Pro14 Season 2019-2020

lawrencesummers wrote: »

The problem with that is Money.
Georgia or Romania dont draw a crowd, and ticket prices will have to be low.

The IRFU are only asking two questions:
When can we fill the Aviva and how much ticket revenue can we get.

With a game at home to Italy to play that will generate no additional ticket revenue and an away game to France it doesnt leave much room for other games.

Personally I think they should play the 4 remaining 6 nations games and then use those results to decide the 2020 6N while also taking the 4 remaining 6nations 2020 fixtures and applying them to the 2021 6N as a two leg home and away comp. So additional fixtures would be arranged for this autum and spring 2021 which are repeats of the games already played in 2020 making the 2021 6 nations a home and away comp.

This is assuming there will be crowds permitted by November. My guess is that even without a second wave of Covid 19 there will still have to be some measure of social distancing until at least end of this year so far from full capacity at AI's.

PMC83 wrote: »

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2020/07/rugby-sanzaar-faces-axe-as-details-of-nz-rugby-s-aratipu-review-emerge.html


Nabbed from ruaidhri o'connors twitter. Certainly feels like we could have SA teams incoming..

Was about to post this. I was reading some from Walesonline that we could go to a Pro 16 for 2020/21 with the Cheetahs and Kings booted out and being replaced by the Bulls, Lions, Stormers and Sharks.

thomond2006 wrote: »

I feel like we've been reading these stories for a few years now.

We have been, but the landscape is different now and anything could happen.

bilston wrote: »

We have been, but the landscape is different now and anything could happen.

I find it hard to believe that we are about to set up things in a way that needs extra travel. Maybe in a few years but I’d be shocked if in the coming season there was more intercontinental travel.
I’ve heard so many plans in the last few months that until I see 30 men knocking lumps out of each other on a pitch I’ll not believe any of them. Expanded league, B&I league, 24 in the European cup and various other muttering are just that.

thomond2006 wrote: »

The Kings are a mess off the pitch so it's very easy to justify binning them. The Cheetahs have been worth their spot but every offseason they struggle to hold on to their stars. It doesn't seem to be viewed as a team where you can become a Springbok.

They managed some decent signing during this off season to be fair too them, must be some cash lying around there.

Thrashssacre wrote: »

They managed some decent signing during this off season to be fair too them, must be some cash lying around there.

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Although having a 9-10 pairing of ruan pienaar and francois steyn is gonna have me questioning what year it is.....

Rosco specman should cause a few defences some trouble too.

Pienaar and Steyn are great for the short-term and getting eyes on the team but the issue is the Cheetahs seem to be looked upon as a development side for the Super Rugby unions. The movements this offseason are not as severe as previous at least.

awec wrote: »

Said it many times, so long as the Cheetahs are involved in neither Super Rugby nor European Rugby they will struggle to hold on to their talent.

The SA teams in a Champions Cup under its current structure was never really a runner. 3 two week blocks of home/away pool games is impossible with that travel and that's ignoring the costs. The Pro14 was looking for money, SA rugby was looking to satisfy teams cut from Super Rugby and a win-win situation was found for both sides.

PMC83 wrote: »

I'm not sure where I stand on them joining Europe, but I'm all for the PRO14. I watch it week in and week out but realistically you've 2/3 teams that could win it at the moment.


The PRO14 needs a lift, the 4 current SA super Rugby teams could be that lift. Yes they would need to adjust to the style of play, but they are quality sides with good fan bases.

Most leagues are in the same boat. Look at the Premiership. When the season was put on hold Sale Sharks were second. They came bottom of their pool in Europe having only managed 1 win, La Rochelle at home. La Rochelle only won twice and have been really poor in Europe. Then you have Bristol, an unknown outside the league for now, Northampton, who are a decent side but not exactly world beaters (by all accounts they should have lost their game away to Benetton). How many sides could realistically win the GP. And how many of those could genuinely challenge for honours in Europe?

salmocab wrote: »

In the long run it would be a nonsense for these teams to be in the pro 14/16 and not be able to enter Europe. I’d imagine they’d be looking for access to the bigger competition as part of joining.

The Heineken Cup is probably on its last legs anyway.

The future is a club world cup with a Pro16/Premiership merger against Super Rugby, France and probably Japan for the money.

I don't see how a global club competition could ever work. One of SRs biggest issues is the geographical distances and one of the biggest pros of European rugby is the ability for fans to travel to games with relative ease. Sure the money is in TV revenues, but if the stadiums aren't being filled it fundamentally damages the product.

I've no idea where this is all going to go, but the NH clubs have a pretty good and strong revenue stream. The English and the French just need to get their costs under control (easier said than done, even if the will is there). The best thing that can happen, and I see it is happening to some degree, is tighter restrictions on wages in those 2 countries. If they can get the spiralling wages under control then there is potential for genuine sustainability. But there's no point in trying to run before we can walk. And sadly there's been too much of that already.

salmocab wrote: »

In the long run it would be a nonsense for these teams to be in the pro 14/16 and not be able to enter Europe. I’d imagine they’d be looking for access to the bigger competition as part of joining.

If they are allowed into Europe, it will only strengthen the pro14 as there will be fewer places and make it more competitive.



We need teams to care about the PRO14 and take pride in playing it. Most of them just don't buy in as theres no relegation and there just isn't enough on the line. Adding more high-end teams will hopefully bring more money and more fans and kick start some of the interest that has been lacking.

PMC83 wrote: »

If they are allowed into Europe, it will only strengthen the pro14 as there will be fewer places and make it more competitive.



We need teams to care about the PRO14 and take pride in playing it. Most of them just don't buy in as theres no relegation and there just isn't enough on the line. Adding more high-end teams will hopefully bring more money and more fans and kick start some of the interest that has been lacking.

I’d agree with this, also to be playing in the PRO14 and not having the extra income stream from Europe would be very unfair which presumably currently doesn’t help the cheetahs or kings.