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'Quins boss predicts "European Superleague"

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Prestwick

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Harlequins chairman Mark Evans has been the first major member of the Clubs to go on record to say that he expects a European Superleague, a kind of NH Super 14, to be in operation in the future.

However, he says that any form of regionalisation is not viable on either a financial or social basis noting:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
But market forces will push us to a situation where we will have Leinster and Munster in Ireland; Cardiff and Swansea in Wales; Stade Francais, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne and maybe Montpellier in France; and Leicester, Gloucester, and Northampton in England. You might have a couple of other clubs in the mix, anybody who has a multibillionaire investor to bankroll them. They might be Saracens, Toulon or Biarritz but, essentially, that will be it.[/b]

So, if you were silently holding out for a East Midland Jaguars vs Munster then sadly, you'll have to dream on...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunio...Mark-Evans.html

EDIT: Note the conspicuous absence of Bath in his name dropping European Superleague. But, if the Charities Commission and Bath RFC want to procrastinate for the best part of a decade on whether or not to put up enough temporary stands to hold 15,000 then they must expect to face the dire consequence of being cast aside as everyone else (who for some reason easily manages to get planning permission for their expansion done regardless of the planning issues) marches on.
 
Very interesting views.

I like the bullshit-free zone: he doesn't try to cheerlead but instead admits he doesn't know if this is good for the game. And glad to see rugby clued in to the New World Order of bankruptcy before it really hits.

I don't know what to make of it, and I guess the French won't either. Big changes a coming.

Not sure about your point on regionalisation - it works in Ireland, and looks like it's coming good in Wales.

And note the conspicuous PRESENCE of ... Northampton!
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Dec 21 2008, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
And note the conspicuous PRESENCE of ... Northampton![/b]

Why? Recent form over the pastt 3 seasons aside, they've always been one of the biggest sides in the country... 2nd biggest fanbase behind Leicester in the country, the best stadium (which isn't a rented and lifeless bowel borrowed from a roundyball team) in the UK, regularly a top 4 side, a club with a business side which actually makes a profit and they're former HEC winners.

What's so odd about that? Apart from they're not Munster with the 163,000,000 fans who (so far have claimed) saw them beat the All Blacks in 1978. Despite struggling for even 7,000 fans in anything non-european cup.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Dec 21 2008, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Not sure about your point on regionalisation - it works in Ireland, and looks like it's coming good in Wales.[/b]

You've obviously missed just about every English Rugby fan rant on about why they like *insert club here* and how its their club and how they'd find the idea of merging the likes of Worcester, Bath and Gloucester for example into one "super-club" region utter w*nk, unworkable and putting the wishes of the money men above those of the fans.

Then again, being a fan of the glorious totalitarian federal super state, you'd be deaf to such pathetic moaning ;)

England's top ten clubs are too well supported to be merged. We speculate about "super clubs" and how awesome apparently riding roughshot over the wishes of fans to form artificial regions is but as the Boss of 'Quins points out, guess what? We already have "super clubs" here in England and they go by the name of Bath, Gloucester, Leicester, Northampton and (by the skin of their teeth as they are regularly packing out the Stoop these days), Harlequins.

Try and merge them (ESPECIALLY Bath & Gloucester as well as Leicester & Northampton) at your peril.
 
Neath and Swansea seems to have worked pretty well, from two teams that loathed each other for 100 years previously...
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Dec 21 2008, 05:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Harlequins chairman Mark Evans has been the first major member of the Clubs to go on record to say that he expects a European Superleague, a kind of NH Super 14, to be in operation in the future.

However, he says that any form of regionalisation is not viable on either a financial or social basis noting:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE
But market forces will push us to a situation where we will have Leinster and Munster in Ireland; Cardiff and Swansea in Wales; Stade Francais, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne and maybe Montpellier in France; and Leicester, Gloucester, and Northampton in England. You might have a couple of other clubs in the mix, anybody who has a multibillionaire investor to bankroll them. They might be Saracens, Toulon or Biarritz but, essentially, that will be it.[/b]

So, if you were silently holding out for a East Midland Jaguars vs Munster then sadly, you'll have to dream on...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunio...Mark-Evans.html

EDIT: Note the conspicuous absence of Bath in his name dropping European Superleague. But, if the Charities Commission and Bath RFC want to procrastinate for the best part of a decade on whether or not to put up enough temporary stands to hold 15,000 then they must expect to face the dire consequence of being cast aside as everyone else (who for some reason easily manages to get planning permission for their expansion done regardless of the planning issues) marches on.
[/b][/quote]

Love the way he adds a London club as an afterthought... what a horrible idea.

I like things as they is. The only things I'd change is 1) Anglo Welsh can suck my balls/ be played during internationals and have no HC qualification and 2) I want the HC winners to play the S14 winners.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Dec 21 2008, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Dec 21 2008, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And note the conspicuous PRESENCE of ... Northampton![/b]

Why? Recent form over the pastt 3 seasons aside, they've always been one of the biggest sides in the country... 2nd biggest fanbase behind Leicester in the country, the best stadium (which isn't a rented and lifeless bowel borrowed from a roundyball team) in the UK, regularly a top 4 side, a club with a business side which actually makes a profit and they're former HEC winners.

What's so odd about that? Apart from they're not Munster with the 163,000,000 fans who (so far have claimed) saw them beat the All Blacks in 1978. Despite struggling for even 7,000 fans in anything non-european cup.
[/b][/quote]

19000 for a Magners League match against Glasgow, sod the circumstances
 
No, not "Sod the circumstances", that was a one-off debut of the new Thommund Stadium. If they got that when the band wagon hoppers weren't on board they'd always use the big ground instead of the poxy Musgrave Park, which never even fills up anyway.
 
GG, as of next year the EDF is to be demoted to a development tournament that academy/fringe players will compete in during international weekends.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cyRil of Ospreylia @ Dec 22 2008, 01:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
GG, as of next year the EDF is to be demoted to a development tournament that academy/fringe players will compete in during international weekends.[/b]

Was it really anything else? :lol:

In England, its different. The clubs are too big, the geographical differences too great to surmount. When you've spent most of your living life turning up to Sixways, to a large and modern stadium, to watch a team competing with the best year in year out and are then told "sorry guys, you've got to travel to Gloucester now to watch them play if you want to see the only West Country side in top flight action" that probably would end the dream in the most cruel and despicable ways.

If regionalisation happens, either forced by the RFU or the Clubs (through financial circumstances), then expect a large increase in people forgoing going to club matches and just throwing the money they saved into trying to watch England once a season or something.
 
Which is exactly what the 57 old farts have been gunning for over the years; Kill the club game off and pump all the money directly into the RFU coffers.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Dec 22 2008, 09:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cyRil of Ospreylia @ Dec 22 2008, 01:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
GG, as of next year the EDF is to be demoted to a development tournament that academy/fringe players will compete in during international weekends.[/b]

Was it really anything else? :lol:

In England, its different. The clubs are too big, the geographical differences too great to surmount. When you've spent most of your living life turning up to Sixways, to a large and modern stadium, to watch a team competing with the best year in year out and are then told "sorry guys, you've got to travel to Gloucester now to watch them play if you want to see the only West Country side in top flight action" that probably would end the dream in the most cruel and despicable ways.

If regionalisation happens, either forced by the RFU or the Clubs (through financial circumstances), then expect a large increase in people forgoing going to club matches and just throwing the money they saved into trying to watch England once a season or something.
[/b][/quote]

Exactly. Rugby attendances are going up gradually, but we'll lose all those fans if we have regional framchises.. and no fans means no money.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gingergenius @ Dec 22 2008, 11:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Exactly. Rugby attendances are going up gradually, but we'll lose all those fans if we have regional framchises.. and no fans means no money.[/b]
I think the point is how a top quality competition survives when there's no debt to fund the teams.

The French clubs must be cacking it - except I guess their municipal authorities will cough up when their sugar daddies discover just how much Madoff/name-any-bank stole from them. Wonder how that works for Stade?

Oh yeah, can we have the macro-economic thread back? Just to see how right I was :D
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Dec 22 2008, 05:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I think the point is how a top quality competition survives when there's no debt to fund the teams.[/b]

That doesn't make sense. There still won't be any fans to provide the income through ticket sales or merchandising.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
Oh yeah, can we have the macro-economic thread back? Just to see how wrong I was :D[/b]

Fixed for greater justice. As The Economist pointed out last week:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
The case for keeping the pound still remains strong.[/b]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Dec 22 2008, 11:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Which is exactly what the 57 old farts have been gunning for over the years; Kill the club game off and pump all the money directly into the RFU coffers.[/b]

Hence why the likes of Mark Evans are trying to steer things so if England's clubs are forced into a Europe wide super-league, it'll be individual clubs taking the plunge rather than silly plastic regions with no links to the people of those areas.

Premier Rugby will make sure it'll be a select few teams (Glaws, Barf, Sinners, Average Sarries, Oirish, Pests and the Clowns) who will go through to form the back bone of the league.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Dec 21 2008, 10:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
No, not "Sod the circumstances", that was a one-off debut of the new Thommund Stadium. If they got that when the band wagon hoppers weren't on board they'd always use the big ground instead of the poxy Musgrave Park, which never even fills up anyway.[/b]


Musgrave Park is sold out more often than not, hell it sold out for a preseason friendly this year. You would have to go back to the RWC for the last time it hasn't been sold out for a ML game. All though you do have a valid point re:bandwagoners, your information about Muzzer is a few seasons old. Munster now play their first team (or very close to it) regularly in the ML as well :eek:
 
Yanked the thread back on topic and moved all the economic bashing onto a new thread.
 

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