The all blacks generate so much more cash than the other nations they can comfortably subsidise the club game. They don’t really get huge crowds either, the NZ derbies maybe the exception.
So much more money in Europe I’d say S.A. and Arg would jump at chance. Always reckoned was decent opportunity for Arg union to support a club side based on Europe, in Spain or Italy maybe.
Correct.
As a competition it is unwieldy.
It is easier to watch it in Europe than it is in Australia or New Zealand. If one of those teams is touring over SA the fans have to get up in the middle of the night to watch. Having a bread and butter competition like that doesn’t make sense. When it was the Super 12 it wasn’t such a long competition and fans enjoyed the novelty of their state team or province go against others.
Australia and New Zealand should have gone their own way the last time out. Really what kept it going was Sky Sports who love the competition for over here. They have to slot matches in all over the weekend and it pads out their rugby portfolio which has been damaged since BT came in.
D-day.
Great that Michsel Corcoran is in London for the announcement . He set s great scene this morning. Dylan Hartley ?
12 irish tourists to kick off, probably another few will get out as well once they start dropping.
one of the biggest days in international sporting announcments
The format is bonkers. What are the viewing figures like?
The Telegraph reporting that it will be a squad of 40 with 15 players from England, 12 each from Ireland and Wales and 1 from Scotland. The Welsh back line to be selected en masse (despite been utterly appalling for a few years now) and various plodders/journeymen/over the hill dinosaurs like Keith Earls, Jamie Roberts and Donncha Ryan to make the cut. If this is the case it really is truly shameful treatment of Scotland and dynamic young players like Tommy Seymour, Finn Russell, Richie Gray and Hamish Watson.
Scotland should consider seceding from the British Loins if this happens.
Is the UK or over there?
In the U.K.
Fin Russel isn’t up to it. The rest are hard done by alright. Jamie Roberts is a fucking joke!!!
Looks like my predicted bolter Jack Nowell has made the cut
Gatland is an UUCOAM
Scotland had a good 6 nations. Poor form not getting 4/5 on the plane
The likely respective representations of Wales and Scotland are comical considering that Scotland beat Wales 29-13 from 6-13 down. Not to mention Scotland beating Ireland as well.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/leaked-picture-appears-confirm-sam-12911740
Bad decision if true.
Thought they would have more alright but gatland is a joke. Richie Gray probably most unfortunate
Its true he’s known for weeks if not months I’d say
You will typically see a couple of matches a week break into the top 10s of Sky channels
Ratings aren’t the big thing though. Yes they want an audience and the ad revenue, but it fills out the schedule.
The only chance for Sky to have live sport on in the mornings is rugby and cricket. They can have the Australian/NZ Super Rugby games on from 8.30 to 1 o’clock and then the SA Super Rugby games from 2pm-6pm and now have Japanese/Argentina games for other time slots. It’s more about selling to the person who is subscribing to Sky for rugby, the subscription revenue is the most important as that feeds into the overall tv package and Sky broadband et cetera.
I watch a shit load of the early morning weekend games
I’ll eat my hat if there’s only 1 north brit on the squad. He couldn’t do that, for optics alone.
