Other Not the Heiny/Amlin Cup 16/17

[Rooster]

Bobbo is the best fullback ever

[Russ]

Bobbo is the best fullback ever

Police keep saying they're hunting killer clowns

[222toHounslow]

Cracking crowd at the big wales v england game

Note - there is no professional or amateur sport up against this game in the region at the time

Maybe 400 there

Known fact, the Welsh are Bellends

[Rooster]

Cracking crowd at the big wales v england game

Note - there is no professional or amateur sport up against this game in the region at the time

Maybe 400 there

Known fact, the Welsh are Bellends

Ah but sure there are massive crowds for Welsh v English sides, that's why the Welsh want to join the PRL

[BaggyTrousers]

Speaking of Leinstertainment and ungrateful whinging Mexicans, less than 14000 turned up to watch at d'RDS. Shackin'. Rugby in Ireland is dying.

In other news, Sale must be absolute shyte.

[againstthehead]

Pleasantly surprised by how well the pro12 sides have gone so far. Hopefully Ulster can add to that.

[austintranslation]

Gordon Darcy seemed to find it difficult to say much complimentary about Connacht during the game. Even when he did finally say something good about Aki he managed to make it about BOD. Hope he doesn't end up going down the same road as his former centre partner who is so suited to BT Sport you'd nearly think it was created especially for him.

BOD was a cracking player but he's punditry's version of Paul Rowley.

[Russ]

Speaking of Leinstertainment and ungrateful whinging Mexicans, less than 14000 turned up to watch at d'RDS. Shackin'. Rugby in Ireland is dying.

In other news, Sale must be absolute shyte.

They're all over social meedya saying there are too many games that cost too much

Well i guess leinstertainment play preseason, pro12, NTHC and they have 4 big games coming up where they play in green

[Rooster]

Speaking of Leinstertainment and ungrateful whinging Mexicans, less than 14000 turned up to watch at d'RDS. Shackin'. Rugby in Ireland is dying.

In other news, Sale must be absolute shyte.

They're all over social meedya saying there are too many games that cost too much

Well i guess leinstertainment play preseason, pro12, NTHC and they have 4 big games coming up where they play in green

That's the start of the cover up for why the IRFU will want the league matches cut in number via a half baked conference system

[Dave]

Speaking of Leinstertainment and ungrateful whinging Mexicans, less than 14000 turned up to watch at d'RDS. Shackin'. Rugby in Ireland is dying.

In other news, Sale must be absolute shyte.

They're all over social meedya saying there are too many games that cost too much

Well i guess leinstertainment play preseason, pro12, NTHC and they have 4 big games coming up where they play in green

Which feature Leinster and a few additional players they'd like to sign (steal). It's basically a shop window for Connacht players.

[Russ]

Watching highlights of Rich v Dominos and have to say the only reason Sorries won that game was Lacey

He let them away with absolute murder at the ruck
Flopping to kill ball
Smashing rucks at 90 degree angles

Let's not mention the forward passes or how he lost control of the scrum

[Neill_M]

Round 2:

Irish Sides

Sat 22nd
1pm v Glasgow Sky Sports
7.45pm v Exeter BT Sport

Sun 23rd
1pm (UK Time) MHR v Sky Sports
3.15pm (UK Time) Zebre V Westies BT Sport

Other Pro 12

Sat 22nd
3:15pm Edinburgh v Quins BT Sport
5:30pm Saracens v Scaaarlets Sky Sports

Other

Thu 20th
7:45pm Bath v Bristol Sky Sports

Fri 21st
7:45pm Sale v RCT BT Sport

Sat 22nd
3:15pm (UK Time) CO v Saints Sky Sports
3:15pm (UK Time) ASM v UBB Sky Sports

Sun 23rd
3:15pm (UK Time) ST v Wasps BT Sport
5:30pm Tigers v R92 BT Sport

[Rooster]

EPCR prioritises change to French and UK broadcast rights deals
Rugby union - 13 Oct 2016

By Martin Ross

Increased free-to-air exposure in France for the European Rugby Champions Cup, the continent’s top rugby union clubs competition, has been targeted by organisers, who admit that audiences need to improve.

Vincent Gaillard, the director general of organiser EPCR, has also said that the model in the UK (and Ireland) of having two pay-TV broadcasters (Sky and BT Sport) sharing the rights is not working very well.

In France, pay-TV's BeIN Sports and public-service broadcaster France Télévisions share the rights to Europe's elite clubs competitions until 2018, although the number of free-to-air games shown is just one per match week (instead of two previously), leaving organisers concerned about audience numbers.

Gaillard told L'Equipe: "We have work to do. The coverage is good but the audiences need to improve. We continue to talk to our broadcasters to showcase our games."

The European Rugby Champions Cup replaced the erstwhile Heineken Cup in 2014, reducing in size from 24 to 20 clubs but the value of the French rights rose from €14.5 million (now $16 million) per season to nearly €20 million (in deals also covering the second-tier Challenge Cup).

The next rights tender will take place in 2017 and Gaillard has stressed that it is a major priority, and that "discussions have started with the ambition of changing certain things, notably the free-to-air coverage."

He said: "We have already met with France Télé[visions] and BeIN Sports and the other broadcasters will follow in order to gauge their level of interest."

Competition for the rights should be high, given the likely interest from pay-TV's Canal Plus, which held rights to the Heineken Cup and shows the Top 14, the Discovery-backed Eurosport and SFR Sport, the new sports broadcaster that holds rights to England's Aviva Premiership.

At present, France Télévisions shows the ‘top match’ from each round of the European Rugby Champions Cup on France 2, along with a match from each round of the European Rugby Challenge Cup on France 4.

Last season, France 2 netted an average of 2 million viewers (and 14.6-per-cent share) for its Sunday afternoon Champions Cup match, down from 2.4 million (and 18.2-per-cent share) in 2014-15. Meanwhile, France 4 has pulled in an average of 450,000 viewers (a 2-per-cent share) for the Saturday evening Challenge Cup game in each of the last two seasons.

The French pay-TV audience for the Champions Cup is said to have dropped from an average of 600,000 subscribers watching the Heineken Cup on Canal Plus to a peak of 250,000 subscribers on BeIN Sports for Saturday afternoon games.

It has been suggested in the French press that the short-term solution of BeIN sub-licensing another match to France Télévisions could be pursued until new deals kick in.

Free-to-air exposure in the competition's main markets is clearly a continuing concern for the EPCR, which heads into the new season with just two of the five top-level slots in its sponsorship programme filled (by Heineken and Turkish Airlines), albeit Gaillard says a third will be announced soon.

Commenting on the coverage in the UK and Ireland, where Sky and BT share the rights, Gaillard described the situation as "not optimal" and claimed that it wasn't working very well for the two broadcasters either.

He added: "All of this is part of our thoughts [going forward]."

Sky and BT Sport are entering the third year of their deals to show the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. The agreements represented a compromise that settled a protracted dispute over rights to matches involving English teams in continental competitions.

Paul Goze, president of the LNR, France's professional rugby league, has described the competitions' free-to-air exposure in France as "already very good" given "there is none in the UK."

Speaking last week about the rights in Ireland, Gaillard revealed that EPCR is keen for it to be shown on free-to-air television during the next cycle.

Addressing the press at the season launch event in Dublin, he noted: "I think we will treat Ireland separately in what we’re going to do, but more free-to-air coverage in Ireland is where we would start."

There has not been any free-to-air live coverage in Ireland of the European Rugby Champions Cup, or its predecessor the Heineken Cup, since 2006, but Gaillard believes the rights can be split in a better way.

He said: “It could be a free-to-air broadcaster, and a pay-per-view broadcaster, as we have in France for instance. But not two pay-per-view broadcasters. It is not working very well for us at the moment.”

Sportcal

[Russ]

Lol

Couple of things at play here

1 sales packs to sponsors need increased numbers

2 they wamt sky and bt to not collude and drive up price

[Dave]

Stringer playing against Toulon after being at Axel's funeral earlier. What a pro.