United Rugby Championship announced, beginning September 2021

Sheep Shagger · 27-09-2021 3:44pm

Latest table.

Digifriendly · 27-09-2021 3:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117945403#Comment_117945403

The scorebar is better now for me using Sky as rewinding and fast forwarding doesn't block it out and I can easily find when tries have been scored on the recording.

Red Silurian · 27-09-2021 4:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117946002#Comment_117946002

I had a look at a few replays last night, the games on TG4 and BBC2W had them in the same place... Must be a broadcasting requirement

icdg · 27-09-2021 5:11pm

The same match graphics are used by all host broadcasters of the URC. While this is a brand new set of graphics for the URC rebrand, there was a previous set that were in use for some years - long ago enough that they were introduced before the expansion to 14 teams.

(RTE uses its own graphics for studio segments though).

Its a quite distinctive look the agency who developed them has created, to be fair, whereas the previous set could have been anyone’s.

Red Silurian · 27-09-2021 10:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117946369#Comment_117946369

It is and generally I like the look, and I'm sure I'll eventually get used to the scoreboard on the bottom of the screen

PMC83 · 30-09-2021 9:07am

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/58726696

Certainly hope not. You want to see how well they can do at home.

realhorrorshow · 30-09-2021 9:15am

With the rebrand I was hoping we might get a serious improvement in the quality of the YouTube highlight packages, to bring them in line with what the Prem and Super Rugby channels are offering. Hasn't happened sadly.

Cookiemunster · 30-09-2021 9:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957731#Comment_117957731

There are reports that SA will be removed from the UKs red list in the next 9-10 days. If that happens then there'll be no issue.

Cookiemunster · 30-09-2021 9:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957766#Comment_117957766

8 minutes of highlights from each game have finally been uploaded to the URC Youtube channel. That's a vast improvement in the 3 minute highlights that the Pro14 used to post, but they need to be uploaded a lot sooner than Thursday.

realhorrorshow · 30-09-2021 10:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957806#Comment_117957806

Hadn't noticed that, that's a big improvement but they need to get them up faster. Premier Sports, Supersport, and the clubs themselves in some cases have already uploaded short highlights which doesn't leave much reason to watch the 8 minute versions.

I see they are 1080p now which is nice, hopefully the editing has improved too as some of the packages over the past few years seemed like they had been put together by an intern who had never watched rugby before.

aloooof · 30-09-2021 11:23am

As a complete aside, the worst highlights package I've ever seen is the one for the Champions Cup final. For one of the biggest games in club rugby, it's pretty ridiculous what they put together. They just show the penalty attempts, not what the infringements were for. You don't see a pass until the 58th minute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS8tAV0EWf8&t=113s&ab_channel=BTSport

hold my beer · 30-09-2021 11:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957766#Comment_117957766

Premier sports are doing good highlights of every game on their TV station. 15 minute segments with a good 10 minutes of coverage. I recorded them all and watched back when had time. Id rather they put it together into a single show, that can series link, but at least we have very good highlights of all games for now. URC is a much, much better product than the Pro 12/14. I'm excited for the season

Digifriendly · 30-09-2021 1:51pm

Are BBC not doing a highlights programme that they did last season? BBC NI have highlights of Ulster games on I player but so far I can see no other Round 1 highlights on BBC.

Larbre34 · 30-09-2021 2:02pm

I think there's little doubt the offering for people in the 6 Counties, even for dedicated Ulster fans, has reduced.

Also, that score bar on the middle bottom must go. Its not a case of getting used to it, its exactly where the eye is drawn and will impact on visibility of the play.

TaurenDruid · 30-09-2021 2:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959006#Comment_117959006

Yes. There's a reason every other sportsball competition puts the score in the top left of the screen. I've no idea why anyone thought moving the score to the middle bottom was a good thing, except change for the sake of change.

Larbre34 · 30-09-2021 2:27pm

I've emailed the management company in Sandyford and asked them to remove it.

Former Former Former · 30-09-2021 2:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959006#Comment_117959006

If it's where the eye is drawn, then it's a great place to stick an ad.

Cookiemunster · 30-09-2021 2:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959055#Comment_117959055

SA television has literally been doing it for years. A full bar across the bottom of the screen. The NFL (you might have heard of them) also use a bar across the bottom of the screen. BT Sport put their scores on the bottom left of the screen. Again they've been doing this for years. The URC graphic is probably too big, but its position on the screen is in no way unique.

sydthebeat · 30-09-2021 3:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959377#Comment_117959377

i think with line banners across the while bottom of a screen (a la NFL), it in effect just shortens the screen, so the camera operator / producers know to give that extra area on the live recordings. similar to SA curie cup, its a total banner.

the "spot" banner like URC has is too much "in the field of play" with the camera operator not making any allowance for it.

its similar to AFL but they have the good grace to move it to the bottom left

top left is definitely the best place though

Red Silurian · 30-09-2021 3:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959377#Comment_117959377

We could go into multiple examples of where scores go on the screen in various parts of the sporting world

Pussyhands · 30-09-2021 3:30pm

The rugby hasn't changed.

You can't say URC is a superior product because the graphics are nicer etc. You could have had a rebrand of the Pro 14 and had nice shiny pictures and colours.

I do like the new graphics but it's just branding at the end of the day.

South African teams in a NH competition just doesn't work. I doubt those clubs care about this competition and their fans would care less.

sydthebeat · 30-09-2021 3:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959502#Comment_117959502

do you think their fans cared much about their teams travelling 12,000 kms to play kiwi SR franchises, with kick offs at ungodly hours for them?

do you think just because they were in the same hemisphere they felt some kind of an affiliation with super rugby??

its clear for all to see that the long goal is South Africa joining the 6 nations. it will be the most logical move after their franchise teams are playing in the URC and HC

Larbre34 · 30-09-2021 4:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959502#Comment_117959502

You cannot judge the product after one game, doing so simply has no credibility.

You've got 4 SA squads coming to Europe for a long stint, first time ever, shorn of their Springboks, two weeks after the Currie Cup final which two of them played in, having to adjust to a huge change in environment and conditions.

There is nine months of league rugby ahead, a lot of it in South Africa where the Celtic teams will be in exactly the same boat and we won't know what things will be like at the other end.

We DO know that only one team from each Shield is guaranteed Champions Cup rugby, we DO know that there will be no dead rubbers played out in international windows and so we DO know that the URC sides will be fielding XXIIIs from much further up their rosters, week in, week out, because their survival financially and access to the top table depends on it. Thats as good as a relegation threat.

For me, all these prospects set up a far better competition than the Pro14 had become and I'm looking forward to it.

Who knows, maybe it won't work for them, but lets have the conversation in June with some evidence.

Pussyhands · 30-09-2021 4:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959532#Comment_117959532

South Africa, NZ and Australia have a history together in the tri nations championship though. There's far more of a connection there than with NH teams.

Super Rugby built prestige over many many years.

Culturally they are similar, in that the clubs are more franchises than local clubs. There's no chance of Leinster changing their name to the Eir Tigers.

But the worst thing about this league is that at the root of it, there is no fairness. You have regional pools affecting an overall league table. Glasgow get to play the Italian clubs and Edinburgh twice while Connacht have to play Munster, Ulster and Leinster twice. That's probably a 10 or 11 point headstart Glasgow will have each season. Connacht essentially will never make Heineken Cup again.

aloooof · 30-09-2021 4:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959766#Comment_117959766

Super rugby built prestige over many, many years. Yet you want to write off the URC after one round of games. There’s a clear contradiction there.

sydthebeat · 30-09-2021 4:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959766#Comment_117959766

the tri nations is now the rugby championship because, well, changes....

super rugby has embraced teams from argentina, japan, fiji and the pacific island over the years because, well, changes...

our celtic league has embraced teams from italy and south africa because ,well, changes....

your posts come off as nothing but the whinging of a poor mealy mouth connacht fan doing their best King Canute impression.

Connacht have 5 opportunities to qualify for the HC according to the 2023 qualifying criteria. If they continue to put in displays like they did last weekend against Cardiff they will be nowhere near qualification, and that will be on merit.

Larbre34 · 30-09-2021 6:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959766#Comment_117959766

Super Rugby was a money pit and a logistical disaster. And if it was fairness you were looking for, Super Rugby was certainly not the place to find it.

Blut2 · 30-09-2021 7:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959766#Comment_117959766

It doesn't matter how much history or 'prestige' you have if for every away game in Australia, or especially NZ, your clubs are playing at 6am or similar ungodly hours for the home audience. Only a tiny minority of people with no life to fit games around are going to bother to plan their days around that.

Far, far more South African fans will watch the URC over the course of a season down to the vastly more suitable time difference alone. Which is the main goal of any sport - getting more fans involved (and spending money..).

Red Silurian · 01-10-2021 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117960413#Comment_117960413

Agreed although I do think the SA teams would be better off doing what the English and French do, have a domestic league inside the country boundaries and then the top 6/7 teams faces the Europeans in the Champions cup

Super Rugby should have been laid out that way as well

PMC83 · 01-10-2021 2:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962976#Comment_117962976

This is an interesting suggestion but from what I'm hearing there isn't a lot of money in SA rugby domestically. The TV money wouldn't be enough to keep the teams afloat, and many don't have money men like in France. What you are suggesting would basically be the curry cup, and the SA public have that now + the URC so why lose the extra tv money?

Similarly I don't see the Kiwis ditching Super Rugby to just have the Bunnings NPC.

Red Silurian · 01-10-2021 2:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117963201#Comment_117963201

Next year they will have the Currie Cup, URC and Champions Cup. Is it that much more expensive to drop the URC and give a boost the Currie Cup? I'm thinking the URC is a bit of a money pit for them, most SA clubs will be doing minimum 3 trips to Europe this season and minimum 5 next season, including flights, hotels and food that can't be cheap, especially with their currency

PMC83 · 01-10-2021 2:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117963349#Comment_117963349

I've no idea about the specific Tv money awarded to the franchises verses their running costs, but surely theres a monetary upside to being in the URC, I can't see the SA Franchses joining if they wouldn't make money out of it. Its worth noting as well that they are are more then likely operating on smaller budgets then many other of the European URC teams. The Rand is not in a great place.

Financials aside from what I'm reading and seeing online, the SA supporters want more then the curry cup and like seeing how their teams go against other inetrnational ones. Check out the below, some decent insights..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0r2tm2tNpY&t=906s

Cookiemunster · 01-10-2021 2:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117963349#Comment_117963349

You haven't a clue what you're talking about. You really should stop embarrassing yourself. If it was a money pit to play in the URC and they'd be better off in a 'boosted' Curry Cup, then that's what they would be doing. But then they wouldn't be getting the same sponsorship money or TV income and their home based Boks would be playing a much lower standard of rugby.

For the last 20 odd years they've been playing in a competition 8 time zones away from SA. By playing in a competition that is in practically the same time zone they increase the value of their sponsorships and TV rights. They know what they're doing. You don't.

A2LUE42 · 01-10-2021 3:00pm

Can't find the details now, but I thought that SA provided the majority of the funding for the rugby championship and that they were keen to keep more of the money they generated. SA TV revenue was substantial and the SA union wanted to retain more of it.

Red Silurian · 01-10-2021 7:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117963467#Comment_117963467

Oh I'm so sorry I upset you, would it be better for you if I were to keep my opinions and thoughts to myself?

On second thoughts I'm going to stay here and voice my opinion, if you don't like it then read a newspaper!

Cookiemunster · 01-10-2021 9:24pm

Nobody is telling you not to post. But when you post nonsense, expect to be called out on it.

Jump_In_Jack · 01-10-2021 9:51pm

Connacht winning well 34-7 scoring 5 tries at home to the Bulls picking up the try bonus.

if the bulls are purportedly the best SA team, this doesn’t bode well for the league.

Bulls are missing 3 players to the Springboks (Vermeulen their captain last season is a fourth, but he won’t be back as he is switching to Ulster in a bizarre swap with Coetzee), but Connacht are without Aki, Buckley and Thornbury, so not much of a difference there, can’t claim a few missing players are the difference.

Hopefully the SA teams will improve, but just wonder about their finances, can they compete with the Northern Hemisphere for wages. Like what happened with the Cheetahs and the Kings, any decent players were poached at the end of every season, and no big name players stayed when they could get huge money in France/Japan/England.

molloyjh · 01-10-2021 9:54pm

The SA sides haven’t really had a break all year. They’ve basically been played all by non-stop since Feb. I’m not sure if it’s realistic to expect improvements this season. Maybe next when they’ve had a break and proper pre-season….

Neil3030 · 01-10-2021 9:57pm

Right now I'm liking that the Saffers are physical, but shite.

So Irish teams will be more battle-hardened for Europe, with added momentum and confidence from harder-fought wins.

Long may it continue.

Thrashssacre · 01-10-2021 10:11pm

Anyone hitting the panic button a little over how sh1te these south African team's are? I know it's a new environment and all but they seem like there playing in slow motion and can't make a good decision to save there life....

Cookiemunster · 01-10-2021 10:18pm

Between Oct 15th and Jan 7th the 4 SA franchises only play two homes games each (They catch up by playing off their entire conference during the 6N). They'll be full strength and well rested for the second half of the season with a load of home games to catch up on.

roadmaster · 01-10-2021 11:50pm

Theres still no main sponsor for the URC North unlike the SA teams who have Vodacom. Are they struggling to get one or are they simply holding out for the best deal

Red Silurian · 02-10-2021 11:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117965054#Comment_117965054

Again sorry for upsetting you

Dave_The_Sheep · 02-10-2021 5:49pm

How childish. Just because someone disagees with you doesn't mean they're upset.

Homesick Alien · 02-10-2021 9:48pm

Definitely a concern to see the 4 Sa teams in the bottom 6 along with Zebre and Dragons and only one win from eight for them. At least the Stormers threw it around tonight. Not pushing any panic buttons yet but would like to see them putting together some performances in the next two rounds.

StevenToast · 02-10-2021 9:58pm

The stormers looked promising for a while tonight...

I think SA's they will come good in a few months...especially at home...when their seasons are in sync they will be a proper force....

Pussyhands · 02-10-2021 10:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117959871#Comment_117959871

The difference between the tri nations adding Argentina is Argentina showed their quality in world cups and although they lose most games, they are still competitive in the rugby championship. Connacht wiped the floor with the Bulls. Connacht are nothing special.

Pussyhands · 02-10-2021 10:06pm

I think the name United Rugby Championship is poor too. Abbreviation URC doesn't roll of the tongue very well.

Calling it the Nations Rugby Championship would have been better. NRC rolls off the tongue much better.

Big Ears · 03-10-2021 1:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117969111#Comment_117969111

That would be an odd name for a club rugby tournament !

The name infers it would be played by Nations.

I'm sure they wanted to call this "The Rugby Championship" but that title is already gone. Pro 16 would have sounded better, but they wanted to get away from what the old tournament was and show this as a new beginning, hence the need for a name change.

Is the name good ?, not really. But honestly I'm struggling to think of a good alternative. URC might seem decent when we get used to it. UFC is a terrible name for example, but the brand is successful, so no one thinks about that now.

Michael Zozimus Moran · 03-10-2021 9:47am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117965341#Comment_117965341

The Sharks are down 13 players to the Spring Boks during Tri Nations

However I wonder if, after 3-4 seasons of playing shite rugby in Rodney Parade and the sports ground in deepest January in a mud bath and having a brawl every week, will appeal to them.

They may want back into playing sunshine rugby in different time zones regardless of the commercial and logistical pitfalls.

United Rugby Championship announced, beginning September 2021

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