Club World Cup

Zico

This comes around in conversation with mates this time of year, especially in the last 5 or 6 years. There probably won't be any commercial momentum for it until there's an English H-Cup champion and a South African Super Rugby champion in the same year. In the mean time we're left with hypotheticals.

Currently the facts suggest Super Rugby is the superior competition. Apart from the higher national rankings there's the issue that English and French teams say that they focus more on their domestic competitions than the H-Cup.

So would Leinster or Ulster be beaten out of sight by Super Rugby opponents?

Sindri

Zico wrote: »

So would Leinster or Ulster be beaten out of sight by Super Rugby opponents?

If we weren't allowed to tackle them maybe.

Seasons are too out of kilter really and its hard to find a spot in an already crowded calendar. Would like to see a European Super Cup style game in pre-season. HC winners v Challenge Cup winners or Rabo winners v Aviva winners, I know sides would be minus some of their key players but it'd give a bit of hype in the lead in weeks to the start of the league and a bit of silverware for the victors as well as the potential for a much bigger crowd than a run of the mill pre-season game.

GerM

Whatever about who would beat who, there's no way on earth S15 is the superior competition. The current format is a joke and the intensity, colour and passion on display is far inferior to the HEC.

For a contest between the winners, a lot would depend on the location. I don't think the Reds would have beaten Leinster last season for example. They weren't great champions at all. Take them out of their home stadium, rattle them and they're not a particularly good side. There is a world of difference between how the S15 is played and how NZ, SA and Australia play. The intensity is severely lacking in S15 in comparison which is reflected in the regular basketball scores.

I doubt it will ever happen anyway when there's so much central contracting.

chris85

The problem is scheduling. Players play a lot of rugby these days. There is the season from September to May for domestic and European titles, overlapping with Autumn internationals and six nations. Then there is a Summer tour usually in June or the Lions tour if its that time.

Really the only break they get is July and they are into preseason training for September.

I dont think it would happen and adding more games to the season could have an adverse effect on the game.

slievenamon fella

ya i mus agree..s15 almost looks like a game of tag rugby at times

Zico

Super Rugby doesn't import much from Europe. H-Cup success has recently involved significant input from the SH. The H-Cup itself is an anomaly of form, so I can't see how it stands up to Super Rugby.

I think the SANZAR lads have the upper hand in arguments over the issue until a game takes place to prove them wrong.

The game can and will take place when there's money behind it. Lions tours would be gone long ago if that weren't the case.

irishbucsfan

Zico wrote: »

Super Rugby doesn't import much from Europe. H-Cup success has recently involved significant input from the SH. The H-Cup itself is an anomaly of form, so I can't see how it stands up to Super Rugby.

I think the SANZAR lads have the upper hand in arguments over the issue until a game takes place to prove them wrong.

The game can and will take place when there's money behind it. Lions tours would be gone long ago if that weren't the case.

SH players didn't create the H Cup success. They profited off it. There's far more money in NH rugby so they came here.

Thats like saying the Copa America is stronger than the Champions League just because South Americans play in Europe and Europeans rarely play in Soith America.

The truth is the skill level down there is far higher but the intensity and physicality up here is far higher. Ask Brad Thorn.

In the end the games are reffed completely differently, so the ref would be a big player in the result.

JustinDee

Who cares which is better? If you don't like it (whichever comp), don't watch it. If you have an affinity to a province, club or franchise, you're obviously going to like whatever they're in.
I always keep an eye on the Waratahs because I used to travel down to Sydney to go see them when I lived in Aussie (the SFS and SCG = greatest sporting square mile anywhere). There are some great Super 15 games then there are basketball matches like the Bulls game last week. In the other comps, there can be purely unwatchable drudgery. Just the way it is.

A world club championship won't happen. The seasons don't allign and players, particularly in Irish framework, must prioritise their main remit. The international season is priority then the ERC comps then domestics plus Rabo Direct.
No room for a plastic pointless 'world club cup'.

.ak

I'd love a HEC vs S15 champions game. But to make it fair, it'd have to be a three game 'series'. Each team playing each other at home, and then in one nuetral venue for a possible decider.

its_phil

Borders no.2 wrote: »

Seasons are too out of kilter really and its hard to find a spot in an already crowded calendar. Would like to see a European Super Cup style game in pre-season. HC winners v Challenge Cup winners or Rabo winners v Aviva winners

I love those ideas. They are playing pre-season games anyways, so why not just insert this game.

tolosenc

Rather than a World Club Cup, why not just have a competition like the old FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which was 1 match between the Copa Libertadores winners and the Champions League winners.

roycon

It would be a hell of a game to see Leinster or Toulouse at their best against the Crusaders at their best in Dubai or Hong Kong. Or even one of the better south african teams . I dont think the australian teams would be upto it in the tight 5 at that level though. Id say clermont,leicester,toulouse, leinster against crusaders,bulls,sharks,stormers.