URC Season 2024/2025 Official Thread

[OomStruisbaai]

Sharks Currie Cup team is exactly that.

There was a Bok added.

[Chilli2]

Stormers are also in for a tough one. Embra will be desperate.

Embra?

Embra my bra.

They are playing against Edinburgh, I think.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Embra?

Embra my bra.

They are playing against Edinburgh, I think.

Edinburgh = Embra

[OomStruisbaai]

Stormers spill a few tries.

[OomStruisbaai]

Game over as soon as the Bergie props appeared.

[bok_viking]

The Stormers not looking to hot either. The much proclaimed depth of a couple of seasons ago does not seem to be there. Hopefully they can turn it around once they are back in the comfort of their own home and kick on from there.

Unfortunately the Leinster-Munster game is going the way I feared, was hoping for a close fought game to compliment the occasion, but Munster just do not have the cattle at the moment. Munster against the Ireland team is just not fair

[Uncle fester]

At least we stopped it from being a point a minute. Was looking that way in the first quarter.

[Sandstorm]

Stormers. Fucking shite. Villemse is. Not. A. 10.

[bok_viking]

At least we stopped it from being a point a minute. Was looking that way in the first quarter.

At least Munster seemed to make it more of a game in the 2nd half but the gulf is big it seems.

[Uncle fester]

At least we stopped it from being a point a minute. Was looking that way in the first quarter.

At least Munster seemed to make it more of a game in the 2nd half but the gulf is big it seems.

Yeah no question about that but at least they didn't lie down

[OomStruisbaai]

The Stormers not looking to hot either. The much proclaimed depth of a couple of seasons ago does not seem to be there. Hopefully they can turn it around once they are back in the comfort of their own home and kick on from there.

Unfortunately the Leinster-Munster game is going the way I feared, was hoping for a close fought game to compliment the occasion, but Munster just do not have the cattle at the moment. Munster against the Ireland team is just not fair

Ireland with a bit of Saffer brains and guts.

[OomStruisbaai]

Stormers. Fucking shite. Villemse is. Not. A. 10.

Always knew that it would be a tough game. Embra was hunger and the Stormers should have finish better. Three vital tries a bit unlucky. We struggle on the hockey Astros. Full credit to Embra.

[OomStruisbaai]

Bulls going nicely

[bok_viking]

Bulls going nicely

Yeah they are going nicely, though they started making a few errors in the last 10 minutes. Good to see them putting a performance in away from home. In the last couple of seasons they have played really bad away from home for the most part, apart from 1 or 2 good performances, like the one against Leinster. So it is a nice turn of pace to see them start the overseas trip well. Now just to keep it up for the 2nd half.

[bok_viking]

F#ck, the Bulls might just have thrown the game with those 2 cards. Just to many errors since the 2nd half started.

[Chilli2]

Embra my bra.

They are playing against Edinburgh, I think.

Edinburgh = Embra

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

[OomStruisbaai]

They are playing against Edinburgh, I think.

Edinburgh = Embra

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

ok bra.

[OomStruisbaai]

Bulls fight bravely.

[bok_viking]

Bulls fight bravely.

Bulls showed some fight in that last 20 minutes with 13 men. I really thought we might have thrown the game away with all those cards. So glad we managed to get the win in the end, very poor 2nd half, polar opposite of the first. I thought a clearout towards the end of the game on Arendse was shoulder to head as well, but no replays were shown of that ruck afterwards.

[Biffer]

They are playing against Edinburgh, I think.

Edinburgh = Embra

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

[OomStruisbaai]

Edinburgh = Embra

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

Thanks Biffer, our Souties dunno about Embra.

[Chilli2]

Edinburgh = Embra

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

[Chilli2]

Stormers. Fucking shite. Villemse is. Not. A. 10.

$ards has been telling you this for the last 6 years.

[OomStruisbaai]

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

The Saffer Souties can't acknowledge other languages.

[_Os_]

Wales online are reporting these two formats are being considered. I think Wales Online has a reputation for being full of tabloid bullshit? But it does provide something to go on regarding the formats they're looking at.

Two divisions with promotion relegation = that is the get rid of SA and Italy option. Problem is a second division maybe isn't that viable long term. Any team that cannot get out of that division ends up playing weaker sides, not improving, and maybe not getting any support as a result. This is where the Welsh bullshit starts not joining up with reality, if they want a British and Irish league it's one of the better formats, but Welsh sides are the most at risk of being locked into the second division.

Some strange two conference option = Looks a bit Homer Simpson clown car. The option where everyone tries to have their cake and eat it too. SA and Italian sides are kept. English sides link up with the URC. Welsh sides play the English sides without risk of being relegated into irrelevance. Problem is the comp stops making much sense. Super Rugby ended up in a mess by choosing options like this. "Choose the Homer Simpson clown car to grow by a few million dollars", just means going for growth of a few percent which in practice blows it all up.

This talk does look like it's mostly Welsh/English driven, they don't really want the same things though. The Welsh want to play all the English sides, because they think there's more money in it for them, which is possible by setting ticket prices below English clubs and targeting away fans (maybe there would be an agreement on minimum ticket prices? attracting English fans still seems a legitimate expectation). They also think playing English clubs will improve them on the pitch, which there's no evidence for. Some English clubs aren't convinced their model is working anymore, so some of them want to add the stronger Celtic sides which aren't the Welsh sides.

Cannot see how any of this will help them. The fundamental problem in Wales is their sides aren't professional enough, they've fallen behind off the field in management and coaching, it's a not a player quality or lack of interest issue. The fundamental problem in England is below test rugby (really just the 6N and RWC) there's next to no interest and therefore little prospect of more fans/money than already exists regardless of what they do.

The Homer Simpson clown car option could be gaining momentum. Rapport reports on rugby a lot, sometimes it's total bullshit and sometimes it's true. Maybe a bit like WalesOnline.

URC shouldn't be entertaining this. The league is competitive and works. A strong side can struggle to make the top 8, there's not many genuinely weak sides and even they're capable at home on their day. £4m is not worth it, in the context we're talking about it is fuck all. If the URC wants growth a far better option would be working out how to add sides in the Europe/Africa time zone without making the format kak, a rebadged Portugal national side should be top of the list. That isn't going to immediately add £4m, but would show long term thinking which pro rugby has been poor at doing.

Easy to see what will happen with the Homer Simpson clown car. The English that want it will keep pushing for a British and Irish league, they'll become the Aussies of the NH and blame SA for preventing that option, the Aussies cried about SA for years and blamed us for preventing an Aus/NZ comp which would definitely fix all their problems (their problem being that they don't like rugby). Any format change or addition of teams will also have to go through a partner fundamentally opposed to SA's involvement, opposes the current format structure that includes SA, and opposes any of the Celtic sides gaining teams (or even retaining teams in the case of Wales) which would change the power balance in favour of the Celts. There'll be massive arguments over the revenue split, it'll be two separate comps with playoffs at the end, hard to tell where the value is in that. The comp itself will cease to make any sense, you'll watch your side all season only to face sides you've never seen before and aren't part of the comp you've been watching.

In other words a replay of what killed Super Rugby.

SA backs Premiership merger

SA Rugby will support a reported merger between the URC and Premiership, provided the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers are guaranteed spots in the competition.

A potential merger between the URC and the Premiership, split into two divisions with promotion and relegation, is reportedly under serious consideration as both competitions explore ways to boost future broadcasting deals.

WalesOnline reports that the new league could bring in an extra £4 million (R91,4 million) in TV revenue. Sky Sports has already shown interest in securing broadcast rights. Private equity firm CVC, which holds a 27% stake in the English Premiership and 28% in the URC, is reportedly involved in the discussions.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South Africa has supported the merger, but it is unlikely to happen before May 2026.

The current proposal suggests South African teams would be placed in a division alongside sides from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, while teams from England and Wales would form the other division. The top four teams from each division would face off in cross-division knockout matches to determine the league champion.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-backs-p ... ip-merger/

[Biffer]

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

So I should never acknowledge any South African vernacular, or any Afrikaans? Ok.

[_Os_]

Great to see the familiar gurning faces of Stomps and other desperate Sharks haters pop up during the Sharks match, celebrating afterwards and calling me out. Only to slink off without much comment after the Stomps match. Just Chilli the Cheetah left putting the boot into the Stomps too.

Still above you on the log boys.

[Chilli2]

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

So I should never acknowledge any South African vernacular, or any Afrikaans? Ok.

Yes Petal.

[Chilli2]

Great to see the familiar gurning faces of Stomps and other desperate Sharks haters pop up during the Sharks match, celebrating afterwards and calling me out. Only to slink off without much comment after the Stomps match. Just Chilli the Cheetah left putting the boot into the Stomps too.

Still above you on the log boys.

That you are Ox.

[lemonhead]

Wales online are reporting these two formats are being considered. I think Wales Online has a reputation for being full of tabloid bullshit? But it does provide something to go on regarding the formats they're looking at.

Two divisions with promotion relegation = that is the get rid of SA and Italy option. Problem is a second division maybe isn't that viable long term. Any team that cannot get out of that division ends up playing weaker sides, not improving, and maybe not getting any support as a result. This is where the Welsh bullshit starts not joining up with reality, if they want a British and Irish league it's one of the better formats, but Welsh sides are the most at risk of being locked into the second division.

Some strange two conference option = Looks a bit Homer Simpson clown car. The option where everyone tries to have their cake and eat it too. SA and Italian sides are kept. English sides link up with the URC. Welsh sides play the English sides without risk of being relegated into irrelevance. Problem is the comp stops making much sense. Super Rugby ended up in a mess by choosing options like this. "Choose the Homer Simpson clown car to grow by a few million dollars", just means going for growth of a few percent which in practice blows it all up.

This talk does look like it's mostly Welsh/English driven, they don't really want the same things though. The Welsh want to play all the English sides, because they think there's more money in it for them, which is possible by setting ticket prices below English clubs and targeting away fans (maybe there would be an agreement on minimum ticket prices? attracting English fans still seems a legitimate expectation). They also think playing English clubs will improve them on the pitch, which there's no evidence for. Some English clubs aren't convinced their model is working anymore, so some of them want to add the stronger Celtic sides which aren't the Welsh sides.

Cannot see how any of this will help them. The fundamental problem in Wales is their sides aren't professional enough, they've fallen behind off the field in management and coaching, it's a not a player quality or lack of interest issue. The fundamental problem in England is below test rugby (really just the 6N and RWC) there's next to no interest and therefore little prospect of more fans/money than already exists regardless of what they do.

The Homer Simpson clown car option could be gaining momentum. Rapport reports on rugby a lot, sometimes it's total bullshit and sometimes it's true. Maybe a bit like WalesOnline.

URC shouldn't be entertaining this. The league is competitive and works. A strong side can struggle to make the top 8, there's not many genuinely weak sides and even they're capable at home on their day. £4m is not worth it, in the context we're talking about it is fuck all. If the URC wants growth a far better option would be working out how to add sides in the Europe/Africa time zone without making the format kak, a rebadged Portugal national side should be top of the list. That isn't going to immediately add £4m, but would show long term thinking which pro rugby has been poor at doing.

Easy to see what will happen with the Homer Simpson clown car. The English that want it will keep pushing for a British and Irish league, they'll become the Aussies of the NH and blame SA for preventing that option, the Aussies cried about SA for years and blamed us for preventing an Aus/NZ comp which would definitely fix all their problems (their problem being that they don't like rugby). Any format change or addition of teams will also have to go through a partner fundamentally opposed to SA's involvement, opposes the current format structure that includes SA, and opposes any of the Celtic sides gaining teams (or even retaining teams in the case of Wales) which would change the power balance in favour of the Celts. There'll be massive arguments over the revenue split, it'll be two separate comps with playoffs at the end, hard to tell where the value is in that. The comp itself will cease to make any sense, you'll watch your side all season only to face sides you've never seen before and aren't part of the comp you've been watching.

In other words a replay of what killed Super Rugby.

SA backs Premiership merger

SA Rugby will support a reported merger between the URC and Premiership, provided the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers are guaranteed spots in the competition.

A potential merger between the URC and the Premiership, split into two divisions with promotion and relegation, is reportedly under serious consideration as both competitions explore ways to boost future broadcasting deals.

WalesOnline reports that the new league could bring in an extra £4 million (R91,4 million) in TV revenue. Sky Sports has already shown interest in securing broadcast rights. Private equity firm CVC, which holds a 27% stake in the English Premiership and 28% in the URC, is reportedly involved in the discussions.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South Africa has supported the merger, but it is unlikely to happen before May 2026.

The current proposal suggests South African teams would be placed in a division alongside sides from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, while teams from England and Wales would form the other division. The top four teams from each division would face off in cross-division knockout matches to determine the league champion.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-backs-p ... ip-merger/

Worrying development if so.

I'd hope the IRFU would be suitably cautious to get involved with a club led initiative given

a) their existing competition's on fire and might be short another two teams
b) the URC currently runs for the benefit of the unions involved and
c) See: Cup, Heineken 2013.

[Uncle fester]

There's little to suggest any of this is anything other than kite flying by prem or the Welch.

[robmatic]

Wales online are reporting these two formats are being considered. I think Wales Online has a reputation for being full of tabloid bullshit? But it does provide something to go on regarding the formats they're looking at.

Two divisions with promotion relegation = that is the get rid of SA and Italy option. Problem is a second division maybe isn't that viable long term. Any team that cannot get out of that division ends up playing weaker sides, not improving, and maybe not getting any support as a result. This is where the Welsh bullshit starts not joining up with reality, if they want a British and Irish league it's one of the better formats, but Welsh sides are the most at risk of being locked into the second division.

Some strange two conference option = Looks a bit Homer Simpson clown car. The option where everyone tries to have their cake and eat it too. SA and Italian sides are kept. English sides link up with the URC. Welsh sides play the English sides without risk of being relegated into irrelevance. Problem is the comp stops making much sense. Super Rugby ended up in a mess by choosing options like this. "Choose the Homer Simpson clown car to grow by a few million dollars", just means going for growth of a few percent which in practice blows it all up.

This talk does look like it's mostly Welsh/English driven, they don't really want the same things though. The Welsh want to play all the English sides, because they think there's more money in it for them, which is possible by setting ticket prices below English clubs and targeting away fans (maybe there would be an agreement on minimum ticket prices? attracting English fans still seems a legitimate expectation). They also think playing English clubs will improve them on the pitch, which there's no evidence for. Some English clubs aren't convinced their model is working anymore, so some of them want to add the stronger Celtic sides which aren't the Welsh sides.

Cannot see how any of this will help them. The fundamental problem in Wales is their sides aren't professional enough, they've fallen behind off the field in management and coaching, it's a not a player quality or lack of interest issue. The fundamental problem in England is below test rugby (really just the 6N and RWC) there's next to no interest and therefore little prospect of more fans/money than already exists regardless of what they do.

The Homer Simpson clown car option could be gaining momentum. Rapport reports on rugby a lot, sometimes it's total bullshit and sometimes it's true. Maybe a bit like WalesOnline.

URC shouldn't be entertaining this. The league is competitive and works. A strong side can struggle to make the top 8, there's not many genuinely weak sides and even they're capable at home on their day. £4m is not worth it, in the context we're talking about it is fuck all. If the URC wants growth a far better option would be working out how to add sides in the Europe/Africa time zone without making the format kak, a rebadged Portugal national side should be top of the list. That isn't going to immediately add £4m, but would show long term thinking which pro rugby has been poor at doing.

Easy to see what will happen with the Homer Simpson clown car. The English that want it will keep pushing for a British and Irish league, they'll become the Aussies of the NH and blame SA for preventing that option, the Aussies cried about SA for years and blamed us for preventing an Aus/NZ comp which would definitely fix all their problems (their problem being that they don't like rugby). Any format change or addition of teams will also have to go through a partner fundamentally opposed to SA's involvement, opposes the current format structure that includes SA, and opposes any of the Celtic sides gaining teams (or even retaining teams in the case of Wales) which would change the power balance in favour of the Celts. There'll be massive arguments over the revenue split, it'll be two separate comps with playoffs at the end, hard to tell where the value is in that. The comp itself will cease to make any sense, you'll watch your side all season only to face sides you've never seen before and aren't part of the comp you've been watching.

In other words a replay of what killed Super Rugby.

SA backs Premiership merger

SA Rugby will support a reported merger between the URC and Premiership, provided the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers are guaranteed spots in the competition.

A potential merger between the URC and the Premiership, split into two divisions with promotion and relegation, is reportedly under serious consideration as both competitions explore ways to boost future broadcasting deals.

WalesOnline reports that the new league could bring in an extra £4 million (R91,4 million) in TV revenue. Sky Sports has already shown interest in securing broadcast rights. Private equity firm CVC, which holds a 27% stake in the English Premiership and 28% in the URC, is reportedly involved in the discussions.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South Africa has supported the merger, but it is unlikely to happen before May 2026.

The current proposal suggests South African teams would be placed in a division alongside sides from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, while teams from England and Wales would form the other division. The top four teams from each division would face off in cross-division knockout matches to determine the league champion.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-backs-p ... ip-merger/

That proposed format sounds rubbish. I know the URC format was born from necessity more than anything else, but I think it has turned out quite well and the single league structure is competitive and reasonably well-balanced. I have been able to get into it as a fan and I think it works for my club/Scotland.

There is an issue in that the Welsh clubs are basically pish on and off the field and that would probably be exacerbated if they were spun off into a new division. The playoffs would be a downgrade as well - fewer clubs are involved and you are matched up against teams from what is effectively a different league

[fishfoodie]

The Welsh are desperately looking for a lifeboat, & the Premiership knows it probably isn't viable if Newcastle & Sale go belly up; solution, put in four Welsh sides

But the Welsh don't have any money, so it'd have to be part of some kind of merger, & then the rubbish format is so the Welsh don't have to accept the reality that any merger would be with two tiers, & they'd be in the bottom one !!

[Jock42]

Fuck me.

Just call them Edinburgh

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

I'm not from Embra either and will use that particular colloquialism. Getting upset because someone has used a common name for the city/team that you weren't aware of seems a bit daft.

[Jock42]

Wales online are reporting these two formats are being considered. I think Wales Online has a reputation for being full of tabloid bullshit? But it does provide something to go on regarding the formats they're looking at.

Two divisions with promotion relegation = that is the get rid of SA and Italy option. Problem is a second division maybe isn't that viable long term. Any team that cannot get out of that division ends up playing weaker sides, not improving, and maybe not getting any support as a result. This is where the Welsh bullshit starts not joining up with reality, if they want a British and Irish league it's one of the better formats, but Welsh sides are the most at risk of being locked into the second division.

Some strange two conference option = Looks a bit Homer Simpson clown car. The option where everyone tries to have their cake and eat it too. SA and Italian sides are kept. English sides link up with the URC. Welsh sides play the English sides without risk of being relegated into irrelevance. Problem is the comp stops making much sense. Super Rugby ended up in a mess by choosing options like this. "Choose the Homer Simpson clown car to grow by a few million dollars", just means going for growth of a few percent which in practice blows it all up.

This talk does look like it's mostly Welsh/English driven, they don't really want the same things though. The Welsh want to play all the English sides, because they think there's more money in it for them, which is possible by setting ticket prices below English clubs and targeting away fans (maybe there would be an agreement on minimum ticket prices? attracting English fans still seems a legitimate expectation). They also think playing English clubs will improve them on the pitch, which there's no evidence for. Some English clubs aren't convinced their model is working anymore, so some of them want to add the stronger Celtic sides which aren't the Welsh sides.

Cannot see how any of this will help them. The fundamental problem in Wales is their sides aren't professional enough, they've fallen behind off the field in management and coaching, it's a not a player quality or lack of interest issue. The fundamental problem in England is below test rugby (really just the 6N and RWC) there's next to no interest and therefore little prospect of more fans/money than already exists regardless of what they do.

The Homer Simpson clown car option could be gaining momentum. Rapport reports on rugby a lot, sometimes it's total bullshit and sometimes it's true. Maybe a bit like WalesOnline.

URC shouldn't be entertaining this. The league is competitive and works. A strong side can struggle to make the top 8, there's not many genuinely weak sides and even they're capable at home on their day. £4m is not worth it, in the context we're talking about it is fuck all. If the URC wants growth a far better option would be working out how to add sides in the Europe/Africa time zone without making the format kak, a rebadged Portugal national side should be top of the list. That isn't going to immediately add £4m, but would show long term thinking which pro rugby has been poor at doing.

Easy to see what will happen with the Homer Simpson clown car. The English that want it will keep pushing for a British and Irish league, they'll become the Aussies of the NH and blame SA for preventing that option, the Aussies cried about SA for years and blamed us for preventing an Aus/NZ comp which would definitely fix all their problems (their problem being that they don't like rugby). Any format change or addition of teams will also have to go through a partner fundamentally opposed to SA's involvement, opposes the current format structure that includes SA, and opposes any of the Celtic sides gaining teams (or even retaining teams in the case of Wales) which would change the power balance in favour of the Celts. There'll be massive arguments over the revenue split, it'll be two separate comps with playoffs at the end, hard to tell where the value is in that. The comp itself will cease to make any sense, you'll watch your side all season only to face sides you've never seen before and aren't part of the comp you've been watching.

In other words a replay of what killed Super Rugby.

SA backs Premiership merger

SA Rugby will support a reported merger between the URC and Premiership, provided the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers are guaranteed spots in the competition.

A potential merger between the URC and the Premiership, split into two divisions with promotion and relegation, is reportedly under serious consideration as both competitions explore ways to boost future broadcasting deals.

WalesOnline reports that the new league could bring in an extra £4 million (R91,4 million) in TV revenue. Sky Sports has already shown interest in securing broadcast rights. Private equity firm CVC, which holds a 27% stake in the English Premiership and 28% in the URC, is reportedly involved in the discussions.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South Africa has supported the merger, but it is unlikely to happen before May 2026.

The current proposal suggests South African teams would be placed in a division alongside sides from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, while teams from England and Wales would form the other division. The top four teams from each division would face off in cross-division knockout matches to determine the league champion.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-backs-p ... ip-merger/

I'd not be averse to a B&I league (I don't see the travel to SA as a sustainable long term option) but that seems a ridiculous idea. If the Welsh want to fuck off let them do so but there's no reason for the 2 leagues to play off against each other.

[Chilli2]

Embra is a common pronunciation in Edinburgh.

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

I'm not from Embra either and will use that particular colloquialism. Getting upset because someone has used a common name for the city/team that you weren't aware of seems a bit daft.

It goes about Oom, not you Scots.

[OomStruisbaai]

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

I'm not from Embra either and will use that particular colloquialism. Getting upset because someone has used a common name for the city/team that you weren't aware of seems a bit daft.

It goes about Oom, not you Scots.

I have big respect for original rugby culture names for teams.

[Sards]

Thank you Bulls and Lions

[LoveOfTheGame]

He is from fucking Struisbaai not Edinburgh.

I'm not from Embra either and will use that particular colloquialism. Getting upset because someone has used a common name for the city/team that you weren't aware of seems a bit daft.

It goes about Oom, not you Scots.

What are you on about man.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Wales online are reporting these two formats are being considered. I think Wales Online has a reputation for being full of tabloid bullshit? But it does provide something to go on regarding the formats they're looking at.

Two divisions with promotion relegation = that is the get rid of SA and Italy option. Problem is a second division maybe isn't that viable long term. Any team that cannot get out of that division ends up playing weaker sides, not improving, and maybe not getting any support as a result. This is where the Welsh bullshit starts not joining up with reality, if they want a British and Irish league it's one of the better formats, but Welsh sides are the most at risk of being locked into the second division.

Some strange two conference option = Looks a bit Homer Simpson clown car. The option where everyone tries to have their cake and eat it too. SA and Italian sides are kept. English sides link up with the URC. Welsh sides play the English sides without risk of being relegated into irrelevance. Problem is the comp stops making much sense. Super Rugby ended up in a mess by choosing options like this. "Choose the Homer Simpson clown car to grow by a few million dollars", just means going for growth of a few percent which in practice blows it all up.

This talk does look like it's mostly Welsh/English driven, they don't really want the same things though. The Welsh want to play all the English sides, because they think there's more money in it for them, which is possible by setting ticket prices below English clubs and targeting away fans (maybe there would be an agreement on minimum ticket prices? attracting English fans still seems a legitimate expectation). They also think playing English clubs will improve them on the pitch, which there's no evidence for. Some English clubs aren't convinced their model is working anymore, so some of them want to add the stronger Celtic sides which aren't the Welsh sides.

Cannot see how any of this will help them. The fundamental problem in Wales is their sides aren't professional enough, they've fallen behind off the field in management and coaching, it's a not a player quality or lack of interest issue. The fundamental problem in England is below test rugby (really just the 6N and RWC) there's next to no interest and therefore little prospect of more fans/money than already exists regardless of what they do.

The Homer Simpson clown car option could be gaining momentum. Rapport reports on rugby a lot, sometimes it's total bullshit and sometimes it's true. Maybe a bit like WalesOnline.

URC shouldn't be entertaining this. The league is competitive and works. A strong side can struggle to make the top 8, there's not many genuinely weak sides and even they're capable at home on their day. £4m is not worth it, in the context we're talking about it is fuck all. If the URC wants growth a far better option would be working out how to add sides in the Europe/Africa time zone without making the format kak, a rebadged Portugal national side should be top of the list. That isn't going to immediately add £4m, but would show long term thinking which pro rugby has been poor at doing.

Easy to see what will happen with the Homer Simpson clown car. The English that want it will keep pushing for a British and Irish league, they'll become the Aussies of the NH and blame SA for preventing that option, the Aussies cried about SA for years and blamed us for preventing an Aus/NZ comp which would definitely fix all their problems (their problem being that they don't like rugby). Any format change or addition of teams will also have to go through a partner fundamentally opposed to SA's involvement, opposes the current format structure that includes SA, and opposes any of the Celtic sides gaining teams (or even retaining teams in the case of Wales) which would change the power balance in favour of the Celts. There'll be massive arguments over the revenue split, it'll be two separate comps with playoffs at the end, hard to tell where the value is in that. The comp itself will cease to make any sense, you'll watch your side all season only to face sides you've never seen before and aren't part of the comp you've been watching.

In other words a replay of what killed Super Rugby.

SA backs Premiership merger

SA Rugby will support a reported merger between the URC and Premiership, provided the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers are guaranteed spots in the competition.

A potential merger between the URC and the Premiership, split into two divisions with promotion and relegation, is reportedly under serious consideration as both competitions explore ways to boost future broadcasting deals.

WalesOnline reports that the new league could bring in an extra £4 million (R91,4 million) in TV revenue. Sky Sports has already shown interest in securing broadcast rights. Private equity firm CVC, which holds a 27% stake in the English Premiership and 28% in the URC, is reportedly involved in the discussions.

According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, South Africa has supported the merger, but it is unlikely to happen before May 2026.

The current proposal suggests South African teams would be placed in a division alongside sides from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, while teams from England and Wales would form the other division. The top four teams from each division would face off in cross-division knockout matches to determine the league champion.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-backs-p ... ip-merger/

I'd not be averse to a B&I league (I don't see the travel to SA as a sustainable long term option) but that seems a ridiculous idea. If the Welsh want to fuck off let them do so but there's no reason for the 2 leagues to play off against each other.

Premiership top brass already poured cold water on any merger last week. This is not going to happen any time soon.