Wales autumn tests

[dullonien]

After a game last year I was having a beer with an Irishman who like me lives in Brazil. He thinks Wales should leave the Pro 12 and enter the Aviva Premiership to make it a genuine Anglo-Welsh competition with four Welsh sides and ten English.

I wouldn't want to see an Anglo-Welsh competition. For one, it would leave Ireland, Scotland and Italy in the lurch because they couldn't run a proper league with just 8 teams (and only 3 or 4 competitive teams at that). A British and Irish league could work, and could serve to strengthen all involved, however that would leave the newly created Italian sides in the lurch, although I couldn't see why they couldn't be involved as well. The biggest problem to a British and Irish (and Italian) league would be the possible devaluation of the Heineken Cup.

Still a two tear league could work. Something like:

Tier 1.

Leinster
Munster
Ulster
Ospreys
Blues
Scarlets
Edinburgh
Norhampton
Leicester
Saracens
Gloucester
Harlequins

Tier 2.

Connacht
Dragons
Glasgow
Treviso
Aironi
Sale
Bath
Wasps
Exeter
London Irish
Worcester
Newcastle

Have promotion and relegation between the two. I know it would be incredibly difficult to separate the English Prem sides, but it could work. Having two leagues of 12 teams would be best, but it worked out as 12 and 10. Maybe promote a couple of English division 1 sides? If Wales can get the North Wales region up and running, they could be introduced to the second tier. Or maybe have one less in tier one and balance it as 11 and 11 with a possibility of expanding at some point.

Edit. How the hell did I forget Scottish sides? OOps. Works out as 12 and 12 now. Although I probably feel Sale and a couple of other teams are too strong for the second division, but two strong divisions would be great.

Further edit. This is so far off topic though. Sorry.

 

[welshglory]

After a game last year I was having a beer with an Irishman who like me lives in Brazil. He thinks Wales should leave the Pro 12 and enter the Aviva Premiership to make it a genuine Anglo-Welsh competition with four Welsh sides and ten English.

Is anyone is favor of this?

I would be Melhor. In fact i think the RFU and WRU tried to organise something like that at the beginning before the celtic league but they couldn't decide how many Welsh and English teams would be in it. I don't think it will every happen now though unfortunately because we are tied in with the mickey mouse league (Pro 12) and because of the financial troubles the regions are in. I would much rather watch Cardiff v Gloucester, Ospreys v Leicester and im sure it would have brought in the crowds.

 

[Robert Prosser]

Good news Sam Warburton is only expected to be out for 6 weeks very good news for club and country.