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URC and Premiership merger discussions?

TRF_Olyy said:
You lost all right to say the English/French ****** up the European cups after you shoehorned the South African sides in
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The English and French fecked it up with the mcclafferty/BT sport shambles. Adding the 4 big SA teams is relatively of no consequence.
 
I'll worry about this when it happens if it happens. I think the URC is a fine league. At least its on a par for me with SR but with better time zones.

I'd love to see a full strength Leinster vs a full strength Crusaders. Think those are pretty analogous sides. If anything for me the Irish sides are more consistent. I just wonder whether if it really counted if I wouldn't back the Crusaders rather.

Our own sides have reached a point where at least we aren't losing half the squad to Europe each year. Probably need a year or two more to "gel"/ consolidate. Stormers this year signed a private equity agreement. We've done so well on the field with the financial pressure and under administration I hope the guys don't stop pushing further with their salaries actually secured for once.

I wouldn't know enough to make a suggestion about what can be done to up the competitiveness of the Welsh sides which or me is the only work on really. Any billionaire Welsh rugby fans interested in equity deals? That's what's kept the Bulls and more recently Sharks going. Money to keep the talent home and get the backbone players back from England/France/Japan.
 
TRF_Olyy said:
Disagree, devalued the competition much more than requiring Italy and Scotland to qualify properly
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Disagree, the old Heineken was a European tournament that spanned more than rugby, it was a huge pull to peripheral fans. English clubs jumping on the bandwagon with the French power grab killed European rugby and devalued the sport quite a bit.

I agree the sA teams shouldnt be up north, I have no interest watching them in the league or Europe, but Money and power has been prioritised not by the URC league, so whatever paves the way for SA to join the 6N I suppose
 
higgik said:
Moffat has added his two penny worth.

www.walesonline.co.uk

Former Welsh rugby boss lays out plan to save the game and slams World Rugby

David Moffett has come up with a radical solution to save professional rugby
www.walesonline.co.uk www.walesonline.co.uk
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Starts off by saying how Ireland are the only nation to do things right with English clubs folding left, right, and centre; then goes on to suggests only 2 Irish provinces in the top tier, yet 7 from England + a further 8 English sides in the devision below!

He is a right clown is Moffett!
 
dullonien said:
Starts off by saying how Ireland are the only nation to do things right with English clubs folding left, right, and centre; then goes on to suggests only 2 Irish provinces in the top tier, yet 7 from England + a further 8 English sides in the devision below!

He is a right clown is Moffett!
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Yea I really didn't get that... and then what exactly would be his suggestion for promotion/relegation? That you can only promote/relegate from the same region? Imagine that league having the two Irish teams being the top 2 in the league at the end of the season and potentially play a final against each other... to then relegate the team that loses. Bizarre.
 
saulan said:
Yea I really didn't get that... and then what exactly would be his suggestion for promotion/relegation? That you can only promote/relegate from the same region? Imagine that league having the two Irish teams being the top 2 in the league at the end of the season and potentially play a final against each other... to then relegate the team that loses. Bizarre.
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The concept of promotion and relegation would have to stop for this.
If this went ahead, it should be 24 teams in a conference style league at best.
 
higgik said:
The concept of promotion and relegation would have to stop for this.
If this went ahead, it should be 24 teams in a conference style league at best.
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I think promotion and relegation provide so much entertainment that they'd be foolish not to have two separate levels on the new league that you get promoted and relegated to but you couldn't drop out the bottom one.

Therefore you still get some drama etc and all the teams in reality are safe. You could then even add a third tier of Georgian, Spanish, Portuguese etc teams
 
The URC should not merge with the premiership, period. However, what could work is if the English teams regionalise in to 4 teams and then these regions join the URC. English club rugby is struggling for money and fans, 4 teams folding in 12 months. The quality of the player pool is spread thin so funnelling this into 4 regional teams would make sense. The remaining club teams would turn semi pro, becoming sustainable and provide a talent pool for the regions. Maybe an annual draft could be incorporated to feed players through .
 
ManxMan said:
The URC should not merge with the premiership, period. However, what could work is if the English teams regionalise in to 4 teams and then these regions join the URC. English club rugby is struggling for money and fans, 4 teams folding in 12 months. The quality of the player pool is spread thin so funnelling this into 4 regional teams would make sense. The remaining club teams would turn semi pro, becoming sustainable and provide a talent pool for the regions. Maybe an annual draft could be incorporated to feed players through .
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The majority of Saints fans i know would never get behind an East Mids side they'd still watch Saints even semi-pro. I think rather a few Tigers fans would as do the same.
As for Glaws and Bath fans cheering on the same team I'd say you have a snow balls chance in hell.

I'd assume all four of those teams still make more in those derby's than they would as a region playing at the Ospreys or Scarlets in front of a few thousand.
 
Saintjay said:
The majority of Saints fans i know would never get behind an East Mids side they'd still watch Saints even semi-pro. I think rather a few Tigers fans would as do the same.
As for Glaws and Bath fans cheering on the same team I'd say you have a snow balls chance in hell.

I'd assume all four of those teams still make more in those derby's than they would as a region playing at the Ospreys or Scarlets in front of a few thousand.
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In Cricket terms ask Somerset fans how they feel about supporting Wales in The Hundred.....
 
I take both points, however with premiership clubs operating at a loss, you might not have a team to support. English rugby needs a shake up, I'd say a reinvention. So all options need to be looked at.
 
ManxMan said:
I take both points, however with premiership clubs operating at a loss, you might not have a team to support. English rugby needs a shake up, I'd say a reinvention. So all options need to be looked at.
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Regions doesn't work though, you only have to look at our countries to see that when they are butchered clubs merged together.

Smarter idea would be a massive 3 tier euro club league but every idea has issues.
 
Saintjay said:
The majority of Saints fans i know would never get behind an East Mids side they'd still watch Saints even semi-pro. I think rather a few Tigers fans would as do the same.
As for Glaws and Bath fans cheering on the same team I'd say you have a snow balls chance in hell.

I'd assume all four of those teams still make more in those derby's than they would as a region playing at the Ospreys or Scarlets in front of a few thousand.
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To add to this. In European nights that I've travelled with Munster - Gloucester, Leicester, Northampton, Sale. The English trips are the best for atmosphere and regionalising them destroys that. Like say East Midlands had a team. And they draw a Munster/Leinster etc. Where do you play it. Very hard also to get fans to buy in to it as alot are born and bred rivals and you do take heart out of it which equally makes an exodus possible.
 
I'd rather give up on supporting a professional team than ever support an 'midlands super club'. I just wouldn't watch it.

There is also no need as saints and tigers both have great support.

Imagine asking Leinster and Munster to merge, Jesus wept!
 
I don't love the idea of a merger to be honest. The English clubs have been fairly hostile to SA's inclusion in Europe and I'd rather we stick with the current structure than risk losing the South African teams who've added so much to the URC.
 
Don't Skip Leg Day said:
Regions doesn't work though, you only have to look at our countries to see that when they are butchered clubs merged together.

Smarter idea would be a massive 3 tier euro club league but every idea has issues.
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can agree with this

The Unions in NZ (closest equivalent to the clubs i think) are dying because all the focus is on super rugby and the international game but the super franchises just dont have the history of the provincial unions
 

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