AvivA Premiership Finals

They've moved the Semis to the Friday night (likely Tigers fixture), and the second semi to the Saturday - almost certainly to accommodate BT Sport's coverage of the FA Cup final.
 
I think this decision is absolutely outrageous. Forget all the rights and wrongs of team preparation, unfair advantage etc etc. This decision more than ever shows the utter contempt Premiership Rugby has for its supporters.
 
There will be supporters from the clubs who will be involved on Friday and no doubt neutrals as well who will have made other arrangements for Friday evening and are now being denied the opportunity to watch the play off semi final, having supported their teams throughout the season to reach this goal. Dates of these games were inked into peoples diaries when the fixtures were announced last summer.
 
To have this changed with just over a weeks notice is a disgrace!

Come off it a bit, Jimps.

The only game that's likely to be truly affected will be Saints v Tigers being moved to the Friday. Two cities which are separated by all of ~45 miles.

OK. Some supporters with busy social diaries might be affected. But it's not the end of the World is it?

Games are forever being rescheduled at the behest of the broadcasters and it's no surprise that they might want to maximise their impact in the FA Cup.

Ask this of yourself:
Would BTS have taken over rugby coverage at all had not they had not secured their footy contracts?

Moving a rugby game 18 hours forward won't affect team preparations significantly, I wouldn't have thought.

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Come off it a bit, Jimps.

The only game that's likely to be truly affected will be Saints v Tigers being moved to the Friday. Two cities which are separated by all of ~45 miles.

OK. Some supporters with busy social diaries might be affected. But it's not the end of the World is it?

Games are forever being rescheduled at the behest of the broadcasters and it's no surprise that they might want to maximise their impact in the FA Cup.

Ask this of yourself:
Would BTS have taken over rugby coverage at all had not they had not secured their footy contracts?

Moving a rugby game 18 hours forward won't affect team preparations significantly, I wouldn't have thought.

Having relied on the Aviva Premiership website which said that the SFs were 2pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday we made alternative arrangements for Friday evening safe in the knowledge that the SFs were on the Saturday and Sunday. The website did not say "TBC" in which case we may have left Friday free or say, as ERC Rugby often do, "16/17/18 May" to express a lack of certainty as to when the game may be played.Premiership Rugby said "2 pm Saturday" and "2 pm Sunday".

The reason given for the switch is a potential 5 day turnaround for a team playing on a Sunday SF before the Friday Amlin Final. Yet this was abundantly clear on 7 April by which time three of the four Amlin Semi-Finalists were known to be Northampton Saints, Harlequins and Bath. All teams chasing a semi-final spot. At least one of them was going to be in that final, as it happens two of them are.

We are often told that the game at the top level is run by a professional organisation and yet it took them a further month until 7 May to let the fans know that date may be changed to the Friday (press release was yesterday and the first that was heard that SF may be on a Friday). Why did it take them a month to make public (even a risk of) this change of date?

For those of us who have paid for a whole family's season tickets to follow our side and who can now not make the SF (regardless of location) that is pretty poor.

Meh. Doesn't matter to much me really as the Sarries   have already won the league.

Mind you, it will be Sarries   come the HEC final.

Whilst I understand how frustrating this can be, it is also the same if Sarries were to lose in the play offs and complain they should be champions. This practice has been in place for years and is the price we pay for the funding the game receives. Personally I prefer Friday night games as the atmosphere is always better.

No issue with it being a Friday night but as Jimpy says they should have advertised it as a Friday or as occurring on the weekend of whatever. That way the fans know in advance and those who don't live locally but travel to the games can make arrangements to attend. No one likes their plans to be changed for them late in the day.

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Meh. Doesn't matter to much me really as the Sarries   have already won the league.

tsk, tsk, tsk. Portnoy, Portnoy, Portnoy.
You know very well Sarries have not yet won the league. All they did was finish in playoff territory and with a home semi-final. You keep talking like that you will confuse the children.........

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Meh. Doesn't matter to much me really as the Sarries   have already won the league.

Mind you, it will be Sarries   come the HEC final.

Still the Play Off Grand Final Champion to crown though, right?

What a great day down at The Stoop again…. Quins v Saints final??????? ( you never know )

george doors wrote:What a great day down at The Stoop again….  Quins v Saints final???????  ( you never know )

Or as it's known, Lancaster's Worst Nightmare, missing his 1st choice Hooker and a likely candidate or 2 for backup hooker, first/second choice LH and actual first choice but ruled out anyway LH, young contender for a TH spot, another possible back up LH, 1st choice lineout calling lock, first choice pair on the flank plus the first and second (and in Hartley, 3rd) choice captains, possible 3rd choice 8 (and another who would be in the squad on form alone), Clarke his love child, first and 2nd/3rd choice 9, first choice 12/13, first and possibly 3nd choice FBs...

Yeah. Would be a great Final though............

Saturday is fine. Quins is fine. Just need Sarries to win now.

It's a shame for Saints and Tigers but TV wins. Oh and Jimpy it's the final where you win the trophy ( missing the semi is a pain sure) but if you are in the final that's the game to be at.

Everyone knows the playoff rules at the beginning of the season - up to the teams to prepare for them. That means you rest/save players for the playoffs, peak at the right time.

The top 4 are there because they have done that.

I want to see a final with Sarries vs Saints with Sarries winning - no surprise!

Quins v Leicester would be the most amusing. Two teams that for the majority of the season haven't been anywhere near the top two do just enough to sneak in to 3rd and 4th place and then make the final.   

Quins would then win obviously. 

As a neutral, I would like to see a Saints vs. Quins final, with no preference as to who wins.

Ozzy3213 wrote:As a neutral, I would like to see a Saints vs. Quins final, with no preference as to who wins.

Have you given up on England Test 1 altogether regardless of finalists then?

Hypothetical Tigers-Sarries final gives us this possible team:

Marler
Hartley
Wilson
Launchberry
Lawes
Wood
Robshaw
Morgan
Care
Ford
Yarde
Eastmond
Burrell
May
Brown

Waller, Ward, Sinckler/Thomas, Attwoood, Johnson, Dickson, Cipriani, Foden

Ozzy3213 wrote:As a neutral, I would like to see a Saints vs. Quins final, with no preference as to who wins.

That'd make a nice change wouldn't it?

I was chatting to some mates about the possibility of Tigers never making the play offs one year. They all seemed to think that was ludicrous. Sadly I agree, there seems to be a slowly widening gap between the top four sides and most others, the culture, finances and experience at those clubs is hard to beat.


Oh for the year it's a ExetervPirates final.

Having Tigers in the final year on year is boring as a neutral observer.  Saracens for a number of reasons, I just don't warm to.  I'd quite like Saints to win it, as I think that will make it 4 different winners in 4 years.

Yappysnap nice change really? Just completely ignore Quins AP win? Disagree that there is a widening gap - Quins only just squeezed in. Bath will be in the playoff fight next season IMO.

Where's Logansrun? Not that I really want him back but I'm pretty sure he has some humble pie to eat...

ChequeredJersey wrote:Where's Logansrun? Not that I really want him back but I'm pretty sure he has some humble pie to eat...

Probably crying into his torn up season tickets. Or busy emailing COS because Quins didn't finish top of the league and haven't won europe.

Re: Harlequins 2013/14 Season Discussion Thread
by logansrun38 on Sat 6 Jul 2013 - 16:53
The only thing that may work in Quins favour next season and prevent them finishing towards the bottom of the table is the fact that non of their players will get called up for England.

logansrun38

Posts: 127
Join date: 2011-05-31






Re: Harlequins 2013/14 Season Discussion Thread
by logansrun38 on Sat 6 Jul 2013 - 20:57
Non will be playing though. Robshaw isn't even the best 7 at Quins and bearing in the mind the rate at which the scrum will go backwards next season, Marler will be lucky to get in the Saxons.

logansrun38

Posts: 127
Join date: 2011-05-31






Re: Harlequins 2013/14 Season Discussion Thread
by logansrun38 on Fri 19 Jul 2013 - 10:11
Quins wont be a top 4 club next season

logansrun38

Posts: 127
Join date: 2011-05-31




A few snippets. It's the gift that keeps giving!

The great thing is that there's so much more comedy too

My preference was for loganshun38C

beshocked wrote:Saturday is fine. Quins is fine. Just need Sarries to win now.

It's a shame for Saints and Tigers but TV wins. Oh and Jimpy it's the final where you win the trophy ( missing the semi is a pain sure) but if you are in the final that's the game to be at.

Everyone knows the playoff rules at the beginning of the season - up to the teams to prepare for them.  That means you rest/save players for the playoffs, peak at the right time.

The top 4 are there because they have done that.

I want to see a final with Sarries vs Saints with Sarries winning -  no surprise!

 
Like I said, it's simply the very short notice that the fans have been given that is the issue, not the road to victory. Goodness knows, i've watched Tigers win it often enough, getting bored of Twickenham now....

I'm quite pleased that Quin made 4th, because I think they've a better chance than Bath would have had turning Saracens over in the semi. Think Leicester will be happy enough to go to Franklins Gardens, not exactly in awe of the place in recent years, Tigers.

Tigers must be thinking they've got more than a chance of taking the title again this year.

Getting there every year doesn't mean winning it every year.
 
It's nice that Tiggers have made so many back to back finals but we haven't won 'em all.
 
It may be boring for neutrals to see us there, yet again, but if we didn't deserve it we wouldn't be in the play offs. Perhaps you should look to your own teams performance in not qualifying.  
 
As for the Friday fixture... I'm personally disappointed as I would have gone to Franklins if it were a Saturday but no way can I get out of work on the Friday in time to make it  
 
As for the result... we haven't lost to Saints home or away in 3 years and beat them in their back garden again this year. And this means the sum total of feck all as it is knock out rugby. Hy heart says Tigers and my head says Saints to win.
 
As for the final... Just can't see past Saffercens winning it. With a squad of 136 Internationals all being paid for by Johannersburg to avoid the salary cap how can anyone compete against that?  
 
Sorry Beshocked me old pal... I still think 2 of the best finals I have been to in years is you beating us... and vice aversa  

If Saints meet Sarries, then everyone should support the former just because they should.

as

MT wrote: Just can't see past Saffercens winning it. With a squad of 136 Internationals all being paid for by Johannersburg to avoid the salary cap how can anyone compete against that?

I think unless there's clear and definitive proof of salary cap breaking we should all relax a little and get off our high horses. Bath, Glos and Tigers have all had wow squads in the not too distant pasts as well.

Yes Sarries have a good team, but they've worked hard to get that, a lot of players were established at Sarries and only a few have been bought as high profile players them selves.

Yes they can be in your face, yes their tactics in the past were horrible to watch. But this current Sarries team is very good and deservedly top of the table.

I don't deny the Sarries' attractiveness, yappy. But you have already revealed yourself as having a relaxed City-man view on rules and business and money.

True for instance, when the Tigers were under suspicion of cap busting, that I was there on their case and critically so.

Politically I'm left wing. But as rugby is just a sport, I'll accept the rules as they're writ and therefore of no real consequence to real life, I'd like see it played by the rules and not to accept them being bent.

Thank you for listening. Your call us important to us.

yappysnap wrote:I think unless there's clear and definitive proof of salary cap breaking we should all relax a little and get off our high horses. Bath, Glos and Tigers have all had wow squads in the not too distant pasts as well.

Yes Sarries have a good team, but they've worked hard to get that, a lot of players were established at Sarries and only a few have been bought as high profile players them selves.

Yes they can be in your face, yes their tactics in the past were horrible to watch. But this current Sarries team is very good and deservedly top of the table.

Humour was implied in my post Yappy. I was not being serious about Sarries. Sorry if that wasn't obvious.

Metal Tiger I agree. I thought the two finals involving Saracens-Leicester were great. I am glad that we didn't lose both.

Got a lot of respect for Tigers - so consistent, always a threat. In the playoffs yet again with a shot at the title.

I don't think the AP table at the end lies though -two interesting playoff semis - The "London" derby and the Midlands derby.

Jimpy I agree the short notice is a pain - it's a problem when TV schedules are juggled.

Quins do indeed have a better chance than Bath of turning over Saracens. Quins are in good form - with proven match winners. Though that's the case for whatever reason they do not find it easy vs Saracens. I think they are capable of getting the monkey off the back but let's see if they can.

Playoffs will be interesting because all 4 sides have the capability of beating others but the two home sides will start as favourites deservedly.

Not sure that Saints will start as favourites beshocked. Whilst form goes out of the window in the semi finals, it's difficult to ignore the fact that Saints haven't beaten Tigers in their last 10 meetings.

What the bookies say : http://www.oddschecker.com/rugby-union/aviva-premiership

I really expect a Saints v Sarries final although given my preference it would be Saints v Quins.

Mind you, it'll probably be Sarries v Tigers.

Don't worry, we'll beat Sarries. Every single loss against them for years has been a ploy leading up to this very moment...

As cunning as a crafty fox, Baldrick yappy?

Hey, just because we are Quins fans doesn't mean we are interchangeable!

I'm taller, and fatter, than yappy

Sorry CJ. I didn't get to where I am without freely interchanging personnel you know.
http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Laurel%20and%20Hardy/Laurel%20&%20Hardy%20%28Thicker%20Than%20Water%29_01.jpg

Portnoy Complaint can't really argue with those odds.

Why would you not want your own team to make the final?

Portnoy Complaint can't really argue with those odds.

Why would you not want your own team to make the final?

Because Saints deserve it more over the season irrespective of circumstances.

It's a sport. Not life or death.

There is no more deserving than others than when it comes to playoffs. The home teams should win and earn themselves a place in the final but if they don't that's their own fault.

Personally I think there should be a shield like they have in rugby league for the table toppers but that's the only change I would like to see.

Everyone knows the rules at the beginning of the season.

So long as the rules are complied with and the teams' coaches agree then it's fine.

But you don't have to agree with them privately.

Personally I would prefer road speed cameras to be un-marked, mobile and invisible.
But I use the warning signs to avoid being done. But it doesn't improve my (or anyone else's for that matter, so far as I can see) driving.

Ozzy3213 wrote:Not sure that Saints will start as favourites beshocked.  Whilst form goes out of the window in the semi finals, it's difficult to ignore the fact that Saints haven't beaten Tigers in their last 10 meetings.

Without Hartley, the challenge for Saints is significantly greater. Not because of the loss of one very good player. Rather because of the loss of the teams's captain and best leader. The Saints reduction in form directly correlates to his injury. His presence is extremely important to the team.

You think invisible speed cameras would aid your driving? Personally I think it would just cause animosity.

I see speed cameras as a money making machine - not to aid safety on the roads.

In regards to the playoffs - you prepare the best way you can. Sides who enjoy mentioning their numerous injuries (conveniently forgetting other sides get them too) have an opportunity to fight for the title in the playoffs.

The top 4 all generally have players missing during the IWs - some make more of it than others but it does have an effect during a season.

Doctor grey Saints aren't an one player team though are they? You need more than one leader in your team.

Rugby is a squad/team game.

Perhaps you are right - Saints do rely too much on certain players - that's not good.

Admittedly every team do have key players but some can absorb the loss better than others.

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Sorry CJ. I didn't get to where I am without freely interchanging personnel you know.
http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Laurel%20and%20Hardy/Laurel%20&%20Hardy%20%28Thicker%20Than%20Water%29_01.jpg

Stealing CJs catchphrase I see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drlPbIWAz-E

Something I've thought about but wouldn't want to organise but why not have a whip round by the supporters to buy a shield,doesn't need to be fancy, & call it the Supporters/606v2 shield. Would not conflict with sponsers & would hope meant alot to players as surporters paid for it. Winners to pay for their name on & passed to next League winners.

beshocked wrote:You think invisible speed cameras would aid your driving? Personally I think it would just cause animosity.

I see speed cameras as a money making machine - not to aid safety on the roads.

In regards to the playoffs - you prepare the best way you can. Sides who enjoy mentioning their numerous injuries (conveniently forgetting other sides get them too) have an opportunity to fight for the title in the playoffs.

The top 4 all generally have players missing during the IWs - some make more of it than others but it does have an effect during a season.

Road speeds: Of course in an ideal World there would be no speed limits at all but unfortunately there are idiots who being unsafe and beyond their capabilities (or even worse, others' capabilities)/sensible road conditions , made them arbitrarily inevitable.

People who get frustrated by current road conditions tend to be somewhat immature imo. There's no point in rushing through the present to get to the future.

The playoffs: Another arbitrary, unnecessary check on the game caused by an overstuffed calendar to provide a pretence of a resolution at the end of the season.

LondonTiger wrote:

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:Sorry CJ. I didn't get to where I am without freely interchanging personnel you know.
http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Laurel%20and%20Hardy/Laurel%20&%20Hardy%20%28Thicker%20Than%20Water%29_01.jpg

Stealing CJs catchphrase I see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drlPbIWAz-E

So pleased that my half-wit ain't wasted, LT.   

Turns out I have a surprise ticket to the final so let's hope the planets are aligned and Quins beat Sarries on Sat!