Premiership Rugby 20/21 Season

[higgik]

Plan should be to gradually build a 16 team league with 4 regional groups of 4, playing an 18 game season plus play offs.

14 in 2 groups of 7 for 2021/22, leading to 15 in 3 years time and 16 3 years after that.

Teams selected on fan base, financial, historical and regional criteria.

My 16 would be
London: Saracens, Harlequins, London Irish, Northampton
South West: Pirates, Exeter Bath, Bristol
Midlands: Gloucester, Worcester, Wasps, Leicester
North: Newcastle, Sale, Doncaster (South Yorkshire), Nottingham

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Groups

 

[RedruthRFC]

Plan should be to gradually build a 16 team league with 4 regional groups of 4, playing an 18 game season plus play offs.

Why? It seems strange to suggest something as radical as this without explaining why it is a good idea.

Given the stated difficulties of finding a 14th team to add, finding a 15th and 16th is going to be fun. You're also looking at a hard sell to get the 12 (or 13?) teams who currently get a share of the pot to split it even more ways.

 

[higgik]

I agree with the owners not wanting to split their share, but the league needs to be ring fenced, and have a good spread across the country.

Revenue sharing is vital to create as level playing field as possible.

Also national league clubs need to realise that there are only so many places at the top table and that becoming feeder teams for the top clubs will be a way of ensuring they survive.

Finally, the Championship needs to be linked with the A league, effectively they become feeder teams for Premiership.

Just look at how the G league works in basketball across the pond as well as the other sports having 'farm' teams.

With this last point, it makes it clearer that there needs to be a top limit of 16 teams in the league, so that the few in the Championship can decide if they have the finances to get there.

Also, any new team would have to 'buy' a share in the league, so that would pay some back to the current shareholders.

 

[Scotty]

Plan should be to gradually build a 16 team league with 4 regional groups of 4, playing an 18 game season plus play offs.

14 in 2 groups of 7 for 2021/22, leading to 15 in 3 years time and 16 3 years after that.

Teams selected on fan base, financial, historical and regional criteria.

My 16 would be
London: Saracens, Harlequins, London Irish, Northampton
South West: Pirates, Exeter Bath, Bristol
Midlands: Gloucester, Worcester, Wasps, Leicester
North: Newcastle, Sale, Doncaster (South Yorkshire), Nottingham

What you mean only play teams in your group?

All in all i dont see how any of that is a good idea.

What is your reasoning to why it should be done? Because its a huge change to a good format that works, Not perfect but non of them are.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Plus there's four East Midlands teams but one is shoehorned into "North" and one into "London"

In a hypothetical world (one where Leeds didn't die) you should cut it up as:

East: Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton, Wasps
West: Worcester, Gloucester, Bath, Bristol
South: Exeter, Saracens, Quins, Irish
North: Sale, Newcastle, Doncaster, Leeds

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Groups

Yeah, groups must be avoided at all costs. Ruined Super Rugby and Pro14 (12 at the time I guess?).

 

[higgik]

What you mean only play teams in your group?

All in all i dont see how any of that is a good idea.

What is your reasoning to why it should be done? Because its a huge change to a good format that works, Not perfect but non of them are.

Not only in group.
Play those teams home and away.
So with 2 x 7 there would be 12 in group 7 from other group and 1 'extra' match.

 

[higgik]

Plus there's four East Midlands teams but one is shoehorned into "North" and one into "London"

In a hypothetical world (one where Leeds didn't die) you should cut it up as:

East: Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton, Wasps
West: Worcester, Gloucester, Bath, Bristol
South: Exeter, Saracens, Quins, Irish
North: Sale, Newcastle, Doncaster, Leeds

Yes, that would be far better, but I tried to use current rankings, and removed Leeds and Doncaster.

I have always thought, for pro rugby Donny and Rotherham should join as a South Yorkshire team.