Pro14 Season 2019-2020

Burkie1203 · 12-06-2019 4:36pm #1

https://twitter.com/simonrug/status/1138818178082062336?s=19

According to Simon Thomas the conferences will be

Embra
Munster
Connacht
Blues
Scarlets
Benetton
Kings

Leinster
Glasgow
Ulster
Ospreys
Dragons
Zebre
Cheetahs

KBurke85 · 12-06-2019 4:45pm

As a Connacht fan I think I'd be happy enough with that.

sydthebeat · 12-06-2019 4:48pm

and again conference A will be a lot more competitive than Conference B

Buer · 12-06-2019 8:40pm

Very odd way to determine the pools. Three of the four semi finalists including the two finalists in the same pool due to it being based on points and not the actual outcome of the tournament.

Not as badly lopsided as last season but not far off. Very much set up for a Leinster vs Munster final even this far out.

PMC83 · 13-06-2019 12:50pm

Quinlan mentioned on OTB that the final would be in Cardiff City Stadium next year. Though I haven't read about it anywhere else?

Nice to have it in Cardiff, a shame the Principality is too big for it

phog · 13-06-2019 2:58pm

PMC83 wrote: »

Quinlan mentioned on OTB that the final would be in Cardiff City Stadium next year. Though I haven't read about it anywhere else?

Nice to have it in Cardiff, a shame the Principality is too big for it

From WoL

Dave_The_Sheep · 13-06-2019 4:43pm

If you were Benetton you'd have to fancy your chances of getting to the playoffs again this season, if they can keep up some semblance of the form they had last season, and unless the Scarlets get their **** together a bit compared to last season, hard to see Munster not strolling that conference.

Edmc123 · 13-06-2019 8:53pm

Does anybody know when the fixtures will be released?

bilston · 13-06-2019 8:56pm

Edmc123 wrote: »

Does anybody know when the fixtures will be released?

It's normally well into July, it might be even later this year because of the late start to the season.

I think they wait until after the European draw and fixtures have come out

Squidgy Black · 14-06-2019 1:45pm

Demetri Catrakilis joining the Kings from Harlequins, been hampered pretty badly with injuries over the years but is probably the type of signing the Kings/Cheetahs should be targetting.

sydthebeat · 14-06-2019 2:04pm

excellent signing for them if he can stay fit.

KBurke85 · 17-06-2019 2:26pm

https://www.pro14rugby.org/2019/06/17/conferences-confirmed-for-2019-20-2020-21-guinness-pro14-seasons/

Conferences have now been confirmed. They are as posted at the beginning of the thread.

yerrahbah · 17-06-2019 2:31pm

Great chance for Munster to finish top and avoid another away semi final in Dublin

thomond2006 · 17-06-2019 5:21pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2019%E2%80%9320_Pro14_transfers

The list of transfers for the Pro14 teams. Bear in mind this doesn't include players that left/retired during the 2018-19 season.

Jump_In_Jack · 17-06-2019 5:25pm

They should have swapped Munster and Leinster to even up the conferences and keep Glasgow in a separate conference to Leinster.
Ignoring the playoffs is a disappointment considering that they used them properly for ranking the teams for the Heineken Cup draw.

bilston · 17-06-2019 10:35pm

Bit s*** for Ulster

phog · 18-06-2019 12:38pm

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

They should have swapped Munster and Leinster to even up the conferences and keep Glasgow in a separate conference to Leinster.
Ignoring the playoffs is a disappointment considering that they used them properly for ranking the teams for the Heineken Cup draw.

Why?

They ignored the playoff when they created the conferences when we changed from Pro12 to Pro14

Buer · 18-06-2019 1:16pm

I'd be sore about the conferences but I'm sure Leinster were aware at how the pools were going to be formed before they took the foot off the gas. It's a bit of a silly way to work it out but Leinster have nobody to blame but themselves.

Cookiemunster · 18-06-2019 1:26pm

Buer wrote: »

I'd be sore about the conferences but I'm sure Leinster were aware at how the pools were going to be formed before they took the foot off the gas. It's a bit of a silly way to work it out but Leinster have nobody to blame but themselves.

The Pro14 swapped the Irish and Welsh seedings. Munster and Connacht were 1 & 4 two years ago when the original conferences were decided and were in A. Now they are again 1 & 4 but have moved to B.

As I said in another thread I think they did this to make sure that more than just Ospreys and Scarlets swapped conferences as would have been the case under the original seeding system.

Podge_irl · 18-06-2019 1:31pm

Buer wrote: »

I'd be sore about the conferences but I'm sure Leinster were aware at how the pools were going to be formed before they took the foot off the gas. It's a bit of a silly way to work it out but Leinster have nobody to blame but themselves.

I'm still reasonably convinced Leinster will top the pool so I don't overly care.

awec · 18-06-2019 2:01pm

Podge_irl wrote: »

I'm still reasonably convinced Leinster will top the pool so I don't overly care.

I am absolutely convinced Leinster will stroll to the top of the conference again.

Jump_In_Jack · 18-06-2019 6:01pm

phog wrote: »

Why?

They ignored the playoff when they created the conferences when we changed from Pro12 to Pro14

The playoffs backed up the table results when the conferences were first devised so there were no issues and the conferences worked fairly well over the past two seasons.

However, sticking to the same system has made the conferences a bit uneven now.
They have missed a good opportunity to use the results to seed the conferences more accurately.

Would have been a lot better to just seed the teams according to the strength of the clubs.

FWIW I think the following split would have made for two far more even conferences:

Conference A
Leinster
Munster
Benetton
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Dragons
Kings

Conference B
Glasgow
Ulster
Connacht
Ospreys
Scarlets
Cheetahs
Zebre

Jump_In_Jack · 19-06-2019 12:12pm

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne: Scotland scrum-half to leave Scarlets
Anybody know why Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has fallen so far out of favour in recent years?
He's now a free agent.

razorblunt · 20-06-2019 2:22pm

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne: Scotland scrum-half to leave Scarlets
Anybody know why Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has fallen so far out of favour in recent years?
He's now a free agent.

His form fell off a cliff towards the end of his Edinburgh stay, once it was announced he was leaving it picked up as he was in the shop window.

I wonder will he sign back on at Quins?

In other Edinburgh news, seems to be a few whispers doing the rounds that Kwagga Smith is Embra bound.

Dog Botherer · 20-06-2019 5:23pm

razorblunt wrote: »

His form fell off a cliff towards the end of his Edinburgh stay, once it was announced he was leaving it picked up as he was in the shop window.

I wonder will he sign back on at Quins?

In other Edinburgh news, seems to be a few whispers doing the rounds that Kwagga Smith is Embra bound.

Good bit of business for Edinburgh there if true. Smith has been very impressive every time i’ve seen him, and wasn’t a million miles away from consideration for the WC.

razorblunt · 23-06-2019 10:04pm

3 month cover for the WC it seems unless he gets picked himself.

stephen_n · 24-06-2019 8:27am

Hidalgo-Clynne to Racing an interesting move.

Jupiter Mulligan · 24-06-2019 6:26pm

PMC83 wrote: »

Quinlan mentioned on OTB that the final would be in Cardiff City Stadium next year. Though I haven't read about it anywhere else?

Nice to have it in Cardiff, a shame the Principality is too big for it

Is that grass or plastic?

Buer · 24-06-2019 6:36pm

stephen_n wrote: »

Hidalgo-Clynne to Racing an interesting move.

Only a short term move though. I'd say he's playing for his career at this point. If that goes badly, nobody is going to really want him and he'll end up taking a pretty crap contract somewhere.

I can't see him getting much game time though even with Machenaud at the RWC. Iribaren is the clear back up and a cut above SHC. Chauveau has left this summer though so he should be back up until the end of the RWC.

I saw he commented that he possibly wold have had to even decline a call up if Townsend named him as he had to give his club career priority (I assume he meant trying to rescue it).

leakyboots · 25-06-2019 10:04pm

Any word on broadcast rights for this and the Heineken?

Cookiemunster · 25-06-2019 10:51pm

leakyboots wrote: »

Any word on broadcast rights for this and the Heineken?

There's no change from last year.

Pro14 Season 2019-2020

Comments