Official EPCR Champions Cup Preview Thread - A New Hope

sydneybound

This is shocking really. I know two people who paid £80 in the hope that an Irish team would get to the final who are absolutely gutted with people getting free tickets, they rightfully feel ripped off.

What this does is make people think twice before buying tickets in advance. Advanced purchased tickets for next years final will be at an all time low.

thomond2006

Leinster

Well at least Ticketmaster get paid! :pac:

This is absolutely dreadful. No wonder they've already confirmed next year is being moved back to mid-May.

OldRio

This is unbelievable. Free tickets for a European Final. In this day and age.
I pity the poor sods who paid £80 for the privilege.

thomond2006

Leinster

Two "bought"

Now to look at flights.

Cookiemunster

Leinster

Cookiemunster wrote: »

They're now FREE from ticketmaster. Just the £2 booking fee. http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/35004CF1F3BEADB2?page=tmuk&tmid=35004CF1F3BEADB2&did=uk15fr1vx&utm_source=EPCR%2520Free%2520Ticket%2520Offer%25202015&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Autoresponder%2520-%2520EPCR%2520Free%2520Tickets%25202015

Apparently the Clermont fan club has found out and fans are cancelling tickets en mass if they haven't already paid for then to get the freebies.

Will this work? If so, I hope everyone is doing it if they'd already bought tickets...

irishbucsfan

Leinster

Deleted User wrote: »

Will this work? If so, I hope everyone is doing it if they'd already bought tickets...

I'm sure ticketmaster are happy to accommodate it...

thomond2006

Leinster

What's the Twickenham area like? Dead?

irishbucsfan

Leinster

thomond2006 wrote: »

What's the Twickenham area like? Dead?

The Richmond/Twickenham area is great when there's other people there with you.

Teferi

Me and the missus will be there anyway. Can't believe they're giving them away for free.

molloyjh

Leinster

irishbucsfan wrote: »

The Richmond/Twickenham area is great when there's other people there with you.

I have some incredibly drunken and hazy memories of the White Swan from the Sarries-Clermont game last season. Great spot altogether. I think....

thomond2006

Leinster

thomond2006 wrote: »

What's the Twickenham area like? Dead?

Nah, there's usually craic to be had around the Cabbage Patch if the weather's not great. Otherwise onto the river and just soaking up the atmosphere.

Aiming to be down around there sporting full Leinster gear (socks & shorts) from about 3pm talking about the old glory days, fadó fadó.

The last time it was at Twickenham, the Leinster & Ulster fans drank the place dry before the end of half time. There was no Heineken left!

One of the pubs just further away from Twickenham than the Cabbage Patch closed at 7pm because they'd run out of beer too.

Doubt it will be like that this time round though ...

molloyjh

Leinster

Will be looking at accom and flights later I reckon. Free. I actually can't believe it. Madness.

Cookiemunster

Leinster

Deleted User wrote: »

Will this work? If so, I hope everyone is doing it if they'd already bought tickets...

It's Clermont fans who were getting their tickets from the Clermont allocation. If they haven't paid yet, they're cancelling their orders with the club and getting the free ones.

icdg

It's going back to a three week gap between the semis and the final next year- and back to mid May - and given that the French are the main losers of their own drive to move the final earlier one hopes this fiasco will be enough to persuade them to agree to make those changes permanent.

.ak

Well it's a steep learning curve for the new management... But honestly, have they never heard of the phrase - if it ain't broke don't fix it?

All very amateur, and I'm aware they are still learning, but this should not be the place to learn it. It's supposed to be the pinnacle of European, if not the world, club rugby.

awec

Munster

It's not finding any tickets for me when I search.

.ak

awec wrote: »

It's not finding any tickets for me when I search.

They don't want people from Ulster going and getting flashbacks. Could get nasty.

thomond2006

Leinster

There is a mechanism in place to prevent Ulster supporters getting free tickets. It's called the Lacey Algorithm.

errlloyd

Glasgow

Am I right in saying that the pro12 are guaranteed a minimum cash flow, even if ticket sales are awful and they don't get any more sponsors.

thomond2006

Leinster

errlloyd wrote: »

Am I right in saying that the pro12 are guaranteed a minimum cash flow, even if ticket sales are awful and they don't get any more sponsors.

That's correct. I believe it's €20m guaranteed.

thomond2006

Leinster

Btw the free tickets appear to be gone folks*. The link cookiemunster provided earlier where I got the tickets is now showing as no tickets left.

*gone for the time being anyway

aimee1

.ak wrote: »

Well it's a steep learning curve for the new management... But honestly, have they never heard of the phrase - if it ain't broke don't fix it?

All very amateur, and I'm aware they are still learning, but this should not be the place to learn it. It's supposed to be the pinnacle of European, if not the world, club rugby.

its it not the same people running the show, just to the tune set by france and england over meritocracy and no interference in the playoffs in either country???

aimee1

Leinster

aimee1 wrote: »

its it not the same people running the show, just to the tune set by france and england over meritocracy and no interference in the playoffs in either country???

Tis, but I am pretty confident that they were given the schedule and did not create it themselves.

icdg

ERC were retained on a one year agreement as EPCR didn't exist except on paper at the start of the season. Not sure whether the handover has been completed by now, though ERC were still running the show till the end of the group stages?

Leinster

EPCR board.

The Board of EPCR is made up of the following directors: Rob Andrew (RFU), Philip Browne (IRFU), Bruce Craig (PRL), Gareth Davies (WRU), Mark Davies (Pro Rugby Wales), Mark Dodson (SRU), René Fontes (LNR), Fabrizio Gaetaniello (FIR), Ian McLauchlan (SRU), Paul McNaughton (IRFU), Michel Palmié (FFR) and Andrea Rinaldo (FIR).

EPCR's Executive Committee, which is responsible for leading the commercial strategy for the organisation and its tournaments, is made up of Bruce Craig, René Fontes and Paul McNaughton who work alongside Director General, Jacques Pineau.

European Rugby Cup officials seconded to run the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup

aimee1

Deleted User wrote: »

Tis, but I am pretty confident that they were given the schedule and did not create it themselves.

so it is basically the french and english who have messed up.

OldRio

aimee1 wrote: »

so it is basically the french and english who have messed up.

Standby,



He will be here in a second.:D

irishbucsfan

Leinster

Deleted User wrote: »

Tis, but I am pretty confident that they were given the schedule and did not create it themselves.

Yeah the schedule was certainly agreed during negotiations.

I really don't think the new competition has anything to do with this though outside of that. I don't even really think the extra week would have enticed anyone else. If this was the Heineken Cup final in Twickenham between these two teams it would attract just as much apathy. The only way around this empty stadium was having the final in Paris I'd imagine, and we can't just stick the final in Paris every year on the off chance it'll be an all-French final.

irishbucsfan

Leinster

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Yeah the schedule was certainly agreed during negotiations.

I really don't think the new competition has anything to do with this though outside of that. I don't even really think the extra week would have enticed anyone else. If this was the Heineken Cup final in Twickenham between these two teams it would attract just as much apathy. The only way around this empty stadium was having the final in Paris I'd imagine, and we can't just stick the final in Paris every year on the off chance it'll be an all-French final.

Have you forgotten about this exact fixture being played in Not France 2 years ago?

Att: 51,142 (out of a possible 51,700)

thomond2006

Leinster

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Yeah the schedule was certainly agreed during negotiations.

I really don't think the new competition has anything to do with this though outside of that. I don't even really think the extra week would have enticed anyone else. If this was the Heineken Cup final in Twickenham between these two teams it would attract just as much apathy. The only way around this empty stadium was having the final in Paris I'd imagine, and we can't just stick the final in Paris every year on the off chance it'll be an all-French final.

On its own, maybe not. But when you have three knockout matches in five weekends it puts a lot of pressure on supporters to make ends meet.