Saints to be punished for allowing North to play with Wales

[McTallshort]

You mean like the salary cap? that could be restraint of trade.

 

[Maverick1987]

If PRL shoehorn their clubs into having clauses in their contacts that prevent the clubs from releasing their own employees (the players) as they see fit, than that smells like a "restraint of trade" to me, which would make the contracts illegal!

Nobody said the PRL "shoehorned" the clubs into signing a contract

I believe that some of the board are made up by people from the clubs ?
They are doing what is best for English rugby . Our players are released as and when needed .

It's not our job to keep welsh rugby in order that will be the job of the WRU . Just because they are inept doesn't mean PRL and the RFU should shoulder all the blame

They quite clearly have a rule to protect the league and Northampton CHOSE to ignore it and do as they please . Hopefully when wales organise their out of window game next year saints will be playing sarries or Leicester away . See how quick he gets released then .....

The real prats in this whole argument is the WRU for playing a game outside the window "again"

Oh and twisting every little thing you hear in the press to suit your argument makes you look like and idiot .

Just saying .....

 

[McTallshort]

Forget it mate they only believe what they want to.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Just saying ... North had a release agreement in his contract. So despite the WRU being inept at times they made sure George had a release clause in his contract to allow him to be released. Northampton to their credit respected the clause and released him.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Nobody said that isn't what happened...

 

[McTallshort]

Just saying ... North had a release agreement in his contract. So despite the WRU being inept at times they made sure George had a release clause in his contract to allow him to be released. Northampton to their credit respected the clause and released him.

They did and broke an agreement they signed up to, how do we know another club did not sign North because they were unwilling to break the rules? What happens next , players are signed over the salary cap?

Northampton should not have agreed to Norths contract in the first place if they knew they would have to break the rules.

 

[St George]

I find it absurd that some BM's are still beating up the PRL on this matter when its clear that they are only enforcing a rule which the Saints signed up to and works side by side with the International governing body, the IRB, via IRB Regulation 9 covering player release. To read some posts, it would seem that the PRL are preventing North from playing for Wales. But this is not the case. The objection is that Wales arranged a game outside of the agreed window for internationals as laid down by the IRB in consultation with all participating bodies. This means that the game was not covered by the internationally recognised regulation for release of players and so is in breach of the contract/agreement that saints has with its governing bodies the PRL & RFU.

Here is an article from the Independant which shows that maybe the IRB have been complicit in allowing this to take place with such a Regulation which is a bit wooly. In particular i like Cockerills comments regarding games outside of the window:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...nd-countries-at-sixes-and-sevens-2112079.html

IMO its quite clear some people have an agenda when it comes to the PRL and the game in England in general.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Slightly off topic, but still PRL related:

Earlier in the season I ragged on them quite a bit for not naming & shaming, and not point docking, several clubs who went over the salary cap last season (or season before?).
I've since found out that the reason they got away with a fine and slapped wrist is that at the start of the season the clubs were within the salary cap, but some of their players had clauses written into their contracts saying if they get called up internationally they get X amount more - due to injuries and unexpected call ups, several players initiated this clause causing their clubs to go over.
While the clubs should, really, factor this in at the start of the season regardless, it is somewhat more understandable than clubs being blatantly over the salary cap 24/7 (I know some "are", but I mean on the books, rather than suspicions).

 

[Rhyer]

This will turn the way of football. Club before country mentality should be cut down before it is allowed to gain any more momentum. This is another coffin in the nail and why I slowly grow disgusted with how this game is going. Professionalism has ruined this beautiful game.

I truly believe the only countries doing it right are Ireland and New Zealand and I have a huge amount of respect for both.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah lets go back to the days when players had to balance a full time job with playing for club and country.....

 

[Rhyer]

Yeah lets go back to the days when players had to balance a full time job with playing for club and country.....

Yeah because no one has to balance work with hobbies. Ever. It's totally impossible.

 

[smartcooky]

This will turn the way of football. Club before country mentality should be cut down before it is allowed to gain any more momentum. This is another coffin in the nail and why I slowly grow disgusted with how this game is going. Professionalism has ruined this beautiful game.

I truly believe the only countries doing it right are Ireland and New Zealand and I have a huge amount of respect for both.

Yeah lets go back to the days when players had to balance a full time job with playing for club and country.....

Our players are professionals, and don't have to balance anything against full time jobs. Why do NZ and Aussie players in general, stay in NZ for less money than they could get by going to Europe? Some of them could name their own salaries in Europe, and they'd get it too.

The answer is mostly the whole package when it comes to playing professional rugby here. I can't speak for Australia, but I can tell you that players here stay because the NZRU has set up a great place to play rugby and for players to advance the quality and skill levels of their game. Super Rugby professionals only have to play at most 16 regular season games and two or three post season. The Super Rugby season only lasts for 18-20 weeks, then while the All Blacks play another six matches in nine weeks in the RC, the non-All Black Super Rugby players play another 10 weeks of regular season (plus potentially two weeks of post season) in the lower level, semi-professional ITM Cup. This is in sharp contrast to the NH where the season drags on and on, and on, for 40+ weeks.

Part of the package here is that the local authorities have spent millions and millions of dollars upgrading the grounds so that the surfaces are top notch. The elite game here is generally played on hard and fast grounds that are brilliant to play on. Some of the grounds I see in the AP and Top 14 are appalling. The grounds are heavy and sodden and cut up really badly. Two of the grounds that will be used in the 2014 6N (Millennium Stadium and Stade de France) wouldn't even be fit to run livestock on in this country, and I am hearing that Murrayfield is infested with a disease that is destroying that surface too.

But the worst aspect of NH rugby, especially in England and France is that allowing rich millionaires to use Rugby Union club ownership for personal street cred has led to directly to all the *****ing, in-fighting, backstabbing and legal challenges that have been taking place for the last 18 years, as well as the current fiasco with European rugby.

This borderline obsessive worshipping of "the bottom line" has also led to the high injury toll and to professional players being treated like disposable commodities; mercilessly flogged for endless domestic season after endless domestic season. Its no coincidence that the AP and Top 14 have the highest injury toll of any professional domestic rugby competition in the world - players not given sufficient recovery time when injured, made to play with injuries not fully healed, and having to turn out for their clubs, week after week for 30+ matches.

Some returning players have said that it is sometimes a very unpleasant place to play, both physically and emotionally.

 

[Tony Manx]

Our players are professionals, and don't have to balance anything against full time jobs. Why do NZ and Aussie players in general, stay in NZ for less money than they could get by going to Europe? Some of them could name their own salaries in Europe, and they'd get it too.

The answer is mostly the whole package when it comes to playing professional rugby here. I can't speak for Australia, but I can tell you that players here stay because the NZRU has set up a great place to play rugby and for players to advance the quality and skill levels of their game. Super Rugby professionals only have to play at most 16 regular season games and two or three post season. The Super Rugby season only lasts for 18-20 weeks, then while the All Blacks play another six matches in nine weeks in the RC, the non-All Black Super Rugby players play another 10 weeks of regular season (plus potentially two weeks of post season) in the lower level, semi-professional ITM Cup. This is in sharp contrast to the NH where the season drags on and on, and on, for 40+ weeks.

Part of the package here is that the local authorities have spent millions and millions of dollars upgrading the grounds so that the surfaces are top notch. The elite game here is generally played on hard and fast grounds that are brilliant to play on. Some of the grounds I see in the AP and Top 14 are appalling. The grounds are heavy and sodden and cut up really badly. Two of the grounds that will be used in the 2014 6N (Millennium Stadium and Stade de France) wouldn't even be fit to run livestock on in this country, and I am hearing that Murrayfield is infested with a disease that is destroying that surface too.

But the worst aspect of NH rugby, especially in England and France is that allowing rich millionaires to use Rugby Union club ownership for personal street cred has led to directly to all the *****ing, in-fighting, backstabbing and legal challenges that have been taking place for the last 18 years, as well as the current fiasco with European rugby.

This borderline obsessive worshipping of "the bottom line" has also led to the high injury toll and to professional players being treated like disposable commodities; mercilessly flogged for endless domestic season after endless domestic season. Its no coincidence that the AP and Top 14 have the highest injury toll of any professional domestic rugby competition in the world - players not given sufficient recovery time when injured, made to play with injuries not fully healed, and having to turn out for their clubs, week after week for 30+ matches.

Some returning players have said that it is sometimes a very unpleasant place to play, both physically and emotionally.

Sums it up for me!!

 

[Draggs]

Interesting... Not a bad punishment at all I suppose.

Mallinder has revealed though that rather than Northampton being fined every time they release North to play in similar matches for Wales, the punishment received will instead cover his whole contract - which has two-and-a-half years remaining.

PlanetRugby

 

[Peat]

That's barely a punishment at all. ****-poor.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Aye, that's ridiculous.
Hopefully Mallinder is wrong. To be honest I would've like to have seen the fine increase every time they broke the rule, and potentially seen points being docked/

 

[Maverick1987]

Our players are professionals, and don't have to balance anything against full time jobs. Why do NZ and Aussie players in general, stay in NZ for less money than they could get by going to Europe? Some of them could name their own salaries in Europe, and they'd get it too.

The answer is mostly the whole package when it comes to playing professional rugby here. I can't speak for Australia, but I can tell you that players here stay because the NZRU has set up a great place to play rugby and for players to advance the quality and skill levels of their game. Super Rugby professionals only have to play at most 16 regular season games and two or three post season. The Super Rugby season only lasts for 18-20 weeks, then while the All Blacks play another six matches in nine weeks in the RC, the non-All Black Super Rugby players play another 10 weeks of regular season (plus potentially two weeks of post season) in the lower level, semi-professional ITM Cup. This is in sharp contrast to the NH where the season drags on and on, and on, for 40+ weeks.

Part of the package here is that the local authorities have spent millions and millions of dollars upgrading the grounds so that the surfaces are top notch. The elite game here is generally played on hard and fast grounds that are brilliant to play on. Some of the grounds I see in the AP and Top 14 are appalling. The grounds are heavy and sodden and cut up really badly. Two of the grounds that will be used in the 2014 6N (Millennium Stadium and Stade de France) wouldn't even be fit to run livestock on in this country, and I am hearing that Murrayfield is infested with a disease that is destroying that surface too.

But the worst aspect of NH rugby, especially in England and France is that allowing rich millionaires to use Rugby Union club ownership for personal street cred has led to directly to all the *****ing, in-fighting, backstabbing and legal challenges that have been taking place for the last 18 years, as well as the current fiasco with European rugby.

This borderline obsessive worshipping of "the bottom line" has also led to the high injury toll and to professional players being treated like disposable commodities; mercilessly flogged for endless domestic season after endless domestic season. Its no coincidence that the AP and Top 14 have the highest injury toll of any professional domestic rugby competition in the world - players not given sufficient recovery time when injured, made to play with injuries not fully healed, and having to turn out for their clubs, week after week for 30+ matches.

Some returning players have said that it is sometimes a very unpleasant place to play, both physically and emotionally.

I understand what you mean but at the end of the day all sport is money unfortunately .

Look at the Spanish in football , us british in cycling (track and road), sailing and rowing , Americans at track and field .

I could go on and on, not all sports have gone to **** with money invested

You certainly do like to pull up the very worse situation though Smartcooky