The Quickening 2022

[ronk]

We're the last kickoff for the last game. So we have room to wiggle if we need points or just want to push Munster down.

The Munster Ulster one will say a lot and we'll know that result before we play this weekend. Same with Glasgow Stormers.

[bluemagic]

Ideally we loose to both sharks and stormers but get a lbp and tbp in both games allowing them to overtake Munster while still giving us wiggle room at the top!

[johng]

I'll be hoping for a Munster win with no bps or even better a draw this weekend.

Not sure why we would want South African teams doing well.

Or a Leinster loss for that matter. Beating the sharks would be excellent.

[bluemagic]

I'll be hoping for a Munster win with no bps or even better a draw this weekend.

Not sure why we would want South African teams doing well.

Or a Leinster loss for that matter. Beating the sharks would be excellent.

Because if you're like me, Munster losing is as sweet as Leinster winning

[hugonaut]

Leo taking a more outspoken stance than usual re: the still-undisclosed [or unknown?] location of the URC final:
https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... l-rumours/

I think that there is a significant push to have it played in South Africa. Maybe that works out okay if there's a South African team in the final, but there's not even a South African team in the top four after 15 rounds.

My feeling is that the URC has been blessed with its two 'location' finals to date – Dublin in 2018 and Glasgow in 2019. Both have featured home finalists. Once they get a final that doesn't feature a home finalist, they're going to a] look small-time and b] lose a lot of money.

Let's say you take the current top two teams [Leinster and Ulster] and put them in a final in Durban. How many fans are going to travel to that? A thousand? Even writing it now, a thousand seems like a lot on a week's notice. What's the plan for the rest of the stadium? Sell tickets to South Africans for a fiver and hope fifty thousand of them are interested? Doesn't seem like a business model, it seems nuts. What happens if you end up playing a final in front of 7000 people?

It's not England or France, where all you have to do is hop in a car or a coach or a train to get to a game – the URC has teams from five different countries and two continents. The majority of away games are a flight/ferry + travel to and from airport/terminal + travel to and from stadia + accommodation + food & drink.

[blockhead]

Leo taking a more outspoken stance than usual re: the still-undisclosed [or unknown?] location of the URC final:
https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... l-rumours/

I think that there is a significant push to have it played in South Africa. Maybe that works out okay if there's a South African team in the final, but there's not even a South African team in the top four after 15 rounds.

My feeling is that the URC has been blessed with its two 'location' finals to date – Dublin in 2018 and Glasgow in 2019. Both have featured home finalists. Once they get a final that doesn't feature a home finalist, they're going to a] look small-time and b] lose a lot of money.

Let's say you take the current top two teams [Leinster and Ulster] and put them in a final in Durban. How many fans are going to travel to that? A thousand? Even writing it now, a thousand seems like a lot on a week's notice. What's the plan for the rest of the stadium? Sell tickets to South Africans for a fiver and hope fifty thousand of them are interested? Doesn't seem like a business model, it seems nuts. What happens if you end up playing a final in front of 7000 people?

It's not England or France, where all you have to do is hop in a car or a coach or a train to get to a game – the URC has teams from five different countries and two continents. The majority of away games are a flight/ferry + travel to and from airport/terminal + travel to and from stadia + accommodation + food & drink.

Its a dilema, and not an easy one to solve. Only thing I can think of is top seed home advantage with 3 weeks to shift the tickets.
All the countries have decent stadiums to be able to nominate.

And don't for get 2017 got lucky there too, cant remember the score......

[cormac]

Leo taking a more outspoken stance than usual re: the still-undisclosed [or unknown?] location of the URC final:
https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... l-rumours/

I think that there is a significant push to have it played in South Africa. Maybe that works out okay if there's a South African team in the final, but there's not even a South African team in the top four after 15 rounds.

My feeling is that the URC has been blessed with its two 'location' finals to date – Dublin in 2018 and Glasgow in 2019. Both have featured home finalists. Once they get a final that doesn't feature a home finalist, they're going to a] look small-time and b] lose a lot of money.

Let's say you take the current top two teams [Leinster and Ulster] and put them in a final in Durban. How many fans are going to travel to that? A thousand? Even writing it now, a thousand seems like a lot on a week's notice. What's the plan for the rest of the stadium? Sell tickets to South Africans for a fiver and hope fifty thousand of them are interested? Doesn't seem like a business model, it seems nuts. What happens if you end up playing a final in front of 7000 people?

It's not England or France, where all you have to do is hop in a car or a coach or a train to get to a game – the URC has teams from five different countries and two continents. The majority of away games are a flight/ferry + travel to and from airport/terminal + travel to and from stadia + accommodation + food & drink.

There's been five "location" finals to date.

2015 - Belfast: Munster v Glasgow
2016 - Edinburgh: Leinster v Connacht
2017 - Dublin: Scarlets v Munster
2018 - Dublin: Leinster v Scarlets
2019 - Glasgow: Glasgow v Leinster

Think 2020 was scheduled to be played in Cardiff at the football stadium before Covid intervened.

[Dexter]

Leo taking a more outspoken stance than usual re: the still-undisclosed [or unknown?] location of the URC final:
https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... l-rumours/

I think that there is a significant push to have it played in South Africa. Maybe that works out okay if there's a South African team in the final, but there's not even a South African team in the top four after 15 rounds.

My feeling is that the URC has been blessed with its two 'location' finals to date – Dublin in 2018 and Glasgow in 2019. Both have featured home finalists. Once they get a final that doesn't feature a home finalist, they're going to a] look small-time and b] lose a lot of money.

Let's say you take the current top two teams [Leinster and Ulster] and put them in a final in Durban. How many fans are going to travel to that? A thousand? Even writing it now, a thousand seems like a lot on a week's notice. What's the plan for the rest of the stadium? Sell tickets to South Africans for a fiver and hope fifty thousand of them are interested? Doesn't seem like a business model, it seems nuts. What happens if you end up playing a final in front of 7000 people?

It's not England or France, where all you have to do is hop in a car or a coach or a train to get to a game – the URC has teams from five different countries and two continents. The majority of away games are a flight/ferry + travel to and from airport/terminal + travel to and from stadia + accommodation + food & drink.

Totally agree. It's EPCR level of delusional.

[Xanthippe]

For the first time in forever the location of the final means absolutely nothing to me - because of the late season start and faffing around from URC I will miss any potential quarter, semi and final. We thought we were safe booking holidays for June because 'rugby always finishes in May' - yeah right!!!

[hugonaut]

Leo taking a more outspoken stance than usual re: the still-undisclosed [or unknown?] location of the URC final:
https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... l-rumours/

I think that there is a significant push to have it played in South Africa. Maybe that works out okay if there's a South African team in the final, but there's not even a South African team in the top four after 15 rounds.

My feeling is that the URC has been blessed with its two 'location' finals to date – Dublin in 2018 and Glasgow in 2019. Both have featured home finalists. Once they get a final that doesn't feature a home finalist, they're going to a] look small-time and b] lose a lot of money.

Let's say you take the current top two teams [Leinster and Ulster] and put them in a final in Durban. How many fans are going to travel to that? A thousand? Even writing it now, a thousand seems like a lot on a week's notice. What's the plan for the rest of the stadium? Sell tickets to South Africans for a fiver and hope fifty thousand of them are interested? Doesn't seem like a business model, it seems nuts. What happens if you end up playing a final in front of 7000 people?

It's not England or France, where all you have to do is hop in a car or a coach or a train to get to a game – the URC has teams from five different countries and two continents. The majority of away games are a flight/ferry + travel to and from airport/terminal + travel to and from stadia + accommodation + food & drink.

There's been five "location" finals to date.

2015 - Belfast: Munster v Glasgow
2016 - Edinburgh: Leinster v Connacht
2017 - Dublin: Scarlets v Munster
2018 - Dublin: Leinster v Scarlets
2019 - Glasgow: Glasgow v Leinster

Think 2020 was scheduled to be played in Cardiff at the football stadium before Covid intervened.

Wow. You're right of course Cormac.

I had forgotten the Connacht final in 2016 – I wasn't in the country at the time and I wouldn't have been able to go to it. There's another reason to conveniently forget it, but it escapes me.

Here's a list of the attendance percentages per final [italics donate era when league leaders held final in home ground] - attendances taken from Wikipedia.

2010 - Leinster vs Ospreys [RDS - 19,850 attendance | 18,500 capacity] - 107%
2011 - Munster vs Leinster [Thomond Park - 26,100 attendance | 25,600 capacity] - 102%
2012 - Leinster vs Ospeys [RDS - 18,500 attendance | 18,500 capacity] - 100%
2013 - Ulster vs Leinster [RDS - 19,200 attendance | 18,500 capacity] - 104%
2014 - Leinster vs Glasgow [RDS - 19,200 attendance | 18,500 capacity] - 104%

2015 - Munster vs Glasgow [Ravenhill - 17,050 attendance | capacity 18,190] - 94%
2016 - Leinster vs Connacht [Murrayfield - 34,550 attendance, capacity | capacity 67,140] - 51%
2017 - Munster vs Scarlets [Lansdowne Road - 44,550 attendance | capacity 51,700] - 86%
2018 - Leinster vs Scarlets [Lansdowne Road - 46,090 attendance | capacity 51,700] - 89%
2019 - Glasgow vs Leinster [Celtic Park - 47,130 attendance | capacity 60,410] - 78%

[Oldschool]

Glasgow and Leinster away this weekend could help decide what hemisphere the final should be played in.
Two wins for the away team and SA participation in the SFs would be unlikely.

[paddyor]

https://twitter.com/URCOfficial/status/ ... cUfo2VTiVw

New trophy is very sci fi

[mildlyinterested]

The highest ranked team in the URC final will host the final

[Oldschool]

I'll be hoping for a Munster win with no bps or even better a draw this weekend.

Not sure why we would want South African teams doing well.

Or a Leinster loss for that matter. Beating the sharks would be excellent.

Because if you're like me, Munster losing is as sweet as Leinster winning

If they were playing us yeah but .........nah

[Oldschool]

The highest ranked team in the URC final will host the final

Because you know it makes sense.

[cormac]

Stormers lead Glasgow 13-7 at HT

[Theleinsterlad]

Stormers lead Glasgow 13-7 at HT

Quality hasn’t been great a lot of mistakes

[cormac]

comedy kick chase from Glasgow leads to an easy try for Stormers

Stormers 18 (2T) - Glasgow 7 (1T)

[cormac]

One way traffic now.

Stormers 25 (3T) Glasgow 7 (1T) 57 mins

[cormac]

FT

Stormers 32 (4T) Glasgow 7 (1T)

A poor error-strewn match punctuated by occasional moments of exciting rugby, almost all from the Stormers. Not for the first time this season Glasgow failed to show up in the second half. Crucial period of the game was between 50-60 minutes when loose kicking from Glasgow allied to sloppy kick chase allowed the Stormers in for two counter-attack tries. The decision to kick in-field was even more baffling given how poor the Stormers' lineout was.