Heineken Cup 2013/14

[JSRF10]

Working on a Saturday when there are footy finals on.

Well done. The economy thanks you.

Thanks in advance for posting the list. I always like to barrack for a mob I have some form of local connection with.

Not so much working as logging in from home drunk during the Leinster match to push a button

From what I remember there isn't a huge amount of Aussies this year. May I suggest you barrack for Leinster Matt O'Connor formerly of the Ponies staff is the head coach and has been a good home for Elsom, Whitaker and Cheika, also Matt Giteau wanted to join us but the IRFU vetoed the deal. And before I forget there is an Australian bar in Dublin (I assume that helps?).

 

[KevinO]

Not so much working as logging in from home drunk during the Leinster match to push a button

From what I remember there isn't a huge amount of Aussies this year. May I suggest you barrack for Leinster Matt O'Connor formerly of the Ponies staff is the head coach and has been a good home for Elsom, Whitaker and Cheika, also Matt Giteau wanted to join us but the IRFU vetoed the deal. And before I forget there is an Australian bar in Dublin (I assume that helps?).

You don't want to Support them, go the Red Army down South. You already support the Tahs who are similar to Leinster, hated by everyone besides there own supporters.

He does have a few good connections to back up his argument. So I will just go with Munster have the greatest fans on earth that travel everywhere to support there team. A away final still turns into a home game with a sea of Red in the crowd.

 

[KevinO]

Thanks for all the info PP.

Great to have Rugby I care about to watch again, Australia getting smashed by NZ was very boring.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The Jarses have Irish connections. It matters little out here what kind but over "there" the amount of orange or green persuasion is a bit of a barrier. I suspect that it will take several generations of love to breed that unhealthy tribalism out of the culture.

In rugby at least all Irish residents can play together without any BS about whether you march in March or July.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

You don't want to Support them, go the Red Army down South. You already support the Tahs who are similar to Leinster, hated by everyone besides there own supporters.

He does have a few good connections to back up his argument. So I will just go with Munster have the greatest fans on earth that travel everywhere to support there team. A away final still turns into a home game with a sea of Red in the crowd.

Munster have done the AIG's in the past (and the Wobs) so that must count for something.

Never really been a fan of red teams though. Funny thing isn't it, the petty prejudices one harbours when trying to decide which team to barrack for.

 

[JSRF10]

Heineken Cup Aussies:


Leinster MOC
Castres Ma'afu

Toulon Mitchell Giteau
Exeter Mumm Ben White



Clermont James
Scarlets Jake Ball

Ulster Sean Doyle
Leicester Salvi
Treviso Brendan Williams

Perpignan Justin Purll
Edinburgh Ollie Atkins
Gloucester Edmonds

 

[the plastic paddy]

Scarlets19- Leinster42.

Very impressive performance from Leinster. Their game functioned very well apart from some poor tackling in the first half and a scrum that struggled, although I would say that a lot of the problem was with the power transfer through from the second row, i.e there was none.

Moore struggled against Phil John but that will stand to him as John is a gnarled old pro who probably has a right oul spring in his step with the scrum going back to the future. Young Jack McGrath also had a tough enough day in the tight but my word he is a cracking player in the loose, popping up all over the place with pace, power but also some lovely hands.

'High Tower' cannot scrummage but was solid on Leinster's throw, after early wobbles which I would put down to bad timing/ throwing as much as anything else. A couple of Scarlets throws were pinched and big Dev was excellent in the loose. McCarthy made a massive difference when he came on at halftime, cleaning up ball for Reddan.

Jordi Murphy is going to put serious pressure on Heaslip for the eight jersey on the basis of last nights showing, some early missed tackles notwithstanding. Jennings played very well and ran the (poor enough) ref, Lacey, very well as skipper.

Good to see Redser back. He looked a little off the pace early on but the clearing out was not good enough in the first half which didn't help him.

Gopperth looks like a great piece of business, control of the game and quality distribution which brought the best out of Leinster's excellent outside backs, of whom Macken and Fanning were most impressive.

The only sour note was another injury to poor Luke Fitzgerald, it really does not look good for this young fella who I like enormously as a player. The only silver lining was the excellent showing from the Islander sized and powered Darren Hudson who wasn't even in the matchday squad until the withdrawal of McFadden.

An excellent start for Matt O'Connor's tenure at Leinster, a BP win in Llanelli on the first night of the season is not to be scoffed at.

Haven't seen the Ulster game but extremely surprised by the result, a 15-8 win for Newport.

 

[JSRF10]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24038523

Heineken Cup: English & French clubs to set up new competition

Hopefully this is just more of the Premier Rugby nonsense that has been spouted for months by Mark McCaffery, the English in public are saying it isn't fair that those pesky Celts keep beating us and it must be because they don't have relegation in their league however it is all down to cold hard cash and the secret TV deal that they won't tell anyone about.

I'd be surprised if any new competition got IRB approval anyway considering that the RFU and FFR are against it. Not too sure of the commercial appeal of the whole thing anyway, and I hope the IRFU tell the English and French clubs to f*** off we'll think of something to make up the funding shortfall.

 

[boyo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24038523

Heineken Cup: English & French clubs to set up new competition

Hopefully this is just more of the Premier Rugby nonsense that has been spouted for months by Mark McCaffery, the English in public are saying it isn't fair that those pesky Celts keep beating us and it must be because they don't have relegation in their league however it is all down to cold hard cash and the secret TV deal that they won't tell anyone about.

I'd be surprised if any new competition got IRB approval anyway considering that the RFU and FFR are against it. Not too sure of the commercial appeal of the whole thing anyway, and I hope the IRFU tell the English and French clubs to f*** off we'll think of something to make up the funding shortfall.

Would they have the cojones to do that?

 

[KevinO]

Would they have the cojones to do that?

They really have not been competitive for a long time in the Heineken Cup so I think they would.

 

[JSRF10]

Would they have the cojones to do that?

The English and French, the IRB or the IRFU? I did reference 3 ballsy calls!

My problems with the English clubs very public negotiating line are 3 fold:

1-The Rabo teams rest their players and they are fresh for Heineken games: Ireland has a player management systems where front line internationals can't play more than 6 out of 8 games (the season is divided into blocks of 8). This is very similar to the system to the one which the RFU enforces on its clubs, it is ridiculous to think that the likes of Leicester or London South Africa player their strongest 23 week in week out. The French are even worse they'll regularly change their entire starting XV from week to week usually saving their strongest players by targeting home games for their wins.

2-The Heineken Cup subsidizes the franchises in the Pro 12: Certainly in Ireland anyways 90% of the provincial funding is generated by the national team, I'd imagine the figure is similar in the other nations. The IRFU budgets that one team gets to the QF each year, we could easily make up the funding shortfall by playing an inter provincial tournament instead of trashing 2nd choice French and winding up Stephen Jones by continually winning the Heineken Cup.

3-The TV "Deal": PR went and agreed a TV deal with BT Sport behind he backs of the other partners in the ERC, then they refuses to share how much its actually for. Which makes a lot of people think that it isn't good for anyone apart from the greedy English club owners.

If this is the French and English clubs threat I'd take the nuclear option and tell them to set up their own competition. It would mean no European rugby for a season or 2 but I'm confident that the Irish teams could make up any funding shortfalls through extra provincial matches and extra internationals. The new Anglo French Cup would probably be rejected by the IRB as the unions aren't behind it and these assholes trying to ruin God's game in Europe would get their fingers burnt. As ever the big losers will be the regular punters who have embraced the Heineken Cup, the English clubs have stormed off because they can't compete at the highest level anymore and want to rig the competition to ensure they can.

Sale versus Stade Francais anyone? What about Exeter Perpignan? Didn't think so....

 

[AngrySeahorse]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24038523

Heineken Cup: English & French clubs to set up new competition

Hopefully this is just more of the Premier Rugby nonsense that has been spouted for months by Mark McCaffery, the English in public are saying it isn't fair that those pesky Celts keep beating us and it must be because they don't have relegation in their league however it is all down to cold hard cash and the secret TV deal that they won't tell anyone about.

I'd be surprised if any new competition got IRB approval anyway considering that the RFU and FFR are against it. Not too sure of the commercial appeal of the whole thing anyway, and I hope the IRFU tell the English and French clubs to f*** off we'll think of something to make up the funding shortfall.

That's certainly the most reasonable response I thought of when I saw this news break on Fox sports this morning.

 

[KevinO]

Read a good bit about the English and French clubs trying to create there own competition, I hope the Irish Walsh Scots and Italians tell them to get stuffed and give it one season and they will come crawling back.

 

[JSRF10]

Read a good bit about the English and French clubs trying to create there own competition, I hope the Irish Walsh Scots and Italians tell them to get stuffed and give it one season and they will come crawling back.

Gerry Thornley, who is usually a reliable source, has quotes saying that the Celts and Italians won't join any new competition and it hints towards the IRB blocking any new tournament.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rug...lubs-won-t-join-any-new-competition-1.1524095

I'm glad that the Rabo teams have kicked the new competition off the table straight away, it limits the options of the English in particular who have sold the rights to a European competition that doesn't exist yet so they need something for their new TV deal.

 

[JSRF10]

IRFU Head Honcho Phil Browne has finally gone public on the whole issue:

Browne: Compromise vital in Euro stand-off

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/browne-compromise-vital-in-euro-standoff-29573382.html

 

[boyo]

IRFU Head Honcho Phil Browne has finally gone public on the whole issue:

Browne: Compromise vital in Euro stand-off

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/browne-compromise-vital-in-euro-standoff-29573382.html

It seems to e very one-way: the Celtic nations and Italy are prepared to compromise, but England and France are not.

A part of me thinks "fuck 'em".

 

[Bardon]

It's strange to see the conflict happening in the 2 major club competitions in both hemispheres.

On one hand you have the fracas about SA potentially leaving super rugby that looks likely to result in an expansion of the competition. This looks like it will be to the long term benefit of rugby as a whole in the SH with Argentine teams and potentially at a later date Japanese teams joining the competition.

Overtime this will raise the overall standard in the SH and ensure an escalation in the competitive environment that goes some way to ensuring that the SH dominates the top 3 spots in the test rankings.

Then on the other hand we have English and French clubs threatening to break away from the HEC, not for the long term benefit of rugby in those countries, rather as a power and money grab by club owners.

This looks likely to either result in a fractured European club competition or more likely a renegotiation in the qualification process for the HEC. This would be a backward step for the over quality in European rugby.

It would almost certainly result in the short term exclusion of Italian clubs from elite European competitions and the sporadic exclusion of Scottish regions.

The fact that the top 6 Pro12 teams would qualify would mean that the average ability of the Pro12 HEC representative would be of a higher standard than the Top14 qualifiers and certainly a much higher overall standard than the English qualifiers.

Then the knock on effect for the Challenge cup would be that it gets flooded with Pro12 teams possibly forcing Portugese, Spanish and Romanian to a 3rd tier European competition.

Recent years have shown that the competitiveness of Italian clubs and their national team have increase due to their inclusion both in the 6Ns and the HEC. It would be a backwards step to exclude them from the premier competition.

The greedy English and French clubs should be taking a more long term view and realising that building club rugby on a wider base in the NH would ultimately result in much larger viewership and more lucrative TV deals.

Sadly the IRB and national unions will probably be too timid in dealing with the HEC situation and although there might be a compromise that results in some form of Pan-European annual club rugby competition taking place next year and beyond.

This affair will probably embolden the French and in particular the English clubs and it's wont be very long before we seen a breakaway by the clubs from the unions similar to the English Premiership in soccer.

 

[Bardon]

1st round of games starts this weekend and I'm hoping for a cracking weekend of HEC rugby to remind fans and players exactly what will be lost if this is the last year of the competition.

 

[JSRF10]

Anyone want to put their necks on the line?

I reckon the 1/4 finalists will be Munster, Toulon, London South Africa, Leinster, Clermont, Ulster, Toulon, Gloucester

 

[KevinO]

Anyone want to put their necks on the line?

I reckon the 1/4 finalists will be Munster, Toulon, London South Africa, Leinster, Clermont, Ulster, Toulon, Gloucester

For a pint when I come up to Sydney for the Rebels game next season?

Leinster
Toulon
Toulouse
Clermonet
Ulster
Munster

Highest runners ups: Sacacens and Leicester