European rugby talks to continue
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Negotiations over a new deal for the European Cup and Challenge competitions from the 2014/15 season will continue in Rome next month after “productive discussions” between stakeholders on Tuesday.
The English and French teams believe the European Cup’s current format is weighted in favour of the Celtic nations, with Irish provinces Leinster and Munster having won five of the last seven editions between them.
Leinster have won three of the last four European Cups and their rivals in England and France claim that is partly a result of a qualification system that allows them to rest their players during the Celtic League season.
The English and French sides believe no more than six Celtic League teams should qualify, although that would put at risk the involvement of Scottish and Italian sides who currently qualify automatically.
“The meeting included productive discussions regarding the future of the club game in Europe with a general resolve among all stakeholders to reach agreement towards a new Accord,” tournament organisers European Rugby Cup announced on Tuesday.
“It was decided that all parties would continue the consultative process at a meeting in Rome on 8 October 2012.”
The stakeholders in ERC are the respective national league authorities and federations from the Six Nations playing countries.
Tuesday’s meeting came in the wake of an announcement last week by England’s Premiership Rugby of a TV deal with BT Vision worth STG152 million ($A237 million) over four years from next season.
However, continental rugby chiefs say a clause granting BT exclusive live broadcast rights to matches played by Premiership clubs in any future European competitions from 2014-15 for three years is invalid.
However, BT’s executive director Mark Watson said he was willing to create a new European competition when the present deal with ERC ends at the climax of the 2013-14 season.
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The Crowd Says (10) | Page 1 of Comments
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September 20th 2012 @ 5:15am
Pot Hale said | September 20th 2012 @ 5:15am | Report comment
The Celtic League name disappeared some time ago.
It’s now known as the Pro 12 since it includes teams from Ireland, Italy, Wales and Scotland.
The current rumoured proposals for change include reducing the competition from 24 to 20 teams. This would be done by:
The French top 6 playoff teams continue to receive 6 European spots
The AP Clubs must change from Four playoff teams, plus winner of Anglo Welsh Cup plus 5th placed team to a Top 6 ranked
The Pro 12 clubs change from guaranteed country allocations of 3highest ranked teams for Ireland and Wales and 2 teams for Scotland and Italy to a top 6.
And the two previous season winners of the H Cup and Challenge Cup
This has been proposed by Premier Rugby and Ligue Nationale de France
The Irish Rugby Football Union could propose:
Top 8 ranked teams in the Pro 12
Top 6 from Top 14
Top 6 from AP
There would be no inclusion of the previous season winners
This is apparently supported by the Welsh RU.
The Scottish RU and Italian FIR would prefer
8 teams from the Pro 12 with a minimum of one team from each union guaranteed a spot, with the other four based on highest placing.
Top 6 from Top 14
Top 6 from AP
There would be no inclusion of the previous season winners
Premier Rugby are considering a revised proposal that would see the top 4 in the Pro 12 get spots and then 2 to be allocated to assist, but not guarantee that all unions could participate.
Complicated? You betcha. And that’s before they get to the enlarged second tier comp and a new third tier comp for emerging nations.
And then, after all that, it gets down to the money……
September 20th 2012 @ 6:28am
nickoldschool said | September 20th 2012 @ 6:28am | Report comment
IMO, 20 qualified is still too many. I would go for 16:
5 Top14, 5 AP, 5 Rabo pro 12. 16th qualified could be either the winner of the Challenge Cup (if he isnt one of the top 5 of his comp) or the 6th team from the HC winner competition.
4 pools, top 2 qualify for the QF (no more silly ‘best runner-ups’).
6 or 8 qualified (!!!) from a 12 team comp is far too many! By reducing the number of teams in the HC, it would also add some value to the Challenge cup with teams finishing 6 of their domestic comp now in it. Less games, more time with the national squads or rest days.
September 20th 2012 @ 2:17pm
HardcorePrawn said | September 20th 2012 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
That sounds like a decent plan; and you’re right, 8 qualifiers from a 12 team competition is ridiculous. But if there’s money to be made from broadcasting and ticket sales it probably won’t even be considered.
September 23rd 2012 @ 10:36am
Pot Hale said | September 23rd 2012 @ 10:36am | Report comment
The point is that the H Cup was originally founded on country participation, not league participation. The Pro 12 has four countries in it.
September 20th 2012 @ 6:34am
p.Tah said | September 20th 2012 @ 6:34am | Report comment
When it’s all done and dusted I bet they have squeezed more money out of BT or BSkyB.
September 20th 2012 @ 11:53am
Working Class Rugger said | September 20th 2012 @ 11:53am | Report comment
There’s an article circulating from the CEO of English Premiership suggesting that they will be proposing the introduction of a third championship involving teams from Russia, Georgia, Spain and Portugal. Regardless of what happens (I’m of the opinion of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) I actually think that this would be a good idea. FIRA have been behind pushes toward such cross border initiatives of late with three emerging in the North Sea Cup, Baltic Sea ad Balkan Championships. Would be interesting to see this evolve.
September 20th 2012 @ 12:38pm
Leo said | September 20th 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
i hope so wcr, cross boarder game involve teams from those tier 2 & 3 countries will be huge for rugby in those countries. i don’t always agree with the rfu and premiership rugby but this idea was great. they also propose a tier two rugby world cup running at the same time as the rugby world cup when they were after the 2011 event.
September 20th 2012 @ 12:47pm
Working Class Rugger said | September 20th 2012 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
A Tier 2 World Cup would be an interesting idea. Perhaps it should be held on an alternate schedule within a Tier 2 nation.
September 20th 2012 @ 2:12pm
HardcorePrawn said | September 20th 2012 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
It seems as though the IRB are thinking along similar lines, about time too:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/19/rugby-north-wales-irb-fiji-tonga
September 23rd 2012 @ 6:35am
richard said | September 23rd 2012 @ 6:35am | Report comment
So, let me get this straight, because the celtic unions are dominating , the frogs and poms want to shift the goalposts. Shades of the irb, methinks.