ComeAllWithin

Rugby => ComeAllWithin Board => Topic started by: DOK on Sunday 28-Oct-2018, 11:08*

Title: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: DOK on Sunday 28-Oct-2018, 11:08*
A storm is brewing for rugby chiefs ahead of Monday's meeting at Harlequins  (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-6324507/Selling-new-season-no-cakewalk-RFU-Premiership-Chiefs-amid-strike-threats.html)

Prop Joe Marler has arranged a sit down with Rugby Players’ Association chairman Mark Lambert to discuss the controversial new season structure.

RFU and Premiership Rugby bosses announced plans this week for an extended season with in-season breaks — despite strike threats from Billy Vunipola and other England stars.

Marler told Gain Line: ‘It doesn’t look great on the face of it but I’m reserving judgement until I’ve sat down with Mark for some cake and a chat. I’ve sent Mark a text. It’s something I’ve voiced my concerns about before.’
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: deadlyfrom5yardsout on Sunday 28-Oct-2018, 13:21*
I liked that whole page from the Mail. Good round up.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Monte on Sunday 28-Oct-2018, 16:58*
May suit Premiership bosses and clubs but not sure about players and I am certainly not over the moon as a supporter.  They seem to forget we have other things except rugby in our lives and June is definitely not a rugby month for me.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Rocker on Sunday 28-Oct-2018, 23:49*
Yes I can't see the benefits of the "extended"  season to players or fans.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Gone on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 07:31*
Nope it’s a total con. No way I’m watching rugby in June - and it is a shameful destruction of the Lions as well.

Throw in reports that the “doddy weir” match of Scot v Wales involves zero donation of profits to his charity and last week did not make me like rugby very much.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Fearless Fred on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 08:00*
Meanwhile Hansen is pushing for a longer break for players (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/28/new-zealand-steve-hansen-16-week-offseason-japan-tokyo).

The changes that PRL have made look to me to be cosmetic; simply adding in a couple of weeks where no club games are played. We need to look at the way the Premiership and European games are structured radically if there's to be a real breakthrough between the competing issues. 
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Cookie on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 08:19*
Ditch the Premiership Cup and make clubs focus more on the A League for development. Use those weekends for Premiership games and shorten, not lengthen the season. And, yes, that means playing league games on International weekends, but that will only promote having a squad with less international marquee players in favour of more strength in depth, which in turn would mean players could be rotated more confidently.

The Lions must be protected. It's a scandal that they might not be. The Lions are my favourite side in rugby. Then Quins. Then England.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Fearless Fred on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 09:40*
I think you're right, Cookie, that we have too many competitions below the International level in the NH. Down South, they have the International (Rugby Championship), the regional (Super Rugby), and the national (Mitre 10, Currie Cup, etc). We (at least in England) have the International (6N), the regional (EPCR) the National (GPRem, T14, Pro14), the second National (Premiership Cup), and the developmental (A-League). That's too many games for the squad sizes that most clubs have. It's no wonder we see sides fielding lots of guests for the A-League.

Also, the SH has made a good decision (in my view at least) of how they structure the games. They separate out the competitions and (apart from tours by NH tours). All the Super Rugby is played before they move on to the Championship & National comps. Yes, they break for the NH sides touring, but in effect they play each competition separately, meaning teams can focus on each in turn, rather than having to jump from one to another as we do.

It's radical, but I'd drop the Prem Cup completely. Have the European competition run from September through to a final in December (breaking for the AIs). Domestic competition to then run from December (you can have a series of Big Games around the country as a curtain raiser).  Run that through to the end of May, continuing to play through the 6N, and finish mid June. Yes, that means that Premiership teams will be without their Internationals for the 6Ns, but that's already the case the way things are & why we have the knockout stages at the end of the season.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: InsertQuinsPunHere on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 12:39*
Lions... meh. No great loss.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: RodneyRegis on Monday 29-Oct-2018, 17:23*
Ditch the Premiership Cup and make clubs focus more on the A League for development. Use those weekends for Premiership games and shorten, not lengthen the season. And, yes, that means playing league games on International weekends, but that will only promote having a squad with less international marquee players in favour of more strength in depth, which in turn would mean players could be rotated more confidently.

The Lions must be protected. It's a scandal that they might not be. The Lions are my favourite side in rugby. Then Quins. Then England.

the Lions are good fun and all, but above Quins and England?!
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: DOK on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 09:44*
The Lions are the best of the best. You get picked for them, it's the best of 4 nations, not just one (unless Gatland is coach). I don't support them over Quins but I'm really disturbed to hear how little the powers that be are willing to bend to accommodate them.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Cookie on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 10:09*
Ditch the Premiership Cup and make clubs focus more on the A League for development. Use those weekends for Premiership games and shorten, not lengthen the season. And, yes, that means playing league games on International weekends, but that will only promote having a squad with less international marquee players in favour of more strength in depth, which in turn would mean players could be rotated more confidently.

The Lions must be protected. It's a scandal that they might not be. The Lions are my favourite side in rugby. Then Quins. Then England.

the Lions are good fun and all, but above Quins and England?!

Yes, absolutely. They are everything that's good about rugby in that all country allegiances go out of the window for the only time in 4 years. 50k+ people travel around the world to watch them. The receiving country loves them. And there is (arguably) more pride in getting a Lions cap than any other.

Personally I find it scandalous that, because it doesn't benefit them, the home nations RFU are trampling over the Lions.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Nemoquin on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 10:37*
The Times today suggests that there is some flexibility in the calendar and the Premiership will make an extra week available for the Lions provided they are paid a large amount of money.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Cookie on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 11:25*
The Times today suggests that there is some flexibility in the calendar and the Premiership will make an extra week available for the Lions provided they are paid a large amount of money.

Only 2 things wrong with this! Loads of money for one extra week.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: DOK on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 12:08*
Throw in reports that the “doddy weir” match of Scot v Wales involves zero donation of profits to his charity and last week did not make me like rugby very much.

Actually they're giving a six figure sum (http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/news/41551.php)

Quote
The Welsh Rugby Union and Scottish Rugby have confirmed they will donate directly to the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation after this weekend's match between the two nations.

The Unions together have committed to donating a joint six-figure sum from the proceeds of the game, with the associated visibility for the fight against Motor Neurone Disease also providing an invaluable contribution.
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: RodneyRegis on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 12:34*
Lol
Title: Re: Selling new season will be no cakewalk
Post by: Gone on Tuesday 30-Oct-2018, 14:02*
Throw in reports that the “doddy weir” match of Scot v Wales involves zero donation of profits to his charity and last week did not make me like rugby very much.

Actually they're giving a six figure sum (http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/news/41551.php)

Quote
The Welsh Rugby Union and Scottish Rugby have confirmed they will donate directly to the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation after this weekend's match between the two nations.

The Unions together have committed to donating a joint six-figure sum from the proceeds of the game, with the associated visibility for the fight against Motor Neurone Disease also providing an invaluable contribution.

They have now -- but only because of the pressure. They weren't before, they were handing out buckets and asking fans to give a few quid without giving anything themselves.

The crucial bit you've missed is where they admit they messed it up.

Quotes are same on Guardian, BBC, etc etc.

A WRU spokesperson added: “We have listened to supporters and, while our initial motivation in supporting the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was to help raise awareness for the fight against MND and the foundations’ fundraising campaign, we have decided to make a direct donation.”

And a Scottish Rugby spokesman added: "We have listened to the feedback from the rugby family in relation to extending our support around the autumn Test match in Cardiff and have partnered with the WRU in a commitment to guarantee the foundation receives a six-figure donation. We are happy to provide a further level of support to Doddie and his foundation through this initiative and to mirror the generosity of fans."

The news was welcomed by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation trustees chairman, Scott Hastings. “We would like to thank the Welsh Rugby Union and Scottish Rugby for this significant and very welcome decision, which will add even more to the financial benefits we are grateful to be receiving from this weekend,” Hastings said.