• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

Merging UK sides in world series

Bruce_ma gooshvili

International
TRF Legend
Joined
Jun 22, 2016
Messages
6,502
Country Flag
Scotland
Club or Nation
Georgia
And so it begins:

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/37191726

This is why so many of us north of the border were hostile to UK wide football and rugby teams at the Olympics, because it creates precedent and opens the door to Scotland losing its historic position as an independent sporting entity. Hopefully the prospect of liquidating the spiritual home of Sevens rugby from the international scene gets the shortest of shrifts. Worrying that someone in a position of authority in world rugby can air this view and a real "told you so" for the SRU for not vetoing / abstaining from UK wide team involvement at the Olympics.
 
Disagree entirely they suggesting 7's merge and only if the unions agree, I think its good thing overall playing as one nation makes sense from Olympics PoV to comepete regulary as one nation and stop treating as it something a bunch of players do once in a while for fun.

They are not changing 15's and they'd struggle to ever let that pass as it would mean ripping apart the 6 nation which never happen due to MONEY.

Have the Lions ever threatened Scotland aapart form players being too **** to make the team?
 
Bad idea and I cannot see why any of the Unions would go for it. Not just in terms of Wales and especially Scotland's GB representation but in terms of time, money, potential for players and each nations individual sucess, England are up the top most of the time, Wales and Scotland are and have done very well in the past.
 
I think you are reading way to much into this.

World Rugby chief gets ask what do you think about the possibility of a permanent Team GB, World Rugby says we would be open to the idea no poop would they be open to the idea as they can't afford to turn it down. Nothing in it does he say that he wants them to and either way it makes he doesn't care he says from a Olympics POV it would make sense which it obviously would make sense.

I can see why Joyce would want it due to the fact that some England ladies are now on Full time contracts and it is prob a better chance of earning more with something that involves a RFU.


Literally this is the definition of a nothing story that people will read to much into.

Kind of sums up some people mindset that they would rather have no team in the Olympics.
 
Last edited:
Would be a sensible idea for Team GB to compete in the year running up to an Olympics - if that's workable re: bringing in two replacement teams to the World Series.
 
Would be a sensible idea for Team GB to compete in the year running up to an Olympics - if that's workable re: bringing in two replacement teams to the World Series.
I know that's how hockey operates but how many players make it into what is essentially an English team bolstered by other nations?
 
The situation with the Lions is not comparable. The equivalent would be if the Lions were deployed in an official contest such as the 6N or World Cup. In fairness, if they did that it'd free up three places in the 6N for expansion into tier 2!

I agree that obviously we are a million miles away from this being introduced but the fact the UK state media is even asking such absurd and ignorant questions of rugby officials is what I find particularly concerning. Either because they have an agenda, are idiots or are degenerating into nothing more than "click bait".

And I'm sorry if wanting to enjoy the continuation of over a hundred years of sporting tradition betrays an unhealthy mindset. Truth is I wouldn't trust the SRU not to do something idiotic in the name of cost cutting (there were already strong rumours of them pulling the plug on sevens).
 
It sounds to me you just want to say I told you so.

All media ask pointless question let's face it the RFU prob don't want to get involved with WRU or SRU either it will be nice little thing every 4 years for international exposure the Olympics has 1000000x the exposure of Rugby Series and it makes sense for all unions to use it IMO.

It's literally click bait, Olympics are over what question can I ask this world rugby chap? I know what about Team GB staying on.

Media today is mainly focused around click bait, how many times has the Welsh media brought up joining the AP when neither the WRU or the PRL have brought it up, how many times has media around the world in sports created a headline from an out of context quote. Welcome to the digital age.

You accused world rugby of airing That I see absolutely no fault in.
 
It happened after the GB football entered the 2012 Games, though they were rrrrubbish. Suspect the question was asked because fof the sucess we had. Agree its clickbait, onc the season starts we'll see proper reportin
 
Agreed with Tigs and NCurd - it's a nothgin story.
The separate nations come together to form team GB in many (almost all IIRC) olympic sports. Rugby is not unique in this.

Gosper was asked a question, and he answered that he's open to the idea; but only if all 4 unions agree to it - which they won't, and no-one else is about to propose it either. For sure, no-one's going to force it on us against our will.
 
I agree with rats. There is merit in the idea of combining the GB team in the World Series only in the lead up year to the Olympics.

Another idea might be that the best performed team out of England, Wales and Scotland in the World Series lead lead-up year represents GB. Some other countries have done this with their best club team rather then select a national representative team
 
in olympic years end the sevens series around january and then allow uk side to merge and do a pre-olympic series that kind of exist as pre-season camps:

allow teams to enter multiple sides so coaches can see everyone they want in game situations
 
I think those of you considering the matter closed and that nobody will raise the prospect of eliminating Welsh, Scottish (and nominally) English sevens sides are likely to be mistaken. Particularly from the unions of countries seeking to join the World Series. Hopefully my prediction on this will be as woefully inaccurate as my Olympic sevens predictions and the only people to discuss this in the future are the wee trolls in the BBC sports editorial staff.
 
Passive aggressive references to 'UK Sevens' instead of 'GB Sevens' don't help the cause.
 
The aggression was so passive I wasn't even aware of it. The discussion involves the Olympics sevens team (which is part of the UK Olympics team, no matter if it is repeatedly falsely advertised as being "Team GB"). UK = GB + NI and there is no getting around that. Apologies if that offended anyone. I'm certainly not looking to open the can of worms of any potential sevens players from Northern Ireland within the World Series or Olympics.

It seems Gosper just has a poor media strategy and/or communication skills. He was at it again being drawn into "supporting" any Pro12 expansion into North America, which is surely a matter primarily for relevant bodies in the US to consider.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/37208718

I'd prefer if Gosper's approach in both instances was one of "I'm not aware of any concrete proposals in this area and it is a matter for the relevant authorities to consider in the first instance. I have no comment to make at this time". Instead he is engaging in speculation on matters that aren't his to decide upon. I don't think his intentions are ill either in relation to 7s or US rugby, but he speaks in a way that leaves it open to media speculation that World Rugby endorses or favours one setup compared to another. That must get up the nose of PRO Rugby in the US and possibly the US union (that seemed to warming to the idea of PRO rugby at the end of the season.
 
I know that's how hockey operates but how many players make it into what is essentially an English team bolstered by other nations?

The two hockey teams were just the English team with the men's side leaving the top scorer in the English league out of the team.
 
They have very little bearing on this.

The SRU, WRU and RFU are the only people who can decide that they are going to compete under Team GB.

world rugby could just make some rule stating that teams have to represent nation states and that those unions don't qualify under that rule
 
The two hockey teams were just the English team with the men's side leaving the top scorer in the English league out of the team.
Just because players can't actually get in the sides doesn't mean that's not how it operates

- - - Updated - - -

The aggression was so passive I wasn't even aware of it. The discussion involves the Olympics sevens team (which is part of the UK Olympics team, no matter if it is repeatedly falsely advertised as being "Team GB"). UK = GB + NI and there is no getting around that.
Instead of just spouting off rubbish as face maybe you should look into it first.

The reality is neither UK and GB accurately describe who is taking part under that banner. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37058920
 
I am thoroughly aware of the situation thanks. It's the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Ergo it constitutes the GB territories in the "team GB" branding and Northern Ireland. If you saw the patriotic fervour of the state broadcaster during the Olympics it shouldn't surprise you that they write an article trying to defend the concept of "team GB".

It also doesn't surprise me that people who don't care about the fate of an historic 7s side of a country of 5 million also endorse a false Olympic team branding exercise that casually cuts out a nation of 1.5 million souls from the equation as if their contribution is irrelevant? Maybe we could change "Team GB" to "Team Celts" and you'd be fine with it?

Personally I don't lose any sleep over it as I've no ties to NI. I was just explaining why I refer to the UK Olympics 7s team. Simply for the sake of accuracy.
 

Latest posts

Top