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Pro14 Season 2019-2020

12467…46

Comments

  • #92
    PTH2009
    Registered Users Posts: 37,713 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    How come it's a later start this season ??


  • #93
    MaybeMaybe
    Registered Users Posts: 1,294 ✭✭✭MaybeMaybe


    PTH2009 wrote: »
    How come it's a later start this season ??

    Because of the world cup...


  • #94
    PTH2009
    Registered Users Posts: 37,713 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    MaybeMaybe wrote: »
    Because of the world cup...

    for the 2015/16 season it started at the start of September 15 ??


  • #95
    Rigor Mortis
    Registered Users Posts: 2,897 ✭✭✭Rigor Mortis


    PTH2009 wrote: »
    for the 2015/16 season it started at the start of September 15 ??

    In 1984 i mainly watched movies on VCR.


  • #96
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 40,953 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    PTH2009 wrote: »
    for the 2015/16 season it started at the start of September 15 ??

    later RWC final this year, coupled with the Pro14 final happening nearly a month later than usual too.


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  • #97
    PTH2009
    Registered Users Posts: 37,713 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    sydthebeat wrote: »
    later RWC final this year, coupled with the Pro14 final happening nearly a month later than usual too.

    Ah makes sense hopefully late start this season for the irish lads


  • #98
    PTH2009
    Registered Users Posts: 37,713 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    sydthebeat wrote: »
    later RWC final this year, coupled with the Pro14 final happening nearly a month later than usual too.

    Ah makes sense hopefully late start this season for the irish lads


  • #99
    Digifriendly
    Registered Users Posts: 4,015 ✭✭✭Digifriendly


    sydthebeat wrote: »
    later RWC final this year, coupled with the Pro14 final happening nearly a month later than usual too.

    RWC final is only 2 days later this year (2nd November) than in 2015.


  • #100
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 40,953 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Digifriendly wrote: »
    RWC final is only 2 days later this year (2nd November) than in 2015.

    Yes...
    That's what I said


  • #101
    Cookiemunster
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 11,792 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cookiemunster


    PTH2009 wrote: »
    Ah makes sense hopefully late start this season for the irish lads

    The international players will be back playing the week before Europe. There won't be much of a break unless they get knocked of the world cup early.


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  • #102
    Digifriendly
    Registered Users Posts: 4,015 ✭✭✭Digifriendly


    sydthebeat wrote: »
    Yes...
    That's what I said

    Yes but point I am making is just 2 days not a fortnight later so why are this season's Pro 14 fixtures beginning so late?


  • #103
    ClanofLams
    Registered Users Posts: 4,210 ✭✭✭ClanofLams


    Digifriendly wrote: »
    Yes but point I am making is just 2 days not a fortnight later so why are this season's Pro 14 fixtures beginning so late?

    They are trying, insofar as possible, to limit clashes with international fixtures, there is only three rounds during the six nations also.


  • #104
    tmc1963
    Registered Users Posts: 171 ✭✭tmc1963


    Cookiemunster wrote: »
    The international players will be back playing the week before Europe. There won't be much of a break unless they get knocked of the world cup early.

    The QF's are 19/20 Oct so how long will they get after that?


  • #105
    Cookiemunster
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 11,792 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cookiemunster


    tmc1963 wrote: »
    The QF's are 19/20 Oct so how long will they get after that?

    Well I'm hoping that Ireland go a bit further than that. But Munster play Ulster on Nov 9th ( RWC final is Nov 2nd) and the first round in Europe is the week after. So even if we get knocked out in the quarters again, the players won't have much of a break.


  • #106
    Clegg
    Registered Users Posts: 16,632 ✭✭✭✭Clegg


    The Rugby Paper is reporting that an Anglo-Welsh league will happen in two years time. Irish and Scottish teams will probably join but that's not guaranteed.

    The online reaction from Welsh fans is very strange however. How it's great for them money wise, a better fixture list and more travelling fans. The Pro 14 is terrible etc etc. But what do they expect to happen to them if they join with the English sides? Every team bar Exeter is losing money hand over fist. The London sides don't have travelling support and Leinster and Munster are two of the best sides in Europe. Lots of criticism of the Pro 14 for problems that seem to be of Welsh making.


  • #107
    Squidgy Black
    Registered Users Posts: 21,605 ✭✭✭✭Squidgy Black


    Clegg wrote: »
    The Rugby Paper is reporting that an Anglo-Welsh league will happen in two years time. Irish and Scottish teams will probably join but that's not guaranteed.

    The online reaction from Welsh fans is very strange however. How it's great for them money wise, a better fixture list and more travelling fans. The Pro 14 is terrible etc etc. But what do they expect to happen to them if they join with the English sides? Every team bar Exeter is losing money hand over fist. The London sides don't have travelling support and Leinster and Munster are two of the best sides in Europe. Lots of criticism of the Pro 14 for problems that seem to be of Welsh making.

    The TV money would be a significant bump for the Welsh teams, but unless they go private ownership and move away from the WRU they're not going to have the sort of money that the English clubs do.

    A certain section of the Welsh fans seem to think that the Pro14 is what's driving their marquee players away from their clubs, and if they leave they'll get them back and become powerhouses both domestically and internationally.


  • #108
    Eod100
    Registered Users Posts: 11,625 ✭✭✭✭Eod100


    Here we go again.. Yeah I've seen a lot of Welsh journalists on Twitter welcoming it but none of them could actually say what the proposal is. Seems not much more than speculation at this point without any concrete proposals. Would 4 teams be parachuted into Premiership? Wouldn't Champions teams be a bit ticked off when they have to fight to be promoted?


  • #109
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,335 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    Clegg wrote: »
    The Rugby Paper is reporting that an Anglo-Welsh league will happen in two years time. Irish and Scottish teams will probably join but that's not guaranteed.

    The online reaction from Welsh fans is very strange however. How it's great for them money wise, a better fixture list and more travelling fans. The Pro 14 is terrible etc etc. But what do they expect to happen to them if they join with the English sides? Every team bar Exeter is losing money hand over fist. The London sides don't have travelling support and Leinster and Munster are two of the best sides in Europe. Lots of criticism of the Pro 14 for problems that seem to be of Welsh making.

    It would definitely be better for the Welsh sides if they played in a league with the English teams. It would certainly be better than the Pro14 for them, which is a product that really has struggled to capture the hearts and minds of Welsh rugby fans.

    But I am skeptical, because I don't see what's in it for English teams, so I don't see why they'd go for it.


  • #110
    molloyjh
    Registered Users Posts: 24,745 ✭✭✭✭molloyjh


    awec wrote: »
    It would definitely be better for the Welsh sides if they played in a league with the English teams. It would certainly be better than the Pro14 for them, which is a product that really has struggled to capture the hearts and minds of Welsh rugby fans.

    But I am skeptical, because I don't see what's in it for English teams, so I don't see why they'd go for it.

    Is it the P14 or the regions that have struggled? There are huge issues with the regions as they stand and the WRU haven't done half as much for them as the IRFU have for the provinces. The lack of funding for regional rugby in Wales is ultimately what has driven their star players away. A lack of leadership has made it worse by creating and subsequently breaking all their rules re international selection. And that doesn't even touch on the local rivalry issues that have prevented the regions from reaching some of their target markets or the really dire relationship between the regions and the WRU.

    Combine all of those issues and the regions are bound to struggle on the field. Once that happens the interest levels from the public will be low. Success breeds support more than anything else. And then you've a chicken and egg scenario where players and fans will be less likely to stick around when the performances are poor.

    They don't get the support at the HEC games either. And there's never been much wrong with that competition. I reckon the P14, for whatever issues it had/has, is well down the list of why Welsh rugby is where it is. The Welsh fans will moan about most of those things above, including the P14. We just hear the P14 complaints more because we're involved in those conversations.

    I agree though, I don't see what's in it for the English clubs to go down this road. The Welsh surely won't bring in equivalent levels of revenue so they'll end up worse off despite a bigger pot you'd imagine.


  • #111
    Digifriendly
    Registered Users Posts: 4,015 ✭✭✭Digifriendly


    molloyjh wrote: »
    I agree though, I don't see what's in it for the English clubs to go down this road. The Welsh surely won't bring in equivalent levels of revenue so they'll end up worse off despite a bigger pot you'd imagine.

    Tend to agree. Would Dragons draw a decent crowd in English club grounds? Revenue could suffer. I have predicted a British league for some time now but when it comes down to practicalities I'm not sure it would be attractive enough to the English clubs. Also if it happened it would take an element of excitement away from the CC. Part of the attraction for Pro 14 teams is facing English teams they wouldn't otherwise face. Maybe the answer is a European league and a European knock out cup to go alongside it.


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  • #112
    LeinsterDub
    Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    awec wrote: »
    It would definitely be better for the Welsh sides if they played in a league with the English teams.

    Not when 2 or 3 of them get relegated it wouldn't


  • #113
    OldRio
    Registered Users Posts: 5,909 ✭✭✭OldRio


    Bless em. They will do what their masters want, the English.


  • #114
    Former Former
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    The story is that one (anonymous) English club chairman thinks a British league is inevitable.
    It's a bloke expressing an opinion.

    But what is being "reported" would include Ireland and Scotland just as much as it would the Welsh.

    And we'd sell our grannies to be a part of it. Let's not delude ourselves.
    .


  • #115
    Neil3030
    Registered Users Posts: 16,973 ✭✭✭✭Neil3030


    Former Former wrote: »

    And we'd sell our grannies to be a part of it. Let's not delude ourselves.
    .

    Fans might. The IRFU wouldn't.


  • #116
    Exclamation Marc
    Registered Users Posts: 11,261 ✭✭✭✭Exclamation Marc


    Neil3030 wrote: »
    Fans might. The IRFU wouldn't.

    Would fans if they really thought about it?

    Consider how the elite players are rested generally in Pro14 where they are pushed harder by Premiership teams. That would likely see Irish teams finish down the table and probably affect European seedings.

    Plus, the Heineken Cup loses some gloss if you're generally playing 75% of the teams anyway.

    So for me, nice idea but it doesn't suit our structure and we'd suffer.


  • #117
    Former Former
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    Neil3030 wrote: »
    Fans might. The IRFU wouldn't.

    Yeah the IRFU would prefer to leave things as they are but that doesn't look sustainable. If either the Welsh or Scots jump, the IRFU will have to follow.


  • #118
    Eod100
    Registered Users Posts: 11,625 ✭✭✭✭Eod100


    Former Former wrote: »
    Yeah the IRFU would prefer to leave things as they are but that doesn't look sustainable. If either the Welsh or Scots jump, the IRFU will have to follow.

    So could be looking at a 20 team league if it's all current 12 Premiership teams and 4 provinces and 4 regions? Potentially 2 conferences of 10? Think there is a novelty of Welsh teams playing English teams in Champions and Challenge Cup with higher attendances, but wonder how sustainable those attendances would be week in week out.


  • #119
    stephen_n
    Registered Users Posts: 12,920 ✭✭✭✭stephen_n


    Eod100 wrote: »
    So could be looking at a 20 team league if it's all current 12 Premiership teams and 4 provinces and 4 regions? Potentially 2 conferences of 10? Think there is a novelty of Welsh teams playing English teams in Champions and Challenge Cup with higher attendances, but wonder how sustainable those attendances would be week in week out.
    Dragons wouldn’t survive in that league, the max the Welsh would bring is 3 but possibly 2 and two Scots teams. Or maybe 3 Irish 3 Welsh and 2 Scots.


  • #120
    Squidgy Black
    Registered Users Posts: 21,605 ✭✭✭✭Squidgy Black


    stephen_n wrote: »
    Dragons wouldn’t survive in that league, the max the Welsh would bring is 3 but possibly 2 and two Scots teams. Or maybe 3 Irish 3 Welsh and 2 Scots.

    I'd like to see the above.

    But only to witness the absolute shítstorm of which Irish province would get axed.


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  • #121
    Eod100
    Registered Users Posts: 11,625 ✭✭✭✭Eod100


    stephen_n wrote: »
    Dragons wouldn’t survive in that league, the max the Welsh would bring is 3 but possibly 2 and two Scots teams. Or maybe 3 Irish 3 Welsh and 2 Scots.

    Well yeah I think it would be 2, but just trying to figure out the proposals. No way IRFU would abandon 1 of the provinces.


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