B&I Lions 2017
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I love this shot of Gatland watching:
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@MN5 said in B&I Lions 2017:
Can't he just watch it as a normal fan and not wear the obnoxious tracky and draw attention to himself ? he's just asking for unwanted attention dressing in that way.
He's just asking for every aspect of his trip home to NZ to be paid for & fly 1st class both ways dressing that way...
On a related note, Jimmy Goperth scored the winning try for Wasps this weekend
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@gollum said in B&I Lions 2017:
He's just asking for every aspect of his trip home to NZ to be paid for & fly 1st class both ways dressing that way...
A smart move! BTW Gatland wasn't wearing his Lions jacket when Smith interviewed him pre-game.
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It appears that the discussion on the new "global season" has reached a compromised solution.
SANZAAR gets the mid-year tests shifted to July, and the NH seasons will now start later and finish in June.
Agreement that no mid-year tests to be held in the year following a RWC, which, if memory serves, tends to be the best time for NH to get wins down south.
Super Rugby comp will now be able to run uninterrupted.
Six Nations won't move due to England and France holding sway so PRO12 plans to have a shorter league season that finishes in March are now buggered.
Lions tour in 2021 will now be held in July and August apparently.
This is the heads of a draft agreement to be signed off at next pow-wow in November.
Nothing reported on revenue-sharing issue. Japan and US/Canada will get more Tier 1 opposition in the new WR Test Schedule for 2020 onwards.
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It's a pity the 6N wouldn't move. But to be expected. I don't think the Pro 12 countries realise that strong international football is the best chance of keeping their players out of England and French club rugby.
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@Billy-Tell said in B&I Lions 2017:
It's a pity the 6N wouldn't move. But to be expected. I don't think the Pro 12 countries realise that strong international football is the best chance of keeping their players out of England and French club rugby.
Football?
Do you mean soccer or rugby? -
From a SANZAAR perspective that is a pretty good result, no? I imagine the no tests post-RWC was a compromise from no tests in a RWC year? Fair's fair the NH lose their EOYT during a RWC season.
Is there anything to stop us inviting teams like USA, Canada, Japan, Samoa, Fiji or Tonga? We shoehorned Canada in during 2007, we added a Samoa fixture very late in 2008 and Fiji in 2011 and 2015. They could also play a standard TRC to fill the gap if SANZAAR is agreeable (or at least a third Bledisloe). If all else fails they could play a probables vs possibles game and get a gate out of that.
I seriously doubt Tew is going to light 3 tests worth of revenue on fire and have a three week hole in July without a back up plan.
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@MajorRage I'm disappointed they didn't move it. Weather is an enormous contributor to the dire, sh1t rugby often served up. You can see this by how much better the games often are in the final weekend vs the openers (to be fair this is augmented by the fact often teams need to score a certain no. points to break a deadlock on the table, so chuck it round more - which is why the 6N should have bonus point, but that's for another thread ...)
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@rotated said in B&I Lions 2017:
From a SANZAAR perspective that is a pretty good result, no? I imagine the no tests post-RWC was a compromise from no tests in a RWC year? Fair's fair the NH lose their EOYT during a RWC season.
Is there anything to stop us inviting teams like USA, Canada, Japan, Samoa, Fiji or Tonga? We shoehorned Canada in during 2007, we added a Samoa fixture very late in 2008 and Fiji in 2011 and 2015. They could also play a standard TRC to fill the gap if SANZAAR is agreeable (or at least a third Bledisloe). If all else fails they could play a probables vs possibles game and get a gate out of that.
I seriously doubt Tew is going to light 3 tests worth of revenue on fire and have a three week hole in July without a back up plan.
Isn't there always a standard TRC and 3rd Bledisloe in the year following the RWC? The shortened TRC (with 2 Bledisloe games) isn't that usually before the RWC?
As to inviting the countries you mention, don't these countries have a Pacific Nations Cup to play? Not sure when in the rugby season ...
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@Stargazer said in B&I Lions 2017:
@rotated said in B&I Lions 2017:
From a SANZAAR perspective that is a pretty good result, no? I imagine the no tests post-RWC was a compromise from no tests in a RWC year? Fair's fair the NH lose their EOYT during a RWC season.
Is there anything to stop us inviting teams like USA, Canada, Japan, Samoa, Fiji or Tonga? We shoehorned Canada in during 2007, we added a Samoa fixture very late in 2008 and Fiji in 2011 and 2015. They could also play a standard TRC to fill the gap if SANZAAR is agreeable (or at least a third Bledisloe). If all else fails they could play a probables vs possibles game and get a gate out of that.
I seriously doubt Tew is going to light 3 tests worth of revenue on fire and have a three week hole in July without a back up plan.
Isn't there always a standard TRC and 3rd Bledisloe in the year following the RWC? The shortened TRC (with 2 Bledisloe games) isn't that usually before the RWC?
As to inviting the countries you mention, don't these countries have a Pacific Nations Cup to play? Not sure when in the rugby season ...
The Pacific Nations Cup usually takes place in the June test period in a non-RWC year but I think they'd be able to push it back a bit if it got them some games against the big guns. I like the idea, though I'd rather see Georgia tour here than USA or Canada...
Very happy they're going to push the June tests back to July and give us an uninterrupted Super season.
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So revised schedule will look something like this:
2019
Aug - RC and 6N warm up matches
Sep/Oct RWC Japan
Nov -SANZAAR finishes season
NH clubs continue season2020
Feb - Super Rugby starts
Six Nations starts
Mar - Six Nations ends
June - Super Rugby/PRO12/Top14/Prem finish
NH season ends
July - SANZAAR play tier 2 nations?? Or start RC earlier?Sept - Top14 starts
Oct - Prem/PRO 12 starts
Nov - test matches
Dec - SH season ends, NH continues2021
June - SR and NH clubs finish.
July - Lions tour to Argentina/Japan maybe??2022
June - finish
July - NH teams tour SANZAAR unions2023
June - finish
July - no tour - start RC
Aug warm up matches for NH/complete RC
Sept - start RWC -
@hydro11 said in B&I Lions 2017:
No money in touring Argentina for the Lions. There are no good teams to play over there and besides Argentina would probably just move a test to Twickenham.
The financial benefit of a Lions tour is mainly for the host nation(s), not the Lions.
A bit churlish, perhaps?
A combined tour over two nations (as used to sometimes happen) would spread the load somewhat. It might prove to be a very popular boost for rugby in South America and Japan. And clearly they couldn't move a test to Twickenham since it's an outbound tour.
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@Frye said in B&I Lions 2017:
A Lions tour to Argentina would be a clever decision.
Especially after they get reamed in NZ losing more than half of their games.
That sounds more like a spit on the ground rather than encouragement for the idea.
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@rotated said in B&I Lions 2017:
From a SANZAAR perspective that is a pretty good result, no? I imagine the no tests post-RWC was a compromise from no tests in a RWC year? Fair's fair the NH lose their EOYT during a RWC season.
Is there anything to stop us inviting teams like USA, Canada, Japan, Samoa, Fiji or Tonga? We shoehorned Canada in during 2007, we added a Samoa fixture very late in 2008 and Fiji in 2011 and 2015. They could also play a standard TRC to fill the gap if SANZAAR is agreeable (or at least a third Bledisloe). If all else fails they could play a probables vs possibles game and get a gate out of that.
I seriously doubt Tew is going to light 3 tests worth of revenue on fire and have a three week hole in July without a back up plan.
I suspect that any gap in the new schedule will be seized on by the English and French clubs to drive a world club competition of some sort to realise the NH v SH club argument. One with enough money at stake to silence the need for more tests. One in which winning will matter less than simply being part of.
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@Pot-Hale said in B&I Lions 2017:
@hydro11 said in B&I Lions 2017:
No money in touring Argentina for the Lions. There are no good teams to play over there and besides Argentina would probably just move a test to Twickenham.
The financial benefit of a Lions tour is mainly for the host nation(s), not the Lions.
A bit churlish, perhaps?
A combined tour over two nations (as used to sometimes happen) would spread the load somewhat. It might prove to be a very popular boost for rugby in South America and Japan. And clearly they couldn't move a test to Twickenham since it's an outbound tour.
My point was that if the Argentinian Rugby Union feels the need to move a home test to England, they clearly don't make much money from them. I really just don't know who the Lions would play in Argentina. There is Argentina and the Jaguares (which are basically the same team anyway). In Japan you have a few teams to play but the Top League doesn't start until November. Therefore it is questionable whether you could get the players together.
