]

I just didn't see any Romanians mention the Continental Shield recently. Was being tongue in cheek

Enisey have dominated the CS ever since they were first invited to it. 3 weeks ago was the first time they ever lost a CS game, from what I can tell.

 

[amz]

It was the best match of Timisoara in last 2 years and what was encouraging is that the young guns were outstanding and scored some spectacular tries.

Sadly they were red carded in 42nd minute and Enisey was able to build a come back

The red card was later dismissed by EPCR

https://www.epcrugby.com/2019/04/25/sione-halalilo-case-dismissed/

 

[Thingimubob]

How come Heidelberg weren't involved at all this time ? Didn't qualify at all, or still angry about last years debacle of them being barred from entering the challenge cup?