future of heineken cup

[Ray Donovan]

What an absolutely sh*t format for next year’s version. Serious advantage being in the URC - no travel to SA for a group game.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

What an absolutely sh*t format for next year’s version. Serious advantage being in the URC - no travel to SA for a group game.

yeah, it sounds very convoluted. Not clear who gets home games between seeds in each pool. At least it is not clear to me.
A little worried for us next season...big world cup involvement from the leinster squad.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

while ECPR work out the format of the 2024 heino cup...I can't help but wonder if their "dream draw" would end up as a Leinster V La Rochelle final in London.

Toulouse will get better next year...as will others but as drama, backstory and niggle goes....a LEI v LAR final would be box office.

[nc6000]

while ECPR work out the format of the 2024 heino cup...I can't help but wonder if their "dream draw" would end up as a Leinster V La Rochelle final in London.

Toulouse will get better next year...as will others but as drama, backstory and niggle goes....a LEI v LAR final would be box office.

That would be some final alright but how would the other teams feel about it, especially the ones with little interest in the competition?

[ronk]

Their dream draw would be Leicester or Quins and Munster.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Their dream draw would be Leicester or Quins and Munster.

I can see munster in with a shout of making the finals next year but, with respect, I cannot see an english team getting passed La Rochelle, Leinster, Toulouse, Racing Metro or Munster. Marcus Smith is the latest to exit stage left to an humunguous cash deal with Racing metro...just after they drop kicked Finn russell to bath.

English premiership rugby has been very poorly run recently. the saracens scandal was clearly just the tip of the iceberg.

Leinster V La Rochelle was a sensational final. a rematch in london, a neutral venue for both teams, would be a massive draw.

[ronk]

Yeah, but there's crumbs left for everyone else and shrinking interest.

Actually a SA team vs an English club would almost be better. Whether it's realistic wasn't a consideration for me. I'm just going off what the bosses want to see. And a traditionally well supported English club making a home final would suit them fine.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Actually a SA team vs an English club would almost be better. Whether it's realistic wasn't a consideration for me. I'm just going off what the bosses want to see. And a traditionally well supported English club making a home final would suit them fine.

fair point, I just cannot see an english team making it. they are starved of cash...some are running out of it. star players are moving to france. Willis for toulouse is an huge loss to english rugby, he was their standout player for me when we played them in the semi. marcus smith will win european medals under lancaster at Racing Metro. not if he stayed in the english premiership.

Yeah, but there's crumbs left for everyone else and shrinking interest.

the constant tinkering with the format of the heineken cup is turning off supporters already. I used to love looking at the pools to see where I could get to for an away game. there's also a big gap emerging between the english premiership and the URC/TOP14, to the point that clubs sending their academy players to a game, they know they will lose anyway, is becoming more common. sometimes it's so farcical, the same club knows they can get through to the knockout stages with just one win anyway!

ECPR can't fix the english premiership but I think going back to the original heineken cup format of pools and *must win* games to make a home quarter is the only way forward. Impossible to avoid dead rubbers atthe final pool rounds but it was much much better than what we have now. Supporters (I think) loved it too. Especially the back-to-back home and away fixtures.