French to boycott ERC

[4]

Our humiliation is not inevitable in the next RWC. Nothing with regards to World Cups is inevitable. Anything could happen. NZ often do not win it as inevitable favourites. France lost to NZ in a much worse way than we did, twice. As did wales once. Plus, expectations will be slightly lower considering circumstances.

[Lansdowne RFC]

Don't think international results have anything to do with this, and it won't prove their decision right. All you have to is look at their record in the tourny. Fair enough, more English sides have won the competition, but there has only been 2 finals were a French team did not compete, and twice we had a final with 2 French teams. As Adroit says

The competition will be absolutely worthless without the French sides in it.

One issue the French and English kept harping on about was right though. The marketing of this competition is laughable. Anyone who can't get international tickets but adores rugby should have greater exposure to the competition. This is a MASSIVE product but shabbily marketed

Ah well, I guess everyone is saying now "our team better win the tourny this season"

[Caerlyr Osprey]

I thought Bourgoin had started the boycott this season. :P

[big john]

I think that the english clubs will follow the french, the reason for this is they both have leagues to compete in top get furo spots the mangers league is just a total farce as no one goes up or down and every team gets into a euro comp of some kind, hence the poor week to week games and well rested top players for the H-Cup. maybe the H-Cup has been found out to be a farce too.

how do sides really in the long run compete with teams who can rest all there top players for H-Cup games and the french and english cant afford that luxury.

call it off next season then the next time make a rule that the players have to make a fair showing in there domestic comp to be allowed to play in euro comps!!!

[Stu_F]

I thought Bourgoin had started the boycott this season. :P

I'm not sure that this was the first season that Bourgoin have "boycotted" the tournament! I believe that they have somewhat of a "reputation".

[yellow_balaclava_hunter]

I think this is down to Francis Baron and that to solve the problems in English Rugby we first need a reshuffle of personnel at the top.

Premier Rugby and the French are both in Agreement. It's the money grabbing RFU that are causing the arguments.

One thing that Blanco said was

"But now there is too much uncertainty about the future of the English clubs."

Clearly the rumour of a 'super 10' has unsettled the French who don't want to play against those 'super 10' clubs. They're not going to sign any contract until they know exactly who it is they are going to be playing. That was a big mistake by the RFU.

I think the English clubs have two choices.

Either tell the RFU to change their management and work with the clubs or leave the RFU and join the French to make a European League.

[Dave Angel]

........."Next season in England 10 of the 22 rounds in the Premiership will be played during international weekends, which is ridiculous. [/i]

ITS MORE THAN RIDICULOUS

Why is that so ridiculous? The RWC takes place in September/October, and therefore clashes with the regular Premiership season, as it did in 2003, and in 1999.

Because the two events happen at the same time as each other, they will undoubtedly clash.

What Blanco has "conveniently forgotten" to say is that three of the International weekends that clash with Premiership fixtures are the RWC QF, SF & Final weekends, when England may not even be involved!


Blanco's "10 weeks" are made up of 5 Six Nations weekends (of which some will clash with the Premiership, but not all), 2 weeks of RWC pool games, and the 3 weekends of RWC knockout games.

Therefore, it is far more likely that only 6 Premiership weekends will clash with England games (assuming we lose in the QFs), which is actually fewer clashing weekends than this season! (7 clashes)





Lies, damned lies & statistics.
The moral of the story: Don't always believe 100% of what a Frenchman tells you!

[dailywaffle]

I think that the english clubs will follow the french, ......

PRL are contractually obliged, so I understand, to compete in next year's HEC. Unlike the French, the RFU could sue the pants off them if they pulled out.

I think Peter Wheeler has said that the lawyers will need to look at it, as (I paraphrase) any change in the structure of the competition would be seen as a breach of contract. Allowing the clubs to follow the French.

[Pete]

I would agree with an English club boycott too. At the moment the RFU do whatever they fancy, and that's the way it will continue if the English clubs do not stand up for themselves.

The obvious way out of the situation is to abandon the 6-Nations Championship in World Cup years, and also ensure there are no international summer tours immediately following the World Cup (and preferably never after that either!)

If both the English and French clubs boycott the HC, the Welsh, Irish and Scottish clubs will still have their own league. Perhaps it would force them to take it more seriously. That could only be a good thing.

[Lansdowne RFC]

Big John begins by telling us that the

mangers league is just a total farce

Ok, your opinion is respected. But reasons why it is a farce are

every team gets into a euro comp of some kind

But that's the same situation as the Guinnes Premiership. In fact, the team who gets promoted from National League 1 will be admitted to the Challenge Cup. So, another reason why the ML is a farce is

no one goes up or down

True, this does happen, but that's because there is no-one to come up and down. And this is one of the biggest arguments in English rugby today. Someday, relegation will be abolished in England. Maybe it's the style of rugby you oppose of in the ML?

hence the poor week to week games

Eh, well that depends on what style of rugby you prefer. If your style is mostly fantastic, open, running rugby, then the Magners League is for you. But if your cup of tea is a league dominated by a team who has a great kicker, and as a result, games are won this way, then maybe yes, the Magners has poor games. Bath going 5 months without scoring a home try last season, and a flick through the results of the GP, show that games are generally won when the place kicker kicks 8 penalities from 8. Any more reasons why the Magners is a farce?

well rested top players for the H-Cup

I thought it was all over. Maybe not. Incorrect again. Top players are rested for the first 4 weeks (imperfect I know, but that's international committments), and for a fact, Leinster, Llanelli, Cardiff, Ulster, Edinburgh always play their top players, week in, week out. So prior to each HEC game, these sides play their best XV. Munster don't, and occasionally the Ospreys. And English sides have rested some key players in the build up to a big HEC game.

french and english cant afford that luxury.

Well, it's not the Celtic sides' fault their rugby unions are in rude health, and not in a state of confusion and anger. Pretty much every rugby writer and commentator have argued that the Irish system is the best on the planet. No need to blame us for your unions misgivings.... hence Sunday Times report last week.

Any ideas how to shape up the competition in future?

fair showing in there domestic comp to be allowed to play in euro comps!!!

Or prehaps only allow sides in who play good rugby? Without trying to be a broken record, but 3 games involved English sides in the knock-out stages of last seasons HEC (Leicester v Bath; Biarritz v Sale; Biarrtiz v Bath).... 3 matches, 1 try!

Just my thoughts.

[barrowpig]

Things are cooking up and the top is going to blow. The French are clearly siding with the English clubs and also using it for their own ends. I hope it does not happen but we could get a break away as significant as League/Union all those years ago.

The poster who note what is happening to our championship are quite right it is ridculous playing for full points when six nations etc is on. Perhaps we should go back to split points and play for 4 for a win, 2 for a draw and nothing for a loss with all your players available and half this when they are not. i.e. test the squads and english/british talent but do not punish the clubs like Tigers and Sale that do more for English (and other home unions) than Francis Baron ever will. Make the competiton mean something and give owners home/away each week of season with games that matter and supporters know who will be playing and what is up for grabs.

Get rid of stupid play offs and play the cup as a seeded event - no micky mouse second tier euro cup make the lower finish sides in England battle through first/second/third rounds and then bring in the clubs that play in the Euro cup. Give the clubs more say in running the Euro cup - perhaps they will tell Sky when to kick off (steady pigs flying and all that!!!).

The above would reduce the number of games played by the top players. Problem is I guess it would rob Twickenham of one final the playoff. But that is the give and take we need. I am sure there are other ideas but that is my thoughts.

[Osprey in Leicester]

Big John begins by telling us that the

mangers league is just a total farce

Ok, your opinion is respected. But reasons why it is a farce are

every team gets into a euro comp of some kind

But that's the same situation as the Guinnes Premiership. In fact, the team who gets promoted from National League 1 will be admitted to the Challenge Cup. So, another reason why the ML is a farce is

no one goes up or down

True, this does happen, but that's because there is no-one to come up and down. And this is one of the biggest arguments in English rugby today. Someday, relegation will be abolished in England. Maybe it's the style of rugby you oppose of in the ML?

hence the poor week to week games

Eh, well that depends on what style of rugby you prefer. If your style is mostly fantastic, open, running rugby, then the Magners League is for you. But if your cup of tea is a league dominated by a team who has a great kicker, and as a result, games are won this way, then maybe yes, the Magners has poor games. Bath going 5 months without scoring a home try last season, and a flick through the results of the GP, show that games are generally won when the place kicker kicks 8 penalities from 8. Any more reasons why the Magners is a farce?

well rested top players for the H-Cup

I thought it was all over. Maybe not. Incorrect again. Top players are rested for the first 4 weeks (imperfect I know, but that's international committments), and for a fact, Leinster, Llanelli, Cardiff, Ulster, Edinburgh always play their top players, week in, week out. So prior to each HEC game, these sides play their best XV. Munster don't, and occasionally the Ospreys. And English sides have rested some key players in the build up to a big HEC game.

french and english cant afford that luxury.

Well, it's not the Celtic sides' fault their rugby unions are in rude health, and not in a state of confusion and anger. Pretty much every rugby writer and commentator have argued that the Irish system is the best on the planet. No need to blame us for your unions misgivings.... hence Sunday Times report last week.

Any ideas how to shape up the competition in future?

fair showing in there domestic comp to be allowed to play in euro comps!!!

Or prehaps only allow sides in who play good rugby? Without trying to be a broken record, but 3 games involved English sides in the knock-out stages of last seasons HEC (Leicester v Bath; Biarritz v Sale; Biarrtiz v Bath).... 3 matches, 1 try!

Just my thoughts.

Spot on, good post.

[jackothelad]

I think that the english clubs will follow the french, the reason for this is they both have leagues to compete in top get furo spots the mangers league is just a total farce as no one goes up or down and every team gets into a euro comp of some kind, hence the poor week to week games and well rested top players for the H-Cup. maybe the H-Cup has been found out to be a farce too.

how do sides really in the long run compete with teams who can rest all there top players for H-Cup games and the french and english cant afford that luxury.

call it off next season then the next time make a rule that the players have to make a fair showing in there domestic comp to be allowed to play in euro comps!!!

______________________________________________________
Tell me 'Big John', how would you institute relegation and promotion into the Magner's League?
Invent a few new teams perhaps.

How do you prevent players from having too much game time?

Answer. Rest them by limiting the number of games they play. If a Union / Club is too stupid, stubborn or greedy to do this, it isn't the fault of the Magner's League or the Unions involved.

Which teams in the Guinness premiership were not involved in a European Tournament this year? I would be delighted to find out as you have obviously spent a lot of time thinking your post through.

The standard of games week in and week out in the Magner's League is every bit as entertaining and competitive as some of the G.P. stuff. Perhaps before pontificating about something of which it is clear your knowledge is virtually non-existent, you might take the time to watch a game between, for example, Munster and Ulster or Leinster or the Scarlets

You should be lobbying to get rid of the raft of over-the-hill foreigners polluting the G.P. Only choose those who can add to the sum total of the club's skill levels and success and play English players rather than post nonsense about rugby elsewhere. Ulster have only 3 non Irish qualified players. Long may this continue. The Heineken Cup will do just as well next year without the French. It was a big hit when the English were absent. They will be back. Their isolationism, xenophobia and cretinous, selfish self-interest will rebound on them, not on us.

[Phil B]

I thought Bourgoin had started the boycott this season. :P

Like it! :D

[Shedman]

looks like it will be 3 hc cups in a row for munster if the french boycott next year.

and im deadly serious !