Champions Cup 2024

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120717427#Comment_120717427

terrible idea, and the FA cup doesnt have anything like that.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120716985#Comment_120716985

And how do you decide home advantage?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120717427#Comment_120717427

They would never do this because of money.

Imagine Leinster got knocked out first round and only had 1 European gate for the season.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120717543#Comment_120717543

Well, you could have it be entirely random. Or you could seed the draw, a la March Madness in college basketball

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120717578#Comment_120717578

you may as well be last as second.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120717578#Comment_120717578

Tough titties on Leinster. And I say that as a Leinster fan.

Obviously there is an issue with revenue redistribution in the model, but it introduces the element of jeopardy of a Cup that doesn't really exist with the Champions so-called Cup, it should be called the Duff Beer International Champions League of Rugby non-Champions to win a Cup.

I jest of course, but my instinct is that the only way to erode the terrible management of these competitions by EPCR since its inception, is to devalue what they are doing and add to the primacy of the URC, which at least Irish Rugby has an element of control in.

Digifriendly

Ridiculous formats since Covid. There is no need for a last 16 round. Go back to original format as it produced 3 home games, back to back fixtures and you had to earn your place in knock out phase.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120726601#Comment_120726601

That would require an extra weekend which the French teams will refuse to give up. Unless you go straight to semi-finals it won't work.

So it would have to be 4 pools of 4 teams, so 5 from each league plus the winner from the previous season, and only the winner of each pool would progress. I could see an awful lot of teams complaining about being cut out if it's reduced to 16, and also mean that once teams can't win the pool they'll put out B teams, so an awful lot of poor matches that will skew the results. It simply wouldn't work.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120726601#Comment_120726601

Of all the bad formats since covid this might be the best, i liked the backtoback games but the idea of playing 4 different teams is interesting

Former Former Former

I only realised today that there are 4 teams in tier 1 and after that it's 20 teams in tier 2.

Seems a bit mad that for example Toulouse could top the league, runner up in the Top14 final... and have the same seeding as the team that finished 10th in the URC.

Jump_In_Jack

That all stems from the complaints that it was too difficult to follow.

Hence 4 pools and an open draw.

The people are now getting what they’ve been asking for, simple and easy to follow.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120726843#Comment_120726843

I saw a suggestion somewhere that the French teams could be spread across only four of the six pools if the comp did return to it's classic format. And the meetings between French teams could count as both the Top Quatorze and European Cup fixtures.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727385#Comment_120727385

Different rules currently though ie try bonus points and losing bonus points

AbusesToilets

It's impressive how many of the issues there are in European rugby have the French at their root

lawrencesummers

Its also the case that the problems irish fans have with the format are not necessarily shared by our counterparts in the other countries.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727545#Comment_120727545

It's more than just the HC tho, wage inflation, the efforts at creating a better global season, player release for tier 2 nations. The Top 14 messes it all up

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727598#Comment_120727598

Hmm. Next thing the French will be getting blamed for the financial state of the Welsh and English games! Hardly their fault that they have a solid product and a captive audience that other countries bankrupt themselves trying to emulate.

Neil3030

Yeah it's just a super tricky balancing act to keep all the parties happy.

URC (principally the Irish) want big European games to supplement their income.

French sides have a massively demanding domestic calendar. Fewer games the better.

I would have thought the English sides would be somewhere in the middle, possibly leaning more toward the French mentality (didn't they push hard to reduce the tournament size during the revamp a few years ago?). But more recently, given all that's going on there financially, the English may well now want more European games?

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727598#Comment_120727598

Harldy their fault that they are successful.

AbusesToilets

I don't say they've done anything maliciously or the like, but they massively distort the season and market. They bear a lot of responsibility for the current state of the HC, while 2-3 of their teams typically give a toss about it. Efforts to realign the calendar to flow better are immediately shot down because of Top 14 being unwilling to shift their schedule.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727969#Comment_120727969

The french have always been like this. They dont bear a lot of responsibility for curent state of things. its most sides and up to 2005 the top division in france had 16 teams and they played even more games.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120727969#Comment_120727969

How much shifting of their calendar could the do?

The play a round during the 6 nations, they are only finishing their season today and they start back before the other leagues typically.

They would have to either change the number of teams in the league, move it to a two conference system or play games with less rest in between, and why would they do any of that when it would massively devalue what they currently have.

AbusesToilets

The idea of season that flows up levels more logically. League to HC to 6Ns. The Top 14 would never shift their run in to accomodate that, even if the other leagues and the 6Ns were amenable.

Again, not exactly criticising the French, but I think it's undeniable the weight they apply to the rest of the sport, often to the detriment to everyone else.

Exclamation Marc

TheRugbyPaper are claiming that Heineken are stepping down as title sponsors for the Champions Cup.

vienne86

Has anyone bought/tried to buy tickets for the 2024 final? If so, how/where????

ShatterProof

Tickets are here https://www.eticketing.co.uk/tottenhamhotspurstadium/Packages/Package/Index/2

legendary.xix

The 4 pools of 6 for next year is about as fair as they can make it. Each pool will contain 2 teams from the 3 leagues. There's 8 weekends to work with. Usually a pool of 6 might see the top 3 go through. As teams are only playing 4 rounds within the pool stage, the top 4 going through is fair.

Presumably the top 2 in the pool stage get home advantage in the Round of 16. Pool winners then should have the extra incentive of home quarter-finals. It'll be easier for the majority of supporters to track the progress of clubs within pools of 6.

vienne86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120729839#Comment_120729839

Thanks for this - we were hoping to buy Champions Cup tickets, but don't want Challenge cup tickets. Only weekend tickets available here.

bilston

The new structure is better than what we've had the last three seasons, but it's still not ideal to have pools where you don't play everyone in that pool.

Best structure for me is 16 teams, top 5 from Top 14, top 5 from Prem and top 5 from URC plus winners from previous season (or team from same league as previous winners if they finish top 5 in their respective league). 4 groups of 4 playing home and away, Q/F, S/F and final. 9 weekends. Top class teams throughout and in turn would strengthen the Challenge Cup as well with better teams competing for that.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120729473#Comment_120729473

The days of alcohol sponsoring sporting events is not long from stopping, the loophole of using non alcoholic products by the same name wont last much longer.