United Rugby Championship announced, beginning September 2021

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117775803#Comment_117775803

No, the broadcasters have to decide what games they are showing and when. There're given the schedule and they work off that.

Blut2

Doing up a schedule for 16 teams, across 5 countries, up to 14,000km apart from each other, with multiple broadcasters, would probably have been a nightmare even in normal times. I can only imagine how stressful it is doing it during corona with border rules constantly arbitrarily changing, I have huge sympathies for the admin team.

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117776863#Comment_117776863

Obviously a big task but they have had time and the fragmented broadcasting rights deals that complicate things are their own doing.

This is not new, both the Pro14 and Champions Cup in their various guises have always been poor in getting the fixtures out early. When we do get the fixtures it's unlikely to be for the entire season (they never are).

At the end of the day fans have always been treated last (those travelling to away games are much smaller than viewership numbers) .

For STH sales, people signup before the fixtures and announced too

Cookiemunster

We always (except for last season) get fixtures for the full season. What we don't get is dates and KO times for the whole season. That's not in any way unusual. Even the Premier League in England only release dates and KO times 6-8 weeks beforehand. There are currently none set post October.

lawrencesummers

Its a big call sending teams to SA when you have such consequences for covid cases in your squad that cancels a European game.

The lions spent a massive amount of time effort and money on covid mitigation and were unable to be unaffected so its hard to see how the celtic clubs can match that level of precautions.( Doubtfull that a club can fly charter, or take over an entire hotel)

If you have to concede a game 5-0 in the first round of the Champions cup your more or less done with regards qualification.

The teams that have to travel so SA before cup games should seek assurances before hand that Any effect on a European game will be a postponement not a cancellation.

Blut2

I don't think thats a huge risk. With the established seasonality of covid, and that we now know vaccination doesn't prevent infection or contagiousness, its entirely possible that infection rates will be higher in Europe than SA during the league's season (our Northern Hemisphere winter / the South African summer).

But even if case numbers are lower here, if players are out living normal life up here, going to restaurants, nightclubs etc, but when in SA they stay in their hotel being careful, their odds of catching it up here will be way higher.

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117777343#Comment_117777343

Sorry thats what I meant, for most fans having a weekend of is pointless.

Getting back to the earlier post, while its no doubt tough to get the schedule sorted they do have a bit of time and its always been pretty poor over the years. Ask anyone who travels to away games outside Ireland.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117778687#Comment_117778687

But as I said expecting dates and KO times for the whole season is unrealistic. No league does it. You regularly see people in the soccer forum asking when the PL TV fixtures will be announced as they're planning trips 2-3 months in advance but the TV schedules haven't been decided that far ahead. It's being pretty unfair to be comlaining that the ProXX/URC don't give dates and KO time for the whole season when no league does that.

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117779124#Comment_117779124

Not asking for the whole season but they should have for the rest of 2021 out by now and don't deserve 'oh it's so difficult'. The delay isn't new, its been like this for the last 10-15 years, so before COVID.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117781014#Comment_117781014

There are been plenty of seasons where they didn't derserve the benefit of the doubt when it come to releasing fixtures. This isn't one of them though. The clubs know the fixtures and now everyone is waiting on the TV stations. That's outside the control of the league.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117781014#Comment_117781014

Covid adds so many more layers of problems and considering how quick laws/restrictions can change they shouldnt really have rest of 2021 out by now.

Inquitus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117779124#Comment_117779124

La Liga in Spain often dont decide whether a game will be played Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun or Mon until a fortnight beforehand, makes planning a trip to watch Barcelona or Real a nightmare!

ElisaAtWar

It's strange. While Leinster, Munster and Ulster have expectations, Connacht go into this season with hopes. Looking forward to it. I believe hopes are better than expectations

CatFromHue

It's all so quiet. Now I know they're good reasons for this but it's still a bit erie.

The final of the Rainbow Cup was 2 months ago and the only place I can find when the new season starts is a preliminary date on Wikipedia.

It looks like only Munster will have any pre season games too, on the 4th and 11th of Sep, nothing listed for Leinster, Ulster or Connacht.

thomond2006

Leinster are playing Harlequins home and away.

connemara man

Connacht are playing Worcester away and I think there's another one set up but not announced yet

CatFromHue

They seem to be trying to keep it a secret so.

I looked at the fixtures and the news section of their sites and didn't see anything mentioned!

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117782401#Comment_117782401

But at least that is all within one country and its just a few of the canary islands, balearic islands sides that you would have to take flight to. a far better nightmare than case with a 4 and now 5 country comp...

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117784285#Comment_117784285

its in news section alright on a few websites. though not having it in the fixtures section isnt good especially when you can just link the articles from that and its easier to find.

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117782401#Comment_117782401

Maybe true, but I presume you know Barcelona is playing Real Madrid at home on, say, Week X of the season, so you know now to provisionally book October 28th to 31st for a trip. Right now, I don't even know whether we're playing home or away against Edinburgh or Cardiff, or when the games might be, so can't even think about planning a trip if we've away games.

Digifriendly

I wouldn't be planning any away trips yet. Covid is still with us and may be for some time.

OldRio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786990#Comment_117786990

I feel your pain. Organising fixtures in six different countries and two continents during a worldwide pandemic should have been done by now. FFS it's just not fair.

(Sarcasm alert)

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117787513#Comment_117787513

Heh, fair point. :-)

But seeing as the clubs already know the details of the Saffer matches (and we have most of them), and seeing as URC know the weekends the rest of the matches will be played on, it still wouldn't be too much work at all to release a provisional calendar, "Round X, Weekend of 6/7/8, all fixtures subject to change due to COVID or other operational reasons" so at the very least, a Munster fan living in Waterford knows when they might be heading up to Thomond or they or me can go "Right, second weekend in February, we're playing Edinburgh away, I'll keep that weekend free in case I can get away to it."

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117787269#Comment_117787269

Don't get me wrong, I'm very COVID-averse, and I won't travel if it's dangerous. But if I can book a holiday in France or Spain with everything subject to free cancellation, several months in advance, I don't see the problem with at least booking a weekend in Scotland, Wales, or northern Italy several months in advance - and cancelling if numbers there or here are really bad closer to the time. The lift you get when you have something to look forward to is great - and badly needed!

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117777931#Comment_117777931

Covid is seasonal now?

Thats some long season.

Blut2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117792317#Comment_117792317

Getting slightly off topic, but yes, the seasonality is very well established. The 'R' rate drops by anywhere from 40-60% in summer.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7892320/

https://www.livescience.com/climate-covid-19-seasonal-spread.html

etc

Which bodes well for the Saffers this season in the URC at least, given its a summer season for them.

Red Silurian

Early rumours are suggesting the following for round 1

Munster V Sharks

Leinster V Bulls

Cardiff V Connacht

Ulster V Glasgow

Beneton or Zebre V Lions or Stormers (Lions and Stormers are in Italy basically)

Looking like we will have one Welsh derby then as Scarlets, Dragons, Ospreys and Edinburgh are left after that...

If true I would presume that to cut down on travel the Sharks and Bulls will be playing another Irish game each, not sure if they can play Ulster as I think NI is included in UK restrictions

Podge_irl

TV is king and that is not going to change anytime soon. It brings in more revenue and frankly has more competing interests to worry about and a more complicated schedule to fit games around.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793492#Comment_117793492

Yes, sadly

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117793455#Comment_117793455

Im taking this to mean “seasonal” in the rainy Irish summer sense of the word.

PMC83

Any word on a club for Ian Keatly?