Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Talk about the men in white, and everything Ulster!!

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big mervyn
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by big mervyn »

Tbh, the financial problems in rugby and other sports are going to be very small beer compared with most "real" industries.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Cracker »

I have had too many wonderful times at "Ravenhill" to even consider taking any refund. I will buy a seasons ticket to support the club even if I only saw a few games . We have the makings of a great team so I hope everyone willsupport them.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Kanbei »

Season now suspended indefinitely.

Can see them coming back but just to do a stripped back playoffs. Just do Semi Finals and a Final. 1st Con A v 2nd Con B and 1st Con B v 2nd Con A. So Leinster v Munster and Edinburgh v Ulster.

Glasgow and Scarlets go straight into the Champions Cup. Connacht can playoff v Dragons for last European slot.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Tender »

When would you think those stripped back games would be played? We’re hearing about a 12 week shut down which will run us up to the end of June and that’s a very conservative/optimistic guess at the timescale.
Does anyone have any real hope of seeing this season being concluded?

I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll be having a holiday abroad this summer..or even a Hotel staycation here in Ireland.
I don’t think we’ll see any more rugby before next season.
I don’t think we’ll be watching the Olympics this July/August.
And none of it matters
Support the Team, not the regime
Guinness is Good For You.
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big mervyn
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by big mervyn »

Tender wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:27 pm When would you think those stripped back games would be played? We’re hearing about a 12 week shut down which will run us up to the end of June and that’s a very conservative/optimistic guess at the timescale.
Does anyone have any real hope of seeing this season being concluded?

I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll be having a holiday abroad this summer..or even a Hotel staycation here in Ireland.
I don’t think we’ll see any more rugby before next season.
I don’t think we’ll be watching the Olympics this July/August.
And none of it matters
Spot on there and the start of next season could also be doubtful.

The footage from the Italian hospital yesterday gave an insight to what we are dealing with here.

Btw. Is Tim "Wetherspoon" the biggest twunt in Britain? Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see that b@stard bankrupt.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by UlsterNo9 »

https://www.the42.ie/irfu-pay-deferrals ... 8-Mar2020/
IRFU confirm pay deferrals of 10 to 50% as players go into 'stand down' period

THE IRFU HAS confirmed that its staff, including all professional players, will have their wages reduced by 10% to 50% due to the financial pressure on Irish rugby caused by the Covid-19 crisis.

With the reductions to be enacted in April, the IRFU said that it “hopes to return to full pay, and repay any deferrals, as soon as possible.”

Ireland had their home Six Nations tie against Italy postponed this month, denying the IRFU a vital payday at the Aviva Stadium. With Ireland’s final-round visit against France among the other postponed games, the union has not yet received crucial prize money from the Six Nations.

And with all professional club rugby, including the Pro14 and Champions Cup, also now suspended indefinitely, the IRFU is looking to reduce financial strain by enacting pay-deferral measures.

The deferrals apply to all employees in Munster, Ulster, Connacht, and Leinster, and come after the IRFU today reached an agreement with Rugby Players Ireland and its members.

The union says the deferrals, which are “based on an equitable sliding scale which ranges from 10% – 50%,” will be effective from April “and beyond if required, but will remain subject to constant review of the financial circumstances of the IRFU and provinces.”

The42 understands that the union’s biggest earners – players on more lucrative central union contracts – will be those taking the higher percentage deferrals.

“We are entering uncharted waters as the Covid-19 crisis continues to unfold but we remain hopeful that something of this season can be retrieved later in summer,” said IRFU CEO Philip Browne.

“This is important as the whole game, amateur and professional, is financially dependent on the resumption of the professional tournaments and the revenues that they generate.

“With postponement of these tournaments the IRFU and the Provinces are facing some daunting financial challenges around loss of revenue and cash flow and we must cut our costs.”

The IRFU added that the situation will remain under constant review but that “this arrangement will allow Irish Rugby the breathing space required in relation to cashflow that can ensure that when this crisis abates, we still have a business that can deliver for all those that play and love rugby.”

Rugby Players Ireland CEO Simon Keogh said professional players recognised the need to work with the union.

“We recognise the need to work with the IRFU with respect to these payment deferrals in light of the current circumstances,” said Keogh. “All endeavours have been made to contact those affected on an individual basis.

“Our members appreciate that such moves are necessary in order to protect the future of the game in this country. The health and safety of the public is the priority at this time. We will continue to work with the IRFU as this situation develops.”

Meanwhile, The42 understands that all professional players in Ireland are now on a ‘stand down’ period for the next eight weeks, with the hope being that the provinces can resume collective training on 18 May.

With the provinces having cancelled all group training, players will work with individualised training programmes for the next two months during an extended break from playing due to all professional rugby being suspended.

While there has been no official confirmation yet, The42 understands that as things stand, Ireland’s two-Test tour to Australia in July is set to be cancelled given the scale of the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting travel restrictions.

The IRFU’s hope is that players will be able to return to collective training on 18 May for what amounts to a pre-season before the 2019/20 campaign Pro14 and Champions Cup campaigns are finished in July and August.

Given that there are several other unions and stakeholders involved in those competitions, there is no certainty in this regard yet.

Even more pertinently, the IRFU has no clarity on whether players will be free to resume collective training on 18 May as the future of the Covid-19 situation remains so unknown.

If these tentative plans do go ahead, with the 2019/20 season completed in July and August, it’s expected that Irish players would subsequently have a short break period before continuing on into the 2020/21 season.

The simple fact is that Irish players, the provinces, and the IRFU are playing a waiting game for the time being, with all staff members’ pay having been cut in the short-term as Irish rugby faces up to financial reality of this unprecedented situation.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by ScottishBrian »

When this crisis ends I hope that there is time for this scenario,
Pro14 play off, Heineken Quarter final, Pro14 Semi final, Heineken Semi final, Pro14 final, Heineken Final then finish the six nations.
I know that this is unlikely given the time restraints but if there are the 8 weeks available it might work with the caveat that the break now counts as rest and recuperation?
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Snipe Watson »

I suspect this season is done and dusted.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Tender »

Let it go
Support the Team, not the regime
Guinness is Good For You.
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big mervyn
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by big mervyn »

If this season restarts Les Dennis will give you the money himself and even if next season starts it will be heavily disrupted.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Tender »

‘But, But..what about the British Economy’?... We have to keep Britain’Great’

I’m with you Merv. Tim Spoons Martin is a fine example of a greedy Tory who doesn’t care if masses of the older working class population get wiped out. His profits and those of his fellow multi millionaires is all that matters to his like.
Any coincidence the older working class are the biggest users of the NHS and greatest collectors of state pensions? If a few million of them die, it would help balance the Government’s books.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Cockatrice »

big mervyn wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:38 pm
Tender wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:27 pm When would you think those stripped back games would be played? We’re hearing about a 12 week shut down which will run us up to the end of June and that’s a very conservative/optimistic guess at the timescale.
Does anyone have any real hope of seeing this season being concluded?

I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll be having a holiday abroad this summer..or even a Hotel staycation here in Ireland.
I don’t think we’ll see any more rugby before next season.
I don’t think we’ll be watching the Olympics this July/August.
And none of it matters
Spot on there and the start of next season could also be doubtful.

The footage from the Italian hospital yesterday gave an insight to what we are dealing with here.

Btw. Is Tim "Wetherspoon" the biggest twunt in Britain? Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see that b@stard bankrupt.
Merv .. Would sooner share a drink with him than our own local millionaire twunt no less Mr feck I will close all my pubs and my centre piece hotel in Belfast and dump all my peasant staff at the first sign of anything.

If UR recruit a few of the FB warriors that know everything about everything and are only interested in looking after themselves and have enough toilet paper to see thru the rest of the year we should be in safe hands..
Currently studying Stage 5 (level3) at IRFU
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big mervyn
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by big mervyn »

Cockatrice wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:12 pm
big mervyn wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:38 pm
Tender wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:27 pm When would you think those stripped back games would be played? We’re hearing about a 12 week shut down which will run us up to the end of June and that’s a very conservative/optimistic guess at the timescale.
Does anyone have any real hope of seeing this season being concluded?

I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll be having a holiday abroad this summer..or even a Hotel staycation here in Ireland.
I don’t think we’ll see any more rugby before next season.
I don’t think we’ll be watching the Olympics this July/August.
And none of it matters
Spot on there and the start of next season could also be doubtful.

The footage from the Italian hospital yesterday gave an insight to what we are dealing with here.

Btw. Is Tim "Wetherspoon" the biggest twunt in Britain? Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see that b@stard bankrupt.
Merv .. Would sooner share a drink with him than our own local millionaire twunt no less Mr feck I will close all my pubs and my centre piece hotel in Belfast and dump all my peasant staff at the first sign of anything.

If UR recruit a few of the FB warriors that know everything about everything and are only interested in looking after themselves and have enough toilet paper to see thru the rest of the year we should be in safe hands..
Other twunts are available ...
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big mervyn
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by big mervyn »

I take it training has been suspended. Do the players still have individual access to gym facilities? If, as looks likely now, we move into something approaching total lockdown, conditioning ia going to nosedive.
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Re: Guinness PRO14 season has been suspended in response to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak until....

Post by Bart S »

Got to feel for the Newcastle Falcons conditioning coach when big Rodney returns after this..
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