NPR

Here you go Torq. Knock yourself out.

Grow a spine.

https://on.ft.com/3BlVKmu

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 8:41 am Grow a spine.

https://on.ft.com/3BlVKmu

That's the spirit. You can spam articles here to your hearts content.

I've actually lost track of what arguments you're trying to make. I can't remember anyone on the other thread suggesting that English rugby is in a healthy state. You seem to have pushed back on people having the temerity to suggest that English teams weren't actually routinely hammered by French teams in Europe this year and taken that to suggest that everyone thinks things are fine.

England are pish.
Discuss.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 8:40 am And to counter JMK's "it was down to COVID", I had to dig this one out from the FT. The FT FFS considered it worthy of a whole piece
https://on.ft.com/3BlVKmu

The collapse of the two clubs hints at something rotten in the financial state of English club rugby. Even before Covid wiped out ticket sales and hospitality revenues, rugby union’s top clubs were mired by fragile finances.

Club owners, senior executives, investors, the league and authorities see an opportunity for a “reset” that can put the sport’s finances back on track. “We’ve had 25 years of pro rugby now and the model is bust really,” says the owner of one club.

“An arms race started for players with money the game couldn’t afford,” says Tim Crow, a sports marketer who has negotiated sponsorships with the Six Nations, British & Irish Lions and the Premiership. “It hasn’t changed.”

As the Myners review would later report, the game became prone to financial ups and downs. Periods of relative stability typically led to excess, mostly as clubs pushed salary budgets to the limits in pursuit of domestic and European titles.

The crisis now engulfing English rugby was worsened by the pandemic, say experts, but not caused by it. “Rugby union has been storing these problems up for some time, the warning signs were there,” says Dan Plumley, sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University. “Covid has accelerated the problems that were already there.”

They're saying exactly what I said, Torq. The bit you're missing is that we didn't go from heading towards sustainability only to be blown up by Covid. The Premiership was heading towards a healthy position and then the salary cap arms race happened, which meant clubs ended up spending beyond their means and we lost all that progress. Covid then mortally wounded a few clubs and put a big financial hole into everyone.

This isn't complicated and I don't understand how you keep wildly missing the point. Framing what I said as "it was down to COVID" is just idiotic

English rugby is fine and they should keep doing the great work that they are doing.

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 11:04 am English rugby is fine and they should keep doing the great work that they are doing.

Bring Back Eddie!

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 11:04 am English rugby is fine and they should keep doing the great work that they are doing.

Agreed, I'm very happy with the way things are going.

The Premiership must be great, almost all of the clubs in it qualify for Europe's top tier competition.

Boring, boring England.

Boooooooo

And their clubs are stinky poo-faces!

Ymx wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 8:32 am Boring, boring England.

Boooooooo

And their clubs are stinky poo-faces!

And all their club owners are spivs!