URC 2023/24

Dillonb3

Disaster result for Sharks. Bottom of the league

StevenToast

Bottled the last kick to win....how are the sharks so shìt?!!...in a league with 4 muck welsh regions and zebre...the sharks are rock bottom!

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121579695#Comment_121579695

They'll be wanting to join the Premiership soon

Neil3030

The scrum battle between Nche and Ntlabakanye was pretty darn epic though tbf.

legendary.xix

If the Champions Cup winner and the Challenge Cup finish outside the top 8 in the URC, do 7th and 8th miss out on the Champions Cup?

In this same scenario, if 7th or 8th were to win the URC, does 6th then miss out on the Champions Cup?

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582323#Comment_121582323

Yes, that’s the way I understand it anyway.

legendary.xix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582364#Comment_121582364

I would understand it that way too but the only media commentary has said that if a URC team outside the top 8 wins the Champions Cup OR Challenge Cup, the 8th placed team drops into the Challenge Cup.

There was no mention of the scenario where two URC teams outside the top 8 win the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

There was additionally no mention of the scenario of where a team qualifies for the URC playoffs but their Champions Cup place has been taken by a Champions Cup winner or Challenge Cup winner, and that team happens to go on and win the URC. It's not a scenario that can happen in England and France. England have top 4 playoffs and France has top 6 playoffs.

irelandrover

Wasn't this in play 2 years ago for munster?

Finished 6th but place was only confirmed when Glasgow got knocked out of the challenge cup.

Or am I misremembering?

icdg

At one point the full tournament rules were up on the EPCR website that set out every possible scenario but they seem to be gone now and replaced with a summary.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582868#Comment_121582868

https://www.unitedrugby.com/about/competition-rules

Under the heading EPCR Qualification the details are spelled out for last season, but they haven’t updated the details for the current season, and I can’t remember if the Geographical regions will still hold precedence for qualification for next season’s ERCC. At some stage the Geographical regions are supposed to be phased out for ERCC qualification in favour of meritocratic qualification but not sure when.

Cookiemunster

The geographical qualification is gone. The URC announced that at the start of the season. It's top 8 qualification.

Tigerandahalf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121579682#Comment_121579682

Plenty of time for them. Just like Leinster they are struggling after the world cup and a lot of their players fecked. Come the end of the season they will be at the pointy end. Look at Munster last season.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584355#Comment_121584355

They will be nowhere near the pointy end.

Munster had 4 wins at this stage last season, not 1.

Rigor Mortis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584355#Comment_121584355

The loss to Lions kills them off. There's too many teams they have to get past now and the headstart is too big.

bilston

I was just reading a tweet showing the average attendances of sides in the Challenge Cup for the pool stages.

Black Lion averaged over 17k for their two matches.

If the URC is to be expanded again then there's you answer. They also beat the Scarlets away from home.

Jump_In_Jack

Expansion would be good, adding another two teams, for example a Georgian and a Portuguese team.

Then we could scrap the second round of shield matches that are home and away, and just play every team once home or away and remove the advantage the better teams in the weaker shields have. 17 rounds instead of 18.

There could be a separate competition or competitions held during the 6 nations when all the star players are missing.

For example, a round robin of the 4 Irish teams, Welsh teams, the South African teams can add in the Cheetahs, the Scottish teams can play each other home and away, likewise the Italian teams.

Maybe the Georgian team and the Portuguese team could play home and away, or each play one of the Italian teams home and away and swap every second year.

Would mean no matches with teams missing their best olayers, and overall the URC gets fairer and continues to grow.

Podge_irl

Doubt any of the Welsh or Irish teams want to lose their home and away derbies. Especially not for a game against a Portuguese team. It would be worse for the SA teams for travel reasons too.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121681409#Comment_121681409

They would get derbies during the 6 Nations. It’s the only way it makes sense. The teams will have more matches to sell tickets for.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121681918#Comment_121681918

Derbies during the 6N are not going to be selling out the Aviva or Thomond Park.

The SA teams are also absolutely not going to be willing to trade a game in SA for a game in Portugal.

It's a complete non-runner as no one currently in the competition is going to be in favour of it.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121682289#Comment_121682289

Edit: rephrase, there would be more matches, the derbies would still take place and whether or not they sell out overall there would be more matches..

The South African teams will absolutely focus on the games that make money, so even if a derby competition outside the URC, they’ll sell tickets.

Dave_The_Sheep

... what?

RAKM

Please no teams like Georgian or Portugese. This will only mean more one sided games. We were told all about how great Italian rugby would be back in 2000 when they joined the 6N. They still look like the worst of the 6 to me and mostly lose their games by a lot.A bit like Irish cricket. We had a good squad before being admitted to the top table but they were gone when we got there and now we struggle.

50HX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121683738#Comment_121683738

How does the game develop then?

Look at the change in Italian rugby since they joined, benetton have developed nicely & are playing nice stuff this year.

I quite liked watching Italy play in last years 6 nations

RAKM

A fair question about game development but my point is that it hasnt really developed with Italy and they were admitted 24 years ago. I agree they played attractive rugby the last few years. Am delighted to see Benetton lookin realistic match winners. I think the reality is that rugby is not played enough for some countries to ever improve. We tend to compare with soccer in our heads a bit too much. In that I bet the team ranked 20th would give the team ranked 3 a good game. In rugby they wouldnt and I havent checked who these teams are in either sport.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121683093#Comment_121683093

You think the IRFU would exchange a sell out match in the Aviva against Munster for a half filled glorified A game in the RDS during the 6N and a match against the Black Lions? You sell tickets to meaningful matches, not pointless friendlies.

The URC is somewhat working as is, the very last thing it needs is more change. More overheads to fly more teams across continents and fewer matches against meaningful opposition teams and going from 5 countries to 7 to just complicate the whole thing even further. I do appreciate that work is needed on development and growing the game and the admission into the Challenge Cup is a start, but there is no chance any of the Unions involved are going to agree to this.

Burkie1203

Louis Lynagh rumoured to be joining Benetton next season

phog

Both England and Australia should try and get him capped.

Burkie1203

https://twitter.com/italiansrugby/status/1756977369108152526?t=mKwlf3cvq24Q5tvZSCPIaA&s=19

interesting

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121757598#Comment_121757598

Didn't realise he qualified for Italy, but apparently his mother is half Italian. He didn't sound overly enthused on playing for them back in 2023, "Italy have made contact, not recently, but we'll see how that goes in the future" .

He was eligible for four countries so - Ireland, England, NZ and Italy.

Interesting question - what player out there has the most potential international eligibilities of any one player?

Matt Gallagher has almost as many as I've heard anyone have.

Think Gregory Aldritt could have played for any of: France (where he was born), Kenya (where his father was born), Ireland (where at least one of his grandparents were born), Denmark (where he'd another grandparent from) and Italy (where his maternal grandparents were from). He also grew up for a time in Scotland but apparently wasn't eligible for them.

Lawrence Dallaglio could have played for England, Italy and Ireland (and turned down an approach from the IRFU).

PMC83

Matt Gallagher was rumored to be on his way back to Munster? Treviso certainly building a decent squad