The Nationals

[RoyalBlueStuey]

Anyone else enjoying life outside the Premiership....The big boys don't want to mix with the likes of us any more and the RFU would sooner we just got back to being totally amateur teams playing friendlies.

Still...who cares. They can share their grounds with footy clubs...we'll adjorn to the clubhouse for a pint with the players, officials and opposition fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvpMPDAM0go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJHXTgyqHuA

Come on Waterloo!

 

[getofmeland]

See as well as Bath I have a softspot for the Pirates, always keep an eye out for their results, I would personally like to see more games from the National League 1 covered... they did get a bit more coverage when the Quins went down, so maybe a big side to go down would do the league good...

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

See as well as Bath I have a softspot for the Pirates, always keep an eye out for their results, I would personally like to see more games from the National League 1 covered... they did get a bit more coverage when the Quins went down, so maybe a big side to go down would do the league good...
[/b]

They are pretty well supported...there was a fair few made the trip upto Liverpool. The Nationals have some really good clubs in them, they do deserve a bit better coverage. That anglo-welsh monstrosity of a competition should be reverted back to a straight knockout to allow the minnows a chance to play the big clubs.

SB

 

[getofmeland]

A lot like the Challenge Cup in League... look at the shocks that happend in that, but the RFU wouldnt do that, as it may embarass their stars...

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

A lot like the Challenge Cup in League... look at the shocks that happend in that, but the RFU wouldnt do that, as it may embarass their stars...
[/b]

It's almost as if they want to establish the top teams as little more than franchises and let the the lower league teams just slip down to casual community teams.......but we know how ridiculous that'd be.

 

[DC]

if i were ahead of the RFU i would merge the top 4 or 5 clubs from the Magners Celtic League and the top 6 or 7 clubs from the Guinness Premiership and make a new league called "Sponsor Name Here" Premiership.

i think this would open up more of a feeling of always playing the top flight teams as you have the best from both leagues going at it up in the Premiership whereas the national 1 and 2 leagues would be flooded with talented clubs as well, say some more of the teams from both leagues would make up that league, causing national 1 to be very talented and a team would have to earn their rights so to speak of moving into the premiership... also in contrast national league 2 would become more of a league with depth and that would make a nice little set up for a lot of competition..

what do you think?

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

what do you think?
[/b]

Why not just have a normal league system with 3 up 3 down from each division, have an English or British knockout cup competition starting at the lower leagues but with the top divisions joining later, get a sponsor to allow a bit of money to trickle down.

Basically establish a meritocracy instead of what they are doing now which is nurturing the big teams in order to get a solid bedrock for the national teams but allowing those teams who aren't in the ascendency at the moment to fend for themselves.

I don't like contrived sports.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

if i were ahead of the RFU i would merge the top 4 or 5 clubs from the Magners Celtic League and the top 6 or 7 clubs from the Guinness Premiership and make a new league called "Sponsor Name Here" Premiership.

i think this would open up more of a feeling of always playing the top flight teams as you have the best from both leagues going at it up in the Premiership whereas the national 1 and 2 leagues would be flooded with talented clubs as well, say some more of the teams from both leagues would make up that league, causing national 1 to be very talented and a team would have to earn their rights so to speak of moving into the premiership... also in contrast national league 2 would become more of a league with depth and that would make a nice little set up for a lot of competition..

what do you think?
[/b]

Or, we could just go back to how it was a few seasons ago before the RFU totally cocked it up with the introduction of playoffs and the Anglo-Welsh zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

How do you work out the top clubs in the Guinness Premiership? Any of them can beat any other on their day.

Would you try and judge it on previous seasons performances? That would be ultimately flawed as 2 seasons ago we almost got relegated, yet finished top 6 last year, and before that had been consistently top 3. Sale used to be cack, and have only fully shaped up in the last couple of seasons. London Irish have suddenly shot up in everyones estimation.

Basically, it wouldn't work.

The European Cup is the chance for all the biggest names in Europe to meet, it should be left as that.

 

[Bullitt]

Personally DC, I think that's the most rediculous thing I've ever heard. The last thing we need is for club rugby to become a regonalised 'franchise'.

 

[getofmeland]

Club Rugby needs a fair scale, to help develop the National League teams...

For Rugby to Develop in this country, there needs to be no protecting the big boys of the game, make them play the minnows of rugby, you never know there maybe *LIKELY* to be upsets, it would give the smaller clubs a chance to get some cash and help develop their grounds and their games... we then need to look at a system for the leagues themselves, I would personally say keep the Premiership, but take away the final and just have a normal league format, where the club who gets the most points wins... then instead of one team goes down 2 teams goes down, it gives the National League 1 more competive and more chance of a smaller team going up and making some money, I would also suggest possibly making the Premiership a 14 Team League, the condition for that would be no Premiership Final...

I really do feel the RFU need to give more funding to the Nationals tho, its the only way the sport is going to progress, and the only way to get more money is by it having a sponsor...

 

[Titan]

National 1 is wide open this year. Of the pre-season favourites, Bedford are yet to win, Leeds were beaten at home by London Welsh and Cornish Pirates lost at Waterloo! It really is shaping up to be a cracking season, and make no mistake, the ***ans mean business.

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

and make no mistake, the ***ans mean business.
[/b]

It's the very least we'd hope for from a team claiming to represent the entire planet!

Nat1 seems a lot more enjoyable this week then last week.

It'll still be stinkingly tough for teams like 'loo but hopefully we'll do ourselves justice along the way.