End of Leicester Tigers?!

[yellow_balaclava_hunter]

Seems to me that the RFU are trying to make excuses for England's poor performances of late.

The League structure was the same in 2003 and England managed to win the World Cup then.

The RFU can't afford to ditch so many of the big clubs.

If they did then the likely scenario is that the clubs (who are not owned by the RFU) would breakaway.

These clubs would likely get the support of the local clubs in their area. I can't see the likes of Westleigh, Market Bosworth, Leicester Forest etc supporting Coventry or bedford and I can't see the local players wanting to join those sides rather than Tigers either.

So the RFU would lose a lot of local players' membership fees which would go to another organisation (probably Premier Rugby) and the majority of their most experienced international players and coaching staff.

This breakaway would likely involve the French sides who wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of playing the likes of Tigers and Bath in a League.

So you'd have a super 10 comprising of the likes of Coventry, Bedford and Worcester, and a rival European Super league with: Tigers,Sale,Bath,Wasps,Gloucester,Stade,
Biarritz,Toulouse,Clermont Auvergne,Perpignan.

I know which one I'd watch and (whether I like SKY or not) I know which one SKY would buy the rights to.

[Big Dai]

I've felt for a long time that the "regional" appraoch will inevitably come to England as it has to Ireland and Wales.

I'll be red green and white even if they drop back to the lower leagues.

Once a Tiger always a :censored: Tiger!

[kornboy130]

rfu - do what you please, but you aint havin our players, our experience, our contribution or anythin to do with us! we'll go play with france or ireland, then we'll see who look the idiots.

[Caerlyr Osprey]

Anyway, Ive done some research of my own and worked out where these assemblies should be established, all based on well known historical fact as to where the best players already are, and always have been :-
Blackheath
Penzance & Newlyn
Orrell
Coventry
Wakefield
Rosslyn Park
Oxford and Cambridge Universities
Bath (my keyboard won't allow Brianticle, sorry - Barissssssss....)
Gosforth

You forgot London Welsh, Moseley, Fylde & Waterloo.

[Lis113]

If that is true then there would be the biggest protest since...id ont know when. They can't possibly do that! He's an idiot and should have gone long before now.

Lis xxx

[Kinoulton]

Just another fat head who doesn't understand how parochial the English can be, especially with regard to sport.

If you coexist near a neighbouring team, you don't want to join them in some cost regional assembly. You want to hate them.

In the nicest possible way, of course.

[Bruce Hornby-Trainset]

One thing that nobody seems to realise (or at least articulate) is that we are ALREADY a "Super" club. We attract support far beyond Leicestershire, in significant numbers. We are extremely profitable. We are a truly international "brand". We have a high level of influence and power in English rugby. We need only a larger ground (nb, not a footy stadium)

Have faith, we could and will survive alone in a new "Super" league - as long as we want it to happen.

And now, in keeping with the latter part of this thread, I'll just tell myself to Foxtrot Oscar and go and sulk somewhere....

[Adroit]

There is not a hope in hell.... the only way this would possibly pass would be if the Premiership sides went off to form their own league, leaving the RFU with effectively a new league with lower class players as the high class players go to the clubs with heritage, such as Bath and Tigers.

This is just never gonna happen. The clubs, players and fans will never allow it.

Wake up buddy - If the money is in the Super 10 clubs (which it will be as the RFU will massively bankroll this to make it work, coupled with the fact that only Super 10 clubs will be able to participate in the lucrative Heineken Cup) then there is absolutely no way that the top players will hang around clubs playing outsdie this money-spinning league - We may be sentimental about our past-time, but players have mortgages to pay and livings to make in a relatively short period of time in their lives - They are not going to put their choppers on the block for sentiment - They will go to the highest payers.

The 'geographical spread' conveyed in the Times is questionable though - I have a source close to the throne who indicated to me that Bedford and other relatively non-descript Rugby towns comparable to our own were initially chosen so as not to show favouritism to one 'big gun' or another - In our case the RFU not having to choose between Leicester & Northampton but going for Bedford as the fence-sitting option that should not offend Tigers or Saints fans too much - Likewise in the West Country too.

However this sentiment of a clubs 'symbolic' home is always going to be the major sticking point with fans, so they revised their plans for this and it is supposed to incorporate a spread across the rugby towns of the region - almost a local touring type phenomenon.

Either way it is interesting times ahead.

[Ben the Tiger]

True I live in North Kent and quite willingly travel up to Leicester to see my favourite team in the whole world play. Then drive back on the Sunday or if I have a game on the Sunday I will sometimes go back on the Saturday after the game

Takes two hours+ to get there but boy is it worth it seeing tigers play is worth anything.

[Iain]

Is the fact that Francis Baron has actually come out and said that the whole story was "ludicrous", "made no sense" and that "nobody in the RFU would ever put their name to it" not enough to convince people that as I said all along this ISN'T going to happen??

[Adroit]

Is the fact that Francis Baron has actually come out and said that the whole story was "ludicrous", "made no sense" and that "nobody in the RFU would ever put their name to it" not enough to convince people that as I said all along this ISN'T going to happen??

Its not going to happen in the way it has been pitched in the Times, but I can assure you that regionialisation of the game is going to happen in one way or another in the next couple of years - Either that or our national game falls further and further behind the pack.

[unohoo]

Its not going to happen in the way it has been pitched in the Times, but I can assure you that regionialisation of the game is going to happen in one way or another in the next couple of years - Either that or our national game falls further and further behind the pack.

Your proof that it WILL happen? None.

Fall behind? Have you seen the report on the growth of the English game? This country has no need for regionalisation.

[dailywaffle]

Its not going to happen in the way it has been pitched in the Times, but I can assure you that regionialisation of the game is going to happen in one way or another in the next couple of years - Either that or our national game falls further and further behind the pack.

Your proof that it WILL happen? None.

Fall behind? Have you seen the report on the growth of the English game? This country has no need for regionalisation.

I agree .... but the RFU are hell bent on getting to 10 clubs. That has been on their agenda for ages. We are just waiting for the detail as to how this will be achieved.

Leaving aside the (considerable) loyalty factor, a 10 team GP has its merits.

[unohoo]

Here's a radical solution. Relegate 3, promote 1, at the end of next season. Then 2 up 2 down after that.

Enough notice of what will happen, and we keep competion right through the league.

[4]

I'd love it. Unfortunately its far too radical for the RFU, and most clubs like Worcester etc.! Relegation and promotion HAS to stay. HAS to stay!

just out of interest DW, what do you see as the merits of the 10 team GP?