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Chris Robshaw's emotional goodbye after final home match at The Stoop

Chris Robshaw has penned an emotional letter after his final Harlequins appearance. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Harlequins)

Former England skipper Chris Robshaw has bid an emotional live TV farewell to The Stoop, the Harlequins ground where he played his last home match on Monday night for the Gallagher Premiership club before he joins MLS outfit San Diego Legion in 2021.

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Back row Robshaw has one final game to play for the London club, away to Leicester on Sunday which will be his 300th appearance for Harlequins. But the curtain fell on his time at The Stoop in dramatic fashion.

Quins were leading 20-8 when hooker Elia Elia was sent off with less than 30 minutes remaining and they were reeled in down the finishing straight by play-off chasing Wasps, losing 23-32 to spoil Robshaw’s home send off from the club he has been attached with for over a decade and a half.

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Speaking to BT Sport following the game, Robshaw said: “Of course it’s emotional, last time out here at The Stoop without the opportunity to share it with the fans and all that. Credit to the guys, we gave it all. It is what it is – it’s tough, it’s emotional. I’m sure there will be days in the future that I will look back with fond memories.

“It has been emotional. Of course in sport we don’t always get the fairy tales we dream about. You are always hopeful. Of course, the world is in a funny place. I’m sad I didn’t get to share it today with the fans who have supported me since the age of 17 at this club. But I’m sure in time I will have moment with them in the future. It’s emotional for me. You can probably hear it in my voice. Luckily I got a couple of the family in.

“It [Harlequins] has been my home, it is my home. It’s hard to put into words what it means, it’s all I have ever known and all I have ever wanted to know. I’ll lick my wounds and hopefully in a couple of years I will look back with fond memories.

“I have loved my time here. Of course, you always want to win more, you always want to be successful. But for me it’s been a hell of a ride. That’s sport, that’s international sport. You take the good times with the bad times.

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“When you play you remember the tough times more than the good times. But as time goes on you remember the good times. There has been some incredible times at this club. I have loved my time here but it goes quickly. In the blink of an eye you’re a 17-year-old kid playing out here and then whatever it is, 17 years later, 16 years later, it’s all over.

“In your body and your mind you know when the time is right and for me it feels right at the moment. It’s looking forward to having another opportunity, looking forward to having another challenge in my life, me and my wife going Stateside and enjoying a little bit of Californian sun, playing a bit of rugby and having a bit of fun. But I have loved my time here. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

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N
NB 46 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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