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27-03-19, 11:59
valzc

World League News

Well this should put the mockers on this happening - RA won't be happy.

‘Catastrophic’: World Rugby’s bold new comp hits massive roadblock

Duncan Bech, PA, FOX SPORTS
March 27, 2019 5:31am

World Rugby’s proposed Nations Championship has hit a roadblock after the English RFU declared possible relegation from the Six Nations would be “catastrophic” for the game.

Acting chief executive Nigel Melville is determined to avoid the doomsday scenario — however unlikely — of a two-year spell outside of the sport’s most successful annual tournament.
It has been speculated that were England to drop into a tier two competition, then Twickenham might have to be sold to cover for the inevitable collapse in revenue.
In a comment that appears to end the prospect of the Nations Championship being approved in its current format, Melville insists the RFU will not allow ownership of its 82,000-capacity ground to ever be threatened.
“For us it could be catastrophic being relegated, commercially,” Melville said.
“To be relegated, the catastrophe isn’t just the team being relegated, it’s our ability to fund the game as a governing body in England.
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England rugby boss Nigel Melville.“Can we fund the community game in England to the level we do now if we don’t have the revenues we have?
“And on the point of promotion and relegation, there’s no promotion and relegation in a Lions year and there’s no tournament in a World Cup year.

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“So when you’re relegated, you’re relegated for two years, not one.
“It’s not quite up and down, one season on the naughty step and go back up, it’s actually two years and that could be a disaster for people.”
The Nations Championship is World Rugby’s vision for the global game after Japan 2019 and takes the format of a new cross-hemisphere league that would see the top teams from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship collide at the end of the year.
Relegation and promotion based on overall league performance is a foundation of the plan in the hope it will create depth by offering tier two teams a place among the elite.
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27-03-19, 12:07
.X.

Fund the community game??? Since when is that important?
27-03-19, 12:23
AndyS

Any time you want to do (or not do) something you know will be unpopular. Same principle as asking if people realise how many children's hospitals, orphanages, (grassroots development programs in Sydney, arrested membership declines), etc could be built for a particular sum of money...always noticeable that it never comes with an actionable guarantee that's what the money will get used for.
27-03-19, 12:58
WCRugger

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyS

Any time you want to do (or not do) something you know will be unpopular. Same principle as asking if people realise how many children's hospitals, orphanages, (grassroots development programs in Sydney, arrested membership declines), etc could be built for a particular sum of money...always noticeable that it never comes with an actionable guarantee that's what the money will get used for.

The issue here is that there's a strong likelihood that the RFU are angling for the CVC deal. One that will surrender commercial control of the competition.
27-03-19, 16:20
Bakkies

Quote:

Originally Posted by WCRugger

The issue here is that there's a strong likelihood that the RFU are angling for the CVC deal. One that will surrender commercial control of the competition.

I don’t think so. The RFU are raising the same concerns Ireland and Scotland have raised. I have also posted the same.

The fact that the In Front money is coming from the Blatter family is another concern. Where are they getting the money, the conditions and they have placed a take it or leave it ultimatum date. The RA wouldn’t be bothered as they don’t do due diligence as long as someone else bails out their mismanagement, keep on carpet sweeping and Uncle Cam can get his ugly mug in front of the caterers.
27-03-19, 16:50
WCRugger

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bakkies

I don’t think so. The RFU are raising the same concerns Ireland and Scotland have raised. I have also posted the same.

The fact that the In Front money is coming from the Blatter family is another concern. Where are they getting the money, the conditions and they have placed a take it or leave it ultimatum date. The RA wouldn’t be bothered as they don’t do due diligence as long as someone else bails out their mismanagement, keep on carpet sweeping and Uncle Cam can get his ugly mug in front of the caterers.

Mate, I know a few people who's dealt with Melville in person. None of them have a good thing to say about him. I wouldn't be too quick to discount that option. As for Infront. I know Blatter's nephew is a high up executive at Infront but is there any source indicating the backing of the bid?
27-03-19, 18:03
SPaRTAN

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bakkies

I don’t think so. The RFU are raising the same concerns Ireland and Scotland have raised. I have also posted the same.

The fact that the In Front money is coming from the Blatter family is another concern. Where are they getting the money, the conditions and they have placed a take it or leave it ultimatum date. The RA wouldn’t be bothered as they don’t do due diligence as long as someone else bails out their mismanagement, keep on carpet sweeping and Uncle Cam can get his ugly mug in front of the caterers.

So if the deal doesn't go through is RugbyAustralia officially cooked? With the new Superdooper deal about to be finalized at bottom dollar where will the funds come from to keep the national game ticking towards oblivion? I reckon RA are squirming now that the realization has hit that they should have taken Twiggys $70 million dollar deal. I guess this is the end game?
27-03-19, 18:43
Sheikh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bakkies

The fact that the In Front money is coming from the Blatter family is another concern. ...

Sure is. Sepp Blatter wasn't the worst of his family. His nephew+ had fingers in dodgy pies, including winning the rights to sell soccer World Cup rights to various countries.++

[+ I've heard reports that Blatter's son is involved in In Front. Sepp Blatter doesn't have a son, so I suspect it's his nephew up to old tricks.]
[++ The black sheep of my family was briefly involved in this. He's currently in jail in Jersey!]
27-03-19, 20:58
Bakkies

Quote:

Originally Posted by WCRugger

Mate, I know a few people who's dealt with Melville in person. None of them have a good thing to say about him. I wouldn't be too quick to discount that option. As for Infront. I know Blatter's nephew is a high up executive at Infront but is there any source indicating the backing of the bid?

Maybe so about Melville but he is stating what a lot of the unions in Europe and the International players association have already made public about their concerns. Four of the 6 Nations unions are likely to oppose this particularly the Italians who don’t have an asset, are outside the top ten and only two fully pro sides. The CVC deal is only about commercials they won’t take control. They will want to veto the World League soon as it looks like Pichot will take over from Beaumont very soon.

SANZAAR will have to get their money from somewhere else. Nothing to stop them from approaching CVC themselves. If they threaten to go rogue Europe can pull the Lions away from them as there is no renewed agreement, it is well known in Europe that the Lions bailed out the RA, with hold RWC bid votes as three of the unions are likely to bid and not tour down under individually.

South Africa have to tread very carefully as they are trying to get more teams in to the Pro 14 a comp that is likely to get CVC money soon as rumoured. By siding with the likes of the RA in threatening to pull out of tours Europe can say we don’t want you anymore which means they won’t get a cut of the Pro 14 CVC deal.

None of the UK or Irish papers have mentioned where InFront is sourcing their money from. Blatter’s cronies (Uncle Cam is an angel compared to this lot) have been kicked out of Football, very few have been locked up. No doubt they want to get their hands on power again.
27-03-19, 21:10
Bakkies

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPaRTAN

So if the deal doesn't go through is RugbyAustralia officially cooked? With the new Superdooper deal about to be finalized at bottom dollar where will the funds come from to keep the national game ticking towards oblivion? I reckon RA are squirming now that the realization has hit that they should have taken Twiggys $70 million dollar deal. I guess this is the end game?

Strong possibility they have already pissed off SA and Twiggy along with already factoring the World League money in to their future expenditure. No wonder that Wayne Smith has been throwing tantrums in his columns about this. He could be out of a job.