Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:34 am  

RFU gambles on England's World Cup success with £250,000 wager. http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article

RFU gambles on England's World Cup success with £250,000 wager. http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:39 am  

Caught this in today's I http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 70522.html

Caught this in today's I http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 70522.html

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:01 am  

From the article posted by Dids858:

rfu chairman wrote:

"Rugby has moved on from the 'white, middle-class' stereotype: like any other sport, it reflects society in the round. And where are we, as a society? We're seeing children playing games of all descriptions who come from families who have either struggled to find work or have shown no great desire to work, and quite often, we find ourselves trying to inculcate values that should have been inculcated already

Hmmm, do you think Hewitts tongue was firmly in cheek when he wrote that?

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:22 am  

joedynamo wrote:

From the article posted by Dids858:
Hmmm, do you think Hewitts tongue was firmly in cheek when he wrote that?

See Tony Rowe's comments above.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:32 am  

Why the RFU is short-changing Championship clubs Despite the Union reorganising the second tier three years ago to make it leaner and more competitive, little has changed http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article Exeter spent £12m getting Sandy Park up to Premiership standard. Rowe said the criteria were so exacting that they had to measure every urinal to make sure it was at least 60mm apart from the next one. An extra 5cm had to be added on to a door to a medical room. Sale have been looking to raise £8m to redevelop Edgeley Park. They lost £1.5m last year and have only once broken even in the professional era. The RFU slimmed down the Championship, with the aim of getting rid of clubs happy to coast at that level with no ambition of going up. Yet what has changed, apart from the size of the division? The Union has not been prepared to back its mouth with money. Worcester were relegated this season and they are the only ones who can go up. Too much attention put on the top division leaving many smaller clubs to swim with the sharks. Is professional rugby union viable outside the premiership? Looking at clubs like Sale Sharks, how many clubs are viable full stop?

Why the RFU is short-changing Championship clubs Despite the Union reorganising the second tier three years ago to make it leaner and more competitive, little has changed http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article Exeter spent £12m getting Sandy Park up to Premiership standard. Rowe said the criteria were so exacting that they had to measure every urinal to make sure it was at least 60mm apart from the next one. An extra 5cm had to be added on to a door to a medical room. Sale have been looking to raise £8m to redevelop Edgeley Park. They lost £1.5m last year and have only once broken even in the professional era. The RFU slimmed down the Championship, with the aim of getting rid of clubs happy to coast at that level with no ambition of going up. Yet what has changed, apart from the size of the division? The Union has not been prepared to back its mouth with money. Worcester were relegated this season and they are the only ones who can go up. Too much attention put on the top division leaving many smaller clubs to swim with the sharks. Is professional rugby union viable outside the premiership? Looking at clubs like Sale Sharks, how many clubs are viable full stop?

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:15 am  

Gavin Henson - will he ever learn? http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article Where now? Who will be willing to risk it with him?

Gavin Henson - will he ever learn? http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/ ... pe=article Where now? Who will be willing to risk it with him?

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:43 am  

Last home game of the season for Sale Sharks yesterday coming off the back of their big game at the Reebok. As well as the longer-serving Charlie Hodgson and Chris Jones, there were several other players making their final home appearances for Sale Sharks against Exeter Chiefs on Friday afternoon. They included Chris Bell, Carl Fearns and Eifion Lewis Roberts.
I said their next home game would be the true test of whether the Bolton experiment had been a success or not. Average attendance at Edgeley Park has been around 7,400 this season so it was interesting to see what effect the 'rugby at the Reebok' factor would have.
7,482 turned up, oh and they lost.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Sat Apr 23, 2011 6:49 pm  

St. George's Day game 2010 - Wasps vs. Bath, 60,208

St. George's Day game 2011 - Wasps vs. Bath, 38,074

A good gate but they would have to worry about the drop off

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:15 pm  

Dunbar wrote:

St. George's Day game 2010 - Wasps vs. Bath, 60,208

St. George's Day game 2011 - Wasps vs. Bath, 38,074

A good gate but they would have to worry about the drop off

PHIPPS wrote:

**Public holiday/Tube Strike/Bus Strike/People saving up for the Royal Wedding next week/too hot/Too cold/too many religious people not wanting to go out over Easter weekend/pollen count too high/football was on/easter weekend/the economy

**Delete as applicable.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:13 am  

So, the current England Rugby Union captain is at the Royal Wedding today – as far as I am aware, James Graham didn’t get an invite

And there are people who claim that the old barriers have been broken down... this country is still rife with elitism and class wars

Quins RL take heed