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Any Prem-URC merger should be rejected out of hand
If you ran a new but thriving business, one that attracted customers from all over the world, that produced a range of high quality products and was projected to continue to grow for at least the foreseeable future, would you hitch your wagon to a business that has been forced to shrink while so many of its most talented employees have left? No, you’d be mad to do anything of the sort. So why is this story of a possible merger between the United Rugby Championship and the Premiership being taken seriously?
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Perhaps no one is actually taking this seriously and it’s simply a storm in an English teacup. According to the Telegraph, “It is understood that the preference of the Premiership clubs, after a board meeting in London on Thursday morning, is to further explore the possibility of the creation of a British and Irish league.” So it’s just a possibility now. Still, history’s worst mistakes all started as possibilities.
There’s one catch. This league would not include the four South African and two Italian teams that currently play in the URC. What is on the table is an idea for the four Welsh, four Irish and two Scottish teams to join with the 10 English clubs. Various iterations have also been explored with a reduction in the number of English and Welsh teams to better accommodate all parties.
Whatever guise this proposed league would take it would be a catastrophe and should be rejected out of hand. Not because it would be bad news for the English clubs, or indeed bad news for the Welsh teams (more on both in a minute) but because it would utterly shaft the South Africans, Irish, Scots and Italians. If indeed this proposition reaches decision-making desks in Cape Town, Dublin, Edinburgh and Rome, it should be met with derision and contempt.
Why on earth would the Irish and Scots want to join their English counterparts? In just three seasons of the URC both Munster and Glasgow have lifted the title. Leinster, once so dominant in the competition that they could roll our B-teams and canter to the crown, have been knocked off their perch, having thrice been beaten in the semi-finals. Testimonies from coaches and players have all confirmed that the competition has not only been a step up of what had come before, but that they have the addition of the South African clubs to thank for that.
Now perhaps the Irish and Scots don’t want to be tested as rigorously every week. But I refuse to believe that. And I’d go further in suggesting that the addition of the South Africans, with their burly forwards, dynamic runners and radically different conditions on the other side of the world, have all contributed to the improvements of the Irish and Scottish national teams. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the Irish under Andy Farrell have started bullying English, French and New Zealand packs. Maybe it is at least partially down to the fact that their players scrum and mail against South Africans on a weekly basis.
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Perhaps it is also a coincidence that the Italians have seemingly found their mongrel. Oh sure they had sparkle and flair before, but their performance against France in the last Six Nations, not to mention their demolition job of Wales, was proof of their evolution. These are not merely hot-stepping show-ponies, but battlers and grafters. Causation is difficult to prove with absolute certainty but there it is at least worth considering how much of a role the introduction of the South Africans have played in these forward steps. And if that seems far-fetched, why not ask Australians and New Zealanders if the absence of regular contact with South Africans has impacted their ecosystems.
So if it would be madness for the Scots and Irish to jettison the best thing that has happened to their domestic rugby since the dawn of professionalism, who could be driving this lunacy? Who would have anything to gain? The answer is obvious.
It wasn’t long ago that the Premiership could attract some of the world’s best talent. Now the league can barely keep hold of England’s best talent. It wasn’t long ago that the Premiership was bursting with historic clubs. Now it looks over the wreckage and ruin that is Wasps, Worcester Warriors and London Irish. It wasn’t long ago that the Premiership carried great jeopardy as ambitious clubs fought their way into the top flight. Now it is ring-fenced with no chance for change, no matter how awful Newcastle and Gloucester may be.
I don’t mean to come across as a hater. I really do love the Premiership. It’s a cracking league with some of the best supporters in the game and a handful of delightful grounds. But not even the most blinkered fan of English rugby could argue that it is a league on the rise. Healthy people don’t tie themselves to those working through a sickness and the same should be true of professional sports leagues.
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Then we have the Welsh who would benefit the most from a merger. But would the English want them? As Daniel Schofield wrote in the Telegraph, “Beyond the South West, the struggling Welsh regions are not putting any bums on seats in any Premiership ground.” Leaving the URC for a teetering ship won’t solve Wales’ problems.
Need more reasons why this is a bad idea? How about the fact that it would effectively kill the Champions Cup and render European club games meaningless. What would be the point if there were only two leagues on the continent? If Leinster’s management and supporters are truly obsessed with that next star, then they should do everything in their power to end this nonsense before it takes off.
Fans have power and their voices should be heard. We saw how protests scuppered the proposed European Super League in 2021. If these talks between the English and their Celtic neighbours develop, they should be met with resounding disapproval. The struggles of the Premiership should not be the concern of anyone beyond the borders of England.
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Well as the kiwi said there game is loaded,, the stadiums are always packed up to the rafters and the product is so exciting,,, got to decide if the punters are coming for the game or to see the pre game jig ?
His kiwi says there loaded money poring out of the coffers, where’s it coming from ,, must be all the rugby jerseys there sale to the home nations English Walsh and Ireland yes yes that hasn’t to be the reason
Oh by the way there’s so much talent in kiwi land they r adout to rearrange the boys ,, Biden back to fly after how many years and oh oh the new sensation Wallace maybe another deck rearrange to go to 8 . Let’s deal with the abs financial situation, they r about to pay out Mac Donald i here it’s a LOT, what u stimate is the nut &blots figure of the Hama gold reserve???? 100 million 200,,, or 10 or bag a beads and a bolt ,,, come don’t be shy ?
270m revenue last year, hows that?
😝
This wouldn't be anything to do with the URC would it, as that is an independent body? This is about what each national body wants, which as you should know from SANZAR days is not what is best for the competitions. Now SR has an independent board as well, I'm not sure if URCs is more powerful than SR's though?
Theres no denying that the introduction of the overpowered South African teams is going to hurt the Celtic teams that can't keep up with the big boys. We, as fans, just want the best outcome for the game though, which certainly isn't going to be SA returning to SR. WR wil need to do something bigger but I think there is potential in Africa and Europe for SA to lead that?
While I agree with a lot of key points made here I think the author is hiding the most obvious one. South Africa will dominate the URC for the rest of it's existence if the current model remains. Another point that might outweigh all in this article is, "where is the development?". What is a URC with more SA'n teams and more Irish team's going to look like?
Haha a noticeable omission here?
Look, isn't European Cup already dead with African sides in it? It's just deciding who the best is out of a buch of different leagues (that physically viable in RE to SA, as its only viable around 1 ever 4 years for the new world club comp). This is hardly for Wales, or perhaps it is? The Welsh teams are not going to go into the Premiership. But, they would perform a strong basis for the second division. That is this ideas real strength, promotion relegation between relevant teams. You'd think 14 team divisions would be perfect, and I'd suggest would be great for the game in the area. Yes, even better for the Celtic nations that what having SA has been.
Apart from talking a general load of cr*p what on earth do you mean by SA dominating the URC? Who won it the last two years? You should take your Saffer-hating rubbish and stick it where the sun doesn't shine.
England wants more meaningful matches. Both England & Wales feel that cross border clashes between English & Welsh sides will be well attended and thus, a money maker. So here's my solution. Instead of a full or partial merger, how about replacing the Premiership Cup, with a new "Great Britain Cup."
You take the 10 Premiership sides, the 4 Welsh sides, and 2 Scottish sides, plus the top 4 from the previous season's RFU Championship. That's 20 teams. Four groups of 5, each team plays 2 home, 2 away fixtures, place the group stage in November. Then the winner of each group play in the knockout stage on the off weeks during the Six Nations window.
This achieves multiple purposes such as reconstituting the old Anglo-Welsh rivalries from the AW Cup days, it keeps the Championship involved and gives something to shoot for even for the Champ clubs that are unable or do not intend to meet promotion standards, and it gives every Prem club the (at least) 2 additional home fixture gates that they've been missing since the league shrunk to 10 teams. I think such a competition like this would command a better TV deal and better in-person attendance than the current Prem Cup.
I'd rather see 2 leagues. Or possible 4 divisions were seeding dictates your level of games. Too much imbalance in the teams for your idea to work imo.
Plus you'd have more than 4 Irish teams or two Scottish teams surely.
There is no chance this will happen, none whatsoever. And this is for a number of positive reasons.
Firstly, the URC is thriving and has seen a step up in competitiveness, interest and finances with the addition of the SA sides. With yet more headroom to grow further in each of those respects the future is bright. The only downside has been logistics but this centres mostly around the EPCR tournaments and these parameters must, can and will change to level the playing field.
Secondly, and this is almost an insurmountable hurdle, the GP operates on an entirely different basis to the URC. GP clubs are individual private enterprises, whereas the URC clubs are run and governed directly by their respective unions. The mix would be unhealthy, imbalanced and ultimately unworkable. Oil and water do not mix for a reason!
Yep, I can only really see the Championship teams joining, and the prems players slowly leaving to the new competition (because it would be so much better than the prem). SA joing the URC was insurmountable as well. What COVID type instigator is going to be the trigger this time?
I agree 100%. In the past, I had only heard this idea from the Welsh media and fans: At the time, they were the only ones. I, too, love the Premiership, but English rugby is currently being mis-managed into oblivion. Who would want a piece of that?
A lot of Welsh fans have been waiting for English clubs to come riding over the hill with an offer of an Anglo Welsh League to save Welsh rugby. This apparently would result in their currently deserted grounds suddenly bursting at the seams as “traditional” rivalries are renewed. They don’t seem to realise that they on their own have nothing to offer the English club spivs from a commercial viewpoint, but a lot of them have been clinging to the idea for years, while watching their clubs becoming weaker and weaker due to lack of support from their union and “fans”.
A perfect rugby autumn Post the British and Irish league hijack attempt: URC threaten to sue Premiership rugby into poverty (it will not take much) NZ, ABs and Boks smash England in consecutive weekends. Bill Beu resigns and is sent to Saint Helena.
More money in England than South Africa, simple as that. No long haul travel either.
Seems like a real culture clash though. English clubs sweat the assets, Celts look after the players much better. If Ireland join they'd need to remember that the national team pay the bills.
The URC is double the Prem in terms of money and triple the Prem soon. It’s desperation from Prem clubs who have been left behind and are now the poor men of Europe. It’s as simple as that.
Tipical kiwi self indulgence & air of superiority,,, U should be ripping the bandages holding your game together as the player base shrinks & the island home nations start pushing forwards on the own strength instead of propping up the kiwi game, U r broke U woke & the ALL BOKS will only play u every 4 years U pushed SA OUT & look at where u have ended up,,, I would say u been observing the game with the same rose tinted glasses as jk. ! Keep working on that little pagen gig c how that goes!💥👀
Really?! More money in England?! Then why did three teams collapse? "Rugby Guru"? Oh of course - 'kiwi'. Explains it all. Shame. Keep trying.
Scrap the rejection, just laugh at it.
Also, don't be surprised if the next article to come from this lot is about the wanting the SA clubs to jump ship over to the EP.
SA does have another 4 franchises that could easily join the EP or another competition such as a URC second division if it ever got off the ground.
Frankly, the poms will stuff up anything they get involved with. Great article Daniel, thanks. As David2 says below - and in a way, what we've seen with the Sharks in Durban - the last thing you need is rich bliksems taking over a team. Or a league. Let them stew in their own juice, or, allow them to join an expanded URC but with extremely strict rules on interference by either those richies or the Posh Boys who still seem to have too much say in the ERFU, at least judging by the composition of the English team. Not sure about the Welsh - WTF has happened to their rugby?
URC is already owned by CVC SteveD. What is the issue with the Sharks? They seem to be going gangbusters off the field.
These things always start as rumour, then the what ifs start to take place, next thing you know there is dissatisfaction amongst aggrieved parties, some who dont even have grievances cite them, there is a decline in happiness amongst all affected parties as everyone explores hypotheticals, then something major happens that causes a rethink and finally a split happens which sends the whole comp crashing down. SA teams be wary. For the longest time SA Rugby pondered a move up North. The travel was often cited as a major negative for SA teams in Super Rugby and also the timezone changes. Money, power and influence were also cited. Then after a while the NZ and Aus teams began to complain about the same things, bad conference, declining product, unfair outcomes etc. NZ started pondering going on their own with prominent figures like Mehrtens and others saying they needed to go on their own, 2 SA teams were already playing in Europe and the other 4 as well as SA Rugby pondered going North, Aus pondered internalising but were mostly caught in the crossfire and Argentina despite having the toughest were probably the happiest. Then Covid happened and the split occurred. It was entirely predictable. The URC is in a strong position but these ructions coming out of Wales and England are starting to stir into something more. The Welsh are already aggrieved at their status in the comp, lack of money and influence and the travel and logistics challenges. The English are restless and looking to merge to make their league more viable. The URC needs to be careful or else a full blown split could cause it to go the same way as SR.
Yeah you skipped the big juncture there in the merry go round. All that negative talk, much of it pointless in my opinion, like a lack of competitiveness from perennial teams, or in how unfair all seeding methods were post round robin days, resulted in 4 teams being jettisoned. Inevitably down hill from their. No blaming.
Here though I think this clearly has to be CVC wanting to make the most money from both of their leagues. Certainly don't want that greed to play a part like some posters have said, but it could be a really positive thing for all parties. As I guess how it has gone for all SR parties.
Well said, I can see this playing out within the next 4 years.
I thought they'd only 9 professional teams left in England?
Because of their brilliant governance.
Who in their right mind would want to get into bed with the English club owners. They destroyed the HEC, and are now in the process of destroying club rugby in England. Remember the promises they made when they were emasculating the HEC, that they were the only ones who had the business acumen to develop the completion. A bunch of incompetent, selfish touts who will screw over everyone else once they get their feet under the table.
You mean get into bed with CVC? Well you probably only have to look on your own doorstep for that answer.
The Championship does look like the better place to for Celtic clubs to join up with though, if they are really think about whats better for long term future. Much like with how people wanted the governance to go in NZ, all those 'money' professionals that will supposedly 'unlock' the game could more that likely turn it into a disaster ala Australian Rugby.
Greed.
I knew it was a joke of a proposal when I read that they wanted all 10 English teams in it and a mention of Ealing Trailfinders to balance numbers. The only people that took it seriously were Welsh fans and the English who beyond looking to increase their broadcast value are probably hoping that this move would jettison the South African teams from the Champions Cup. Another competition they ruined with their own self interest