Heineken Cup talks "have now ended"

[McTallshort]

He's right actually. If you look at the complaints levelled against the Super 12/14 a few years back and the Tri Nations when they played 6 games a year was the frequency that you played the same opposition way way too high. It got boring after a while. The Heineken Cup brings a nice amount of variety seeing as you could be in Glasgow one round, Parma the next and Northampton the following. You get a nice tour of the strongest sides in Europe.

An Anglo-French competition would not only be missing some of the best sides in Europe, but it'd get boring pretty quickly. Not enough top teams to challenge for the knockout stages would mean that you'd be seeing the same fixtures in the latter stages of the competition time and time again. Meh.

Thats not really what hes saying is it? French rugby is boring, English rugby is boring which would mean any game between the 2 would be boring obviously the bloke doesnt watch English or French rugby and certainly didnt see the Toulon/tigers game in the HC last yeah. So it comes out as just a miss informed trolling rant.

 

[Gavin]

People are complaining that the format is unfair because teams like Zebre are in the Cup when they are not one of the top teams in Europe. It is true that they will most likely be beaten by most opposition but they can pull out a few results. Look at them beating Cardiff away last week.

In relation to the amount of money distributed out between nations, surely in the hope of developing teams in less well off regions it would be better to give them a bigger cut, i.e. Scotland and Italy.

 

[Tony Manx]

I would not want to see an anglofrench competition and am with SmartCiooky in all that he says.............

Interesting that

1. the IRB say that any such competition would have to be sanctioned by the relevant Unions (and are therefore passing the buck back to them) and

2. the RFU are saying that they would prefer not to see it getting that far so please negotiate as soon as possible and

3. the LNR are saying nothing except they support the English, and

4. the ERC have appointed a Mediator and not arranged another meeting until the end of net month..

That is to say, all of them do not want to take a view on this difficult matter as they are scared of making a decision and the English and French rugby clubs driven by their own status and need for money WILL take a decision.

Guess who is likely to win then!

I know who will lose and that is the players, the supporters and the TV watchers..............

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

People are complaining that the format is unfair because teams like Zebre are in the Cup when they are not one of the top teams in Europe. It is true that they will most likely be beaten by most opposition but they can pull out a few results. Look at them beating Cardiff away last week.

In relation to the amount of money distributed out between nations, surely in the hope of developing teams in less well off regions it would be better to give them a bigger cut, i.e. Scotland and Italy.

I don't know if you can call Scotland a developing nation... They've been around for long enough, they should be able to produce players without outside help now. Italy's different, of course.

 

[Gavin]

I don't know if you can call Scotland a developing nation... They've been around for long enough, they should be able to produce players without outside help now. Italy's different, of course.

In terms of the stronger nations in Europe, I would class Scotland as still developing, completely in terms of their club sides. They really did not do well when professionalism came to the shores and for that reason they lost one of their clubs.

 

[McTallshort]

People are complaining that the format is unfair because teams like Zebre are in the Cup when they are not one of the top teams in Europe. It is true that they will most likely be beaten by most opposition but they can pull out a few results. Look at them beating Cardiff away last week.

In relation to the amount of money distributed out between nations, surely in the hope of developing teams in less well off regions it would be better to give them a bigger cut, i.e. Scotland and Italy.

Scotland and Italy already get more per team than anyone else.....

On the whole money thing some people are calling the PRL clubs greedy and that they get a slightly higher slice of the pie than than the Irish and Welsh unions. Some people are forgetting that PRL clubs generate a greater income for the HC than the pro 12 teams so they see it as unfair that most of the money they generate goes to foreign unions also the whole greed thing would be relevant if the PRL and Top 14 teams were rolling in cash and bathing in champagne but the reality is most are struggling to break even and these are private concerns that have to balance the books not union supported regions. If they were all making massive profits then great give more money to the unions in the pro 12 but they are currently being asked to subsidize a league containing regions that have a bigger playing budget than most of them and I suppose they feel its unfair?...

 

[McTallshort]

In terms of the stronger nations in Europe, I would class Scotland as still developing, completely in terms of their club sides. They really did not do well when professionalism came to the shores and for that reason they lost one of their clubs.

Professionalism was badly managed in Scotland and Glasgow's form last season aside have not really developed at all despite 18 years of HC funding....

 

[Tony Manx]

The Rugby Champions Cup..................a somewhat pretentious name for the new AngloFrench competition me thinks!! Just goes to show the organisers have their heads so far up their arses they know nothing about the real world!!

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

And people thought The Rugby Championship was bad...

 

[Tony Manx]

And people thought The Rugby Championship was bad...

It will change probably when they sell the naming rights to a multi-national as surely these greedy barstewards will!!

 

[smartcooky]

Thats not really what hes saying is it? French rugby is boring, English rugby is boring which would mean any game between the 2 would be boring obviously the bloke doesnt watch English or French rugby and certainly didnt see the Toulon/tigers game in the HC last yeah. So it comes out as just a miss informed trolling rant.

You're right. I don't watch it precisely because its boring. The teams all seem to play as if they are trying not to lose rather than trying to win. They take few if any risks. The last two games I saw were Sharks v Falcons and Quins v Saints. They were essentially no more than goal kicking competitions. I think there might actually have been a try in each, but I missed them while I was yawning.

I find the Celtic League a far more enjoyable watch. Cardiff v Zebre was an absolute ripper of a game

 

[j_remos]

It will change probably when they sell the naming rights to a multi-national as surely these greedy barstewards will!!

Yes... I would not put it past those Evil English getting money for ALL teams involved selling rights to a sponsor... Wonder ehat Heineken are doing next year.

 

[smartcooky]

I would not want to see an anglofrench competition and am with SmartCiooky in all that he says.............

Interesting that

1. the IRB say that any such competition would have to be sanctioned by the relevant Unions (and are therefore passing the buck back to them) and

2. the RFU are saying that they would prefer not to see it getting that far so please negotiate as soon as possible and

3. the LNR are saying nothing except they support the English, and

4. the ERC have appointed a Mediator and not arranged another meeting until the end of net month..



That is to say, all of them do not want to take a view on this difficult matter as they are scared of making a decision and the English and French rugby clubs driven by their own status and need for money WILL take a decision.

Guess who is likely to win then!

I know who will lose and that is the players, the supporters and the TV watchers..............

You can add

5. The FFR have said they won't be approving the LNR to join

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/ffr-on-collision-course-over-split-29597036.html

[TEXTAREA]on the eve of the launch in Paris of potentially the final Heineken Cup, the FFR released a statement indicating that approval would not be forthcoming from it."No meeting or international competition involving French clubs can be organised outside the framework of the FFR and without its prior agreement," the statement read.

"The FFR has always been and will remain a major player in the European cups organised by ERC and backs proposals to permit the continuity and development of these.

"If the FFR is in favour of an improvement in the European cups, their organisation can only be envisaged under the edict of the European federations which make up ERC.
"The statement released by the clubs appears therefore irrelevant and inappropriate."[/TEXTAREA]

 

[ratsapprentice]

The last two games I saw were Sharks v Falcons and Quins v Saints. They were essentially no more than goal kicking competitions. I think there might actually have been a try in each, but I missed them while I was yawning.

Sharks vs Falcons - Two relegation contenders, one of which is coached by Dean Richards.

Quins vs Saints - Did you not notice the weather?

 

[j_remos]

Quins v Saints.

If that was the other week then in our defense it was VERY VERY wet.

 

[Gavin]

You're right. I don't watch it precisely because its boring. The teams all seem to play as if they are trying not to lose rather than trying to win. They take few if any risks. The last two games I saw were Sharks v Falcons and Quins v Saints. They were essentially no more than goal kicking competitions. I think there might actually have been a try in each, but I missed them while I was yawning.

I find the Celtic League a far more enjoyable watch. Cardiff v Zebre was an absolute ripper of a game

I would disagree. You will find in all competitions some matches which are dull and others which are not. Just depends really.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Judging an entire league by two poor games played in terrible conditions?
....right.

Watch Saints vs Gloucester, Sale vs Gloucester, Leicester vs Newcastle, etc.etc.etc.

 

[smartcooky]

Judging an entire league by two poor games played in terrible conditions?
....right.

Watch Saints vs Gloucester, Sale vs Gloucester, Leicester vs Newcastle, etc.etc.etc.

We can only judge by what we get to see. The Rugby Channel doesn't get all games, they just get what is made available to them, and I think that is determined in advance

 

[Amiga500]

You can add

5. The FFR have said they won't be approving the LNR to join

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/ffr-on-collision-course-over-split-29597036.html

[TEXTAREA]on the eve of the launch in Paris of potentially the final Heineken Cup, the FFR released a statement indicating that approval would not be forthcoming from it."No meeting or international competition involving French clubs can be organised outside the framework of the FFR and without its prior agreement," the statement read.

"The FFR has always been and will remain a major player in the European cups organised by ERC and backs proposals to permit the continuity and development of these.

"If the FFR is in favour of an improvement in the European cups, their organisation can only be envisaged under the edict of the European federations which make up ERC.
"The statement released by the clubs appears therefore irrelevant and inappropriate."[/TEXTAREA]

Game over for McCafferty.

Hopefully the RFU now grow some balls and realise this is the time to take total control of the game again, rather than bow before a few greedy club chairmen.

[The chairmen don't like it - they can **** off.]

 

[ratsapprentice]

Do the RFU actually have the resources to take over the clubs?

I highly doubt it. If the club financiers pull out then the game in England collapses as far as I can tell.

Our best players will **** off to France or League.