I may have forgotten a smiley.
@aa I for one didn't think Flood would leave with a home world cup so close. I suppose like a lot of players he thinking his club career will be extended if he's not playing internationals and that makes financial sense. Plus he may be of the view that his move will not impact his selection chances.
Can you blame him. He's playing second fiddle to a bloke who is second choice 10 for his club behind Charlie hodgson. He isn't young any more and wants to earn a few quid. Hes done his bit, good luck to him. Hopefully gives a chance for the likes of slade etc to come through earlier too.
I dont blame him at all. It explains why the premership teams want to get the welsh on board to boost revenue though. If the top team cant hold on to their star player who will be next? Oh and he's what 28? Hardly old in his prime I'd say, bit early to be topping up the pension.
AA, tigers got 22,500 to their home games in a 24,000 capacity ground,and generate the third biggest revenue from replica strips etc in Europe. Having a couple of Welsh teams in the lower reaches of the EPL isn't going to increase their revenue. 10 million euro salary cap compared to 4.5 million UK has more to do with Flood going. Can't work it out myself,why would you want to swap t midlands for the south of France? 😉
So why are all the premership teams wanting the welsh in if not to boost funds?
And we are off 😆
Can't be bothered pigface,so...AA;you are right,the Prem is desperate for the welsh,who would be massively funded by as yet undiscovered millionaires.Merry Xmas.
So as far as your concerned Wray et al are just closet welshman and the regions would be better off sticking in the rabo and playing in glasgow on a wet friday night in front of 50 people 3 dogs and a stray cat?
So why are all the premership teams wanting the welsh in if not to boost funds?
Because there are free weekends. Madness not to fill them. If the welsh don't/can't join, I expect the AP to be expanded with clubs from the EC. this hinges on a HC resolution.
And why do they want to fill free weekends? To relieve boredom or increase income?
Either, both......does it matter?
The English are going to do what's best for the English. Just as the welsh, Irish, Italian etc are trying to do what's best for them.
Why do you think the regions want to join the AP?
I agree wrecker everyone wants the best for themselves. Duckman seems to be under the impression that the premiership teams are offering a way in to the welsh out of kindness and the regions would be daft to go. At least thats how it seems to me. I dont really get his point of view. The current set up is not working for the welsh regions they are being slowly throttled by thw wru's lack of funding and control not helped by out of window wales games a week before heinekin cup games. Currently the regions are playing in a shit league that has no value, they want the opportunity to live or die thru' their own control. Sticking with the Rabo means they are srewed anyway. Why does Ducky reckon the Scots or Irish with there superior teams havent been offered a premiership place?
There's a bit more to it than that of course. One thing I'm absolutely against is a british and Irish league. I like the AP.
On another note, 12trees is playing at 10 for glaws with burns on the bench. No idea why, I think 12trees is the most over rated player in England. They're beating words 6-3. Worcs haven't won or even drawn a game all season.
There's a bit more to it than that of course.
such as? I said pages ago I doubt it'll happen and its moat likely being talked up so regons can gain leveridge over wru and epl can hold out for a better deal v europe.
With apologies to pigface.
AA:Your one eye must be blurry,I have never said the English are offering the Welsh in out of kindness:I think you lot are a bargaining chip and a way of splitting the home unions stance on the HC,nothing more.I refuse to believe the English clubs don't have sponsorship ready for their "new" cup,and so cannot reach a settlement.
Also I have asked how you will afford it,not that you would be mad to go. Feel free,I agree the rabo is crap and needs to die for many reasons,but you lot are too late to the party as far as England is concerned. It was in the papers when Saints got the North fine that it represented 20% of their GROSS annual profit,and they have bigger crowds and more euro revenue than any of the regions get.Lastly,how do they become competitive? I saw the Cardiff game,both sides would be at the wrong end of the table.
I think it's broadly accepted that the English teams cannot play in the HC as it stands due to their BT deal. They want rid of ERC for a variety of reasons, and now the French have said that they're not happy with ERC. Looks like curtains for them now. God knows what will replace them.
I think the regions are in a terrible position. They are definitely stuffed if they sign the WRU deal, but they [i]might[/i] be stuffed if they get into the prem. It could be suggested that the regions are vocal about AP talks just to coax a better deal out of the WRU.
They would be at the wrong end of the table too but they'd beat worcester and newcastle or whoever replaces worcester next season. At t least they'd have a chance of growing as opposed to just being. slowly sent bankrupt by the wru so that they can pick up the scraps for free. I would hope the people running the regions are not as daft as you think and may have costed it and maybe even have a deal or two lined up.
The English teams know they can fill the HC weekends more profitably with Welsh or South African or in fact more English teams, to be fair it's allow hurdle as ERC give such a low payout.
As for Flood, 28 isn't that young for a rugby player and if he waits till 2015 he'll be 30. You can't count on making it to 30+ as a rugby player, so why not broaden your horizons and play in France, it's been done many times before and is nothing new, been going on for 30 years probably longer.
David Moffett, the former chief executive of the WRU and the man who devised the current structure of Welsh regions, has urged them to break away and join the English Premiership to survive.In an interview with the Rugby Paper which will anger the current board, Moffett said the regions had to break away to bring the current shambles to a head.
"If I were the regions, I would be going to court before the Union. It will end up in court anyway. They've [the regions] got to bring the fight on. It has to be a major fight, one which means that a fresh start can be made in the best interests of Welsh rugby as a whole. Bring it on."
With time running out for a compromise solution - the WRU has given a deadline of December 31 - and neither side showing any sign of being willing to compromise, Moffett said the impasse was "an indictment" of the WRU hierarchy.
"Why are the WRU asking the regions to exist on half the money for competing in Europe that the Scots are getting from the same competition?" Moffett said. "You don't have to be a genius to work out what's happening here. The clear inference is that the Union want the regions to go broke so they can take the players over and put an alternative system in place."
He said the chance to join the Premiership was one "they should take it with both hands … so should the WRU because it will bring more money into the Welsh game and consequently reduce the threat of the top players leaving for France. It would be good for the English clubs and it's a winwin for the Welsh clubs. It would be a huge step in the right direction by giving the fans the type of matches they want to see."
Moffett brushed aside complaints that the Premiership deal ignored the Scots and Irish, arguing in other major sports the natural fit was between England and Wales.
"The WRU has no control over the regions other than financial so they keep the funding as low as they can. The WRU have to be extremely careful that they don't end up like Welsh football, a feeder country for other countries. It's almost like that now. The players don't know what's happening. No wonder they're saying:'If I get an offer, I'm off'.
"There are now three choices: 1: The regions continue to exist but with the English clubs. 2: The regions go out of business and the Union tries to run alternative teams which would be a disaster. 3:Wales pick their best players from clubs outside Wales and the domestic game goes back to 13 professional clubs."
Read more at http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/story/209571.html#EwRlq034JD0PTDWL.99
Happy Christmas you bunch of anti welsh, argumentative gits. 🙂
And to you a_a.
Best wishes to all.
Happy Christmas to all. Come on Glasgow 🙂
Amen,mon the weedgie!
Great Ospreys win, always good to beat the Scablets in there own back yard.
Oooos they have broken the ref 😆 I don't know why but I always find it funny. Sorry hope he isn't to hurt.
He gets marked down for that as well,poor sod.
Biggar completely lost his head against Scarlets which is worrying. I had hoped his petulant days were behind him. Quite funny when the ref moved the ball at a penalty a yard or two back inside the Ospreys half and Biggar went nuts at him. Later on the ref asked AWJ to tell his 10 to hold his mouth otherwise he'll start giving away penalties. Hibbard was getting knocked all over the place and Dirkson had a tough old day. An interesting game for the derby niggle and individual battles going on.
Northampton were fined £60,000 by Premiership Rugby for releasing North outside the agreed International Rugby Board window for Wales' 30-26 defeat to Australia on November 30.Mallinder revealed that fine was a "one-off" that will cover the entirety of North's three-year Northampton contract and confirmed the Saints would continue to release North for all Wales matches.
Interesting way for the fine to pan out. Still a hefty fine for 3 years of internationals and questionable if it should be enforced when English players are exempt from the rule. Probably a sensible compromise to just get on with these and keep both parties reasonably happy, and credit to Northampton for supporting North
SOB out of 6N. Balls
With Healy looking a bit doubtful for the start, if not the whole campaign, that's not looking so good for us BM. 😐
Welcome to Scotland DD,I have switched to wine from beer as part of a training regime in case I get called up. I wonder if there is a points deduction built into the 6n for not raising a team?
Ireland unlikely to have trouble finding enough back row forwards, Chris Henry is likely to be fit again, at 22 Jordi Murphy looks like the real deal at Leinster and one of the the reasons they decided to reduce the salary on offer to Heaslip which may prompt his move to France. SOB a massive loss though.
Halfpenny off to Toulon apparently. I thought we had known this for months.
Look on the bright side you irishers, Wales are being renamed as the French Foreign Legion for this years six nations.
Good piece in the times on Sunday about how home nation players will not be improved by going to France.
@aa will be intersting to see what Armitage does. I look forward to seeing h/p. French season starts in August.
Whichever of the Armitages is the chunkier one,he should be nailed on for the England 7 shirt,judging by hiney/French league performances.
That'd be Steffon. Not seen much of him tbh.
Prefer robshaw but stefon (and Wallace, Clark and a good few others) are better players than kvesic.
Wrecker - been very impressed by Wallace from what I've seen of him. seem to remember England taking an age to pick Back because they got wrapped up in the whole size issue and forgot to look at what he brought to the team in other areas.
Not suggesting that Wallace is the answer just think they are wrapped up in the whole big is best mentality still.
So D day passed with no agreement between regions and WRU, quelle surprise
So now the WRU are going to set up new regions? WTF people reluctantly bought into that idea can't see them doing it again. Where are they going to play? Who is going to play for them.
I hope one is called the Flamingos, i would support a team called the flamingos, they could be based in Torfaen. Oooh think about it The Torfaen Flamingos, it's the future.
That was never going to end well,still won't no matter where the Welsh end up. Surely threatening to create new regional sides is going to force the clubs hands,why can't the WRU fund the pro teams and accept that they are the figurehead of the game and have a positive impact on the national side,profit or not? We do,it will be a cold day in hell before either of the Scottish sides break even,but the SRU swallow it. The Irish do as well,even though the provinces have been embraced by the supporters.
If the wru win pro rugby in wales will be dead before the end of theagrement.
