Who have been the best players in this year's Champions Cup? As we wait for the finale at the end of the month, let's reflect on a brilliant tournament.
Surprised Furlong didn't get picked, unlike the last couple of seasons where he's being picked in teams of the season without actually playing that well, this season he's been playing brilliantly and looks like the Furlong of 2017
How crazy is it that Will Evans is almost certainly not going to play for England. He’s consistently been the best jackal threat in England for about 3 years now and he’s built his game up from there. Top tackaler and jackaler in the prem now as well as a super strong champions cup showing (hence why he makes Tim’s team!). Borthwick is doing a lot right with England but I do think it’s mad to not have space in your squad for SUCH a good out and out 7 with that kind of work rate too. Can’t help but think it’s the old “not big enough to play test rugby” trope
Yeah I think you are right although its so competitive in that position: Curry, Underhill, Pepper, Pearson, Willis (if he comes back to the Prem or RFU change overseas rules)
@@henrybullock4514 I get that it’s competitive but Tom Curry has suffered a really bad injury and the recovery looks like it’s going to be touch & go, Evans is better than Pepper atm (pepper big talent though), Willis unavailable as you said and Evans is also better than Pearson. I think the fact Ben curry made the squad for the 6N over Evans is quite insulting tbh. Not many people watch enough rugby to realise how good Evans is so you don’t hear about it much but in terms of a jackaling 7 he’s number 1 (he was even number 1 when Willis was in the prem). It’s his profile that puts coaches off which is a shame
I hate the idea of a one-city set of semi-finals. Imagine a Munster vs Leinster semi for example being set in Portugal or the south of France. The only reason it works for the FA Cup in Wembley is because it’s all English/Scottish/Welsh teams.
ECPR have done all they possibly can to avoid going back to the most successful format in the competitions' history. Now they want to just cash in perhaps.
@@88Eoghan In fairness, the EPCR's role is to grow the game and cash is the primary tool they need to do it. Home fans / teams could be hard done by but if there is concensus that the EPRC are making changes for the greater good then let them at it.
We are not made of money and have other commitments in our lives. Fans cannot drop everything to spend a weekend and lot of cash on a semi-final weekend. There is nothing wrong with the current format, it rewards the teams the played the best in the group stages, what is the problem with that
One thing about the semi-finals. They are not meant to be neutral. Never has been they are just matches that can't be played in the home teams' home stadium, and that's it. Often, which venues will bring in the most money is the most important thing.
If you get home country advantage how is it Leinster Rugby's fault if the main Rugby stadium is in Dublin. If they want to move it to Belfast or down to Limerick work away. They won't do that as said stadiums are to small. Brian Moore was crying about this last year with Leinster playing the final in Dublin. It was given to Ireland a few years before and an irish team just happened to make the final. BTW Leinsters home ground is the RDS not the Aviva. I wounder if Mr Moore would have been saying that this year if it was Quins V Leinster in London?? Me thinks not. As for your team of the tournament your not at all Premier bias are you 😂😂😂😂.
Big Courtney IS my favourite player ever. So many phases to his unbelievable career. Big hitting tackler Destroyer of mauls with his telescopic arms Breakdown expert all while doing an excellent job as a lock or 6 and quietly having great hands - remember who put Ashton away against Australia all those years ago.
Love the team, especially the Quins inclusions. Will Evans might be a unanimous choice as our player of the season. Even the wives, kids and parents of our other players are voting for WEv!!!
Home semis should be fair reward… but if they are in neutral venues then it will maybe provide more incentive for teams to not do a bulls knowing that if they do win the Qs then the next games are neutral venues!
Really interesting thoughts on the potential semi-final weekend. I think some of the English reaction to it is totally unjustified. The two teams earned this right and while it is a huge advantage, it's not decided by the flip of a coin as used to be the case way back when, albeit it was generally less of a home city game. I don't think the finals weekend format has captured the fans as EPCR would have hoped for, so I think this would do little to interest fans either, and like you said could be paving a way for destinations that fans will categorically not be going to be able to visit. I expect to see it sooner rather than later with the finals too.
Semi final weekend would be great. No home side and fair ticket allocation to both sets of fans plus neutrals, remove the unconscious bias of the referee to favour the home team in tight decisions, take rugby on the road, feels like a great idea all round!
83000 fans, "a new record" turned out for Leinster v Northampton. Croke Park is a sacred ground to Irish sport, history was made on Saturday when the GAA alowed Ruby to be played there. English soldiers walked on to that field and opened fire on the crowd and the players. For an english sport and an english team to be allowed to play in Croke Park was not an easy concession to make. To now come out and suggest that next years semi's should be held in a neautral country, possibly a country where rugby is not played. What a slap in the face to the 83,000 fans on Saturday and the 33,000 on Sunday. Both games were a full house. The games turned out to be closer than expected in the end, but the better teams and the favourites won. It doesn't matter how much Premiership Rugby and the RFU mess with this competition, an English team won't win it until they are good enough to win it. Two teams in the semi's is a huge achievement for the premiership.
When the irish played sa at worldup.doris put in a few try saving tackles he saved them.what a player?.still a young guy irreplaceable on irish team.what a find and a constant menace to the opposition.?
Thanks, good program, but cannot agree on team. Individually the players are excellent, the team no. You need grunt and determination, you need Saffas man!!
I think picking defenders from Quins is a bit of a joke, they have a hopeless defence system and although smyth makes some tackles he just gets dragged all over the place like a chicken missing his head.
Neethling Fouche is a good pick. Very solid performer. Tyrone Green HAS to be in the Springbok conversation, would have him over Fassi any day of the week. No surprise you picked Slade at 13, have a soft spot for the man.
The top 14 semis will be in Bordeaux… the final is in Marseille.. last years they were played in San Sebastián and it was a banger! I would really welcome having semis and finals away from France or the UK… let countries where rugby is popular or rising, welcome the final, imagine a final in Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon or Bucarest…. It would be awesome for the game we love and promote rugby as it deserves. Let’s hope that they’ll never consider sending the event to the middle no matter how much money they’ll get in their pockets (it do talk about the rugby boards)
On locations its how much they're willing to accommodate the SA sides. It seems reasonable to me if the SA sides are there to stay. The whole comp needs a review through. You can argue be good enough to be a top seed but Leinsters lack of going to SA due to being in the URC, home draw for semi lets face it they've had every advantage.
Fans haven't got bottomless pockets also, teams that get to home country semi finals earned them. Will take the competition to get to top of the table out of it. Dont think SA teams would go with that would put them at huge disadvantage. I am sure they are working for home advantage in their game plan.
Tim, are you getting coverage of the U20 Rugby Championship matches currently happening in Aussie? Some good rugby being played, with Australia's pipeline looking healthy.
Think your team is pretty much bang on. In regards to the 10 shirt, people give Marcus a lot of stick and say he's overrated, but if you look at how he's been playing since the world cup, he has been exceptional. His game, particularly defensively, has improved drastically since then, and perhaps his stint at fullback was beneficial for this, as well as highlighting another position he could play.
Dupont over Gibson-Park but by the tiniest of margins. Tyrone Green would make my team, he's fantastic to watch. Peato Mauvaka is a great call, I think he's way ahead of Dan Sheehan. Thibaud Flament at lock. Re: semi-finals in Porto - it's a terrible idea. Major cities in rugby loving countries - multiple travel options, neutral domestic fans and travelling supporters - look at how many South Africans were at the Stoop on Saturday (and they still couldn't fill the ground).
This is exactly why I love this Podcast! This team is not based on name or reputation. No bias whatsoever. I can’t disagree with any of the players you chose.
semi final weekend in the same city is not good imo, financially it concentrates the money in one place and then again for adoption spreading the net wider brings the game to more people..
One weekend yes, but in a "neutral" city, so not Marseille. Porto or Lisbon fine, as they are also not most expensive cities, and probably not as hot as Marseille in June.
1:10 So if you go to a semi-final, you've to pay accommodation, flights and all other sorts of costs. Then if you get to the final you've tobdonit all again. That's a lot of money to be shelled out. Amd thats all if they even sell out.
Spicy idea its about the semis building up to move out to Riyadh or some such. I dont get the city choices, just weird to not choose from the countries involved to limit travel (and how did only a city in france get in..?) Could do it something like France, or two smaller countries hosts the round of 16, Britain hosts quarters, SA host the semis and Ireland hosts the final on a rotation.
SA won’t host a round if it was like that atm no games can be played in SA from semi final onwards and for qf that would mean 5/6 teams atleast travelling down just won’t happen
I love the idea of one city semi finals! So long as it's communicated well I'm advance. I believe the final was held in Bilbao one year and it drew a crowd of around 55,000. Hosting it in an emerging rugby nation like Portugal would be incredible for their growth
They are the 2 best 9s in the world he even said DuPont best player in the world which I agree with but jgp has dragged a stuttering Leinster team to the final and in qf and sf was amazing it’s 50/50
EPCR take all the ticket / gate money for semi's and finals so of course they want much more bumper ticket sales. The teams see none of this revenue. Re: your idea that it could go to the middle east - not likely as there's little to no interest or investment in rugby out that part of the world. But bringing more semi's to other countries over all is a good idea to help the game grow. Pro's - grow the popularity of the game. EPCR make more money which presumably is used for the betterment of the game (lots of debate here) Cons - Semi teams fan lose the long standing benefit of a home semi.
4 players from Harlequins and only 2 from Toulouse...Baille should be the 1, then Cros or Willis should there. Pita Akhi is so underestimated, and Ramos should be there at 10 or at 15.
I would prefer a 2nd tier country. France hosted to many champions Cup matches. I agree with you think it is for money with Qatar in the running for world league final.
2nd tier countries generally don’t have the facilities to host games of this size or if they do would struggle to get 50,000+ into stadiums for 2 teams not from that country
@@seanofarrell8896 ok and the second part? You think they can charge €50 for an average ticket in Madrid or Barcelona to equal the revenue from croke park
@@inBODwetrust13 they clearly do I said or they would struggle to half full the stadiums at the price EPCR charged in croke park or they would have to charge a lot less and still struggle to sell it out Rugby is also played during the same time period so it would cut up a soccer pitch which those teams would then need to play on which is why the aviva wasn’t allowed to be used
How much was made from croke park there was no child or family price tickets available I bought my 3 sons all under 16 adult tickets the epcr are full of greed clubs have no say of tickets prices after the quarter finals
A single semi-final venue needs to be neutral ... playing in non-represented countries could be good for the game, and as a non-EU exclusive tournament now, Dubai or anywhere else in the middle east is about as neutral as it can get. Travel from Europe to the middle east and South Africa to the middle east is also an equalizer. If SA teams can't play in front of their home fans, rules should be the same for everyone. Take the oil money and put it back into the game.
Have the semi finals in Edinburgh - no chance of Edinburgh being in semis😂 I dont think you are cynical enough - sport is all about money no thought given to fans
The "destination" semi-final idea doesn't consider the fans at all, you hit the nail on the head, it's paving the way for sports-washing from a cash-rich oil state. It's a nonsense to force potentially four sets of fans to fly to a different city, when will sport wake up to its' carbon footprint. EPCR seem to live by the motto: "If it isn't broken, break it". Take a lesson from the URC - the top-ranked team hosts through to the final. How ridiculous would it have been two years ago to have the Stormers:Bulls final in Dublin instead of in South Africa?
Whinging English journalists getting their way yet again. Already destroyed the competition once and now going at it again. Northampton the first ever English club to play at Croke Park (with only Cian Healy having ever played there before in the Leinster team), sold a record 82,300 tickets, yet somehow that's a problem for the competition?!
Surprised Furlong didn't get picked, unlike the last couple of seasons where he's being picked in teams of the season without actually playing that well, this season he's been playing brilliantly and looks like the Furlong of 2017
Yeah he's back. It's been good to see, Ireland not having a great time up front recently, lineout mainly but scrum also. He's been rock solid.
How crazy is it that Will Evans is almost certainly not going to play for England. He’s consistently been the best jackal threat in England for about 3 years now and he’s built his game up from there. Top tackaler and jackaler in the prem now as well as a super strong champions cup showing (hence why he makes Tim’s team!). Borthwick is doing a lot right with England but I do think it’s mad to not have space in your squad for SUCH a good out and out 7 with that kind of work rate too. Can’t help but think it’s the old “not big enough to play test rugby” trope
Yeah I think you are right although its so competitive in that position: Curry, Underhill, Pepper, Pearson, Willis (if he comes back to the Prem or RFU change overseas rules)
@@henrybullock4514 I get that it’s competitive but Tom Curry has suffered a really bad injury and the recovery looks like it’s going to be touch & go, Evans is better than Pepper atm (pepper big talent though), Willis unavailable as you said and Evans is also better than Pearson. I think the fact Ben curry made the squad for the 6N over Evans is quite insulting tbh. Not many people watch enough rugby to realise how good Evans is so you don’t hear about it much but in terms of a jackaling 7 he’s number 1 (he was even number 1 when Willis was in the prem). It’s his profile that puts coaches off which is a shame
I hate the idea of a one-city set of semi-finals. Imagine a Munster vs Leinster semi for example being set in Portugal or the south of France. The only reason it works for the FA Cup in Wembley is because it’s all English/Scottish/Welsh teams.
ECPR have done all they possibly can to avoid going back to the most successful format in the competitions' history. Now they want to just cash in perhaps.
@@88Eoghan In fairness, the EPCR's role is to grow the game and cash is the primary tool they need to do it.
Home fans / teams could be hard done by but if there is concensus that the EPRC are making changes for the greater good then let them at it.
@@paolozmmHow does empty stadiums in the arse end of nowhere make more cash than selling out an 82,300 seater stadium?
We are not made of money and have other commitments in our lives. Fans cannot drop everything to spend a weekend and lot of cash on a semi-final weekend. There is nothing wrong with the current format, it rewards the teams the played the best in the group stages, what is the problem with that
Love me some Paul Costes at the moment. First season as a pro, boy is he a joy to watch.
One thing about the semi-finals. They are not meant to be neutral. Never has been they are just matches that can't be played in the home teams' home stadium, and that's it. Often, which venues will bring in the most money is the most important thing.
Very insightful as usual mate. Would have gone with Kinghorn as fullback, what an outstanding season he had.
If you get home country advantage how is it Leinster Rugby's fault if the main Rugby stadium is in Dublin. If they want to move it to Belfast or down to Limerick work away. They won't do that as said stadiums are to small. Brian Moore was crying about this last year with Leinster playing the final in Dublin. It was given to Ireland a few years before and an irish team just happened to make the final. BTW Leinsters home ground is the RDS not the Aviva. I wounder if Mr Moore would have been saying that this year if it was Quins V Leinster in London?? Me thinks not. As for your team of the tournament your not at all Premier bias are you 😂😂😂😂.
I love Dan Mauvaka !
best hooker ever
Big Courtney IS my favourite player ever. So many phases to his unbelievable career.
Big hitting tackler
Destroyer of mauls with his telescopic arms
Breakdown expert
all while doing an excellent job as a lock or 6 and quietly having great hands - remember who put Ashton away against Australia all those years ago.
Portugal after such an enthusiastic WC deserves to welcome the semis, so why not? Porto and Lisbon are very easy to reach by plane.
Love the team, especially the Quins inclusions. Will Evans might be a unanimous choice as our player of the season. Even the wives, kids and parents of our other players are voting for WEv!!!
Jameson Gibson Park
Home semis should be fair reward… but if they are in neutral venues then it will maybe provide more incentive for teams to not do a bulls knowing that if they do win the Qs then the next games are neutral venues!
Also incentivises teams to not even bother putting a team out in the pool stages.
I see World Rugby confirms the scrum is not an option from a free quick. The inexorable march to Rugby League continues.
Really interesting thoughts on the potential semi-final weekend. I think some of the English reaction to it is totally unjustified. The two teams earned this right and while it is a huge advantage, it's not decided by the flip of a coin as used to be the case way back when, albeit it was generally less of a home city game. I don't think the finals weekend format has captured the fans as EPCR would have hoped for, so I think this would do little to interest fans either, and like you said could be paving a way for destinations that fans will categorically not be going to be able to visit. I expect to see it sooner rather than later with the finals too.
Semi final weekend would be great. No home side and fair ticket allocation to both sets of fans plus neutrals, remove the unconscious bias of the referee to favour the home team in tight decisions, take rugby on the road, feels like a great idea all round!
Le premier à poster!
Top14 semis are in Bordeaux, going to both, love the balanced delivery. Alan
83000 fans, "a new record" turned out for Leinster v Northampton. Croke Park is a sacred ground to Irish sport, history was made on Saturday when the GAA alowed Ruby to be played there. English soldiers walked on to that field and opened fire on the crowd and the players. For an english sport and an english team to be allowed to play in Croke Park was not an easy concession to make. To now come out and suggest that next years semi's should be held in a neautral country, possibly a country where rugby is not played. What a slap in the face to the 83,000 fans on Saturday and the 33,000 on Sunday. Both games were a full house. The games turned out to be closer than expected in the end, but the better teams and the favourites won. It doesn't matter how much Premiership Rugby and the RFU mess with this competition, an English team won't win it until they are good enough to win it. Two teams in the semi's is a huge achievement for the premiership.
When the irish played sa at worldup.doris put in a few try saving tackles he saved them.what a player?.still a young guy irreplaceable on irish team.what a find and a constant menace to the opposition.?
Thanks, good program, but cannot agree on team. Individually the players are excellent, the team no. You need grunt and determination, you need Saffas man!!
François Cros and Pita Akhi are so underrated, as always
I think picking defenders from Quins is a bit of a joke, they have a hopeless defence system and although smyth makes some tackles he just gets dragged all over the place like a chicken missing his head.
it's NEVER about the fans !
Baird for me was outstanding last two games.
Neethling Fouche is a good pick. Very solid performer. Tyrone Green HAS to be in the Springbok conversation, would have him over Fassi any day of the week. No surprise you picked Slade at 13, have a soft spot for the man.
The semi idea makes it less accessible, simple as that. It'll drive up hotel prices and minimise the number of people going to a rugby game.
The top 14 semis will be in Bordeaux… the final is in Marseille.. last years they were played in San Sebastián and it was a banger! I would really welcome having semis and finals away from France or the UK… let countries where rugby is popular or rising, welcome the final, imagine a final in Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon or Bucarest…. It would be awesome for the game we love and promote rugby as it deserves. Let’s hope that they’ll never consider sending the event to the middle no matter how much money they’ll get in their pockets (it do talk about the rugby boards)
No furlong?
On locations its how much they're willing to accommodate the SA sides. It seems reasonable to me if the SA sides are there to stay. The whole comp needs a review through. You can argue be good enough to be a top seed but Leinsters lack of going to SA due to being in the URC, home draw for semi lets face it they've had every advantage.
SA sides have nothing to do in a European Championship. Even more as SA supports Putin.
Dupont always as to be in it
Croke park is amazing though
Loved the Jamie Osborne shout
Fans haven't got bottomless pockets also, teams that get to home country semi finals earned them. Will take the competition to get to top of the table out of it. Dont think SA teams would go with that would put them at huge disadvantage. I am sure they are working for home advantage in their game plan.
Tim, are you getting coverage of the U20 Rugby Championship matches currently happening in Aussie?
Some good rugby being played, with Australia's pipeline looking healthy.
Think your team is pretty much bang on. In regards to the 10 shirt, people give Marcus a lot of stick and say he's overrated, but if you look at how he's been playing since the world cup, he has been exceptional. His game, particularly defensively, has improved drastically since then, and perhaps his stint at fullback was beneficial for this, as well as highlighting another position he could play.
No in 6 it's Francois CROS abolutely fantatic!
François cros ! Every day !
Dupont over Gibson-Park but by the tiniest of margins. Tyrone Green would make my team, he's fantastic to watch. Peato Mauvaka is a great call, I think he's way ahead of Dan Sheehan. Thibaud Flament at lock. Re: semi-finals in Porto - it's a terrible idea. Major cities in rugby loving countries - multiple travel options, neutral domestic fans and travelling supporters - look at how many South Africans were at the Stoop on Saturday (and they still couldn't fill the ground).
So Tim, Who are Harlequins playing in the final then? :) Could you not find a few English players to select? :)
This is exactly why I love this Podcast! This team is not based on name or reputation. No bias whatsoever. I can’t disagree with any of the players you chose.
the ticket sales for Croke paric were around 4 million euro so that might come into it
I think having the games in Portugal would be good cuz of the weather, plus Portugal is an up and coming rugby market meaning greater viewership
Have the final there then, just too much expense already for fans, not everyone is made of money
Too expensive for the fans, we gotta respect poor Rugby fans who still want to enjoy the game
Semi-Finals Wkend in Marseille pls!!!
1 Baille
2 Mauvaka
3 du Toit
4 McCarthy
5 Meafou
6 Lawes
7 Evans
8 Doris
9 Dupont
10 M Smith
11 Lowe
12 Esterhuizen
13 Freeman
14 Buros
15 T Green
Du Toit is a good shout
Semi Issue will be when the city is booked and irony of irony the local team to that city getvinto semis!
semi final weekend in the same city is not good imo, financially it concentrates the money in one place and then again for adoption spreading the net wider brings the game to more people..
One weekend yes, but in a "neutral" city, so not Marseille. Porto or Lisbon fine, as they are also not most expensive cities, and probably not as hot as Marseille in June.
1:10 So if you go to a semi-final, you've to pay accommodation, flights and all other sorts of costs. Then if you get to the final you've tobdonit all again. That's a lot of money to be shelled out. Amd thats all if they even sell out.
Spicy idea its about the semis building up to move out to Riyadh or some such.
I dont get the city choices, just weird to not choose from the countries involved to limit travel (and how did only a city in france get in..?)
Could do it something like France, or two smaller countries hosts the round of 16, Britain hosts quarters, SA host the semis and Ireland hosts the final on a rotation.
SA won’t host a round if it was like that atm no games can be played in SA from semi final onwards and for qf that would mean 5/6 teams atleast travelling down just won’t happen
Why do you not select a match-day 23?
Not cynical, vision of their intentions!
I'm stunned... No Penaud ;)
Second tier nation is the only sensible choice. Doha would be a sham and would completely lose interest in the championship going forward.
I love the idea of one city semi finals! So long as it's communicated well I'm advance.
I believe the final was held in Bilbao one year and it drew a crowd of around 55,000.
Hosting it in an emerging rugby nation like Portugal would be incredible for their growth
1 st player from ST in the dream team, seriously ?
Sorry but can you elaborate on the JGP choice please ? :-)
They are the 2 best 9s in the world he even said DuPont best player in the world which I agree with but jgp has dragged a stuttering Leinster team to the final and in qf and sf was amazing it’s 50/50
EPCR take all the ticket / gate money for semi's and finals so of course they want much more bumper ticket sales. The teams see none of this revenue.
Re: your idea that it could go to the middle east - not likely as there's little to no interest or investment in rugby out that part of the world. But bringing more semi's to other countries over all is a good idea to help the game grow.
Pro's - grow the popularity of the game. EPCR make more money which presumably is used for the betterment of the game (lots of debate here)
Cons - Semi teams fan lose the long standing benefit of a home semi.
All games need to be in the countries in which the clubs are based, surely.¿?¿
Will you do urc one
I love content so much Tim, sometimes I even forget you're English!
😂😂😂😂
Until he reaches the French TV director point. It should be now be called the Tim point🤔! Just (half) kidding, I love his work.
4 players from Harlequins and only 2 from Toulouse...Baille should be the 1, then Cros or Willis should there. Pita Akhi is so underestimated, and Ramos should be there at 10 or at 15.
I would prefer a 2nd tier country. France hosted to many champions Cup matches. I agree with you think it is for money with Qatar in the running for world league final.
2nd tier countries generally don’t have the facilities to host games of this size or if they do would struggle to get 50,000+ into stadiums for 2 teams not from that country
@@brendanmolloy572 Spain do with soccer stadiums
@@seanofarrell8896 ok and the second part? You think they can charge €50 for an average ticket in Madrid or Barcelona to equal the revenue from croke park
@@brendanmolloy572Spain, Germany and Portugal don't have facilities?
@@inBODwetrust13 they clearly do I said or they would struggle to half full the stadiums at the price EPCR charged in croke park or they would have to charge a lot less and still struggle to sell it out
Rugby is also played during the same time period so it would cut up a soccer pitch which those teams would then need to play on which is why the aviva wasn’t allowed to be used
No backline player from the team with the best attack in the tournament ?
he did mention lebel
How much was made from croke park there was no child or family price tickets available I bought my 3 sons all under 16 adult tickets the epcr are full of greed clubs have no say of tickets prices after the quarter finals
Mauvaka Cros and Meafou
A single semi-final venue needs to be neutral ... playing in non-represented countries could be good for the game, and as a non-EU exclusive tournament now, Dubai or anywhere else in the middle east is about as neutral as it can get. Travel from Europe to the middle east and South Africa to the middle east is also an equalizer. If SA teams can't play in front of their home fans, rules should be the same for everyone.
Take the oil money and put it back into the game.
If the Middle East are interested in rugby, I think it has to be considered as a much needed source of funds for an underinvested sport
They need to figure the pools before they start messing with semis
Marcus Smith as the best 10 is the only one I disagree with.
Have the semi finals in Edinburgh - no chance of Edinburgh being in semis😂
I dont think you are cynical enough - sport is all about money no thought given to fans
No rg snyman??
Appointment with his doctor 😂😂😂😂
Will cost too much money
The "destination" semi-final idea doesn't consider the fans at all, you hit the nail on the head, it's paving the way for sports-washing from a cash-rich oil state. It's a nonsense to force potentially four sets of fans to fly to a different city, when will sport wake up to its' carbon footprint. EPCR seem to live by the motto: "If it isn't broken, break it". Take a lesson from the URC - the top-ranked team hosts through to the final. How ridiculous would it have been two years ago to have the Stormers:Bulls final in Dublin instead of in South Africa?
This video isnt relevant to me as a South African.. but I had to click on it I miss your voice 🎉
Not sure why since bulls and stormers are in the competition…
@@jacquie212 🤦
Another chance for the French to cash in…..Marseilles is super dodgy
The Arab Dictators would spend millions on these Semi's. Correct. Greed will win as usual.
Whinging English journalists getting their way yet again. Already destroyed the competition once and now going at it again.
Northampton the first ever English club to play at Croke Park (with only Cian Healy having ever played there before in the Leinster team), sold a record 82,300 tickets, yet somehow that's a problem for the competition?!