Future of the Heineken Cup

[Bullitt]

f*** the countries, you qualify should from the league.

Therefore,

5 - England
5- France
5-CL (insteal of potentially all 11 like you say)
5 - italy
2 - Spain
2 - Other

 

[el_tk]

Originally posted by Teh Mite@May 27 2006, 01:16 PM
f*** the countries, you qualify should from the league.

Therefore,

5 - England
5- France
5-CL (insteal of potentially all 11 like you say)
5 - italy
2 - Spain
2 - Other

You'd put in 5 teams from Italy and 2 (amateur) teams from Spain ahead of Celtic teams and one each from England and France? That really would devalue the tournament.

 

[SmokeyMonkey]

f*** the countries, you qualify should from the league.[/b]

So you're saying that if the Celtic teams didn't happen to play in the same league they should have more?

 

[An Tarbh]

I think we're still a way off having a Spanish team in the HEC just yet but I see no reason why there couldn't be 7 teams from the French, English and Celtic leagues along with 3 Italian teams. Qualification from the CL would purely be based on league standings, no places for countries or no playoffs for the 8th/9th teams.

Or if the ERC want to improve the standards then it might be an option to reduce the HEC to 16 teams, where the group winner gets a home quarter final which the second place team hosts a third place team in a one off quarter final play-off. 5 teams from England and France, 4 from the Celtic League and 2 from the Super 10.

 

[blaggard]

One option maybe to include the spanish or romanian national sides in the tournament.
A similar situation is happening in cricket, where Ireland are taking part in the C & G Trophy which is an English Counties tournament.
Might work?

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by blaggard@May 30 2006, 09:03 PM
One option maybe to include the spanish or romanian national sides in the tournament.
A similar situation is happening in cricket, where Ireland are taking part in the C & G Trophy which is an English Counties tournament.
Might work?

That did happen in some of the earlier seasons of the competition. I remember Spain playing Gloucester at Kingsholm.

I also remember some Bucharest players going AWOL after playing Saracens at Vicrage Road because they didn't want to go back home. I think they found most of them, but a couple are probably cleaning hotel rooms around the Watford area.

 

[DonBilly]

Originally posted by An Tarbh@May 27 2006, 07:38 PM
I think we're still a way off having a Spanish team in the HEC just yet but I see no reason why there couldn't be 7 teams from the French, English and Celtic leagues along with 3 Italian teams. Qualification from the CL would purely be based on league standings, no places for countries or no playoffs for the 8th/9th teams.

Or if the ERC want to improve the standards then it might be an option to reduce the HEC to 16 teams, where the group winner gets a home quarter final which the second place team hosts a third place team in a one off quarter final play-off. 5 teams from England and France, 4 from the Celtic League and 2 from the Super 10.

A 16 team format with direct elimination like the FA cup would be wonderul, very exciting matches and many dates saved to consolidate a more sensible global schedule.