Ring fencing premiership and championship

[McTallshort]

I think it's a big reason European sport has become so popular in America. Wake up, watch the 8am and 10am kickoffs, then go to your youth sports/get wasted at a vineyard.

That sounds like a good lifestyle.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Given the soccer TV embargo on Saturday afternoon kick-offs, I disagree entirely. Rugby should be trying to establish itself as the sport to watch on TV on a Saturday afternoon.

I'd be happy with that if they then moved amateur rugby to Sunday or Friday night for example.

The problem is we are a county with the biggest player base and all those players can't watch a premiership team week in week out. One of our biggest fan bases physically can't support the prem.

That's madness.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

So is the mission to get people watching it at home or people going to the ground because currently Rugby is struggling with both.

I think the rfu have only ever focussed on playing numbers and failed to see the bigger picture about the quality and support of the prem.

I get the impression amateur playing numbers in the rfu eyes equals success.

 

[Which Tyler]

I think the rfu have only ever focussed on playing numbers and failed to see the bigger picture about the quality and support of the prem.

I get the impression amateur playing numbers in the rfu eyes equals success.

How much of that is controlling the controllables?
Given that PRL exists, and spent its first decade at war with the RFU, before coming to an uneasy alliance which essentially banned the RFU from having nay input into anything to do with PRL then:
A] - How much CAN the RFU do about the Premiership?
B] - Every pound & every minute the RFU spend on 12 clubs is a pound and minute that they can't spend on their other 2000 clubs.

The RFU have next to nothing to do with the professional game, they have everything to do with the amateur game.

 

[stus768]

I'd be happy with that if they then moved amateur rugby to Sunday or Friday night for example.

The problem is we are a county with the biggest player base and all those players can't watch a premiership team week in week out. One of our biggest fan bases physically can't support the prem.

That's madness.

Or at least have amateur club games Saturday morning. As someone who still plays it's so frustrating that we barely even take into account international games let alone club games. Even having games in a Surrey league when England are at home. We have a load of games scheduled for the World Cup weekends when half our team will be in France. Rest of our league will have the same problem, plus new tackle height laws is going to be a messy start of the season.

 

[McTallshort]

Or at least have amateur club games Saturday morning. As someone who still plays it's so frustrating that we barely even take into account international games let alone club games. Even having games in a Surrey league when England are at home. We have a load of games scheduled for the World Cup weekends when half our team will be in France. Rest of our league will have the same problem, plus new tackle height laws is going to be a messy start of the season.

I would be against moving the amateur games just to suit 10 premiership clubs. The PRL have a duty to find revenues and markets to support its members not the RFU or the amateur clubs

 

[stus768]

I would be against moving the amateur games just to suit 10 premiership clubs. The PRL have a duty to find revenues and markets to support its members not the RFU or the amateur clubs

But players want to go watch club games. Is 1500 on a Saturday the best time for amateur games anyway? Puts players with families and Saturday plans off because you're taking up whole day for rugby. If it was early in the day or Friday night would let people have more flexibility.

 

[McTallshort]

But players want to go watch club games. Is 1500 on a Saturday the best time for amateur games anyway? Puts players with families and Saturday plans off because you're taking up whole day for rugby. If it was early in the day or Friday night would let people have more flexibility.

Yeah true enough

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Yeah I still play and would much prefer the games moved so I can watch the saints more and do more stuff with the family.

 

[Jaguares]

I dont know where to ask this. So here I go:

Is there a Rugby Union Club called Wigan Warriors as the RL club?

 

[McTallshort]

I dont know where to ask this. So here I go:

Is there a Rugby Union Club called Wigan Warriors as the RL club?

It's Rugby league mate

 

[TRF_Olyy]

There is/was ( ) a union side called Worcester Warriors

Wigan's (amateur) side is just called Wigan RUFC

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Not heard about this before today:


Not keen tbh - should just be straight relegation/promotion
The side with the £4+m budget should be able to comfortably beat a semi-pro side in a two game playoff before they've had a chance to recruit for life in the prem
Also messes clubs and players around wrt to contracts

 

[Which Tyler]

Better than ring-fencing, but not by much.
Introduce that for 2nd place vs 9th place, and I'd be far keener.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Not heard about this before today:


Not keen tbh - should just be straight relegation/promotion
The side with the £4+m budget should be able to comfortably beat a semi-pro side in a two game playoff before they've had a chance to recruit for life in the prem
Also messes clubs and players around wrt to contracts

I guess the logic would be if that is the case the team would be trashed in the Prem aswell.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

I guess the logic would be if that is the case the team would be trashed in the Prem aswell.

That's why I've not got a problem with it tbh

 

[Which Tyler]

I guess the logic would be if that is the case the team would be trashed in the Prem aswell.

Depends - If a Champ team knows in March that it's essentially 50:50 to finish in the top spot, and promotion is automatic; then they can start recruiting in March to be Prem ready.
Sadly, the pay-off finals in the Champ had already put paid to that, this is a further aggravation of that. It basically means that there's no point any Championship team preparing to play in the Prem the following year, because they'd have to play a Prem team with their Champ team - twice - in order to get there.
It's ring fencing in all but name, and even worse than having the Champ pay-offs in the first place (and I'm against them in the Prem, let alone at a level where teams are aiming for promotion)

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I guess the logic would be if that is the case the team would be trashed in the Prem aswell.

Suppose, but promoted teams always recruit a bunch over the summer

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Suppose, but promoted teams always recruit a bunch over the summer

Yeh and how many of the ones that did massive amount of recruitment went into administration?

London Welsh
London Irish
Are two names that did it

Exeter and Falcons seemed to generally keep the same squads when they got promoted

Worcester I can't remember

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, true

It probably won't happen anyway - Ealing will win the championship after investing so heavily in the squad, but then won't make any moves to meet the entry criteria and get denied again