Comments on: Best of the Weekend: English Clubs Thrive in Weekend of Surprises

By: Henry

Henry — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 11:29:03 +0000

I am hoping they may be able to… Remember when there were guys like Wilkinson, Sheriden and Shaw who couldn’t stay fit for long, but they managed to get a good run of games and extend their careers beyond the length people were expecting. Tait also seems to have got over the regular serious injuries he was suffering. Whether that is because they went to play for Toulon where the climate and a less gruelling schedule helped them avoid injuries I don’t know. I always remember an article by David Flatman where he said some guys (like him) are unfortunately just injury prone, all the gym work in world can’t overcome, in his words, having the ‘cartilage of a new born baby deer’. Hopefully they won’t be another Rees or Ferris.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:47:02 +0000

The French do seem to get bored of it quite quickly. I really that it is the commercial side of the Top 14 – it’s worth a huge amount of money to the French clubs. Competing there is deemed far more important than in Europe. Those clubs you mentioned are probably those that have the squads to compete across both, and it’s therefore worth it.

By: brighty

brighty — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:34:56 +0000

I can’t work out the French’s view on this. They didn’t seem as vocal in the build up other than saying they agreed with the English clubs. Then the English clubs seemed to do the running – could have looked like that cos the media found it easier to quote English rather than French over here I suppose.

Now they have what they wanted they still seem to not give a stuff – Clermont, Toulon and possibly Toulouse want to win it, the rest seem to just give it a lash and drop out of it as soon as they lose 1. I say possibly Toulouse as since their domestic form started wobbling they also seem to have put less focus into the cup.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:17:23 +0000

I did reply here yesterday but I’ve just noticed it didn’t actually post.

Completely agree that we don’t want rugby to go that way, and it’ll certainly never go as far. As much as I love rugby it’s too complex to ever be as popular globally as football is. That said, I wouldn’t want to simplify it, I love the game the way it is.

On blaming the English, are they different from the French? Do they not have all the same commercial interest? I guess the main difference is the commercial value of the Top14 is so high, that any club that thinks they may drop out (which it quite a few most seasons) see any European competition as a distraction.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:32:52 +0000

In my opinion, there are two things the competition is missing:
1. Qualification to the big competition for the winners. Without it, the motivation just isn’t there and it seems a bit pointless.
2. More TV rights – Why not have it on terrestrial TV or something? It’s not as if the matches are being televised at all right now.

Another real thing which really frustrates me is the lack of representation for teams from countries like Romania, Spain, Georgia, Portugal, etc. There was, supposedly, going to be a “third-tier” competition but that seems to be brushed under the carpet now and this year’s “qualification tournament” was a farce. The great thing about the old competition was the way in which sides from those countries could compete and some of them did quite well – e.g. Bucharest in 2013/14. The majority didn’t, yes, but where’s the loss? A genuine third-tier European competition should exist – either that or parachute more clubs into the second-tier competition – it wouldn’t come at a major cost and would certainly do those clubs a lot of good.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:18:17 +0000

That’s probably fair enough. Are the English owners any different to the French though? We seem to be being singled out here!

I also think, whilst it’ll thankfully never reach football levels, the commercialisation of the sport is inevitable.

By: Dazza

Dazza — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:12:18 +0000

2012 sounds about right. But I don’t think Corbs will ever stay fit for long. Him and Croft seem to be two guys who just can’t stay fit.

By: brighty

brighty — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:44:24 +0000

Yeah, you’re right. My sweeping generalisation was too broad there. Apologies. What I should have said, instead of “The English” was “a bunch of businessmen who happen to own a few English clubs at this point in time”. I know of plenty of English people who don’t align themselves completely with this view of Rugby as being best served if run along “Football Premier League” lines.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:11:22 +0000

I agree with completely – the gap is much bigger. Although this is a slightly different conversation to blaming the English for the demise of European competition.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:49:37 +0000

Cole was immense. Had Chiocci on toast and although he didn’t snaffle any turnovers he still did well to make himself a nuisance over the ball. Only been back a month but already knocking hard on Wilson’s door, who I must say I feel sorry for. He’s taken his chance well in Cole’s absence and has done very little wrong whilst rarely taking a backwards step in the scrum, Cole is just a quality prop when fit though. Hopefully we’ll see him return to his 2012 form in time for the 6N and WC.
Can anybody remember the last time Corbs and Cole lined up together? It can’t have been as far back as NZ 2012 could it?

By: brighty

brighty — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:46:12 +0000

Jacob, in terms of the conflict over Rovigo – I think rugby is a sport where the gap between Pro and Am is massive. Dangerously so in some cases. it’s not like the FA cup where a minnow can cause an upset with a team of postmen and carpenters. In rugby the Pro players are so massive, so gym built that to let them loose on a team of Ams could cause some serious issues.

So I want wider representation but don’t want cart before horse – they need to get up to Pro levels first and then join in.

By: DanD

DanD — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 13:45:01 +0000

Really dislike the fact that there’s no promotion for winning the 2nd tier, but equally really like the fact that those teams in the 2nd tier stand a fair chance at winning it, and don’t have to slog their guts out to get a good pool position, just for a 1st tier reject to drop down and take them out.