Can anyone help a confused old Bogtrotter?

[Baggy Trousers]

Remember the Heineken Cup? For those who don't it it was the appallingly run abysmal tournament that preceded the shiny new Soupa Doupa Cup. It was also an outrage for it was based in and run exclusively for the benefit of Ireland and briefly saved the Irish economy & 20 jobs by the simple device of money being syphoned off by the IRFU that rightfully should have gone to England.
Ok that's the background & as I sense you will be growing bored at this stage, I'll get to the point.

The sensible Anglo-French Alliance seeking nothing but fairness & a hugely greater share of the spoils, decided the Heineken Cup must die & the Soupa Doupa Cup "corporately partnered with Heineken" would be born, the HQ would be in Ireland.
Just about to get to the point, the Scots remained tight-lipped, Italians said they might resign from the Pro12-10ish and become happy amateurs but then up spake the Welsh and said, "we dont like the Irish either, let's have an Anglo-Welsh League".
The French got bored at this stage but HQ & its associate RFU, decided that the Welsh could be useful so entertained their notion of being considered good neighbours & just the sort of chap HQ could do business with.
A pronouncement was made "We shall never forget our friends in Wales, who have stood by us in destroying the European Cup sponsored by Heineken".

Here is where I need the help/get to the point, Gatland, chief coach of Wales, Lions Supremo asks for a bit of help. He suggested a simple quid pro quo, I'll send back premiership players during the international window if I could please have some assistance for the final Wales game v South Africa.

Surely a given, remembering how England would never forget Wales standing shoulder to shoulder in their hour of need, but no, that nice man of PRL says "Nah,enriching the WRU is not one of our policies".

Can anyone tell me where he thinks the RRW, his close friends, get the bulk of their funding? Yip, the WRU.

I'm baffled, HELP.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

The RFU & PRL said they'd remember RRW.

WRU are asking for a favour but they're not owed any!

WRU may try and use this as leverage against RRW going forwards - the last time they tried to withhold payments did it not come down to the threat of legal action for breach of contract between WRU and RRW?

[Baggy Trousers]

The RFU & PRL said they'd remember RRW.

WRU are asking for a favour but they're not owed any!

WRU may try and use this as leverage against RRW going forwards - the last time they tried to withhold payments did it not come down to the threat of legal action for breach of contract between WRU and RRW?

Oh I know all that Tiger, two things really, I genuinely wonder do PRL understand where the regions get their funding & I also assumed that the quid pro quo Gatland suggested might actually help a few PRL clubs when they were without their England players.

[tjs10]

And where do you think PRL gets mush of its funding from?

Answer: RFU.

If PRL gives in to WRU, RFU might try to use similar methods against PRL in the next round of negotiations regarding EPS compensation.

As it is, RFU pay handsomely for access to PRL players outside of international windows. If PRL concede to WRU (without financial compensation) then RFU might try to argue for the same next time.

Therefore it isn't a case of PRL not understanding where RRW funding comes from but rather that PRL have a very good understanding of where their OWN funding comes from and don't want to risk harming that going forward.

[Rizzo]

Baggy Trousers, I have received a complaint about the "racist and libellous tone" of your original post. Please could I request you to tone it down a bit? Thank you.

[tigerburnie]

Baggy, the PRL are not under any obligation to help out any other nations team preparations. The request might have been better received if they asked before the WRFU announced the fixture, rather than trying to manipulate folk, like they tried to with the 4 Welsh regions. I am confident that if the RRW asked for help the PRL would oblige. It's different to the situation in Ireland where the regions are owned by the IRFU, in England and Wales we believe in democracy.....................................
By the way the Soupa douper head quarters are in Switzerland, they just using the old admin staff in Dublin until new ones are appointed.

[Baggy Trousers]

Baggy, the PRL are not under any obligation to help out any other nations team preparations. The request might have been better received if they asked before the WRFU announced the fixture, rather than trying to manipulate folk, like they tried to with the 4 Welsh regions. I am confident that if the RRW asked for help the PRL would oblige. It's different to the situation in Ireland where the regions are owned by the IRFU, in England and Wales we believe in democracy.....................................
By the way the Soupa douper head quarters are in Switzerland, they just using the old admin staff in Dublin until new ones are appointed.

TB, I always thought of you as a man of intelligence who could read,I said, indeed I was very very clear, on the Swiss HQ move to stop the "thieving Irish" amongst whose number I am counted.

Somewhat surprised nobody has any thoughts on Gatland's offer, quite an attractive offer in my opinion, that some PRL clubs might benefit from having their Welsh players for a game when their English players were away. I thought it quite an innovative thought and one that might have warranted consideration.

Then again, I'm Irish.

[Baggy Trousers]

Baggy Trousers, I have received a complaint about the "racist and libellous tone" of your original post. Please could I request you to tone it down a bit? Thank you.

My apologies Rizzo, I thought that it was quite obvious that most of the post was in jocular vein, rather than going for someone's jugular vein. Then again, some are not blessed either with a sense of humour or at least........... something close to my sense of humour.

I apologise to the offended.

[JackFlashJonny]

Racist would love to know which FUN FUN person made that complaint come on get a life...It WAS obvious Baggy Trousers for those of us with even an ounce of common sense..

Is this what the Tigers forum has come to said complainer oust yourself so I can berate you

Life is about having a laugh at things Tigers fans need to see that now more than ever and listen to the man Eric Idle

[Isambard]

Hi Baggy Trousers, how any one could read your post as racist etc I really do not know. A post that would fit in Private Eye quite nicely. Sometimes I wonder what the world is coming to when it can't see satire.

[Rizzo]

Don't blame me, I have to act or say something when a user states they are offended and will be reporting to the Club. All I said was tone it down a little. And remember that irony, sarcasm and the like don't always translate on a messageboard - even with emoticons and nudges that it's meant as a joke or tongue in cheek etc.

[tigerburnie]

The UAFC sense of humour can be a bit caustic and the jokes near the knuckle, but I can vouch that most of it is good natured, though maybe a slightly different style to the mild mid Englandshire banter. Some should try being "an Englishman living in Scotland" especially during the recent vote they had.
Thing is Baggy the old Heineken/new Heineken debate has really been flogged to death on here as far as anyone is interested. The fact you might have some semblance of correctness in your statement is , well wasted on here. We are more than happy with the PRL line as we are in essence part of it.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Baggy Trousers, I have received a complaint about the "racist and libellous tone" of your original post. Please could I request you to tone it down a bit? Thank you.

Whoever companied about that is under the gross misconception that Baggy is someone akin to welshy08.


The point I was trying to make is if the RFU/PRL repay the RRW via the WRU how much does it benefit RRW?

The match is announced, the tickets are sold, the money is in the pot - WRU had fully committed before asking the favour which is slightly different to asking first,and behind closed doors, before the public announcement of the game - caveat of course that this could have happened and when RFU/PRL said no they tried to force their hands with the public announcement.

There's also the contract between RFU and PRL to consider regarding England player release - the RFU pay RRW a lot to get them away for training camps etc. and don't want other nations to get that same time without paying for it - see Northampton and George North last season

[jgriffin]

I have complained to Rizzo about Welshy08 on the grounds that if we said about the Welsh what he did about the English we would get a rocket (despite the fact that many so-called 'Celtic' posters assume stereotypically that we are all WASP English), but I can't for the life of me see why anyone did about the 'witty' banter from Baggy.
Having said that, did someone edit my post suggesting Welshy get back up the Afan Argoed?

[Baggy Trousers]

The UAFC sense of humour can be a bit caustic and the jokes near the knuckle, but I can vouch that most of it is good natured, though maybe a slightly different style to the mild mid Englandshire banter. Some should try being "an Englishman living in Scotland" especially during the recent vote they had.
Thing is Baggy the old Heineken/new Heineken debate has really been flogged to death on here as far as anyone is interested. The fact you might have some semblance of correctness in your statement is , well wasted on here. We are more than happy with the PRL line as we are in essence part of it.

TB, I see now how you thought me insane, it appears my original post was altered and I assume the racist bit was about my description of Switzerland and the trophy not being in the shape of a cuckoo clock.

Consider yourself forgiven .

Though I did mention the Heineken Cup - sorry sorry - I mentioned it again but hopefully I get away with it, but that was merely a scene setter, my post is seriously about what I consider an interesting offer from Gatland which I thought might well have some merit as it might lessen the blow for some clubs losing both English & Welsh internationals during the AIs.

I do understand that there is perhaps a bigger issue for the PRL & of course was being a wee bit naughty in suggesting that the promise to "remember you Welsh friends" was somewhat hollow.

Anyway, I'm glad for those who have appreciated it was banter, I am not gratuitously offensive anywhere except on UAFC where let's face it, clowns do need to be chastised.

Thing is, I've resigned from posting there due to material differences with the owner, blighter wasn't paying me enough.