A Global Season?
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McGeechan's thoughts.
We (the SH) have been trying to avoid interruptions in Super Rugby but this is worse than the current situation as Super rugby and M10 Cup are two distinct competitions with different players.
What a unified calendar might look like Late January: All domestic leagues begin March-April: First international window: Six Nations, Rugby Championship May: Domestic leagues resume Mid-July-August: First rest period for everyone, six weeks September: Domestic leagues resume October-November: Second international window: North v South tours, tier one and tier two included, plus World Cup and Lions tour every other year November-December: Domestic leagues finish Christmas Club World Challenge: winners of domestic leagues meet in play-offs to determine "world champion" - proceeds to be shared by pro game in both hemispheres. -
@Bovidae Has McGeechan been to the SH in December - late January? What a stupid suggestion.
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@antipodean McGeechan is Scottish so doesn't know what summer is.
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@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
@antipodean McGeechan is Scottish so doesn't know what summer is.
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@canefan said in A Global Season?:
@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
@antipodean McGeechan is Scottish so doesn't know what summer is.
Those are indoor temperatures with the gas heaters on.
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I spent 4 awesome years in St Andrews, which has got some beautiful golden sand beaches. So funny to watch gleeful kids run in their togs in the summer hols... then run out seconds later screaming in cold agony. I don't think I went beyond ankle depth for those years
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@canefan said in A Global Season?:
@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
@antipodean McGeechan is Scottish so doesn't know what summer is.
That's not warm, chief.
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@junior said in A Global Season?:
@canefan said in A Global Season?:
@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
@antipodean McGeechan is Scottish so doesn't know what summer is.
That's not warm, chief.
Agreed!
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@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
McGeechan's thoughts.
We (the SH) have been trying to avoid interruptions in Super Rugby but this is worse than the current situation as Super rugby and M10 Cup are two distinct competitions with different players.
What a unified calendar might look like Late January: All domestic leagues begin March-April: First international window: Six Nations, Rugby Championship May: Domestic leagues resume Mid-July-August: First rest period for everyone, six weeks September: Domestic leagues resume October-November: Second international window: North v South tours, tier one and tier two included, plus World Cup and Lions tour every other year November-December: Domestic leagues finish Christmas Club World Challenge: winners of domestic leagues meet in play-offs to determine "world champion" - proceeds to be shared by pro game in both hemispheres.I don't think there are easy solutions to this without breaking up the domestic comps, or radically changing the timing of the international windows.
This has the advantage of at least providing clear international windows for all levels of international rugby to play. Would be 2 months, twice a year with loads of games on each weekend, free from the club/country issues. Of course, it dis-incentivise clubs to have internationals, as they will come back a bit jaded compared to the domestic players who just keep training fit through the break.
So, I don't like it. But I think I probably like it slightly more than the status quo. I don't like two short offseasons, but again that ship has sailed I suspect.
Sky losing the Cricket means they will strongly overlap the cricket season too, which I always felt bad about.
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@nzzp said in A Global Season?:
. Of course, it dis-incentivise clubs to have internationals, as they will come back a bit jaded compared to the domestic players who just keep training fit through the break.
It is less of a disincentive than not having those players during the international games, like it currently is
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@Machpants said in A Global Season?:
@nzzp said in A Global Season?:
. Of course, it dis-incentivise clubs to have internationals, as they will come back a bit jaded compared to the domestic players who just keep training fit through the break.
It is less of a disincentive than not having those players during the international games, like it currently is
'not having' or 'leaning on the international fringe players to not be eligible'.
I think that this is really good for the strength of international rugby - leaves decent windows for selecting players from all over the world, with travel time etc. Could de-power domestic leagues though (well, NZ and Aus are probably the only two left who won't select overseas players)
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@nzzp said in A Global Season?:
So, I don't like it. But I think I probably like it slightly more than the status quo. I don't like two short offseasons, but again that ship has sailed I suspect.
I think we all acknowledge that there will need to be compromise between the hemispheres to make this work. My problem is that McGeechan's proposal is based on the European club season, which is very different to what happens south of the equator at present.
If, for example, SR finishes before the July/August rest period, any AB player won't be playing at all until the next international window in October unless they participate initially in the M10 Cup. Great if they are, but unlikely. Then you stop a domestic competition for an international window in October/November when those (semi-professional) NPC players wouldn't be involved in that anyway. I don't think there is an easy solution and from a NZ perspective it will depend on how important the M10 Cup is to NZR.
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Looking at Geech’s, we could have M10 before first window, late summer. ABs picked off previous years work, can play some M10 games if necessary, otherwise a decent camp for ABs to start the year, maybe a prob vs poss game or two >Rugby Champs>SR into the rest because we rest/camp leading upto >Oct Nov tours
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@Machpants yeah,
wonder even if we just do Super after the RC in March/April. So it runs May, June, July, August (skip the rest), and then 6 weeks before teh October Test window opens.
Split out the M10 cup as a proper semipro/amateur comp, and run it late August/Sept and finish early October. I guess Club then runs May-July in parallel with Super.
This would give a big offseason (December-Feb), but has the disadvantage of All Blacks coming into both windows without meaningful competition for a month or three.
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@Machpants And club rugby? Most M10 Cup squads are picked from that player pool. I think the club season would need to run at the same time as SR in the future.
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@Bovidae said in A Global Season?:
@Machpants And club rugby? Most M10 Cup squads are picked from that player pool. I think the club season would need to run at the same time as SR in the future.
yeah good point...
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The original article is behind a paywall.
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@Bovidae Well Monsieur Goze comes across as an idiot, and a bell end to boot.
The Tour de France is in September. The summer Olympics are every 4 years and January in France is traditionally winter. As for ticket sales I guess all of the French will be too busy watching cricket in spring.
He just doesn't want international rugby to dominate the club game - which it should. The best players, with the best refs, at the right time of year.
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Here's the original interview with AFP in French:
