Relegation query

[higgik]

Very insightful thoughts, my friend, thanks for that!

I'm actually loving the relegation battle, but that may be its newness to me... in fact, knowing Bristol just came up, if they'd gone right back down, I'd likely have a very different taste in my mouth about it, but it truly makes these last few weeks more exciting...

This season is a rarity. In previous seasons any team outside the cartel of 13, who has been promoted has been relegated very early in the season, leaving no relegation battle, and in the case of Rotherham, Yorkshire, have got into financial difficulties, while London Welsh went into administration.
The chase for the Holy Grail is causing financial strife that is not good for the players or the clubs themselves.
Maybe CVC, although their track record is not good, will create financial stability in order to help grow the professional game.

 

[Which Tyler]

And make even less likely that the cartel will ever be broken.

For me, variety is the spice of life, and being good at something should lead to promotion, whilst being bad at it should have consequences.

I favour democracy over aristocracy for much the same reason.

Investment is needed in the championship, so that the gap is reduced, and so that relegation is no longer seen as the end for a club (which has always been ridiculous - look at Bristol, or Leeds, or hell, even LWelsh still exists!).

IMO cartels are bad things, protection-rackets are bad things, attitudes such as "I'm alright Jack, so the rest of you can go duck yourselves" are bad things.
There are no upsides to ringfencing, but a hell of a lot of downsides.




TL,DR enshrining anti-competitive practices into a competition is self-contradictory, and makes a mockery of the entire concept of sport.

 

[higgik]

Now is the time to realise that the game is in two distinct brackets, professional and the rest.
The professional game is part of the entertainment industry and should be separate from the rest.
The RFU and PRL need to decide how many clubs they can support, while the rest should be back to local leagues.
The idea that my local club can still 'make it big' has gone.
In my ideal world 2019/20 will be the last year of the current set up.
PRL should request franchises bid for the 14 places in the league. The current 12 + London Irish win 13 of them and then either Yorkshire Carnegie or South Yorkshire Viking's (new franchise set up between Rotherham and Doncaster) win the 14th place.
Each of these franchises has 'farm' teams allocated as academy style teams. Like Hartpury with Gloucester.

If a franchise fails financially then their place can be taken by a successful bid. Also there would be a long term plan to increase the number of teams.
You only have to look at MLR to see how this could work.

 

[Geordie]

I see theres some debate about it now...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-7018963/Rugbys-financial-backers-Newcastle-talks-increasing-Premiership-13-teams.html

As a falcons fan i dont think we should be made an exception. We have been awful all season bar the odd game in Europe and deserve a punishment. .

 

[Dai Perk]

I heard them talking about this on Eggchasers, sounds like a bizarre plan... I guess there will be an important meeting next week, could change a ton of things!