Ring fencing premiership and championship

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

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

I don't think you can plant London Irish with that brush. It's 5 years now after they got relegated and the reason they went bust now would be the same reason they could have gone bust at any time, their rich sugar daddy pulled out.

Clubs that are funded solely by one person could go pop at any time.

 

[RedruthRFC]

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)

My belief is that what you describe has a very low chance of success and that if you're serious about getting promoted and staying there, you need to budget for winning the Championship with a Premier quality team. That being the case, I don't have much of a problem with it, if anything, I see it as a good thing to save clubs who haven't learned the lessons of history from wasting lots of money and placing their business in danger.

 

[Which Tyler]

Some people like ring fencing
Some people hate ring fencing

 

[Reiser99]

My view is rugby needs to be viable before you start worrying about promotion. We've seen 3 teams fold in the premiership this season and nothing makes me think that any of the championship teams have a viable business model to avoid the same fate. I've said before I can honestly see professional rugby dying in this country if the sport doesn't get it's act together.

We need a viable and competitive premiership and then a viable and competitive championship, then you can look at growing clubs and introducing promotion and relegation.

 

[RedruthRFC]

My view is rugby needs to be viable before you start worrying about promotion.

My favourite mantra for ambitious clubs is that the challenge is to build a business capable of funding the club's rugby section. I don't see why the top two tiers containing a number of financial basket cases should be a reason to exclude other clubs though. Surely the fact that top clubs are struggling is all the more reason to replace them with clubs that are better able to compete. All hypothetical, as there are no such clubs that I know of.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Sounds like Ealing are making some decent signings Biyi Alo and Mike Willemse to join them

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, they've recruited more than some prem sides,
These have gone from Prem to Ealing, not sure if they've been picking up from other leagues too:
Lewis Boyce,
Henry Walker,
Jordy Reid,
Billy Twelvetrees,
Andrew Davidson,
Mike Willemse,
Nathan Earle,
Tom Collins

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Yeah, they've recruited more than some prem sides,
These have gone from Prem to Ealing, not sure if they've been picking up from other leagues too:
Lewis Boyce,
Henry Walker,
Jordy Reid,
Billy Twelvetrees,
Andrew Davidson,
Mike Willemse,
Nathan Earle,
Tom Collins

The decline of Nathan Earle has actually been quite sad. Career ruined by injuries

 

[RedruthRFC]

Sounds like Ealing are making some decent signings Biyi Alo and Mike Willemse to join them

Decent, nothing more. A smattering of Premiership squad players could well be enough to best a weak Championship, I can't see it being enough to overcome the bottom Premiership side to win promotion. Even if variance swung their way and they won promotion, it's going to be a big ask augmenting that side with sufficient quality to survive a Premiership season.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ouch

 

[Reiser99]

Ouch

So the premiership is trying to have a similar cap with 145m less in revenue...even less really if it's RFU and PRL combined.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ouch

Yeh trouble is NRL has less competition.
Super league cap is £2.1 million
Mind super league and the NRL work together SHOCK
On top of Australia being cheaper to live in.

Aus Rugby union is starting their every 4 years NRL player pinching.

Personally I feel that they should keep the cap and just add more extras. Like up the academy allowance and maybe if it pleases the sugar daddies allow 1 more marquee player again

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Yeh trouble is NRL has less competition.
Super league cap is £2.1 million
Mind super league and the NRL work together SHOCK
On top of Australia being cheaper to live in.

Aus Rugby union is starting their every 4 years NRL player pinching.

Personally I feel that they should keep the cap and just add more extras. Like up the academy allowance and maybe if it pleases the sugar daddies allow 1 more marquee player again

most sources ive found (plus personal experience) Aus is more expensive to live in than the UK...and NZ even worse

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Premiership clubs want to defer repayment of £100m in Covid loans

Premiership clubs are lobbying the government to defer the repayment of Covid-era emergency loans, as they continue to operate on a financial knife-edge.

www.dailymail.co.uk

As it stands, that is due to revert to £6.4m, from the current £5m threshold, for the 2024-25 season onwards. But there is a stark divide in relation to the spending limit.

It is understood that four clubs - believed to be Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Saracens - have resisted calls from several rivals to maintain the cap at the current, lower level; to ease financial difficulties.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I don't get why it needs to go up that much wouldn't like 500k increase be a better starting point??

Gradually build it up every couple years

 

[Reiser99]

I know they must be in better financial circumstances, but surely they have to recognise the danger of the premiership actually folding if more teams go under. I guess they'll just say you don't have to spend to the cap and ate hoping to get a big advantage.

 

[stus768]

Premiership clubs want to defer repayment of £100m in Covid loans

Premiership clubs are lobbying the government to defer the repayment of Covid-era emergency loans, as they continue to operate on a financial knife-edge.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Surely the gov can just say if u can afford to put up cap you can afford to pay loans?

I don't care about being competitive in Europe for next few years, very unlikely to win anyway. All focus needs to be on making prem as competitive a league as possible.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Gotta think the clubs are tearing their hair out watching England play so badly - I bet they look at the World Cup as a big event/showcase to try and convert some non/casual fans into ticket buyers, but no one is watching this garbage and wanting to find out more about the squad/game

 

[SG59_]

It won't change. Like any business, those at the top will look after themselves and the rest will be grateful for what they get - note the sarcasm there. The time to worry will be when the rats leave the ship. Then you know it's over and a major rebuild will be forced. Hopefully, by people that actually want a sustainable model. This would of course require them to not put themselves first, so...yeah.

 

[higgik]

It won't change. Like any business, those at the top will look after themselves and the rest will be grateful for what they get - note the sarcasm there. The time to worry will be when the rats leave the ship. Then you know it's over and a major rebuild will be forced. Hopefully, by people that actually want a sustainable model. This would of course require them to not put themselves first, so...yeah.

Part of the problem.

Why should the clubs help the RFU in this business.
There needs to be a complete restart on pro rugby.
1) RFU responsible for academies up to U21 in partnership with colleges, 'development clubs' and universities. Pro club franchises MUST be separate businesses to community club.
2) League set up with franchises, in collaboration with CVC and RFU.
3) strict salary cap and squad size (35) to prevent franchises from having large squads.
4) draft and combine for all 21 year olds wanting a pro contract, as well as any free agents.
5) Farm system for these players to develop.
6) minimum number of GB & I qualified players in matchday 23 (15 must be qualified), max of 11 overseas in squad.