2022/23 Champions/Challenge Cup

[Hellraiser]

When you go into some 'Irish' stores in the US you'd think we already were. Half the stuff in them is Scottish.

What in name of baby jeebus is an "Irish Store"? Do you mean a pub?

The pubs are bad enough, but you get places that are Irish stores. Shops that (allegedly) are full of Irish products. Often they're just whisky shops. And I mean whisky, not whiskey. But they don't give a shit. I've spoken to people in the US who have asked me where in Ireland Edinburgh is.

Yanks are philistines. I honestly don't get annoyed by their ignorant bullshit anymore.

[TheFrog]

Johnnie Beattie said on his French Rugby podcast that the winner of this final would be the team keeping the ball. He was right. He said Leinster had to make sure that La Rochelle couldn't get hold of the ball not to be submitted to their power play while La Rochelle needed the ball to dictate their game.

Ball retention by La Rochelle was outstanding.

[robmatic]

https://www.epcrugby.com/2023/06/14/202 ... announced/


Another new format for the Champions Cup next season. This time, 4 pools of 6 where each team plays 4 different opponents either home or away and then the top 4 qualify for the knockout rounds.

The Challenge Cup will be smaller than the Champions Cup with 3 pools of 6. Mostly French and URC teams, with 2 English and 2 teams to be invited.

[PornDog]

FFS - just shoot it already!

[OomStruisbaai]

This time, 4 pools of 6 where each team plays 4 different opponents either home or away and then the top 4 qualify for the knockout rounds.

Much better then last season

They need one more pool game for each team to play the other in the pool matches which would be perfect.

[Biffer]

Fucksake. How to prevent people from engaging with a tournament.

[OomStruisbaai]

Hope they invite the CC finalists to join the $hark$ and Lions in the lower league

[Paddington Bear]

If rugby could learn one thing from football, it is to have consistently simple tournaments. Every tournament in rugby seems to try and reinvent the wheel every few years. Oh and 8 Prem teams out of 10 being in it is an absolute pisstake unfortunately

[assfly]

Hope they invite the CC finalists to join the $hark$ and Lions in the lower league

I have a genuine question for you.

In a hypothetical situation, would you rather play in the Champions Cup and not make the knock-out stages, or play in the Challenge Cup and make the semi-finals?

[Jim Lahey]

Hope they invite the CC finalists to join the $hark$ and Lions in the lower league

I have a genuine question for you.

In a hypothetical situation, would you rather play in the Champions Cup and not make the knock-out stages, or play in the Challenge Cup and make the semi-finals?

Also known as the Ulster conundrum. Although we somehow seem to make the KOs, there is little to no point and we'd be better off in the Challenge Cup.

[Biffer]

If rugby could learn one thing from football, it is to have consistently simple tournaments. Every tournament in rugby seems to try and reinvent the wheel every few years. Oh and 8 Prem teams out of 10 being in it is an absolute pisstake unfortunately

Absolutely. That's what shat on Super Rugby, and the fucking spivs are in the process of doing it to the Heineken Cup as well. Fuckers.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Hope they invite the CC finalists to join the $hark$ and Lions in the lower league

I have a genuine question for you.

In a hypothetical situation, would you rather play in the Champions Cup and not make the knock-out stages, or play in the Challenge Cup and make the semi-finals?

Sharks have a good chance of winning the Challenge Cup next year, if they play to their abilities they honestly do. As far as your question is concerned, the answer is always: play against the best. If you lose, then so be it. Why would you ask?

[assfly]

Also known as the Ulster conundrum. Although we somehow seem to make the KOs, there is little to no point and we'd be better off in the Challenge Cup.

After watching the Champions Cup final, I've accepted that we're a long way off wining it. At least in Challenge Cup we may have a better chance at silverware.

At least that what's what I'm telling myself

[robmatic]

Hope they invite the CC finalists to join the $hark$ and Lions in the lower league

I have a genuine question for you.

In a hypothetical situation, would you rather play in the Champions Cup and not make the knock-out stages, or play in the Challenge Cup and make the semi-finals?

If you're in the Champions Cup, you're almost guaranteed knockout rugby in some form. The top four out of six go through and then fifth place finisher drops down into the Challenge Cup.

[assfly]

Sharks have a good chance of winning the Challenge Cup next year, if they play to their abilities they honestly do. As far as your question is concerned, the answer is always: play against the best. If you lose, then so be it. Why would you ask?

Play to our abilities? It would be great to start doing that at some point in my lifetime.

I ask because we're going to have to put up with this "lower league" bullshit all season. But the way I see it, no SA team has a hope in hell of winning it in the next few years, given the travel factor combined with URC commitments.

[weegie01]

This time, 4 pools of 6 where each team plays 4 different opponents either home or away and then the top 4 qualify for the knockout rounds.

Much better then last season

They need one more pool game for each team to play the other in the pool matches which would be perfect.

Or reduce the teams to 20 by just having the top 50% of each league. 4 pools of 5 means everyone plays everyone else.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Sharks have a good chance of winning the Challenge Cup next year, if they play to their abilities they honestly do. As far as your question is concerned, the answer is always: play against the best. If you lose, then so be it. Why would you ask?

Play to our abilities? It would be great to start doing that at some point in my lifetime.

I ask because we're going to have to put up with this "lower league" bullshit all season. But the way I see it, no SA team has a hope in hell of winning it in the next few years, given the travel factor combined with URC commitments.

I see your problem.

[PornDog]

This time, 4 pools of 6 where each team plays 4 different opponents either home or away and then the top 4 qualify for the knockout rounds.

Much better then last season

They need one more pool game for each team to play the other in the pool matches which would be perfect.

Or reduce the teams to 20 by just having the top 50% of each league. 4 pools of 5 means everyone plays everyone else.

The "problem" there is that each group would have two teams from the same league in each group. The powers that be have decided that this is the worstest possibelest thing ever and so come up with increasingly larger piles of excrement as a "solution".

It may not be ideal, but every possible work around to try and "fix" it is orders of magnitudes worse. You don't cure a headache with a shotgun!

Would prefer 24 teams (6 groups of 4), but would happily settle for 20 teams with the top half of each one qualifying. Home and away, straight into the quarters - this last 16 nonsense needs doing away with.

[OomStruisbaai]

Much better then last season

They need one more pool game for each team to play the other in the pool matches which would be perfect.

Or reduce the teams to 20 by just having the top 50% of each league. 4 pools of 5 means everyone plays everyone else.

The "problem" there is that each group would have two teams from the same league in each group. The powers that be have decided that this is the worstest possibelest thing ever and so come up with increasingly larger piles of excrement as a "solution".

It may not be ideal, but every possible work around to try and "fix" it is orders of magnitudes worse. You don't cure a headache with a shotgun!

Would prefer 24 teams (6 groups of 4), but would happily settle for 20 teams with the top half of each one qualifying. Home and away, straight into the quarters - this last 16 nonsense needs doing away with.

Yes also saw that later. Then its fine. Definitely much better format .

[OomStruisbaai]

Sharks have a good chance of winning the Challenge Cup next year, if they play to their abilities they honestly do. As far as your question is concerned, the answer is always: play against the best. If you lose, then so be it. Why would you ask?

Play to our abilities? It would be great to start doing that at some point in my lifetime.

I ask because we're going to have to put up with this "lower league" bullshit all season. But the way I see it, no SA team has a hope in hell of winning it in the next few years, given the travel factor combined with URC commitments.

I see your problem.

They are working on the SA teams travelling and player budget.

[lemonhead]

Much better then last season

They need one more pool game for each team to play the other in the pool matches which would be perfect.

Or reduce the teams to 20 by just having the top 50% of each league. 4 pools of 5 means everyone plays everyone else.

The "problem" there is that each group would have two teams from the same league in each group. The powers that be have decided that this is the worstest possibelest thing ever and so come up with increasingly larger piles of excrement as a "solution".

It may not be ideal, but every possible work around to try and "fix" it is orders of magnitudes worse. You don't cure a headache with a shotgun.

Would prefer 24 teams (6 groups of 4), but would happily settle for 20 teams with the top half of each one qualifying. Home and away, straight into the quarters - this last 16 nonsense needs doing away with.

An easy, basic commonsense solution. Still 9 weekends of rugby though.

Reason everything's gone to shit is trying to cram the whole thing into 8. And here we are well into June and the T14's still going and going and going....

[laurent]

Or reduce the teams to 20 by just having the top 50% of each league. 4 pools of 5 means everyone plays everyone else.

The "problem" there is that each group would have two teams from the same league in each group. The powers that be have decided that this is the worstest possibelest thing ever and so come up with increasingly larger piles of excrement as a "solution".

It may not be ideal, but every possible work around to try and "fix" it is orders of magnitudes worse. You don't cure a headache with a shotgun.

Would prefer 24 teams (6 groups of 4), but would happily settle for 20 teams with the top half of each one qualifying. Home and away, straight into the quarters - this last 16 nonsense needs doing away with.

An easy, basic commonsense solution. Still 9 weekends of rugby though.

Reason everything's gone to shit is trying to cram the whole thing into 8. And here we are well into June and the T14's still going and going and going....

Actually it's over on Sunday. so shorter than some :p

[SaintK]

EPRC looking for new headline sponsors as Heineken have not renewed their contract according to the Rugby Paper
Leaves a sizeable hole in the budget!!!

[freddie]

EPRC looking for new headline sponsors as Heineken have not renewed their contract according to the Rugby Paper
Leaves a sizeable hole in the budget!!!

RFU really needs to sort its shit out.

[PornDog]

EPRC looking for new headline sponsors as Heineken have not renewed their contract according to the Rugby Paper
Leaves a sizeable hole in the budget!!!

Whatever about fucking around with formats, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the value of this tournament was less than 50% of what it was in its heyday.

Contemptible incompetent fucking cunts!