Heineken Cup talks "have now ended"

[Feicarsinn]

The Rabo needs to try and make serious strides on the relatively small TV deal they have now. At least the Welsh regions are in a position now that they cannot be threatened with the WRU's alternative regions anymore.

Yeah, but they're still in a position where they're threatened by their own mismanagement and general uselessness.

 

[psychic duck]

Yeah, but they're still in a position where they're threatened by their own mismanagement and general uselessness.

Do go on.

 

[jonny24]

I won't pretend to be an expert on the subject here, but I will offer this. I started watching Premiership, Super Rugby, and Pro 12 this year. And I have to say... Pro 12 is definitely lacking something, and not necessarily on the pitch. I want to say production value, but I'm not sure that's it. But something.

 

[Tony Manx]

I won't pretend to be an expert on the subject here, but I will offer this. I started watching Premiership, Super Rugby, and Pro 12 this year. And I have to say... Pro 12 is definitely lacking something, and not necessarily on the pitch. I want to say production value, but I'm not sure that's it. But something.

................will not be getting much of my time!

 

[Feicarsinn]

Do go on.

No one made the Blues appoint Barber and Burnell or the Ospreys Scott Johnson.

 

[munstermuffin]

No one made the Blues appoint Barber and Burnell or the Ospreys Scott Johnson.

Agree 100% with this. A lot if Welsh regions lie with themselves

 

[Amiga500]

"I would argue this does not need to be to the detriment of the international game"
-Mark McCaffery


I hope all you blind short-sighted idiots that thought handing more power to clowns like McCafferty was a good idea are happy with a future of wendyball-lite. "Not need to be"... in other words, we dont care if it is collateral damage.

 

[McTallshort]

only 1 blind short sighted idiot Amiga and that would be you..

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Why the need for people to be antagonistic on all sides?!

To be clear, this seems like a rout of the Unions by the clubs. They have all that they asked for. I think though that we're already seeing the true intentions come to light. Under the initial RCC proposals, there were to be three competitions and lesser unions would be included. I and many others expressed doubt that PRL and LNR ever had an intention of looking after the lesser nations and this is already becoming clear. We have clear proposals for the EPCR Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions. The 3rd competition? That's been given the inspiring name of the Qualifying Competition and is to be run not by EPCR (which is RCC under another name basically) but by the amateur FIRA-AER. EPCR can't make money off it so leave it to the amateurs.

LNR and PRL have seen their purchasing power increase ahead of the WRU, RRW, IRFU, FIR and SRU. The take of the latter bodies is down to roughly 8% each. The take of the former is at around 33% each. While the old system was unfair, is the new system any better or has it shifted financial clout too far the other way?

I hope it works out. I fear it won't.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Is there a set amount of money rabo teams will get each year for this competition or is it done by representation? Sorry if it's been said and I missed it.

 

[psychic duck]

Why the need for people to be antagonistic on all sides?!

To be clear, this seems like a rout of the Unions by the clubs. They have all that they asked for. I think though that we're already seeing the true intentions come to light. Under the initial RCC proposals, there were to be three competitions and lesser unions would be included. I and many others expressed doubt that PRL and LNR ever had an intention of looking after the lesser nations and this is already becoming clear. We have clear proposals for the EPCR Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions. The 3rd competition? That's been given the inspiring name of the Qualifying Competition and is to be run not by EPCR (which is RCC under another name basically) but by the amateur FIRA-AER. EPCR can't make money off it so leave it to the amateurs.

LNR and PRL have seen their purchasing power increase ahead of the WRU, RRW, IRFU, FIR and SRU. The take of the latter bodies is down to roughly 8% each. The take of the former is at around 33% each. While the old system was unfair, is the new system any better or has it shifted financial clout too far the other way?

I hope it works out. I fear it won't.

The statement said EPCR with FIRA, although we will have to wait to find out the details of the arrangement.

No one made the Blues appoint Barber and Burnell or the Ospreys Scott Johnson.

Coaching appointments from 4 or 5 years ago are of little relevance to the current situation. Whatever has gone on in the past, the regions have managed quite well in this particular matter.

And as an aside it sums up how lowly the Pro12 is regarded when a ***le winning coach is still considered so badly, Johnson had a decent first season but fell away badly towards the end. Burnell is doing really quite well with London Welsh now as well by the way, even though his time was a disaster at the Blues.

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...4-million-world-cup-compensation-9256728.html

The sharks smell blood and are circling.

 

[goodNumber10]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...4-million-world-cup-compensation-9256728.html

The sharks smell blood and are circling.

Aye. Wonder what would happen if they actually asked the fans what they wanted....

 

[Feicarsinn]

The statement said EPCR with FIRA, although we will have to wait to find out the details of the arrangement.



Coaching appointments from 4 or 5 years ago are of little relevance to the current situation. Whatever has gone on in the past, the regions have managed quite well in this particular matter.

And as an aside it sums up how lowly the Pro12 is regarded when a ***le winning coach is still considered so badly, Johnson had a decent first season but fell away badly towards the end. Burnell is doing really quite well with London Welsh now as well by the way, even though his time was a disaster at the Blues.

Not exactly an airtight argument. I could just as easily say it shows how great the pro 12 is that a man deemed good enough for both the Welsh and Scottish head coach roles was one of the poorer coaches in the league.

 

[Peat]

An alternate argument to that...

And as an aside it sums up how lowly the Six Nations is regarded when a ***le winning coach is still considered so badly, Kidney had a decent first season but fell away badly towards the end.

Coaches will always be judged on their whole reigns and probably more on the end than the beginning. That is the measure of a coach, not the competition, and there is no prize so glorious that a coach can't destroy their reputation after winning it. See Sir Clive Woodward for more details.

 

[Amiga500]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...4-million-world-cup-compensation-9256728.html

England's Premiership clubs, emboldened by the "historic" agreement that has given them a central role in running next season's new European competitions, are set for three more battles with rugby's governing bodies.



The clubs are demanding £14 million from the Rugby Football Union as compensation for the disruption caused by next year's World Cup in England and Wales.

Penny dropping yet?


Or do we need the PRL to actually prevent players playing for England before folks realise how bad a monster they've been feeding?

 

[psychic duck]

An alternate argument to that...



Coaches will always be judged on their whole reigns and probably more on the end than the beginning. That is the measure of a coach, not the competition, and there is no prize so glorious that a coach can't destroy their reputation after winning it. See Sir Clive Woodward for more details.

His reign fell away in Europe after a good first season not the Pro12 though, he left them in a good league position and Ospreys in fact ended up winning it that year after he left. It's unlikely he would have been got rid of and regarded as a mistake if the league was regarded highly.

 

[welshglory]

Johnson isn't really a head coach in his style. His real specialty is identifying and developing youngsters, he's very very good at it as well. He would be most useful in a similar role to Gareth Jenkins' with the Scarlets. I think that's what he's doing now with Scotland officialy

 

[Rumpi]

Yup. Sky involvement will probably be a good thing. I don't know when Pro 12 TV rights next go up, but there is potential for progress to be made there, particularly with the Irish.

This may not be the greatest deal ever but it's better than the presumed alternative of nothing.

Not necessarily the case. People just assume that sky throw money around, they'll only bid enough to beat the opposition. In ireland the rabo was on TG4, which basically means that RTE & TV3 weren't interested. Why? Because the viewership figures are terrible. Sky won't be paying any more then they have to to prize the rights off tg4, who operate on a tiny budget.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Well, the point wasn't whether Johnson is a good coach or not, but rather that the Welsh regions will still be at the mercy of their own stupidity. Look at the Blues' stadium debacle over the past couple of seasons as another example.