General Rugby Discussion 3

Any opinions of the Georgian rugby union reportedly trying to get the Georgian club side Black Lion, into the URC?

Not a great source but it has the story as its going around

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-14606947/Georgia-begin-World-Rugby-backed-talks-domestic-Black-Lion-join-United-Rugby-Championship-continue-call-future-Six-Nations-expansion.html

Is this a serious proposal or is it the kind of thing that's proposed every couple of years and never happens?

They'll need some pretty serious funding behind them to cover the full travel costs of every other team visiting Georgia for a number of years, theres no way the league will admit them otherwise.

And the costs of bringing the standard of the club up to URC level on top, and their own travel costs traveling around Europe/SA for games. Its 4000km from Tbilisi to Dublin, not exactly a quick 40min Ryanair flight.

But Georgia will never be included on that basis and will never be able to grow which isnt good for the sport. They deserve inclusion in a top tier competition as they are consistently the best European side outisde of the 6 nations. You have to look at what rugby they bring as well as wverything else. And in rugby terms theyre a good bit ahead of spain and portugal

They are, and I would include them in an expanded 6Ns, but at the club level it would never work. The costs for teams would be worse than playing in SA, for likely zero gain in terms of money or support. It's a pity that Russia is a fascist hell hole, because their professional league would have been a good spot for some Georgian teams.

No dorect flights isnt a reason they cant be added. Have irish teams and others not been flying to SA via dubai on occasions for games and going to heathrow or similar for flight shoulsnt be a reason to not do jt.

3 hours. Far from a major issue. Not near enough of an issue to dismiss it.

3-4 depending on the time of year.

Edit: it would likely obligate them to playing all their games in the evening, to be viewable back here. That's not great for all sorts of reasons

I agree they should be supported, I'd love to see the 6Ns expanded. I don't think they should be added to the URC. The logistics would be bad, away support even worse than it is already. I'd rather see WR look to set up a REC club league, or perhaps look to have then join the French system.

And the game isnt fluah with money because of an inherent refusal to expand properly. It took decades for southern hemisphere sides to look at fiji, tonga samoa for additjon to super rugby. If you were to look at it financiaply theyd never have been added. Tou cant simply look at the balance sheet alone. If you do you will never grow.

Except you do have to look at the balance sheet, that's how it works when a game is not in good financial health. Taking significant risks for potentially no return is simply reckless.

Teams have to be able to survive and ensure stability in the short term before they can think about investing to build the game because the reality is they won't be around if they take a bad gamble.

Except georgia are far stronger than many here think and havent been given any real opportunity to grow. They are best non 6 nations side in europe by a distance and need the supports to be able to get closer. Through games at 18s and 20s international level as well as senjor jnternational and at club/provincial level.

Look At results of second tier. A georgian side in a top tier comp would get many of their players home from france if supported right

How else do we grow the sport of rugby then. How do we expand. As expansion has to happen.

You keep saying that 'we have to grow the game' and 'expansion has to happen'.

It doesn't if it would be detrimental to the game. And in this regard, it's not financially prudent for many club teams (and the unions that support them) who are on the edge of extinction. Yet you seem to ignore that again and again.

Every small sport thinks it desperately needs to expand and that the world is only waiting for it to come. But the truth is the world doesn't give a fuk.

Rugby is just one of a whole bunch of others trying to break into markets already full of established sports and often countries that already can't afford to fund their established sports never mind some niche game.

Yeah and if you don't look at the money , you get another London Irish, Wasps, Worcester Warriors etc. Seven Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent. The Welsh RFU is on its knees losing 7.5m last year. The Scottish Rugby Union made an 11m loss last year.

You're just not living in reality if you think teams and unions need to ignore the money side of it. The money isn't in the game. If you wandered into any of those unions or clubs to try to sell how spending more money to bring up the Georgian game, you'd be taken out in a strait jacket.

Im noy saying to ignore it but if you primarily look at it then of course you will never really expand or grow. Rugby needs to develop more and get more countries to top level and have more competition. It cannot just wait and hope for america, spain, germany to be that next country. It has to look at the countries that are properly competitve on the field. You can then support them through the governing bodies off the field where possible

Many of the english clubs were mismanaged. Thought they had something they ultimately didnt. that the welsh and scottish unions and english clubs are struggling becuase of their own ineptitude doesnt mean you cant look to new/orher areas to grow. The sport needs to expand and get more countries to top level. For financial and sporting reasons. To do so you need to take on risks with some countries like Georgia