For arguments sake lets say the current regions go to the EPL and the WRU sets up some new regions, would the WRU and the Welsh clubs in the EPL then get together and have a friendly chat to negotiate the release of players for Internationals or will the WRU throw the dummy and not select anyone that plays for the EPL Welsh clubs?
If they did that then the cash cow of the 6N would dry up, who would pay to go and see a Welsh Team made up of players from Llandovery Crosskeys etc taking on england and getting humped by a 100 points, TV wouldnt pay to watch that, WRU would be a laughing stock.
I would hope the players would refuse to play in that situation as well.
None EPL Welsh clubs Welsh Exiles
Gavin Henson - Bath 😀
Lee Byrne - Clermont Auvergne
Luke Charteris - Perpignan
James Hook - Perpignan
Dan Lydiate - Racing Metro
Jamie Roberts - Racing Metro
Mike Phillips - Racing Metro
George North - Northampton
Paul James - Bath
Craig Mitchell - Exeter
Tavis Knoyle- Bath
Martyn Roberts - Bath
Rhys Gill - Bath
Jon Davies - Clermont (from 2014)
Ian Evans - Toulon (from 2014)
The Fridge - Sale
Waiting for a taxi!
Warburton
Hibbard
Priestland
And the above tells a lot about why the regions want to jump ship. Why is the WRU so skint?
Why is the WRU so skint?
Skint??
I think they are in the black at the moment,that's why their not affraid of the regions if it goes to court.
"Gentlemen, if you want to see the Webb Ellis Trophy going south yet again without a fight, you are going the right way about it"
[URL= http://www.espnscrum.com/heineken-cup-2013-14/rugby/story/208575.html#vlTZgOs1Aj3jcdRS.99 ]John Taylor[/URL]
I don't think the WRU is skint. It's still paying off the debt for the millenium, but arent poor by any means. A lot of fans never identified with the regions, hence the lack of support.
Essentially if there two sets of welsh teams; they would be competing for the best players, so the better off teams would have all of the welsh internationals anyway (better wages). If this ended up being the AP welsh teams then the WRU would need to negotiate release for internationals.
Sky would say that it wasn't worth it wouldn't they? To me, [i]their[/i] product isn't worth the money. I don't like them or Murdoch and I'm happy that their monopoly has been challenged.
So again, how will the clubs survive if the WRU keeps the regions? None of the English clubs do anything but lose money hand over fist. The French that they seem to envy are owned BY the likes of France's version of Murdoch. Of course the French have until December 31st to cancel their e158 deal...which could really throw the cat amongst the urban fowl,as the prospect of getting in bed with the French will mean all bets are off for the English.
None of the English clubs do anything but lose money hand over fist.
That's not correct. Exeter, Gloucester, Northampton, Harlequins, B*** and Leicester all recorded profits last season. Sale and Worcester nearly broke even.
Generally the clubs without a ground suffer;
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/aug/30/breakdown
Do you have more up to date figures for that? I find it incredible that Sale nearly broke even lat year bearing in mind they paid so much for such a large bucket of poo.
I hadn't realised quite the behind the scenes turmoil of the WRU and the regions. Completely understandable why players would head to England and France where there is at least a bit more stability and guarantee of some decent matches, not to mention the money etc. What Welsh international in their right mind would commit to a region with everything that is going on at the moment- there isn't really any guarantees for them about leagues/ cups they would play in, the structure of the clubs... what a mess.
Exeter have been in profit every year they've been in the AP. Gloucs and tigers in profit last season. Saints been in profit for 12 seasons running. Not so sure about quins and b*** though.
Anglo Welsh it is then! 🙂
Done deal apparently,5 m PA.
Best of luck to them and hope they can get the crowds back.
Gogledd Cymru in the Rabo!
Sounds good to me 😉
Got a link Beici?
I would be more likely to believe the piece in the times today that shows how close the various parties actually are. Are you sure the guy who started that thread isn't just reading off of here or YOU? 😀
duckman
I still can't help but feel that this is still a power play by EPL
Regions could be jumping from the frying pan in to the fire?
Those dastardly English! 😆
Gwyn Jones [URL= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/gwyn-jones-anglo-welsh-competition-not-6394750 ]take[/URL] on things
That article is 99% bollocks.
Err yes,gets Scotland and ireland and the welsh RFU to jump to the English tune. Still haven't seen anything about who is going to play for the new welsh teams,or how they propose to stay IN the prem,other than AA stating that some backers would come forward...
Love that article,800 years of oppression,makes jiffy look balanced...and AA.
Ummm, the new teams won't be in the prem, the old ones will.
The new teams will be staring from scratch and if the WRU doesn't increase the funding they'll have exactly the same problems that the existing regions are having.
The wru see the regions as financially and commercially inept. this is the main reason for not increasing the funds.
They have money to invest and i wouldn't be surprised to see considerably better funding made available for new regions under their own control,this is the key!
Probably be difficult time for the teams over the next few years, would likely be a mix of youngsters and overseas talent and experience while the pool of welsh players with international ambitions trickles back from the rebel regions.
Roger Lewis is buisness man and his main focus is the WRU making profit so it makes sense to let the regions go if they are bad for buisness.
I don't think he gives a hwt about 150 years of rugby tradition.
Not Not's got new owners, wonder if they will stay at the Jetski?
Passenger reserve list maybe? 🙂
Meeting over! Nothing resolved 🙁
More talk needed on Anglo-Welsh.
Union same money on the table.
Probably turn into a bit of a soap opera!
London irish get new backers from ireland...is it just me wondering if that could be a way of getting the irish a route in too.
Waiting for the Rabo bus? makes sense to me!
Bearing in mind that Irish were born when their owner bought Scottish and Richmond just to stay in prem(used to have both badges on part of jumper tucked in and were the exiles for about 5 mins while they hoped to capture the LS support) l can't see it. How do you transplant Munster/ulster/leinster's heritage into a fake team?
Same way Ospreys are not Neath or Swansea, you dont. But if the welsh jump ship irish domestic rugby is rubber ducked.
But if the welsh jump ship irish domestic rugby is rubber ducked
It needed necessarily be, since the Irish provinces still manage to do pretty damn well in Europe despite a reasonably weak Rabo league. So long as there is a strong European competition they might not take much of a hit.
The strength of the Irish clubs over the Welsh seemed to be the ability to afford a decent selection of overseas internationals and a strong overall squad (rather than just a strong team) with the extra tax breaks and ticket sales (these could drop off though). Ironically it might even give more scope to develop Irish players in the Rabo and maintain Euro success if they can keep hold of the top level overseas guys that really add to the squad. Just a thought.... probably an over-optimistic thought though!
I think your glass is half full Dan.
Irish already play weaker teams in the Rabo,they also have a long embedded district/province set up that fans identify with eg; Landsdowne players aspire to play for Leinster and the province players all still id with their club. There isn't as strong a comp this coming year as the English clubs are out, which if the Welsh join them,they would have to be as well,and then their would begin the Welsh domination of the Amlin,as none of them would qualify for European cup in the Premiership,esp under the way the English want it allocated. Oh hang on,unless 4 Welsh multi millionaires turned up and the French returned 75% of the national squad. So while I agree with A-A's assertion about domestic rugby (for us as well) I think it would only be a stay of execution for the Welsh.
Fair enough, it's not often I get accused of being optimistic 😀
Quite alarming really how the outcome of the Euro competition format potentially hits all leagues below and potentially affects player selection during internationals above it and shakes (or messes) up the game as a whole in the NH. I can understand all of the Welsh troubles, but it seems odd that it is the PRL causing most of the noise when actually they are the one with the biggest club budgets and greatest league stability
4 Welsh multi millionaires turned up
Cuddy? Peter Pies? Before it became apparent that the domestic competitions in Wales were shit and no fans were interested the welsh regions did have a fair wack of money. Given a fan base the backers may well return. They dont need all the team wales players to return to be competitive, they just need some modern day, MArty Holahs, Regan Kings, Terblanche, Filo Tiatia
Matthews from Celtic Manor was meant to be putting mega bucks into the Dragons but it didnt happen. Brown was there sugardaddy and brought the like of Percy Montgomery to Newport.
why would anyone have put money in when it became apparent the fans didnt care?
Come on AA fans do care don't know how long it has been since you lived in Wales but in Swansea Ospreys were well liked, problem is as you say rubbish games that mean sod all, Zebre on a freezing night for £30 no thanks.
Big games like Leicester in HC had about 16000 and the place was buzzing.
Come on AA fans do care don't know how long it has been since you lived in Wales but in Swansea Ospreys were well liked, problem is as you say rubbish games that mean sod all, Zebre on a freezing night for £30 no thanks.Big games like Leicester in HC had about 16000 and the place was buzzing.
yep thats what I was trying to say, poor choice of words.
We both know nothing will change though, right?
We both know nothing will change though, right?[/quoteHistory says you are right but something has to give soon. Shirley it does. I am forever the optimist 😀
So the fans do/don't care, all they need is for them to have some fans/they already do and the backers will turn up.One of you must be wrong. I can also kind of see why a team that belongs in London might be a slightly more attractive attraction that say...
Pigface - Member
Come on AA fans do care don't know how long it has been since you lived in Wales but in Swansea Ospreys were well liked, problem is as you say rubbish games that mean sod all, Zebre on a freezing night for £30 no thanks.Big games like Leicester in HC had about 16000 and the place was buzzing.
Now that shows the problem. Leicester get 20000 to a crappy home game, and fill the stadium for every big team (24000). They make a profit, but not by a huge amount (OK, 2012 they didn't but were paying for a new stand in the accounts to take it from 18k to 24k seats). To really stand on your own feet, you need the fanbase to keep the income rolling in.
That's not to say I wouldn't love the welsh to be in the AP, I used to love the old Tigers LLLLLLanelllllli matches, with that monster black forward and No8 (names are really escaping me today!) they had.
Ducks stop being disingenuous read what AA said.
So the fans do/don't care, all they need is for them to have some fans/they already do and the backers will turn up.One of you must be wrong. I can also kind of see why a team that belongs in London might be a slightly more attractive attraction that say...
why must one of us be wrong? The rabo is shit and people dont want to watch it thats the reason a number of backers walked away from the regions. If the product is right the fans will return and maybe backers will too.. The teams still get decent crowds for the derbies but last year half of them didnt see the best players play just to suit team wales.
Quinnel and Madden?
Oxford scrum half sent off during Varsity match, now come on chaps that's just not on 😆
Pigface,what exactly has he said? So far we have had claims that BT would fund the expansion of the EPL to fund the welsh teams,no answers as to who will play for them,WHY anybody would sign for them or any realization that they are All angel delight as well. Or do they just not try because they don't enjoy the rabo? Also speculation that backers,during a recession are going to buy into a welsh club side which has a future that can best be termed as "fluid." Welsh sides could not compete in the prem just now. If you expand the prem to include the welsh,even allowing for the English backlash,the welsh share would be less than the current salary cap. BThave already stated that their contract allows them to screen x amount of games a year and doesn't have to be renegotiated depending on the size of the league;so again,how do they fund it,who plays for them and how do you convince the ambitious clubs in england to support them above their own ambitions?
Ducks I was specifically referring to his reply to me, can't be bothered to read and remember all that has been said before. I apologise if you got the wrong end of the stick.
Duckman, do you really believe the ospreys couldnt beat the likes of sale, newcastle or Worcester home and away?
