The Doc wrote: ↑January 27th, 2023, 9:21 am
riocard911 wrote:neill_m wrote: ↑January 26th, 2023, 11:26 pm
42 dot ie and Daily Telegraph reporting that the organisers will look to return the competition format to the old one and better one of pools of 4 etc next season.
Just looked it up, thanks. Looks good:
Champions Cup set for radical overhaul
Key stakeholders cite an overcomplicated format and loss of revenues as the key issues with tournament's current setup
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... xt-season/
Paywall
Anyone got the text?
Sent from my LE2123 using Tapatalk
Here you go:
The format of the Heineken Champions Cup is facing a radical overhaul after mounting pressure from key stakeholders.
It is understood that the issue came under discussion at a European Professional Club Rugby board meeting in Lausanne on Thursday, with calls for changes to be implemented as soon as next season.
The move comes following widespread criticism from players, coaches and supporters that the current format, involving two 12-team conferences and just four pool-stage games, is too complicated and has risked undermining the status of the competition.
Some stakeholders are also concerned that the move away from the previous qualifying format of five pools of four clubs, with six games played on a home and away basis, two seasons ago has had a detrimental impact on financial revenues
The format was first changed in the 2020/21 as a response to the impact of the Covid pandemic but retained for this year.
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Critics have highlighted the lack of clarity and jeopardy in the qualifying process. Currently all clubs play four pool-stage games against two of the other sides in their pool, with eight qualifying from each pool for a round of 16 ahead of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
It is understood that among the options being considered is a return to format that featured in the competition up until 2014 – when EPCR took charge from the now-defunct European Rugby Cup – which would see a return to a qualifying stage of six pools of four clubs, which would add an extra weekend to the competition.
There are also calls for a return to the original schedule in the season, when the pool stages were held in two weekends in October, December and January. This season the pool matches started in December.
“Our view is to get back to a pool format – the old way of doing things,” Kevin Potts, the Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive told Telegraph Sport. “It worked really well and it gave the fans absolute certainty as to what they were actually following.
) Edinburgh have an outside chance v Leicester, although I think Edinburgh are a bit headless - Ritchie is a loose cannon/loose mouth; and I don't rate him as a captain.
