The clubs should be told to sit down and shut up.
I don't see why a successful and financially viable bona fide club competition based in England.............
Is it? I do not believe more than a couple of clubs are profitable so how do you measure financial viability?
Is it? I do not believe more than a couple of clubs are profitable so how do you measure financial viability?
A £152m four year TV deal with BT and no doubt SKY willing to bust the bank to win the competition back in a couple of years perhaps?
Nah sky won't bust the bank to get it back it's not big enough worldwide . Seems they are leaning more towards American sports now tbh
Really?
Your perceptions are just as valid as mine but SKY over the years have based their entire business plan on showing home grown sport to a home audience, so I don`t see how your point is relevant in this case.
I sensed at the time that the loss of Premiership rugby was a huge blow to them and on the flip side I sensed also that BT Sport saw it as a vital part of their launch that they offer top class English club rugby.
Two subscription sports channels scrambling over each other for the TV rights to show English club rugby is a good sign in my view.
Ospreys have no history. Dragons are another amalgamated side (Ebbw Vale and Newport unless I'm mistaken) so there's no rivalry there. Only Scarlets and Cardiff Blues remain from the old days. Do English fans who have only gotten into rugby since the game went professional (being honest, that's most people) really care about adding these teams to the Premiership? I think not. From a Welsh point of view it makes sense but I still don't know what the Welsh regions have to offer the Premiership. We can point to the Ospreys adding value through their Celtic League/Pro 12 successes but in reality that league isn't rated in England.People saying what draw will the Welsh bring ... Some forget that some of the oldest rivalries for clubs in England have been against Welsh sides. Regardless of what some believe here, Welsh regions would enhance the Aviva Premiership make no bones about that.
Ospreys have no history. Dragons are another amalgamated side (Ebbw Vale and Newport unless I'm mistaken) so there's no rivalry there. Only Scarlets and Cardiff Blues remain from the old days. Do English fans who have only gotten into rugby since the game went professional (being honest, that's most people) really care about adding these teams to the Premiership? I think not. From a Welsh point of view it makes sense but I still don't know what the Welsh regions have to offer the Premiership. We can point to the Ospreys adding value through their Celtic League/Pro 12 successes but in reality that league isn't rated in England.
Ospreys have no history. Dragons are another amalgamated side (Ebbw Vale and Newport unless I'm mistaken) so there's no rivalry there. Only Scarlets and Cardiff Blues remain from the old days. Do English fans who have only gotten into rugby since the game went professional (being honest, that's most people) really care about adding these teams to the Premiership? I think not. From a Welsh point of view it makes sense but I still don't know what the Welsh regions have to offer the Premiership. We can point to the Ospreys adding value through their Celtic League/Pro 12 successes but in reality that league isn't rated in England.
I might be wrong but my view was sky didn't fight all that hard to keep it . However they have in the last year secured NBA and NFL . That's just the perception I got
I might be wrong but my view was sky didn't fight all that hard to keep it . However they have in the last year secured NBA and NFL . That's just the perception I got
There are links there I'm sorry, news coming from the clubs in England say the same. They would welcome the Welsh regions. I'm sick and tired of the Pro 12 and the mediocrity that has become of it and that's precisely the point why Welsh regions are moving. If the Avia is willing to take the regions good on them. Will add something to the league.
I think the rivalry would come more from it being England (clubs) vs Wales (regions) rather than it being, say, Gloucester vs Newport etc.
Do think it'd garner decent interest though, if only as it'd freshen things up a bit - when teams get promoted they usually get a few more away fans travelling to them as it's a novelty to go to a new ground/see a new team - think this would happen with the Regions too.