Welsh regions eye new tournament with the English

[Thingimubob]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21977459

Seems like they're getting a bit desperate, and the whole talk about breaking away from the WRU to play just seems a bit like Gallacher being annoyed that they didn't get the funding they wanted from the union! Maybe it's just a bluff, can't see them leaving the Pro 12 anytime soon - would certainly annoy the Scottish, Irish and Italians!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

We don't want you!

In doubt the RFU will buy into it anyway cause it'll mess up the RFU champ, and the league or two below that.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Thingimubob]

We don't want you!

In doubt the RFU will buy into it anyway cause it'll mess up the RFU champ, and the league or two below that.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Exactly what I was thinking, it's like the whole Celtic and Rangers wanting to join the Premier League - only way to be fair on the existing teams is to have them start from the bottom and work their way up

 

[RedWhiteGreen]

Short of somehow having a sixteen team Premiership (you'd have to have two conferences or something, which isn't too good), I don't see this one flying.

 

[Draggs]

I'd prefer this.
Much easier to get to Gloucester or Bath than Treviso, Edinburgh, or Galway.

 

[SelimNiai]

I don't like this. I'm a fan of promotion and relegation and in this proposal that can't happen. And that's not fair on the Championship teams that are, and this is something thats a problem in all of rugby, woefully underrated and on the whole ignored. Teams like Cornish Pirates, Bedford, Leeds and at risk of sounding biased, Bristol will be effectively killed of any competition if they are restricted of any progression.

 

[Peat]

From some of the talk, seems more HEC replacement than new league?

Either way, do not want.

 

[dragos03]

I actually hope this happens. It would force the Pro12 to look for new teams to join the tournament and to finally consider alternative markets.

Maybe a Romanian team could be included, especially if RCM Timisoara gets good results and attendance in the Amlin Challenge Cup this year.

 

[psychic duck]

Would be great for the Welsh teams to play in the Premiership. I really hope this happens even though unlikely. Anyway to get out of the shite RaboDirect Pro12.

Dragons would probably get relegated to the Championship. I don't see why this can't work with promotion and relegation. Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport County both get promoted and relegated in English football, should be no different. The only challenge is finding a format to integrate the teams into the league.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Stick them all in the Championship and if they're good enough they can come up year by year

 

[Draggs]

Would be great for the Welsh teams to play in the Premiership. I really hope this happens even though unlikely. Anyway to get out of the shite RaboDirect Pro12.

Dragons would probably get relegated to the Championship. I don't see why this can't work with promotion and relegation. Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport County both get promoted and relegated in English football, should be no different. The only challenge is finding a format to integrate the teams into the league.

I think we could at least beat Leeds, Newcastle, or Sale each year.

... I hope (Granted, we did win in Sale a while back, so that must count for something).

 

[profitius]

Would be great for the Welsh teams to play in the Premiership. I really hope this happens even though unlikely. Anyway to get out of the shite RaboDirect Pro12.

The league is dragging down the powerful Welsh regions is it? The same regions who play in half empty stadiums in the heineken cup.

 

[SelimNiai]

Would be great for the Welsh teams to play in the Premiership. I really hope this happens even though unlikely. Anyway to get out of the shite RaboDirect Pro12.

Dragons would probably get relegated to the Championship. I don't see why this can't work with promotion and relegation. Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport County both get promoted and relegated in English football, should be no different. The only challenge is finding a format to integrate the teams into the league.

The football thing is very, very different. The teams you mention are part of the English football season, despite what bigots say, and have been for a very, very long time thats why they can progress in their system. For this to even get off the ground you have ask 4 English clubs to forgo their league spot just to accomodate the Welsh sides, that is not viable from a selfish p.o.v of the clubs but financial reasons aswell as clubs will fight it legally if they are asked to.

 

[profitius]

I actually hope this happens. It would force the Pro12 to look for new teams to join the tournament and to finally consider alternative markets.

Maybe a Romanian team could be included, especially if RCM Timisoara gets good results and attendance in the Amlin Challenge Cup this year.

I think the Irish, Scots and Italians should be in talks with other nations as we speak. Its like having a girlfriend. If you want to leave then bye bye, no hard feelings.

 

[j'nuh]

There are a few changes I wanted to see in the Premiership anyway, and what I'd like to see happen would make room for Welsh teams:

Expand the Premiership to 14 teams, sack the LV to make room for fixture congestion. (Expansion to 14 teams means 4 more rounds of fixtures, the LV cup group stage is 4 rounds long. The weekends that the LV's knockouts happen in would become rest weekends.)
Promotion changes to two-up-two-down. Promotion from the Championship is the team which finishes first, and a playoff from 2nd-5th placed teams.
A new 'A team' tournament which runs midweek, every two weeks, throughout the whole season is started for second team and academy players, with rules to make sure it is second-string teams playing (eg, so many players have to be from the academy).

The Welsh can slot in easy in this system. The season before the Premiership expands, have two teams go down and only one up. This frees up three spots. The three highest ranked Welsh teams insert into the Premiership (likely Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets), and the lowest team slots into the Championship. From then on, promotion/relegation applies.

I'd love for the Welsh to slot in. There's potential for some amazing Anglo-Welsh rivalries, especially for Glos, Bris, Wuss, Bath etc. But I'd only like it to happen if the Welsh teams are in the financial position for it.

 

[Jbobo]

I know it isn't going to happen, but i would love the prospect of having a British and Irish championship. Imagine having a system similar to the English/Welsh football leagues where you have a premiership, then a championship, then maybe a third league and finally breaking off into regional leagues like now. It would be hard to persuade the English teams, considering that some would have to be relegated for some of the better teams in the Rabo (i.e Ulster, Glasgow, Ospreys, Leinster, Scarlets)

I just imagine it being like the Super 15, with the best teams and players playing against eachother season after season, it could only improve the quality of our national sides surely?

If only club rugby wasn't all about money...sigh

 

[Maverick1987]

I'm afraid I can't see how it would work for English rugby and the RFU . Would that mean welsh regions would be under jurisdiction by the RFU and if so where would it leave the WRU ?

 

[Amiga500]

Its the usual same old sh!te with the Welsh.


Anything to distract from the real issue. They are by-and-by large, a bunch of glory hunters that only show up to watch the national side. The regions have never had good attendance. The Welsh premiership? Ha.

Ospreys had big names... did they have big attendances? No they did not.
Ospreys win the league... did they have big attendances? No they did not.
So its not driven by star players or by results.

Bottom line is - rugby would appear to be a not well supported game in Wales. The national team are doing well to punch above their weight considering, but sooner or later it will come back to bite them on the arse and the whole deck of cards will collapse. [Unless the general Welsh public start to put their money where their mouths are and support the game through the various levels.]

 

[Jbobo]

Its the usual same old sh!te with the Welsh.


Anything to distract from the real issue. They are by-and-by large, a bunch of glory hunters that only show up to watch the national side.

At least you admit that our national team provides us with some sweet, sweet craved Glory! and we love it.

 

[McTallshort]

Dont see what we would get from this, would rather Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds etc got a chance to play in the AP than Ospreys, Blues, Scarlets or Dragons.