League of Nations

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

What'll be interesting to see now is how Sanzaar react. The 6 Nations will take CVC money and further enrich themselves. The Premiership already took CVC money and Pro 14 are likely to follow suit. Sanzaar have to try something or they'll be further drained of their top talent to Europe.

 

[Leinster Fan]

without promotion and relegation there is very little point, means the only thing being played for is at the top and for the foreseeable that will get played out between RSA, NZ, ENG, IRE and maybe Wales, great

Rugby is all but dead in Aussie, lots of talk that the Folau case will bankrupt them if they loose (maybe even if they win depending on how long it lasts) and there is very little chance of the government bailing out the national organisation of the fourth or fifth most popular sport in the country that just lost a wrongful dismissal court case (they shouldn't loose but you never know)

The hubris of these unions thinking that their national teams just existing, not having to really do anything other than the world cups, is enough to carry a whole sport is mind boggling

every other sport has a club/franchise level that is significantly bigger than the international game to keep the interest up, rugby seems to think the international game is the only thing that matters

the all blacks played 14 games last year....a super rugby team (including making the final) would only have 19 games...if we're going to hang the sport on the international game like that then they should be playing for something

Dunno where you're going with this, the proposed competition wouldn't have nearly as much prestige as the Six Nations does.

 

[stus768]

https://www.world.rugby/news/232038?lang=en

world rugby has an agreement to do that for the next 3 world cup cycles which is much better than what the Nations League had to offer.

I honestly don't know what was appealing about the Nations League at this point. It shutout tier 2 nations and made the game harder to watch in 6N countries.

Money.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Money.

There'd be the initial TV deal and I doubt there would be a second.

No other sport has a yearly international championship that is commercially successful. (Hockey has one but not many people care about it). I don't believe the tv viewing numbers would be there to justify a second big tv contract. Who would watch this that doesn't already watch test matches?

 

[bushytop]

What'll be interesting to see now is how Sanzaar react. The 6 Nations will take CVC money and further enrich themselves. The Premiership already took CVC money and Pro 14 are likely to follow suit. Sanzaar have to try something or they'll be further drained of their top talent to Europe.

I'm hoping that the 6 Nations don't take the CVC deal as they'd lose a portion of control... at least with the Nations Cup (for all its faults) left control interests with the unions.

 

[stus768]

There'd be the initial TV deal and I doubt there would be a second.

No other sport has a yearly international championship that is commercially successful. (Hockey has one but not many people care about it). I don't believe the tv viewing numbers would be there to justify a second big tv contract. Who would watch this that doesn't already watch test matches?

Six nations.

 

[Leinster Fan]

Six nations.

The Six Nations has fans but there's little to no guarantee that the interest would carry over to the new competition, especially if it wasn't on free to air TV.

 

[stus768]

The Six Nations has fans but there's little to no guarantee that the interest would carry over to the new competition, especially if it wasn't on free to air TV.

Without this deal Six nations might go to cvc who will probs take it off free to air anyway.

 

[mdaclarke]

I personally think the Rugby Championship is better than the 6N. Also I think the 6N will be making a mistake if they take the CVC silver.

Also isn't there a danger of Rugby believing it;s own hype.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/ru...ing-winners-in-champions-cup-u-turn-1.3642630

Four years on, and entering the fifth year of the re-branded, remodelled competition under the new, Swiss-based organisers EPCR (whose offices moved from Neuchatel to Lausanne in the summer) and it is the Heineken Champions Cup. In the ongoing absence of those "commercial partners", save for Turkish Airlines for three years, the beer brewer is the ***le sponsor once more.

Furthermore, having previously been paying €10-€12million for the right to be ***le sponsors pre-2014, it is understood that Heineken are paying €8 million per season now.
Four years on, and entering the fifth year of the re-branded, remodelled competition under the new, Swiss-based organisers EPCR (whose offices moved from Neuchatel to Lausanne in the summer) and it is the Heineken Champions Cup. In the ongoing absence of those "commercial partners", save for Turkish Airlines for three years, the beer brewer is the ***le sponsor once more.

Furthermore, having previously been paying €10-€12million for the right to be ***le sponsors pre-2014, it is understood that Heineken are paying €8 million per season now.

 

[Leinster Fan]

I personally think the Rugby Championship is better than the 6N. Also I think the 6N will be making a mistake if they take the CVC silver.

Also isn't there a danger of Rugby believing it;s own hype.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/ru...ing-winners-in-champions-cup-u-turn-1.3642630

Four years on, and entering the fifth year of the re-branded, remodelled competition under the new, Swiss-based organisers EPCR (whose offices moved from Neuchatel to Lausanne in the summer) and it is the Heineken Champions Cup. In the ongoing absence of those "commercial partners", save for Turkish Airlines for three years, the beer brewer is the ***le sponsor once more.

Furthermore, having previously been paying €10-€12million for the right to be ***le sponsors pre-2014, it is understood that Heineken are paying €8 million per season now.
Four years on, and entering the fifth year of the re-branded, remodelled competition under the new, Swiss-based organisers EPCR (whose offices moved from Neuchatel to Lausanne in the summer) and it is the Heineken Champions Cup. In the ongoing absence of those "commercial partners", save for Turkish Airlines for three years, the beer brewer is the ***le sponsor once more.

Furthermore, having previously been paying €10-€12million for the right to be ***le sponsors pre-2014, it is understood that Heineken are paying €8 million per season now.

Yep, the fiasco of the Premiership and England rugby in general's stunning arrogance has been well documented. Not sold on the CVC move either though especially if it's a majority stake.

Without this deal Six nations might go to cvc who will probs take it off free to air anyway.

Might be just blind optimism but I doubt they'd be that stupid.

 

[mdaclarke]

https://www.the42.ie/fiji-japan-rugby-championship-4692776-Jun2019/

Fiji Japan or even USA to join the championship? I will put that in the "never going to happen" drawer.

 

[higgik]

https://www.the42.ie/fiji-japan-rugby-championship-4692776-Jun2019/

Fiji Japan or even USA to join the championship? I will put that in the "never going to happen" drawer.

True, but stupid of Sanzaar. The SA economy in in deep dodo, while there is no money for the 3rd ranked winter sport in Aus, and NZ is too small economy for all three to survive without the Japanese or American Money.
I personally think having a four year Asia/Pacific Champs in the middle of a RWC cycle would be a good start.
Maybe instead of an NH tour or even when the Lions are touring.
How about 2 groups of 3 play home and away, 4 matches over 6 weeks, with a finals day 1v1, 2v2, etc.

Group A: NZ, Fiji, Tonga
Group B: Aus, Japan, Samoa
Bottom team in each group relegated

Div 2 follow similar format, with Top team in each group promoted.

Similar format in America could also happen

Would start the process of broadening international play without the whole idea of changing the RC or the 6N

 

[mdaclarke]

I don't see Rugby ever becoming a major sport in the USA or Canada. The PI have too small economies and Japan is too isolated (and have burnt their bridges with South Africa). Georgia is too small and nobody will want to travel/play/visit there especially given the Russia issues. This is why I think they are best off concentrating on the 10 tier 1 teams. If not then they may lose Australia and Italy

 

[bushytop]

I don't see Rugby ever becoming a major sport in the USA or Canada. The PI have too small economies and Japan is too isolated (and have burnt their bridges with South Africa). Georgia is too small and nobody will want to travel/play/visit there especially given the Russia issues. This is why I think they are best off concentrating on the 10 tier 1 teams. If not then they may lose Australia and Italy

It is a conundrum, at least there is a professional league in America now that seems to be trending in the right direction... and in terms of Japan, let's hope this upcoming World Cup is a blast and grips the home nations attention enough to continue their progression.

Now that the Nations Cup is dead in the water (for now at least) I think World Rugby should 'target' specific countries that have economic or cultural influence. As above, USA and Japan should be priorities. Germany and Spain (and maybe Russia) in Europe and Brazil in South America. If Rugby could get a bit more traction in these nations it could create a ripple effect.

 

[mdaclarke]

It is a conundrum, at least there is a professional league in America now that seems to be trending in the right direction... and in terms of Japan, let's hope this upcoming World Cup is a blast and grips the home nations attention enough to continue their progression.

Now that the Nations Cup is dead in the water (for now at least) I think World Rugby should 'target' specific countries that have economic or cultural influence. As above, USA and Japan should be priorities. Germany and Spain (and maybe Russia) in Europe and Brazil in South America. If Rugby could get a bit more traction in these nations it could create a ripple effect.

Would One option be a Pacific tournament?

USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa

 

[bushytop]

Would One option be a Pacific tournament?

USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa

Definitely an option, for some reason I think the US audience for international rugby would only be stirred by competition at the top level though. Even though your idea would be highly competitive, I think the average US sports fan would still have the fact that there are 10 international teams playing in competitions at a higher level than the one their team is playing in at the back of their mind and feel a little deflated by that.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Suggestion of a modified international calendar effectively hand picking Japan and Fiji to join the 'top table', or alternatively an invite to Japan to join the 6N. Either way, it would avoid promotion/relegation.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/new-...cards-following-reports-of-meetings-in-japan/

 

[mdaclarke]

Suggestion of a modified international calendar effectively hand picking Japan and Fiji to join the 'top table', or alternatively an invite to Japan to join the 6N. Either way, it would avoid promotion/relegation.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/new-...cards-following-reports-of-meetings-in-japan/

This could happen although If I was cynical I would expect Fiji to be replaced with the USA.

The reality is that the 6N will never ever ever agree to promotion/relegation and any proposal with promotion/relegation is as dead as a dodo. But I expect Fiji to be done over.

 

[Derpus]

Fiji and Japan to the RC makes infinitely more sense but I can see European money ruining more things.

 

[Derpus]

Would One option be a Pacific tournament?

USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa

The islands don't have the money for that much travel. Even if just Fiji were to join the RC they'd have to be subsidised.