The Future of the Prem

[trendylfj]

https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest- ... -from-prl/

Does anyone know who the 6 clubs are

[Mark62]

https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest- ... -from-prl/

Does anyone know who the 6 clubs are

I haven’t seen the 6 mentioned at all. If I had to guess, and probably completely wrong, the traditional power base in rugby, much like Footballs ‘Big 6’ tend to be

Tigers, Bath, Gloucester, Sarries, Northampton and Wasps.

Now with Wasps reportedly being in severe financial difficulties Exeter would replace them in the modern day.

Very much finger in the wind of course

[Ian Cant]

Not sure about “The 6” as Exeter, Quins, Bristol would come into that category and then there would be Sale and Newcastle in the North. London Irish And Worcester also deserve a mention. In other words, the Premiership is fine as it is!The problem after Lockdown will be to create clubs that run at a profit as well as being competitive on the field.
Rugby will never, at club level, have the following of football or the financial backing so a “ breakaway” would be a huge risk.
As a fan who travels to places like Sale and Newcastle I wouldn’t want to have more games v Bath, Wasps etc instead of going to the afore mentioned and Worcester.
The change that needs to be made is on the international front where too many matches in the Autumn, then the 6 Nations and Summer tours mean fans don’t see their internationals!

[trendylfj]

Not sure about “The 6” as Exeter, Quins, Bristol would come into that category and then there would be Sale and Newcastle in the North. London Irish And Worcester also deserve a mention. In other words, the Premiership is fine as it is!The problem after Lockdown will be to create clubs that run at a profit as well as being competitive on the field.
Rugby will never, at club level, have the following of football or the financial backing so a “ breakaway” would be a huge risk.
As a fan who travels to places like Sale and Newcastle I wouldn’t want to have more games v Bath, Wasps etc instead of going to the afore mentioned and Worcester.
The change that needs to be made is on the international front where too many matches in the Autumn, then the 6 Nations and Summer tours mean fans don’t see their internationals!

+1

[Mark62]

Not sure about “The 6” as Exeter, Quins, Bristol would come into that category and then there would be Sale and Newcastle in the North. London Irish And Worcester also deserve a mention. In other words, the Premiership is fine as it is!The problem after Lockdown will be to create clubs that run at a profit as well as being competitive on the field.
Rugby will never, at club level, have the following of football or the financial backing so a “ breakaway” would be a huge risk.
As a fan who travels to places like Sale and Newcastle I wouldn’t want to have more games v Bath, Wasps etc instead of going to the afore mentioned and Worcester.
The change that needs to be made is on the international front where too many matches in the Autumn, then the 6 Nations and Summer tours mean fans don’t see their internationals!

I meant more the Historical power brokers within the game, and I should have included Quins in that. It is easy to forget that Exeter have only achieved their current lofty position in the game during the last 10 - 15 years, and they are to all intense and purposes a franchise team for Devon and Cornwall.
I think to say that the premiership is fine as it is, can be short sighted. A league where only one club out of 12 is actually living within its means is broken, and needs fixing for the good of the game, and if that means a couple of the weaker businesses get lost so be it.
I’m unsure where the RFU will get its funding if the number of internationals is cut, surely it would be better to loose the meaning less European competitions that cost more to enter and participate in, that realistically only 6 sides ever have a chance of winning

[Cardiff Tig]

If you have fewer internationals then the amateur club game dies. Even the second tier is in big trouble with the amount of RFU funding being slashed for next season. Some on here may put the club games ahead of international matches but the premiership isn't self-sustaining as it is. I don't think they are in a position of power.

Decreasing internationals will just put more costs back onto the clubs - the RFU aren't going to pay players as much or give the clubs as much money for a shorter release period. And I doubt crowds at club games are going to massively increase just because the internationals are available for a handful more games than the current season. There will always be a limit to the number of games players can play, and this is only ever going to decrease as more long term effects of multiple concussions appear in the next few years.

[fleabane]

https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest- ... -from-prl/

Does anyone know who the 6 clubs are

I suspect they will be the money clubs, with sole owners:

Exeter, Bristol, Saracens, Bath, Sale, with maybe Gloucester or Northampton. Tigers, looking for a buyer, Wasps in deep trouble financially, Worcester and Irish unattractive brands are unlikely to be in a position to get on board as founder members.

The RFU and PRL, and the players association have all been woeful at safeguarding the game itself, and the players welfare. A new start would perhaps address these issues.

[Mark62]

https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest- ... -from-prl/

Does anyone know who the 6 clubs are

I suspect they will be the money clubs, with sole owners:

Exeter, Bristol, Saracens, Bath, Sale, with maybe Gloucester or Northampton. Tigers, looking for a buyer, Wasps in deep trouble financially, Worcester and Irish unattractive brands are unlikely to be in a position to get on board as founder members.

The RFU and PRL, and the players association have all been woeful at safeguarding the game itself, and the players welfare. A new start would perhaps address these issues.

Sorry to disagree with you Fleabane but there is no way that any breakaway move would happen without Tigers, too many of the games power brokers have strong links with the club, it would be like a premiership football breakaway without Manchester United, no matter where they were in the league.
I’m sure you’re aware of this but Peter Tom did confirm that the club is no longer up for sale.

[Scott1]

SR and PRO14 look to be in serious trouble! Could we see a global league? A B and I league? Can we trust Beaumont to pull it off? I read an article the other day where he has come through with exactly ZERO of his promises he promised in 2016! I sincerely hope Pichot gets the gig,for the good of rugby!

[Ian Cant]

Probably the virus will help all of rugby to get to a realistic view of how it should progress.
The increase in salary cap due to some clubs being able to not worry about the financial implications due to having rich backers.
Exeter has shown what can be done both on and off the field in terms of both business and playing performances.
I still see that playing so many internationals at the same time as The Premiership has caused teams like Tigers, Wasps, and yes, Saracens(illegally) to spend more than was sensibly budgeted for.
The way forward is to pay sensible salaries, make sure, as Tigers certainly used to do, clubs look after players and establish links with clubs like Nottingham. The Championship Clubs could then, like now with Tigers, use players who weren’t getting much game time and also loan players when injury crisis hit teams like us!
Obviously I grew up watching amateur players, then saw Newcastle jump ahead of everyone by paying players to win the league!
The salary cap was meant to bring about fair play but as we know, in international periods, World Cups, the clubs that provide a considerable amount of England players suffer and crowds dip!
Tigers still has incredible support as fans seem to forget the days,
not so long ago, when the ground only held 16,000 and was only sold out for games v Saints or European ties. Even when playing badly our attendance have remained very good.
As for this season; I just cannot see it being completed. Start next season in September( if we can get the virus sorted) and use the Lockdown to make sure rugby union won’t go the way of Rugby League.
Lastly, having listened to quite a few of the players with young children in the world of football, they aren’t wanting games played out to a conclusion this season. Who can blame them! To test football teams, each week for the virus is reputedly going to cost £10,000, if tests are available!Rugby will need the same level of testing! Then there is the problem of the players being in the right physical condition to play.
Get the nation fit first. Thank the NHS and all key workers for their terrific work. Sport is not a priority!

[Tiglon]

The simplest way to ensure financial stability is to have a cap on the salary of individual players (e.g. no player can be paid more than £200k per year). But that's not going to happen.

[JP14]

I saw this on Twitter which I believe applies to the Republic of Ireland:

https://twitter.com/murray_kinsella/sta ... 15047?s=21

Rugby won’t return for them till at least August 10th, maybe Boris & co will announce something similar next week?

[Jimmy Skitz]

I saw this on Twitter which I believe applies to the Republic of Ireland:

https://twitter.com/murray_kinsella/sta ... 15047?s=21

Rugby won’t return for them till at least August 10th, maybe Boris & co will announce something similar next week?

The UK Government see the return of Premier League football as an important moral boost to the country so will not cancel it except as a last resort.

[JP14]

Let’s hope so Jimmy, personally I want the rugby back but it all depends on the personal opinions of SAGE. Yes it would cost some money to get the equipment necessary to keep players safe from the virus, but hopefully the ad revenue will cover the costs and generate income for the club.

[Jimmy Skitz]

Let’s hope so Jimmy, personally I want the rugby back but it all depends on the personal opinions of SAGE. Yes it would cost some money to get the equipment necessary to keep players safe from the virus, but hopefully the ad revenue will cover the costs and generate income for the club.

the difference is Premier League clubs don't need match day revenue to turn a profit, I would suspect Premiership Rugby clubs do