URC and English Premiership Merger Rumours

Had to chuckle at this in the article:

"In Connacht’s case, that’s three more games against Leinster, Ulster and Munster, while Glasgow - for example - face Edinburgh, Benetton and Zebre for a second time."

It's a bit different with a more like-for-like comparison:

Zebre have to face Glasgow, Benneton and Edinburgh for a second time.

But rugby can't afford to eat itself. We have few enough countries represented in top tier leagues. We have to look further or we will have more issues down the line. The sport needs to look wider or else it will struggle even more and we already have plenty of issues in top tier sides as it is.

There is also a possibility that some type of 'financial fair play' rules might have to underpin any British-Celtic league. This might prove a sticking point for some.

Any competition between unequally funded groupings will be reflected in final league standings, with top clubs winning more prize money, at least in the early seasons. How long before the Welsh & Scots clubs begin grumbling ?.

Each of the Unions involved plus Prem rugby might establish a working group to continue discussions but I can't see such a competition replacing the URC quite yet.

This either works as a 14 team league with 2 Divisions (possibly 16 if the league wanted to take the cheetahs back and possibly a club from 3 growing nations Georgia, Spain, Portugal) or the irfu should tell the premiership where to go.

Champions Cup should move to a straight knock out comp, run after the leagues finish. Group stages are a waste of time these days from a rugby perspective, just serve as revenue generators now.

It largely isn’t though - it’s still the competition that the biggest teams most want to win, and throws up the best games between the best teams.

It’s funny how the French teams have simultaneously lost interest and yet won the last four on the bounce.

The variety of playing different teams is a novelty in and of itself. This proposal is half baked, completely unattractive to the Irish sides and unpalatable for the players.

Some of the poorer teams have, without a doubt, but the biggest teams have tried to win it. There is nothing to support a statement that the likes of Toulouse, La Rochelle etc prioritising their league over Europe.

You’re free to keep pushing this narrative all you like but it isn’t the case. The largest French clubs, the ones who are contenders to win Europe, go all out to win it.

They select their strongest sides in all games and fight to the end to win it. They rotate much more heavily domestically.

Who are the disinterested teams?

Castres for one, seldom send a full team even at the start of the pool matches. Stad Francais didn't send a first team over to Leinster last either. I think its fair to that the few French teams who have a history of winning it tend to be teams that will go all in on it.

Nobody has to, but some certainly do and some certainly do not. What your saying is true, but thankfully the Irish teams still go all in on the pool stages. I think any club sending a weakened team because there's a good chance of getting out of the pool is taking a punt, it tells you pretty quickly where their priorities lie.

You have to ask what problem they are trying to solve by proposing this league. If it is to help out the English teams as they are suffering financially then you have to ask whether they are able to sustain 10 clubs in whatever league they are playing in. We saw with the recent clubs going out of business there does not seem to be enough demand for 12 clubs. Now they have 10 clubs, but is even that too much? They may need to get used to the fact that they should only have 6-8 clubs that are actually financially viable and then move on from there.

Rugby has a financial problem, international unions all looking for outside investment to stay afloat and then clubs going bankrupt but player salaries going up? Seems like everyone needs to realise you cannot sustain high salaries as the revenue is not limitless. Add in the pain of compensation that will come for retired players and concussions, there will be pain ahead.

I could see a proposal work, but you cannot have 10 English teams when their level is not that high and some of their clubs are struggling financially. So less English teams and you cannot just get rid of the Italian teams unless you resign yourself to destroying the progress of Italian rugby in being competitive.