Rainbow Cup

[tigerburnie]

I'm sure some years back when the English Premiership said they would pull out of the Heineken Cup and set up a tournament with the South Africans, many on here said it would never work and basically took the pi$h. Funny old world isn't it.

[Dave]

How's that tournament with the prem and saffer teams going? Don't hear much about it

[Snipe Watson]

I'm sure some years back when the English Premiership said they would pull out of the Heineken Cup and set up a tournament with the South Africans, many on here said it would never work and basically took the pi$h. Funny old world isn't it.

You're not wrong, but circumstances were very different then. The South African teams were riding a wave back then and Super Rugby was a bright shiny jewel.
Classic example of seemed like a good idea at the time. As in life, when circumstances change and so must plans. I was always of the view that this was a bit of a reach and slightly desperate. Much like when Super Rugby expanded to Argentina and Japan, you over reach at your own peril.
Do I want to see big teams play Ulster? Yes I do, but I hark back to the old days of touring teams, not some artificial construct of a tournament designed as a revenue stream and scuppered by Covid. The current set up of Pro12 and European Cup works well enough for me. We are fortunate to have our built in traditional provincial rivalries and a few whipping boys to keep interest running.
I feel the Kings and Cheetahs were an abject failure in the pro14. They added fixtures and nothing more. Proving that you simply cannot cobble things together and hope they work out. A Pro16 Rainbow Cup will be much the same only with better South African teams. It could possibly work without Covid restrictions, but there's little of substance behind it so where do you start to build a tradition? Look at the struggle Welsh regions have had to build an identity even after all this time they still have an uphill battle.

The short lived and even more farcical football super league reminds me of the coup carried out by English and French clubs on the then Heineken Cup. Money lost, goodwill down the tubes and they gained a word in the title, Heineken Champions Cup. Only winners there were the sponsors who paid less for the naming rights.
Megabucks owners generally don't mix well with sporting organisations unless the entire structure is designed as primarily a business model. They eventually want their pound of financial flesh and in Rugby they got what they asked for. May not like it in the final analysis, but got it nevertheless. Anyway I digress.
It is a funny old world.

[Dave]

For prem teams it was an empty threat in making a power move. The risk was in making a good competition, the Heineken cup, shyte. The Pro 14 are trying to make a shyte competition better.

[Dave]

https://twitter.com/glove931/status/138 ... 52321?s=19

[Dublin4]

The Rainbow Cup was a farce from the beginning. The prospect of Munster v Leinster again so soon? Forget it.
Just shut down the season and let's restart rugby in September. I want my own club back and to see friends and have a pint.

[Bayern]

The Rainbow Cup was a farce from the beginning. The prospect of Munster v Leinster again so soon? Forget it.
Just shut down the season and let's restart rugby in September. I want my own club back and to see friends and have a pint.

this has nothing to do with the rainbow cup.

[tigerburnie]

For prem teams it was an empty threat in making a power move. The risk was in making a good competition, the Heineken cup, shyte. The Pro 14 are trying to make a shyte competition better.

Have to disagree here, both Champions and Challenge Cups are a level playing field now, where all the teams have to qualify, much better competition than the old one.

[Dave]

For prem teams it was an empty threat in making a power move. The risk was in making a good competition, the Heineken cup, shyte. The Pro 14 are trying to make a shyte competition better.

Have to disagree here, both Champions and Challenge Cups are a level playing field now, where all the teams have to qualify, much better competition than the old one.

Next time you disagree with someone, remember to actually disagree with something they have written. Cheers.

[tigerburnie]

Eh?
you said the prem teams risked making a good competition "The Heineken Cup" shyte, I think it made a shyte comp better and the Champions cup is now fairer, so by definition I have disagreed with what you wrote, may be not with what you meant, but you certainly wrote it.
Now if you meant that the pro 14 is shyte and you are risking making the Champions Cup shyte, then I have mis-understood what you meant.

[kingofthehill]

Few happy faces later today with the team announcement.

[Snipe Watson]

Eh?
you said the prem teams risked making a good competition "The Heineken Cup" shyte, I think it made a shyte comp better and the Champions cup is now fairer, so by definition I have disagreed with what you wrote, may be not with what you meant, but you certainly wrote it.
Now if you meant that the pro 14 is shyte and you are risking making the Champions Cup shyte, then I have mis-understood what you meant.

Of course you think that. It was your lot that drove the project. Not specifically Tigers, but there weren't many complaints emanating from Welford road.
You conveniently forget the shambles that it turned into at the time. The loss of revenue and goodwill. HEC wasn't perfect, but it was effective. The whole thing was a power grab, nothing more nothing less. Typical Perfidious Albion stuff. A few opportunistic rich blokes didn't like the fact that their wealth didn't give them control so they wrested control from the existing organisation that was ill prepared to defend itself against such a flagrant piece of brinkmanship. It was simply another smaller scale version of the ESL, which didn't go down too well when the crap hit the fan this week. They don't like it up-em Captain Mainwaring.
Once bitten twice shy. That's why it was such a delight to see the thoroughly Machiavellian Saracens, the main culprits, getting screwed to the wall for other offences.

[Snipe Watson]

Few happy faces later today with the team announcement.

I await with anticipation. Hopefully a 23 designed as preparation for next week.

[Snipe Watson]

It's a thumbs up from me. Addison back in action and Jordi rested.

[tigerburnie]

Eh?
you said the prem teams risked making a good competition "The Heineken Cup" shyte, I think it made a shyte comp better and the Champions cup is now fairer, so by definition I have disagreed with what you wrote, may be not with what you meant, but you certainly wrote it.
Now if you meant that the pro 14 is shyte and you are risking making the Champions Cup shyte, then I have mis-understood what you meant.

Of course you think that. It was your lot that drove the project. Not specifically Tigers, but there weren't many complaints emanating from Welford road.
You conveniently forget the shambles that it turned into at the time. The loss of revenue and goodwill. HEC wasn't perfect, but it was effective. The whole thing was a power grab, nothing more nothing less. Typical Perfidious Albion stuff. A few opportunistic rich blokes didn't like the fact that their wealth didn't give them control so they wrested control from the existing organisation that was ill prepared to defend itself against such a flagrant piece of brinkmanship. It was simply another smaller scale version of the ESL, which didn't go down too well when the crap hit the fan this week. They don't like it up-em Captain Mainwaring.
Once bitten twice shy. That's why it was such a delight to see the thoroughly Machiavellian Saracens, the main culprits, getting screwed to the wall for other offences.

Well agree about Salarysins getting their comeuppance, but no point going over what has passed regarding the changes to the Euro Cup, it has changed and we all seem to have got on with it.
So back to the weekend, how do you think you will get on? I'm hoping we continue with our progress and beat Northampton in out local derby match.