Tournament Revamp?

[Demfad]

Leinster fan saying this is insane

Youre missing the point. I am referring to teams raising the white flag and sending teams with no chance of winning. We saw Edinburgh and Harlequins do this and sneak into the knock outs ahead of Munster and LaRochelle who try to win every match (LaRochelle's match at Port Elizabeth notwithstanding). Leinster always endeavour to win every match and will do so as economically as possible, which is something different.

 

[Demfad]

Correct we don't have the power to veto it, but we do have the power to say we don't want to be part of it. Exactly like the SA clubs.

English clubs were part of the dumbing down of the competition so they could get a knock out bonus with a half assed effort in the Pools. I doubt they will throw that all away now. What exactly is England's issue with SA? The "European" part of the name can be changed if the lack of accuracy offends some.

 

[Demfad]

Player welfare for SA teams:
URC coordinates with Champions Cup for matches involving SA teams.
SA teams have combined URC/CC European tours: a URC tour followed by 1-2 CC matches depending on format. That's the player welfare aided.
There were signs that Stormers and Bulls have the CC bug. Was almost a SA team in the semi final (if Bulls and Stormers had won). Stormers and Bulls can be competitive in both.
If the issue is just player welfare then that can be fixed with an alignment of SA tours to Europe.
The round of 16 is a stumbling block and allows teams to throw matches and still sneak qualification.
It also raises player welfare issues for SA teams if back to back knock out rounds between 1/8 final and 1/4 final.