New 4-year accord signed for Celtic League

former legend

http://www.federugby.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6553%3Acomunicato-stampa-fir-sul-rabodirect-pro12&catid=252%3Aslide&Itemid=811&lang=it

The above is in Italian but basically says a new 4-year deal, with two Italian teams and the Italians as full partners, has been agreed and will be signed shortly.

Involves all four federations; how much input RRW had is another question.

CatFromHue

I know the Italians are an hour ahead of us but they're really leaving our media behind with these breaking news stories......................

B0X

Is it going to be Treviso or this new Doge team that has been mentioned?

who_me

Good to have some stability. Now, they just need a sponsor (ideally, a major, generous sponsor!). And a kick-ass end to the season and and playoffs.

mohawk

Great news. Looks like the other unions took the Italian threat to leave seriously. They deserve to be treated like equals in the league.

phog

Here it is in english

From twitter

BBC Irish Rugby news (@bbcirishrugby) tweeted at 7:38 PM on Thu, Mar 06, 2014:
Italian teams to stay with Pro12 http://t.co/5xhykPHyiO

Kirk Van Houten

who_me wrote: »

Good to have some stability. Now, they just need a sponsor (ideally, a major, generous sponsor!). And a kick-ass end to the season and and playoffs.

As far as I know a sponsor is already in place for next season but due to commercial reasons won't be announced until later in the season.

who_me

Kirk Van Houten wrote: »

As far as I know a sponsor is already in place for next season but due to commercial reasons won't be announced until later in the season.

Interesting! Any notion of the calibre of sponsor? Major international brand or "Joe Murphy Cement"-esque?

Kirk Van Houten

who_me wrote: »

Interesting! Any notion of the calibre of sponsor? Major international brand or "Joe Murphy Cement"-esque?

I have no idea who it is but have been told a sponsor is in place for next season.

justsomebloke

who_me wrote: »

Interesting! Any notion of the calibre of sponsor? Major international brand or "Joe Murphy Cement"-esque?

With sky's involvement hopefully it should be semi decent

its_phil

justsomebloke wrote: »

With sky's involvement hopefully it should be semi decent

It could be Sky themselves, just to throw some mud back at BT who now sponsor Edinburgh and Glasgow. Get people on the BT panel to call it the Sky Sports/Bet League, like Rabo now.

I would like that.

DGRulz

its_phil wrote: »

It could be Sky themselves, just to throw some mud back at BT who now sponsor Edinburgh and Glasgow. Get people on the BT panel to call it the Sky Sports/Bet League, like Rabo now.

I would like that.

BT Sport won't have any coverage of the Pro 12 next season, will they?

its_phil

DGRulz wrote: »

BT Sport won't have any coverage of the Pro 12 next season, will they?

No but it could come up in conversation on their Rugby Tonight programme or if they are doing coverage of any form of a European Cup.

Morf

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

bilston

Morf wrote: »

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

I guess this is sarcastic, do most people not call it the Aviva now? I know I do, much to my shame!

Artful_Badger

Morf wrote: »

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

They just call it the Aviva....

JohnFalstaff

Morf wrote: »

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

Slightly off topic but I think the rebranding of the stadium has been a success for Aviva.

I was dismissive of the new name when I heard it, but having been to a few matches there recently it doesn't feel like the old Lansdowne at all. It feels like an entirely new stadium - so the new name works.

And I would have sworn that I would have never thought of it as the 'Aviva'!

Morf

If BT have highlight rights they could be obligated to call it the SKY whatever league.

If they were just discussing results/injuries/general goings on like Sky Rugby Club does showing stills from H Cup when referring to 6N or Rabo.

They'd more likely pick the latter if Sky were title sponsor.

its_phil

Morf wrote: »

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

Well I call it the Aviva and I know most people do too.

icdg

Sky do sponsor the Football League, although only after no other sponsor was found and at the price of an extension to their TV contract. (Supposedly separate deals of course and completely coincidental that they were signed on the same day). As BT doesn't carry any Football League coverage this mainly affects the BBC's Football League coverage where they are forced to show the Sky logo several times during the programme.

Sky would certainly have the advantage over Rabobank that they do operate in three of the four Pro 12 countries (and namesake Sky Italia operates in Italy, though it is not a subsidiary of BSkyB contrary to popular belief, but licences the brand).

Some Yoke

B0X wrote: »

Is it going to be Treviso or this new Doge team that has been mentioned?

Wow. Very new, much rugby.

Morf

its_phil wrote: »

Well I call it the Aviva and I know most people do too.

It's not really an issue for me. Some insist on calling it Lansdowne Rd. as a middle-finger to corporate-naming. "The Palindrome" assuredly appeals if you're a bit of a francophile . . .

errlloyd

Morf wrote: »

Just like the way everybody calls it the Aviva stadium, yeah?

No one calls it the Celtic league thats for sure, despite the fact that Rabo Direct Pro 12 is a ****ing diabolical name.

.ak

I like calling it 'the Pro12'.

Morf

It'll always be the "C&CGROUP 4 Nation Rugby Of Italy(mostly not), Ireland, Scotland(one slice across the middle) And Wales (but not the west, central or north bits)" league to me.

Just rolls off the tongue.

Madworld

Morf wrote: »

It's not really an issue for me. Some insist on calling it Lansdowne Rd. as a middle-finger to corporate-naming. "The Palindrome" assuredly appeals if you're a bit of a francophile . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Park

The above is why I refuse to call it the Aviva. Nothing to do with middle fingering anybody. No point in calling it something, it's unlikely to be in thirty years time.

rrpc

Madworld wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Park

The above is why I refuse to call it the Aviva. Nothing to do with middle fingering anybody. No point in calling it something, it's unlikely to be in thirty years time.

It doesn't really matter what we call it, the point of these corporate 'namings' is that commentators and reporters are obliged to refer to it that way and that's where the advertising element comes in.

sydthebeat

errlloyd wrote: »

No one calls it the Celtic league thats for sure, despite the fact that Rabo Direct Pro 12 is a ****ing diabolical name.

I call it the Celtic league??

its_phil

Madworld wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Park

The above is why I refuse to call it the Aviva. Nothing to do with middle fingering anybody. No point in calling it something, it's unlikely to be in thirty years time.

Really not the same thing seen as the Giants played in Candlestick for years and built a new stadium in a very different location.

desertcircus

Some Yoke wrote: »

Wow. Very new, much rugby.

Was this an error, or were there plans to replace Treviso with a team named after the rulers of Renaissance Venice? And did the Doge meme kill that plan?

Very questions. Wow.

Winters

Madworld wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Park

The above is why I refuse to call it the Aviva. Nothing to do with middle fingering anybody. No point in calling it something, it's unlikely to be in thirty years time.

I think we can count ourselves very lucky and highly commend the IRFU that our 5 professional teams are all playing in their traditional homes/areas.

Ravenhill is fully developed and not yet spoilt with a commercial name, same with Thomond Park.

Lansdowne Road has been fully redeveloped and while perhaps a 60k capacity may have been more suitable to allow for growth if expansion had been at the expense of location I would take 51k on that site any day.

The move to the RDS has been very beneficial for Leinster Rugby and the addition of the Clan Terrace at the Sportsground has been a long time coming.

There are certainly areas for improvement like the RDS, Sportsground and Musgrave Park but overall having the teams in their traditional areas and not selling up for flat pack cookie cutter stadia on greenfield sites has been fantastic.

One area I would be adamant on would be the provision of standing areas at all rugby grounds. Any developments at the RDS must include an improved terrace.

I'd like to say they missed a step not including a terrace in place of the north stand in the new Lansdowne but can understand the reasons.

Fireball07

I always call the Celtic League, the Pro12 now. Calling it the Rabo sounds really stupid imo...

And I always call Lansdowne Road by that name; I mean it's good that Aviva gave money to the IRFU and FAI but that's what I've always called it. When I first learned to talk, I was always interested in going to this magical road where all these famous players lived... at least that's what my uncle and father used to tell me.

who_me

Yeah, I don't mind have title sponsors; but our national stadium having a temporary name just isn't right to me. But the Aviva name has stuck well, probably because it's easier to say "the Aviva" than "Lansdowne Road". No one's ever going to call the Pro12 the "Rabodirect".

Anyway, hopefully this sponsor is pretty big. The prestige of the competition has taken quite a kicking over the last few months, it could do with a serious kick up..

CatFromHue

I call it the Rabo and the stadium the Aviva.

Now if anyone would like to give me money to change my name lets start the bidding

who_me

CatFromHue wrote: »

I call it the Rabo and the stadium the Aviva.

Now if anyone would like to give me money to change my name lets start the bidding

O2 called. Henceforth, you are: Be More Dog... From Hue.

CatFromHue

Ok $$$$

boredatwork82

I still call it the Magners League. I liked that name, and I liked cider. It was a good fit.

Morf

boredatwork82 wrote: »

I still call it the Magners League. I liked that name, and I liked cider. It was a good fit.

Don't go to the west country and call that cider.

Expect a mob with pitchforks.

Edit freudian slip there.

[Jackass]

This is great news for the league, it gives legitimacy for the TV deal to expanded with Sky (€€€) and every year the profile of the league rises, the play-offs have made a big difference, but it's growing all the time and compared to 10 years ago, nobody gave a sh*t about the league, it's now a major major piece of silverware and important to all fans in the race for it. I expect in another 4 years it will be enhanced moreso.

Of course it will be played down and mocked by the English to try and maintain their overhyped league as #1 and the Welsh will continue to undermine the whole thing but as long as things keep progressing well, maybe in another 10 years we'll be in a position where we can expand participation from Ireland, Scotland, Italy and possibly even survive without them.

But for now, great news and I'm more than happy to let the Welsh self implode, biting off their nose to spite their face. I'd rather that they didn't, but I no longer care about the welfare of their rugby, just the sustainability of our league and this is a big step.

rrpc

It's really good to see the Italians join in as equal partners. It was obviously good for them and their development and it adds something to the league to have them there. Agreed on the Welsh, they need to resolve their semi-detachment.

irishbucsfan

Are the Italians equal partners or will they be paying 1million? There seems to be conflicting reports, initially it was suggested they were completely equal partners?

rrpc

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Are the Italians equal partners or will they be paying 1million? There seems to be conflicting reports, initially it was suggested they were completely equal partners?

I haven't seen anything to the contrary. But the deal hasn't been fully ratified yet by all the countries involved so I'd guess there's still some speculation floating around.

Bottom line is if they're happy to sign on, then it must suit them.

former legend

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Are the Italians equal partners or will they be paying 1million? There seems to be conflicting reports, initially it was suggested they were completely equal partners?

All partners are equal but some are more equal than others.

I don't know where that figure came from tbh