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1
Other Senior Rugby / Re: More history down the drain.
« on: August 08, 2024, 06:56:11 AM »
Didn't know that - nor, I suspect do a lot of others! Shows what can be achieved despite sponsorship deals.
Well done the Swinneylanders.
Well done the Swinneylanders.
2
Other Senior Rugby / More history down the drain.
« on: August 07, 2024, 04:49:03 PM »
First it was Wales, with their Millennium Stadium becoming the Principality stadium for commercial reasons.
Then Ireland with Lansdowne Road becoming the Aviva stadium.
Now Twickenham has become Allianz.
How much longer will Murrayfield and Stade de France retain their names?
Does it actually matter?
Then Ireland with Lansdowne Road becoming the Aviva stadium.
Now Twickenham has become Allianz.
How much longer will Murrayfield and Stade de France retain their names?
Does it actually matter?
3
Regional One (North East) / Re: Crowd funding at Harrogate
« on: April 17, 2024, 12:32:33 PM »
Harrogate needs to sort out its roads before anything else. Absolutely shocking levels of potholes and surface damage everywhere.
4
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Brid unbelievably unlucky
« on: April 08, 2024, 05:34:17 PM »
An out of touch, tone deaf set of people whose only concern is their own self interest. At least our country isn’t run that way. Hang on……
5
Other Senior Rugby / Re: RFU fixtures and results web site playing up
« on: February 14, 2024, 07:25:28 AM »
I refer the prospective candidate to the answer I gave earlier.
By deeds, not words, are politicians judged. The current omnishambles of a completely tone deaf, out of touch clusterf**k needs a change. Any change will do.
By deeds, not words, are politicians judged. The current omnishambles of a completely tone deaf, out of touch clusterf**k needs a change. Any change will do.
6
Other Senior Rugby / Re: RFU fixtures and results web site playing up
« on: February 12, 2024, 05:31:51 PM »
Not as many as the prospective MP who made the mistake of knocking on my door the other day and tried to ingratiate himself by mentioning your name!
He asked if I had any advice.
I replied “ Yes. Don’t stand.”
He asked if I had any advice.
I replied “ Yes. Don’t stand.”
7
Other Senior Rugby / Re: RFU fixtures and results web site playing up
« on: February 12, 2024, 09:30:33 AM »
All I can say is that I’ve never had a problem……
8
Other Senior Rugby / Re: RFU fixtures and results web site playing up
« on: February 12, 2024, 07:50:32 AM »
Never had a problem this season. Are you using the same site?
https://www.rfunorth.com/results-tables-fixtures/
https://www.rfunorth.com/results-tables-fixtures/
9
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Rochdale keeping rugby traditions alive 🤣
« on: February 08, 2024, 09:03:36 AM »
Many, many years ago I was on tour way down south in a quite posh hotel owned by John H Stracey, the boxer. He decided to join us in the early hours and things got very loud with lots of beer on the house.
Some guests came down wanting to complain to the manager. Stracey said "I own the place, so if you don't like it you can all **** off".
Now THAT was a hotel
Some guests came down wanting to complain to the manager. Stracey said "I own the place, so if you don't like it you can all **** off".
Now THAT was a hotel
10
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Results 6th Jan 24
« on: January 14, 2024, 09:48:03 AM »
Not that difficult to work out 🤔
11
Registration/Contact Information AND Miscellaneous Chat / Re: New Member
« on: January 11, 2024, 01:38:50 PM »
I’m sure BRB will expedite this once his head clears from a surfeit of cheap Pinotage. 🍷🍷🍷
12
Other Senior Rugby / Happy Christmas to the RFU !
« on: December 22, 2023, 03:43:45 PM »
Hot off the press, underlining all is not well with our game....
"Statement by the Championship Clubs – December 22, 2023. For immediate release
The RFU did not inform Championship clubs in advance of publication of the comments that the CEO and others chose to give to the press last week about our collective discussions over the future of the second tier. The game will also have seen the Funding and Growth strategy document which was sent to our clubs and the Council a few days ago containing certain conditional proposals.
We wish to respond on a number of matters.
First, we share the RFU’s desire to build a competitive and valuable second tier with all the ambition you need in a sporting competition. That is not possible for as long as Premiership Rugby Ltd and the RFU choose to maintain the current barriers to entry, which by necessity leaves the Championship as the top of the competitive pyramid in English rugby.
Second, the significant underinvestment in our league over recent times – central funding cut by 75% with no prospect of meaningful improvement – has left us self-reliant, self-funded and self-sustaining. This is the overall backdrop.
The RFU has now chosen to criticise our attitude to their flawed proposals, which we do not believe represent a whole-game solution. Not only do we need a whole-game solution, but we need a whole-game response to the proposals laid out by the RFU, so in the New Year we will be making our views on the details – as far as we can ascertain them – of the Premiership II plan.
For now, we would like to repeat what we said on November 17, that the Championship clubs are not interested in a league that follows a franchise or selection-based model.
That means a league in which clubs are chosen to be part of a new tier two because of a commercial, geographic or financial consideration, rather than gaining membership by virtue of promotion and relegation. Meritocracy is a longstanding principle of rugby in this country, even if franchises might work elsewhere and in other sports. Basing entry to Tier 2 on minimum operating standards or on the perceived importance of their “brand”, rather than merit, would deprioritise the quality of rugby, of coaching and player development in Tier 2 at a time when Tier 1 is already cutting squads back.
However, we fully support the research going on to identify ambition in other parts of the country to assist in growing the game.
We share the RFU’s view that a second tier must be viable and of the highest possible standard. This requires continual improvements over time on and off the field, but the critical point, which the RFU knows, is that these improvements have to be developed and paid for. Unfortunately, while so little funding is allocated towards the second tier in general, our attitude has to be progressive and clubs need time to build a business plan. We have constantly urged earlier disclosure of funding plans to allow time for our clubs to plan with confidence.
We commit totally to an effective player development pathway when PRL and RFU have decided, with us, what they really mean by that. Discussions are ongoing. Game time and vital life experience is achieved for our young players by meaningful contracts and time spent with our clubs. Our value over the last years is undeniable, with more than 100 International recognitions for players who have been part of the Championship.
Unlike the RFU, we believe that the Championship under our amended proposals is a wholly investible proposition. Indeed, collectively the current clubs’ benefactors have invested some £200 million since this league first came into being. We accept that it would be even more investible if the RFU had not cut funding levels so deeply during the most difficult period for competitive sports clubs in the modern era. They have failed by their own admission to commercialise our business. Now that, at our request, we
have been given those rights to exploit, we can try to build separate revenue streams.
Governance of Tier Two is a key consideration here at a time when the whole Union is to be reviewed and upgraded following independent analysis. A joint venture with the RFU is the most appropriate at this time while understandably PRL ensures its own fitness for purpose. This does not mean we cannot formally connect to the very top of the game over time in this area.
A key point is that our clubs have very strong rugby DNA. We believe in that heritage as a force for the future and so do dozens of other clubs in leagues below the Championship who aspire to the top. We are committed to working with the RFU to find ways of preserving that DNA – all that is best about the sport we love – while continuing the vitally important work of creating a strong and sustainable second tier for the good of the whole game.
Our objectives are common and we agree on so much, but our approach is different and based on decades of rugby and business experience. That demands respect and attention and the RFU Board should engage its full effort in listening to us. The Union was set up to be a guardian of the whole game in this country across all ages and talents. It must now fulfil those responsibilities.
We will have more to say on this early in the New Year."
"Statement by the Championship Clubs – December 22, 2023. For immediate release
The RFU did not inform Championship clubs in advance of publication of the comments that the CEO and others chose to give to the press last week about our collective discussions over the future of the second tier. The game will also have seen the Funding and Growth strategy document which was sent to our clubs and the Council a few days ago containing certain conditional proposals.
We wish to respond on a number of matters.
First, we share the RFU’s desire to build a competitive and valuable second tier with all the ambition you need in a sporting competition. That is not possible for as long as Premiership Rugby Ltd and the RFU choose to maintain the current barriers to entry, which by necessity leaves the Championship as the top of the competitive pyramid in English rugby.
Second, the significant underinvestment in our league over recent times – central funding cut by 75% with no prospect of meaningful improvement – has left us self-reliant, self-funded and self-sustaining. This is the overall backdrop.
The RFU has now chosen to criticise our attitude to their flawed proposals, which we do not believe represent a whole-game solution. Not only do we need a whole-game solution, but we need a whole-game response to the proposals laid out by the RFU, so in the New Year we will be making our views on the details – as far as we can ascertain them – of the Premiership II plan.
For now, we would like to repeat what we said on November 17, that the Championship clubs are not interested in a league that follows a franchise or selection-based model.
That means a league in which clubs are chosen to be part of a new tier two because of a commercial, geographic or financial consideration, rather than gaining membership by virtue of promotion and relegation. Meritocracy is a longstanding principle of rugby in this country, even if franchises might work elsewhere and in other sports. Basing entry to Tier 2 on minimum operating standards or on the perceived importance of their “brand”, rather than merit, would deprioritise the quality of rugby, of coaching and player development in Tier 2 at a time when Tier 1 is already cutting squads back.
However, we fully support the research going on to identify ambition in other parts of the country to assist in growing the game.
We share the RFU’s view that a second tier must be viable and of the highest possible standard. This requires continual improvements over time on and off the field, but the critical point, which the RFU knows, is that these improvements have to be developed and paid for. Unfortunately, while so little funding is allocated towards the second tier in general, our attitude has to be progressive and clubs need time to build a business plan. We have constantly urged earlier disclosure of funding plans to allow time for our clubs to plan with confidence.
We commit totally to an effective player development pathway when PRL and RFU have decided, with us, what they really mean by that. Discussions are ongoing. Game time and vital life experience is achieved for our young players by meaningful contracts and time spent with our clubs. Our value over the last years is undeniable, with more than 100 International recognitions for players who have been part of the Championship.
Unlike the RFU, we believe that the Championship under our amended proposals is a wholly investible proposition. Indeed, collectively the current clubs’ benefactors have invested some £200 million since this league first came into being. We accept that it would be even more investible if the RFU had not cut funding levels so deeply during the most difficult period for competitive sports clubs in the modern era. They have failed by their own admission to commercialise our business. Now that, at our request, we
have been given those rights to exploit, we can try to build separate revenue streams.
Governance of Tier Two is a key consideration here at a time when the whole Union is to be reviewed and upgraded following independent analysis. A joint venture with the RFU is the most appropriate at this time while understandably PRL ensures its own fitness for purpose. This does not mean we cannot formally connect to the very top of the game over time in this area.
A key point is that our clubs have very strong rugby DNA. We believe in that heritage as a force for the future and so do dozens of other clubs in leagues below the Championship who aspire to the top. We are committed to working with the RFU to find ways of preserving that DNA – all that is best about the sport we love – while continuing the vitally important work of creating a strong and sustainable second tier for the good of the whole game.
Our objectives are common and we agree on so much, but our approach is different and based on decades of rugby and business experience. That demands respect and attention and the RFU Board should engage its full effort in listening to us. The Union was set up to be a guardian of the whole game in this country across all ages and talents. It must now fulfil those responsibilities.
We will have more to say on this early in the New Year."
13
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Grassroots Rugby
« on: November 30, 2023, 09:40:01 AM »
Spot on. We live in the realities of 2023, not 1963.
14
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Grassroots Rugby
« on: November 29, 2023, 06:00:34 PM »
Amused that in 2023 we are still obsessing about payments to players.
Way back in the early 70's - long before the game went officially pro - I was fortunate to play for Camb Uni against the invitation Steele Bodgers XV. After the game, a well known former international went round the SB team asking for "expense" requests. A Welsh prop asked for the equivalent of a week's wages, which he was paid there and then in cash without a second's hesitation.
Whether expenses, direct payments or anything else you want to call it, it always has and always will happen. Time to get over it I think? Club committees make up their own minds. If their members don't like it, there's always an AGM at which they can vote....
Way back in the early 70's - long before the game went officially pro - I was fortunate to play for Camb Uni against the invitation Steele Bodgers XV. After the game, a well known former international went round the SB team asking for "expense" requests. A Welsh prop asked for the equivalent of a week's wages, which he was paid there and then in cash without a second's hesitation.
Whether expenses, direct payments or anything else you want to call it, it always has and always will happen. Time to get over it I think? Club committees make up their own minds. If their members don't like it, there's always an AGM at which they can vote....
15
Regional Two (North & North East) / Re: Todays Results (18th November)
« on: November 21, 2023, 12:12:09 PM »
All part of the Rope A Dope master plan (the meaning of which is known to those of a certain age.)