European Rugby Champions Cup

[L'irlandais]

Isn't this the just Heineken Cup in almost all but name (Read the ESPN article, Heineken are back on board!)

Also Sarries (tipped by the French press to win Pool 1) have 13 players in their squad who are not European.
What f'king good is that to European Rugby? That said, the best they done so far is to be runners up last season, I suspect they won't progress to the knock stages at all!

 

[Dixie]

Isn't this the just Heineken Cup in almost all but name (Read the ESPN article, Heineken are back on board!)

It was all aboout money and control. Have those remained the same?

 

[winchesterref]

I'm sure we've been over this

http://www.rugbyrefs.com/showthread.php?16721-ERC-shock-mutiny-by-elite-clubs

 

[L'irlandais]

It was all aboout money and control. Have those remained the same?

Are we talking about a tiny miniority of money minded people wresting control of our sport away from the very Unions set up by members to protect the game?

I brought it up again, since things change alot from one season to the next.
That discussion was at the start of last season. The notion that clubs and leagues can do as they please, has been challenged.

Earlier this week the French league had their 5 year TV rights contract torn up by a court of appeal.
The behind closed doors negociation with Canal+ was ruled an anti-competitive practice.
They will have to tender the contract again next April, when BeIn Sports will make an offer. So the world's richest league, just shot themselves in the foot with the £60 million x 5 seasons deal. If BeIn bring more money to the table, it's the punters in France will be paying that "extra money".


Compare to Premiership's £38 million x 4 years deal with BT.

 

[Taff]

Isn't this the just Heineken Cup in almost all but name

It was all aboout money and control. Have those remained the same?

Funnily enough I was thinking if there was a simple (preferably Labrador level) summary of the difference between the Heineken Cup and the European Rugby Champions Cup.

 

[L'irlandais]

...European Rugby Cup - ... failed to set up its own structure in time and was forced to outsource back to the outgoing company.

Handed the running of the first season over to the people, they claimed were incompetent. That doesn't bode well. The move to Switzerland, is half baked too, the new HQ, is a disused bulding in need of renovation ; with just one bloke there every other week for the time being. :shrug:

Is the new "managment" only interest in swopping countries the Swiss reputation for Banking secrecy?

 

[L'irlandais]

The town was very happy to finally pawn this ("les Caves du Palais" de Neuchâtel) building off on somebody. (Before & after photos)

Jacques Pineau the man running the show is 70 years of age. Yes he has an excellent record at Clermont, but he is past retirement ; wasn't there any young dynamic individual better placed to do the job?

1 week out of 2, he's in Dublin supervising the 20, or so, staff of ERC. Really looks like Bruce Craig's lot have double their overheads this season. Well done!

 

[L'irlandais]

Excellent result for a rampant Glasgow Warriors.

Perhaps Bruce Craig may learn not to talk so proud from now on. (Perhaps not!)

Welsh player summed it up nicely on an Official ERCC pod cast - it's always going to be the Heineken Cup to alot of folks. Resetting the counter to zero, just means your club gets to fall from grace a second time, mate.

 

[Taff]

.... Welsh player summed it up nicely on an Official ERCC pod cast - it's always going to be the Heineken Cup to alot of folks.

It's difficult NOT to think of it as the Heineken Cup when the post protectors and flags still all have "Heineken" written all over them.

 

[Phil E]

It's difficult NOT to think of it as the Heineken Cup when the post protectors and flags still all have "Heineken" written all over them.

Erm......no they don't. They are in the new ERCC colours, with the ERCC logo.

 

[L'irlandais]

Dépends what matches one watched then. Both AJ Bell Stadium and Allianz Park still had the H-Cup padding and corner flags. Bruce Craig's lot couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery, on a bank holiday week-end ; let alone get a club-run European tournament up and running in time for this season. Lucky for him the momentum of the existing competition carried over.

By his own admission Bath currently lose £2-3m per year, I suppose that's the fault of the ERC too Mr. Craig? Source If it wasn't for existing ERC staff getting this "new" show on the road, we'd have been left with a non-event, since ERCC were unable to set up the tournament in time.

 

[crossref]

the rugby was good though, wasn't it? 20 teams already seems better than 24, less dead wood, much tighter groups.

 

[Pegleg]

Dépends what matches one watched then. Both AJ Bell Stadium and Allianz Park still had the H-Cup padding and corner flags. Bruce Craig's lot couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery, on a bank holiday week-end ; let alone get a club-run European tournament up and running in time for this season. Lucky for him the momentum of the existing competition carried over.

By his own admission Bath currently lose £2-3m per year, I suppose that's the fault of the ERC too Mr. Craig? Source If it wasn't for existing ERC staff getting this "new" show on the road, we'd have been left with a non-event, since ERCC were unable to set up the tournament in time.

I detect some real issues that you have here. Am I missing something?

 

[OB..]

I detect some real issues that you have here. Am I missing something?

One less team? Harder to qualify?

 

[Pegleg]

Does that not drive up quality?


You may be right and our French / Irish (?) has a worry about his side getting in to the competition, but his attack seems very bitter. It would seem to go deeper than that.

 

[Phil E]

Dépends what matches one watched then. Both AJ Bell Stadium and Allianz Park still had the H-Cup padding and corner flags.

That doesn't necessarily mean they weren't sent the correct kit.
Welford Road was sent a complete set of ERCC flags, post protectors, etc over a week before the game. We had the brand guidelines months ago.

I'm not saying those other clubs did have them, but you don't know for a fact that they didn't. There could have been all sorts of reasons for using the old ones.


img-chip on shoulder-img

 

[Pegleg]

img-chip on shoulder-img

That's the impression I'm getting. Is there some history here?

 

[Taff]

It's difficult NOT to think of it as the Heineken Cup when the post protectors and flags still all have "Heineken" written all over them.

Erm......no they don't. They are in the new ERCC colours, with the ERCC logo.

Dépends what matches one watched then. Both AJ Bell Stadium and Allianz Park still had the H-Cup padding and corner flags. Bruce Craig's lot couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery, on a bank holiday week-end ; let alone get a club-run European tournament up and running in time for this season.

The game I saw definitely had Heineken Cup post protectors and flags.

Even if that was an oversight by ground staff, the official ERC website still refers to it as Heinken Cup - HERE

 

[Treadmore]

Even if that was an oversight by ground staff, the official ERC website still refers to it as Heinken Cup - HERE

Nice find but no fixtures are actually shown on that page - how did you find it?

Just clicking on the Champions Cup link on the epcrugby home page and choose fixtures & results takes you HERE No "Heineken Cup" reference there.

 

[Taff]

Nice find but no fixtures are actually shown on that page - how did you find it?

I was looking for the KO time for the Scarlets home game this Saturday and just Googled "ERC Rugby" ... it was one of the top links.

There are no fixtures shown yet as they are for the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals etc. They're just provisional dates.