Heineken Cup Replaced

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I honestly believe that McCafferty thinks that a rugby league style split would be a good thing because The PRL would then be in total control of their own destiny. I suppose there's nothing stopping them playing to the IRB laws even if they are no longer IRB affiliated. But I wonder if he has thought at all about where officials would come from, who they would ever be able play outside their own league, how the players would react to no lionger being eligible to play for their international teams, how BT would react to only having PRL games to broadcast in exchange for their £152M..... DICK!

Conor O'Shea talking about this the other day thought there would be no issue about getting refs etc if they throw enough money at the problem.

I wonder if they've asked any refs if they want a higher salary ....... oh, and by the way, you'll never ref another international match, or go to a World Cup ..... in fact you'll never referee outside of England again (unless Sarries are playing a home match in Souf Africa)

[pwrmoore]

..... in fact you'll never referee outside of England again (unless Sarries are playing a home match in Souf Africa)

Not only would they never referee a match outside England - they'd never referee a match outside the PRL. Which of course brings up another issue. If they do carry on the way they're going then surely the end up cutting their ties with ND1 and lose their precious promotion/relegation

[Rooster]

Which of course brings up another issue. If they do carry on the way they're going then surely the end up cutting their ties with ND1 and lose their precious promotion/relegation

Think the current PRL clubs would be pretty happy with that, sure they do all they can to stop anyone coming in anyway.

[TinPig]

Just up
HEC Myths Vs Reality
http://whiffofcordite.com/

[Jackie Brown]

Jackie thats an incredibly crass post.

It way well be but it's the god damn truth. The PRL are only interested in one thing, lining their own pockets. To do this they need to be in control and feck everyone else.

Their tactic is our way or no way. Now bend over Celts and take your punishment.

If the Unions don't knock this on the head it will not only be the destruction of the Heineken Cup but also the death of Northern Hemisphere rugby.

[Gael]

How has the South African angle popped up again?!?!? This guy must not pay attention to what is going on around him, the Saffers have got what they wanted which was a 6th place in Super Rugby for the Kings.

We are all getting stupider every time we read something that he has said.

[bazzaj]

Read an article by Austen Healy the gist being that the Celts have have it too good for too long and how we should be grovelling to join the French and English clubs with the breakaway.
Its safe to say he has helped make my mind up.

[Rooster]

How has the South African angle popped up again?!?!? This guy must not pay attention to what is going on around him, the Saffers have got what they wanted which was a 6th place in Super Rugby for the Kings.

We are all getting stupider every time we read something that he has said.

Saracens are the South African side they are talking about probably.

[Jackie Brown]

The posturing by the PRL is getting more insane by the day!

We won't know how his will go until the Unions and IRB show their hands. That's when it'll get interesting, the PRL themselves know this and I feel are trying to provoke the IRB into verbals.

The longer the unions hold their council the more nervous McCafferty and Co. get. They've talked themselves into a corner. Time to sh1t or get off the pot...

[Gael]

Maybe the IRB and the respective unions are holding there tongue to take them down in one fell swoop when the time comes

[Jackie Brown]

Maybe the IRB and the respective unions are holding there tongue to take them down in one fell swoop when the time comes

I believe that's what is coming and McCafferty and co know it too.

[Snipe Watson]

The posturing by the PRL is getting more insane by the day!

We won't know how his will go until the Unions and IRB show their hands. That's when it'll get interesting, the PRL themselves know this and I feel are trying to provoke the IRB into verbals.

The longer the unions hold their council the more nervous McCafferty and Co. get. They've talked themselves into a corner. Time to sh1t or get off the pot...

That's my view as well JB. Ultimately the English and French Unions have kowtowed to their clubs and have been weakened as a result.
I predict that the 6 Unions and the IRB will stand firm and the clubs will have to back down. The English clubs could be heading for a right slapping because the French surrender monkeys will flip-flop as they always do. Leaving McCafferty’s mob dangling in the wind.

[BR]

I honestly believe that McCafferty thinks that a rugby league style split would be a good thing because The PRL would then be in total control of their own destiny. I suppose there's nothing stopping them playing to the IRB laws even if they are no longer IRB affiliated. But I wonder if he has thought at all about where officials would come from, who they would ever be able play outside their own league, how the players would react to no lionger being eligible to play for their international teams, how BT would react to only having PRL games to broadcast in exchange for their £152M..... DICK!

Under the modern dispensation, is there anything to stop a player (or a ref) playing an IRB/RFU approved match after playing an EFDR match?

[bootlaced]

http://www.espn.co.uk/heineken-cup-2013 ... 98771.html

Premiership final to be played in February?

English club owners are considering moving the Aviva Premiership final to February to enable a new European competition to be played from March to June, according to reports in the Guardian.

Premiership Rugby is still sticking by last week's statement that it and Ligue Nationale de Rugby - the body in charge of the Top 14 - are forming a breakaway European tournament for the 2014-15 season.

The announcement came after months of talks between the six Unions involved in the Heineken Cup with LNR and PRL serving their respective notices to European Rugby Cup Ltd that they will leave the tournament unless certain aspects of the tournament are changed.

Both PRL and LNR hold misgivings over the qualification process, distribution of revenue and the split of votes between the six Unions. As things stand, there will be no Heineken Cup next season unless some compromise can be found.

Various proposals have been put forward but if the Anglo-French breakaway cup becomes a reality, then the teams in the RaboDirect PRO12 will have to decide whether to stick with ERC or join the new club-run tournament.

And according to the Guardian, one proposal being considered is to move the Aviva Premiership to earlier in the season to allow a new tournament to be played between March and June, which could include South African teams from 2015-16 onwards.

"Potentially the Premiership final could be before the Six Nations," a Premiership source told the Guardian. "Then, if you ran a new Heineken Cup with the South Africans involved between March and June, that would be a pretty good competition for four months. You'll hear people not just talking about a new European Cup but a new trans-border competition."

One stumbling block for the new European tournament, could be the need to get Rugby Football Union and International Rugby Board approval for the breakaway cup. But Mark McCafferty, PRL CEO, is optimistic of this not being an issue.

The clubs in the Premiership are currently reaping the rewards of the £152m television rights deal which PRL announced with BT Sport last season. According to a "senior English club figure", this has "changed the whole landscape" in English rugby.

The source told the Guardian: "There are still some people who will say: 'You can't have a cross-border competition without the permission of the French Federation, the RFU and the IRB.' Those people are living in the past.

"What has changed the whole landscape is the BT Sport deal because suddenly the clubs have got their own broadcaster and are bringing their own money into the game. The French will also be selling their equivalent TV rights shortly. The unions can huff and puff as much as they like but the reality is that the unions are not going to stop a competition bringing in £30m to £40m to rugby."

They've quickly changed their minds,

http://www.espn.co.uk/heineken-cup-2013 ... 98789.html

Premiership Rugby denies final will be moved to February

Premiership Rugby (PRL) has denied any plans to move the final of the English top flight to February to create room for a new European tournament.

Reports in Tuesday's Guardian claimed the organisers in charge of the Aviva Premiership were contemplating moving the domestic league to earlier in the season to allow a new European tournament to take place from March through to June. However, PRL is adamant it wants the Premiership final to be the last match of the season.

Last week, PRL declared it and Ligue Nationale de Rugby, the body in charge of the Top 14, had put in place plans for a new tournament for the 2014-15 season to replace the Heineken Cup. Both governing bodies issued European Rugby Cup Ltd with a notice in June 2012 saying they would leave the Union-run Heineken Cup unless certain aspects of the tournament were changed.

After a raft of statements and counter-statements, the future of the Europe's tournament is still shrouded in uncertainty with PRL seemingly adamant it wants to push ahead plans for a new club-run tournament for the 2014-15 season.

Reports on Tuesday claimed the Premiership may have to be moved to earlier in the season to make way for the new European tournament and could even be played before the start of the Six Nations. However, a spokesperson from PRL has since denied these proposals.

"There is no proposal to move the Aviva Premiership Rugby to end of January, before the Six Nations. Premiership Rugby is our primary competition and we are committed to the Premiership Final being the last match of the season, as it has been for many years. We want more Premiership Rugby after the Six Nations, not less."

[Russ]

If they did, the English season would be over by the 1st weekend of their new tournament unless they also move the ERFU and eRFU sheep division cup to after the franglais cup