Exiles set for Exile?

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Rugbygramps
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Rugbygramps »

Some excellent comments. I have memories of a New Zealand A side playing some games in Ireland last year, I could have dreamt it. That is the sort of out of the box thinking that is required imo.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by WildGoose »

It is a bit of a shame that one of those boys has gone full Le Tissier/Lawrence Fox because this is where they have always been very good. I assume they let the lawyer (Phil?) write this post...
kpj tiger wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:35 pm Really don't like to be a doom monger but this thread paints a pretty dreadful picture for the future of the sport in the UK

https://twitter.com/RugbyPodcast/status ... 0593904644
westwinds31
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by westwinds31 »

The comments about the Championship are spot on, just a shame the RFU don’t feel the same way and are leaving it to rot. I can only speak for Nottingham, where the issues are with 2 x football clubs, with County just going back into the league, and there being no media coverage of any variety. It’s as if rugby doesn’t exist. So whilst the prospect of a Notts v Leicester battle sounds mouth watering, there’s no real appetite for it outside of the die hards and the idea that it would bring in more people with little or no marketing is deluded. I suspect it’s the same across the Championship - there’s just nothing additional happening to bring people through the gate. Ealing’s ground at home games is a sad site, empty. It’s dying before our eyes and no cash means none of the clubs have a hope of getting promoted. Local derbies may get some additional interest but not enough to make a dent. All very sad.

Kpj is right…..the future is bleak and nobody seems bothered.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Hot_Charlie »

westwinds31 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 5:48 pm The comments about the Championship are spot on, just a shame the RFU don’t feel the same way and are leaving it to rot. I can only speak for Nottingham, where the issues are with 2 x football clubs, with County just going back into the league, and there being no media coverage of any variety. It’s as if rugby doesn’t exist. So whilst the prospect of a Notts v Leicester battle sounds mouth watering, there’s no real appetite for it outside of the die hards and the idea that it would bring in more people with little or no marketing is deluded. I suspect it’s the same across the Championship - there’s just nothing additional happening to bring people through the gate. Ealing’s ground at home games is a sad site, empty. It’s dying before our eyes and no cash means none of the clubs have a hope of getting promoted. Local derbies may get some additional interest but not enough to make a dent. All very sad.

Kpj is right…..the future is bleak and nobody seems bothered.
Ealing a "special" case though. What was there USP to new fans when you can get an excellent fan experience at Sarries, Quins or (until recently) Brentford? Ealing's ground was fine when the bigger clubs' travelling fans filled it!

I think what the championship does need is marketing, a tv deal (maybe start by almost giving the rights away) and maybe an increase in central funding again to allow the clubs to maybe reduce ticket prices a little.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by westwinds31 »

Hot_Charlie wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 11:05 pm
westwinds31 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 5:48 pm The comments about the Championship are spot on, just a shame the RFU don’t feel the same way and are leaving it to rot. I can only speak for Nottingham, where the issues are with 2 x football clubs, with County just going back into the league, and there being no media coverage of any variety. It’s as if rugby doesn’t exist. So whilst the prospect of a Notts v Leicester battle sounds mouth watering, there’s no real appetite for it outside of the die hards and the idea that it would bring in more people with little or no marketing is deluded. I suspect it’s the same across the Championship - there’s just nothing additional happening to bring people through the gate. Ealing’s ground at home games is a sad site, empty. It’s dying before our eyes and no cash means none of the clubs have a hope of getting promoted. Local derbies may get some additional interest but not enough to make a dent. All very sad.

Kpj is right…..the future is bleak and nobody seems bothered.
Ealing a "special" case though. What was there USP to new fans when you can get an excellent fan experience at Sarries, Quins or (until recently) Brentford? Ealing's ground was fine when the bigger clubs' travelling fans filled it!

I think what the championship does need is marketing, a tv deal (maybe start by almost giving the rights away) and maybe an increase in central funding again to allow the clubs to maybe reduce ticket prices a little.
Which won’t happen
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Offside »

I think a cup comp with premiership and championship teams during 6 nations would be useful to increase interest. I have not gone to watch Caldy first team although I live close to their ground as they are the competition for the team I coached and my son played for. I would go to see Tigers 2nds there and may then go to other games if I filled the chip on my shoulder in a bit :smt044
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by markharbtiger »

Other than rumours of Pearson and one or two others, there have been no confirmations yet of player moves. I'm hoping we might be considering one or two of the coaching staff, rather like we did with Everard.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Rugbygramps »

markharbtiger wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:13 am Other than rumours of Pearson and one or two others, there have been no confirmations yet of player moves. I'm hoping we might be considering one or two of the coaching staff, rather like we did with Everard.
Coaching staff pretty well settled now
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Rugbygramps »

markharbtiger wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:13 am Other than rumours of Pearson and one or two others, there have been no confirmations yet of player moves. I'm hoping we might be considering one or two of the coaching staff, rather like we did with Everard.
Difficult time of year, players scattered around the world either on holiday, or getting ready for World Cup camps. Irish do have. Couple of very handy Argentinian names so hopefully their National skipper is putting in a word especially if they have dual nationality
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Wayne Richardson Fan Club »

I can think of one player that I hope no side signs.....is it too simplistic to suggest loosing Irelands biggest brand as a sponsor didn't help the club?
To win is not as important as playing with style!
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Hot_Charlie »

westwinds31 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 11:44 pm
Hot_Charlie wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 11:05 pm
westwinds31 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 5:48 pm The comments about the Championship are spot on, just a shame the RFU don’t feel the same way and are leaving it to rot. I can only speak for Nottingham, where the issues are with 2 x football clubs, with County just going back into the league, and there being no media coverage of any variety. It’s as if rugby doesn’t exist. So whilst the prospect of a Notts v Leicester battle sounds mouth watering, there’s no real appetite for it outside of the die hards and the idea that it would bring in more people with little or no marketing is deluded. I suspect it’s the same across the Championship - there’s just nothing additional happening to bring people through the gate. Ealing’s ground at home games is a sad site, empty. It’s dying before our eyes and no cash means none of the clubs have a hope of getting promoted. Local derbies may get some additional interest but not enough to make a dent. All very sad.

Kpj is right…..the future is bleak and nobody seems bothered.
Ealing a "special" case though. What was there USP to new fans when you can get an excellent fan experience at Sarries, Quins or (until recently) Brentford? Ealing's ground was fine when the bigger clubs' travelling fans filled it!

I think what the championship does need is marketing, a tv deal (maybe start by almost giving the rights away) and maybe an increase in central funding again to allow the clubs to maybe reduce ticket prices a little.
Which won’t happen
Agree. Not without a fundamental culture change.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by Hot_Charlie »

Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:05 am I can think of one player that I hope no side signs.....is it too simplistic to suggest loosing Irelands biggest brand as a sponsor didn't help the club?
Nope. How to lose one of the longest commercial tie-ups in history in one easy step!
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by westwinds31 »

Offside wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:03 am I think a cup comp with premiership and championship teams during 6 nations would be useful to increase interest. I have not gone to watch Caldy first team although I live close to their ground as they are the competition for the team I coached and my son played for. I would go to see Tigers 2nds there and may then go to other games if I filled the chip on my shoulder in a bit :smt044
I went to Caldy last season when Notts were up there. Reminded me of school...lots of rugby pitches, an old-style wooden clubhouse, burger van, small hill leading up to clubhouse where most of the home support stand with ale in-hand. Around 1,500 were there - kick off was delayed for an hour or so as they had booked the ambulance for the wrong day ! Life in the Championship in a nutshell for you.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by GB72 »

I would love to see a fully supported championship but I really do not know how you get there. There is mention of a TV deal but I honestly do not think that you could give the TV rights to the championship away at the moment. Advetiser are not going to pay for such niche viewing. Then you have attendances. They are perhaps about 10% of what they need to be to be of a benefit to the premirship. To my mind you can disregard the ground size but should require an average attendance of over 5000 for the season to gain promotion. Than you move on to the facilities which are not even close to being near the required standard.

There would be years of investment, marketing and development needed to bring the product and experience to anywhere close to being what is expected of a top sporting day out.

Tnen you have the elephant in the room for promotion and relegation, the promoted team gets hammered and relegated and the relegated team wins most matches by a cricket score and gets promoted seems to be the pattern. The championship is good at the moment because there is no prem leval club hammering all opposition.

There is so much to like about the championship but it is so far away from being a decent, marketable sporting product. Sadly I think the gap with the premiership will close but that wil be because the prem clubs will have to slash budgets and lose top players.
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Re: Exiles set for Exile?

Post by westwinds31 »

GB72 wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:09 pm I would love to see a fully supported championship but I really do not know how you get there. There is mention of a TV deal but I honestly do not think that you could give the TV rights to the championship away at the moment. Advetiser are not going to pay for such niche viewing. Then you have attendances. They are perhaps about 10% of what they need to be to be of a benefit to the premirship. To my mind you can disregard the ground size but should require an average attendance of over 5000 for the season to gain promotion. Than you move on to the facilities which are not even close to being near the required standard.

There would be years of investment, marketing and development needed to bring the product and experience to anywhere close to being what is expected of a top sporting day out.

Tnen you have the elephant in the room for promotion and relegation, the promoted team gets hammered and relegated and the relegated team wins most matches by a cricket score and gets promoted seems to be the pattern. The championship is good at the moment because there is no prem leval club hammering all opposition.

There is so much to like about the championship but it is so far away from being a decent, marketable sporting product. Sadly I think the gap with the premiership will close but that wil be because the prem clubs will have to slash budgets and lose top players.
Agreed, and you'd think that the standard of the Championship will improve, given smaller Premiership squads and the sad aspect of Worcester, Wasps and now London Irish academy/fringe/squad players ending up in that league. The flip side of course is developing local players, more of whom either can't get in because of the above clubs going under and those players being picked up by clubs, as well as the loan of Premiership Academy players. The whole structure is wrong. Was there a crowd of over 5,000 in the Championship last season ? Unless the Jersey v Ealing games attracted that many, but I would doubt it.
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