The HEC boycott by the English and French clubs

[DonBilly]

This was predictable: the HEC boycott by the English and French clubs is over!

This was announced this early afternoon, this special afternoon when the final of this season HEC is to be played in Twickenham. Maybe this was the trick to secure the filling of the Temple.

http://www.rugbyrama.fr/tpfullpage_sto1186875.shtml

 

[Bullitt]

So the PRL buckled, but what are the French clubs reasons for caving in?

 

[An Tarbh]

I always thought that the French withdrew because the English hadn't sorted themselves out, the fixture issue was just a smokescreen imo

 

[Prestwick]

I know all you Irish are going to crow about how "you knew it was all going to be sorted out" but the truth is that this was never a foregone conclusion. I'm actually genuinely surprised that the RFU and PR agreed on something for once.

You guys do realise that these two are worse than Hamas and Fatah in Palestine right?

So crow all you want, but balls that you guys knew that this was going to be sorted out.

 

[An Tarbh]

The IRB know they have a sweet deal being set up in Dublin, they're not going to allow a situation where the primary revenue for the provinces in this country is going to be taken away.

It was always going to be sorted and we were proved right.

Think you're slightly off the mark with your analogy, a deal has actually been done.

 

[Prestwick]

Tosh, you know nothing of the utter hatred and malice for which the RFU and PR have for each other.

This was only sorted not because of anything that the iRB or the ERC had done, but more because one side had finally tired of the endless arguing and recriminations that had gone between the two sides.

Was this always going to be resolved, was it sh*te mate, and you know it.

 

[An Tarbh]

right so it had absolutely nothing to do with Syd Millar banging heads together as several people involved in the talks have said.

 

[Prestwick]

Nope, because the Clubs just laughed at Syd and called him "a child" if I remember rightly.

The only head he banged was his own up against a brick wall of Keith Barwells and Tom Walkinshaws.

 

[DonBilly]

I understand that in the agreement about to be signed the PR have obtained most of what they demanded: a stake of the ERC and 17 millions £ from the RFU for the access to the international players. The LNR main objective was to ensure the perenity of the English clubs in order to not remain the only clubs in the NH professional Rugby (with the Italian clubs) which in the end may have pushed the FFR towards a franchise system too. Moreover the boycott in the short term had the advantage to solve the calendar issues for next season.

Since the PR has managed to get an acceptable deal with the RFU there was no reason left to the LNR to pursue with the boycott.

 

[shtove]

I know all you Irish are going to crow about how "you knew it was all going to be sorted out" ...[/b]

I for one am not going to crow about the fact I told Prestwick that extreme positions early on in negotiations are a sure sign of preparing for a deal and that there was plenty of time (till July) to figure out the terms of that deal.

No, I'm a bigger man than that.

 

[Rugby_Cymru]

I seem to remember (shtove i think) going on about how he was certain (adamantly so) that this would all be resolved and that there would be a Heineken Cup next year.
I know believe the man may know what he's talking about.

 

[Prestwick]

Aye whatever

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

Hup, hup....hussah

Hup, hup....hussah

Hup, hup....hussah!