How many sides/factions/parties are involved with the Euro Cup fiasco?

How many sides/factions/parties do we all see as involved in the current European Cup negotiation?  My question is to look at how many parties must be formal or informal partners to an agreement and how many other parties have interests to be assuaged.  You know how I feel:  This is not about rights and wrongs, good and bads, greed and, well, more greed, myopia or parochialism.  It is intended to grasp how complicated this mess has become.  From a grievance to a cockup.  Entirely avoidable.

The whole mess reminds me about my last arny assignment to Afganistan.  We/I wanted to provide some basic medical assistance and good will to a village seemingly caught in a crossfire not of their making.  I had to negotiate with the village council and the local clan chief.  Then I had to negotiate passage with the local tribal elders (who detested the local clan chief).  Then there was the local militia commander who was in conflict with both the tribal group and the clan.  Then, of curse was the regional guerrilla group who despised the locals as well as everyone and everything modern and western.  When all was agreed, I still got feckin shot at and threatened at knife point.  Everything almost fell apart.

So, not here boys and girls, not now.  How many factions do we have (in no particular order)?
1. Premiership Clubs
2. French Clubs
3. ERC
4. Welsh Regions
5. WRU
6. IRFU (the provinces seem to be in general harmony with their Union)
7. SRU (their teams in harmony with the SRU?)
8. Italian teams (not sure if they are in harmony with their union)
9. RFU
10. FRR
11. Sky
12. BT
13. IRB
15. Heineken
16. Amlin
17. Rabo Direct
18. Aviva

EDITED AND ADDED (8 October)
19. The old Guard - will do anything to retain their power, influence, free tickets, and free champagne
20. The New Lions - want change, the more Radical the better, anything to puch out the Old Guard

21. Those who trust press releases (especially from their favoured side)
22. Those who don't - want to smack everyone around and impose a settlement by strength of intellect plus 'K' and 'O'.

Fans?  No, we really don't figure here.

Dang, this is complicated.  Any more?

The provinces ARE they're union. You can't really separate them. Same with the Scottish.

I think, please correct if wrong.

Everyone keeps talking about "pan-European" competitions so surely the other unions/leagues should be involved. Not sure how it works with Russia, are they European? One of their major rugby areas are as far East as Mongolia and Georgia are level with Iraq.

True, and good point. And to your point, don't we have, or did we recently have, teams from Russia, Georgia Romania, and/or Spain in the Amlin?

Spain and Romania (definitely Europe). I think the Spanish had to pull out because they couldn't afford it.

If there was a 3rd tier with a route to 2nd tier and it was funded by the European pot it would be ideal.

The media are playing their part usually but not always for their side plus various ex players generally in favour of an HC type competition. The BBC are just about covering both sides but to date one side has had a little more coverage due to shouting louder, although the other side is now rapidly catching up.

Those that haven't joined yet ? The lawyers.......I don't think it will be a fair fight.

I would disagree on the BBC, they've published every PRL press release with the PRL view of the world and ignored a lot of the other releases. When they have judged to publish it always has a cut and paste "and the PRL view is...." Included. Biased lazy journalism imo.

justified sinner wrote:I would disagree on the BBC, they've published every PRL press release with the PRL view of the world and ignored a lot of the other releases. When they have judged to publish it always has a cut and paste "and the PRL view is...." Included. Biased lazy journalism imo.

But are they one of the 'sides or factions' involved, in your opinion?

The RRW just announced formally and unanimously that they are sided with the WRU.

The RRW statement read

“The WRU has made it clear in its media statement last week and in a subsequent interviews that as the governing body in Wales it is responsible for resolving any agreements on a new European Cup competition on behalf of the regions and the WRU says it remains ‘confident’ that the situation can be resolved.

“We’re not therefore in a position to comment further as the matter is clearly in the hands of the Unions as the shareholders of both ERC and the Pro12 league.

“The Welsh regions are united in their view that the PRGB, which the WRU has established, is the right forum for these issues to be discussed and worked through professionally under an independent chairman.

“Our views and contributions as regions will be given fully and clearly at these meetings.

“Until there is any agreed detail to release on the topics currently being discussed, we will continue to maintain our position that we wish to conduct our conversations and give our views in private, as laid out by PRGB policies.”

maestegmafia wrote:The RRW just announced formally and unanimously that they are sided with the WRU.

The RRW statement read

“The WRU has made it clear in its media statement last week and in a subsequent interviews that as the governing body in Wales it is responsible for resolving any agreements on a new European Cup competition on behalf of the regions and the WRU says it remains ‘confident’ that the situation can be resolved.

“We’re not therefore in a position to comment further as the matter is clearly in the hands of the Unions as the shareholders of both ERC and the Pro12 league.

“The Welsh regions are united in their view that the PRGB, which the WRU has established, is the right forum for these issues to be discussed and worked through professionally under an independent chairman.

“Our views and contributions as regions will be given fully and clearly at these meetings.

“Until there is any agreed detail to release on the topics currently being discussed, we will continue to maintain our position that we wish to conduct our conversations and give our views in private, as laid out by PRGB policies.”

Do you not sense that there is an implied criticism of WRU for making public statements with which they may, or may not, agree. Seems to me a fairly dignified response without making any commitments.

Dubbelyew L Overate wrote:Do you not sense that there is an implied criticism of WRU for making public statements with which they may, or may not, agree. Seems to me a fairly dignified response without making any commitments.

To me, the criticism seems as clear as an atom bomb. NO doubts you are right. That meeting must have been a testy affair.

Have to agree the BBC might as well be the official PRL spokesman

Very uneven coverage.