Has anyone changed their opinion of the new European competition since it started?

First topic message reminder :

Getting away from the point scoring exercises on the other thread, have the games or the way the quarter finalists panned out actually made anyone change their opinion of the competition from before it kicked off?

It hasn't been a good year for the Pro12 but I don't think that is connected with the competition itself, more the natural cycles of sporting ups and downs.

Shuren - its just my preferred option - it could be done with no more games overall - top teams having byes, 3 team pools - that sort of thing. Its not going to happen now tho

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

We too can survive without the Champions Cup Shuren and if the gap between those with bottomless pockets and those with salary caps keep getting bigger you'll be the only ones in it. The French Champions Cup would hardly have the biggest viewing figures here in Ireland.

Really? You could survive without the champions cup? And the welsh, the italians and scottish?
Even if you could survive you would be alone. I don't think an Irish championship could compete against the french and english one.
Your country is too small to have generate enough money.

I was referring to the Pro12, not just us Irish. We would probably just scrape enough together to survive with simply the Pro12. Mind you, with 4 nations involved we'd have our own Champions cup. The Franglo cup doesn't have the same ring to it as the Pro12 european champions cup

P.S. Our tiny little country does fine generating money, we're not building shanty towns just yet.

Pete - we could also invite the Georgians and Romanians into our cup - would their national sides be too good? And perhaps even Spains national side. Who else plays? Be more fun that watching a franglo cup especially if Alba broadcast it

Pete330v2 wrote:

I was referring to the Pro12, not just us Irish. We would probably just scrape enough together to survive with simply the Pro12. Mind you, with 4 nations involved we'd have our own Champions cup. The Franglo cup doesn't have the same ring to it as the Pro12 european champions cup

P.S. Our tiny little country does fine generating money, we're not building shanty towns just yet.

Well your cup exist already: it's the pro12 and it doesn't generate much money.
And the countries involved will allways restrain your size. Your only hope would be a growth in Italy. But knowing the italian's love for football, I don't believe it will happen soon.
PS: I've in Ireland and I saw shanty neighborhoods there too. Not too far from Croke Park.

TJ wrote:Pete - we could also invite the Georgians and Romanians into our cup - would their national sides be too good?  And perhaps even Spains national side.  Who else plays?  Be more fun that watching a franglo cup especially if Alba broadcast it

Sure the Georgians and Romanians, but have they got enough money to pay to play in pro12 like the Italians?
Finally I'm sure it would be a great fun to see you win by 60 points or more.

shuren34 wrote:

TJ wrote:Pete - we could also invite the Georgians and Romanians into our cup - would their national sides be too good?  And perhaps even Spains national side.  Who else plays?  Be more fun that watching a franglo cup especially if Alba broadcast it

Sure the Georgians and Romanians, but have they got enough money to pay to play in pro12 like the Italians?
Finally I'm sure it would be a great fun to see you win by 60 points or more.

The Italians asked to play in the Pro12 because they didn't want to play in the ProD2. The Irish have always been the champtions of the Italians in the 6 Nations.

Put their national sides in then? its all pie in the sky but I do note that the PRL, FFR proposal included a 3rd teir to expand the game - and this ain't happened - and they are actually generating less money than the ERC run cup did as they peed off the major sponsers

the Italians no longer pay to play. The PRO 12 is on a decent financial footing nowadays

Sin é wrote:

shuren34 wrote:

TJ wrote:Pete - we could also invite the Georgians and Romanians into our cup - would their national sides be too good?  And perhaps even Spains national side.  Who else plays?  Be more fun that watching a franglo cup especially if Alba broadcast it

Sure the Georgians and Romanians, but have they got enough money to pay to play in pro12 like the Italians?
Finally I'm sure it would be a great fun to see you win by 60 points or more.

The Italians asked to play in the Pro12 because they didn't want to play in the ProD2. The Irish have always been the champtions of the Italians in the 6 Nations.  

The Italians is proD2? It's the first time I see it. We will never take them with us for one and simple reason: they're not French.
You should have seen the debate when it was announced the Top14 final in 2016 would be in Barcelona.

TJ wrote:Put their national sides in then?  its all pie in the sky but I do note that the PRL, FFR proposal included a 3rd teir to expand the game - and this ain't happened - and they are actually generating less money than the ERC run cup did as they peed off the major sponsers

the Italians no longer pay to play.  The PRO 12 is on a decent financial footing nowadays

Ok even if these countries would have all their best players back, it doesn't change the fact they don't have much money.
Your idea would have be more "realist" if you include one team in Russia. You could imagine a Russian oligarch would spend enough money on Pro12.

TJ wrote:Put their national sides in then?  its all pie in the sky but I do note that the PRL, FFR proposal included a 3rd teir to expand the game - and this ain't happened - and they are actually generating less money than the ERC run cup did as they peed off the major sponsers

the Italians no longer pay to play.  The PRO 12 is on a decent financial footing nowadays

The initial PRL/LNR proposals were for a qualifying competition for the Challenge Cup, then that went all quiet. However, the Qualifying Competition was held with just 4 teams, Rovigo and Buceresti prevailing.

The Qualifying Competition for next season's Challenge Cup is under way, with the 2 winners from 2 pools of 3 taking on the 2 incumbents at the end of the season.

"Enisei and Viadana prevail in Round 2 of EPCR playoffs

25/01/2015 - 29/03/2015
Enisei-STM club from Krasnoyarsk, the first Russian club to play in an European competition, made a successful debut in the second round of pool 2 of the qualifying tournament for the 2015/16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
They scored three tries to none, with outstanding Russian fly half Yuri Kushnarev kicking 13 points to defeat Portugal Champions "Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa” (CDUL) by 28 points to six in Lisbon at the weekend.
The winners coached by the new Russian Head Coach Alexander Pervuhin have set up an exciting winner-takes-all clash with the Italian “Eccellenza" Champions Rugby Mogliano in Russia at a venue to be announced on April the 4th. The winner of the last match will take on the Romanian Champions, both home and away on April 18 and May 2, 2015 respectively for a place in the 2015/16 European Challenge Cup.
In the other pool, Rugby Viadana scored six tries to beat Spain’s Rugby Hermi El Salvador 36-7 at Valladolid’s Campo de Pepe Rojo stadium. Their win makes Cammi Calvisano, who beat Rugby Viadana 34-3 in the first round of pool 1, the previous weekend, hot favourites to reach the playoffs, after their match against El Salvador on April 4, 2015. The winner of the pool will play, both home and away, another Italian club, Femi Rovigo in the playoffs.
The first round of play-off matches is scheduled for April 18 with the final round taking place on May 2, 2015. Rugby Rovigo and Bucharest Wolves had qualified for the current European Rugby Challenge Cup through a play-off series in September 2014."

http://www.rugbyeurope.eu/article-706.htm

A fuller 3rd tier cup, which was never something that PRL/LNR proposed, is planned by Rugby Europe next season, but there are difficulties in aligning the East European summer season with that of the West European season.

shuren34 wrote:

Sin é wrote:

shuren34 wrote:

TJ wrote:Pete - we could also invite the Georgians and Romanians into our cup - would their national sides be too good?  And perhaps even Spains national side.  Who else plays?  Be more fun that watching a franglo cup especially if Alba broadcast it

Sure the Georgians and Romanians, but have they got enough money to pay to play in pro12 like the Italians?
Finally I'm sure it would be a great fun to see you win by 60 points or more.

The Italians asked to play in the Pro12 because they didn't want to play in the ProD2. The Irish have always been the champtions of the Italians in the 6 Nations.  

The Italians is proD2? It's the first time I see it. We will never take them with us for one and simple reason: they're not French.
You should have seen the debate when it was announced the Top14 final in 2016 would be in Barcelona.

The Italians had a choice of being in the ProD2 or the Pro12. They took the Pro12 and decided to cover the expenses of the Celts for travelling to Italy. It was also to help the costs of the Pro12 as the Italians had no tv deal and were contributing nothing to the pot.

Says a lot of what the Italians think of the French that they would prefer to cover the expenses of the Pro12 rather than play in the ProD2.

The FFR are big into championing the 2nd Tier Countries normally (Lapassat is World Rugby President due to their support of him). T

shuren34 wrote:Without the champions cup we would have enough time to rest more our players and we would have 16 teams in our championship.
It's the next step the tv want here, and as we earn more money with top 14, it would not be a problem at all for us.
To summarize in France : top14> champions cup financially and for the fans.

Shuren34 - if the clubs want it and the fans want it, who is stopping a Top16?

Also if club rugby is so much more important that Test rugby when do you see France pulling out of the six nations?

The Great Aukster wrote:

shuren34 wrote:Without the champions cup we would have enough time to rest more our players and we would have 16 teams in our championship.
It's the next step the tv want here, and as we earn more money with top 14, it would not be a problem at all for us.
To summarize in France : top14> champions cup financially and for the fans.

Shuren34 - if the clubs want it and the fans want it, who is stopping a Top16?

Also if club rugby is so much more important that Test rugby when do you see France pulling out of the six nations?

The biggest problem is the lack of date for it, and some big clubs like Toulouse or Clermont don't want it.
For your last sentence; it's quite easy to understand our Union (and not our League) would lose a lot of money if we didn't play the 6 nations.
By the way it's not the 6 nations the fans would like to drop first, but one the 2 tours we've got each year.

Sin é wrote:
The Italians had a choice of being in the ProD2 or the Pro12.

The first time I hear that, do you have any links for that?

Sin é wrote:Says a lot of what the Italians think of the French that they would prefer to cover the expenses of the Pro12 rather than play in the ProD2.

And I understand them, if they were accepted in ProD2, they would have face violent teams and partial referees. And 10 years later they would still be in ProD2 not in Top 14. And they would not have any power of decision.
It was the right choice for them. (if you story is true)

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

I was referring to the Pro12, not just us Irish. We would probably just scrape enough together to survive with simply the Pro12. Mind you, with 4 nations involved we'd have our own Champions cup. The Franglo cup doesn't have the same ring to it as the Pro12 european champions cup

P.S. Our tiny little country does fine generating money, we're not building shanty towns just yet.

Well your cup exist already: it's the pro12 and it doesn't generate much money.
And the countries involved will allways restrain your size. Your only hope would be a growth in Italy. But knowing the italian's love for football, I don't believe it will happen soon.
PS: I've in Ireland and I saw shanty neighborhoods there too. Not too far from Croke Park.

Are you living up to the 'arrogant Frenchman' stereotype for a laugh or as we call it on here a WUM?

I thought it was arrogant English stereotype?

Pete330v2 wrote:



Are you living up to the 'arrogant Frenchman' stereotype for a laugh or as we call it on here a WUM?

Sorry if my words offended you, but it's just your idea doesn't make any sense at all.
If there is no european cup, you would create a new cup with the same countries to make more money. (if I understand you)
Do you really believe it would attract viewers and sponsors when you would have a very similar competition (pro12) which didn't make much money and attract big crowds. A competition the welsh fans often hate it and would like to quit if it was possible.
But it's ok, I think I would stop speaking about it with you, before the typical arrogant French man I am, will madden the typical swearing Irish man you're.

quinsforever wrote:I thought it was arrogant English stereotype?

Nooooooo, never.......well maybe from some folks.
I myself have nothing but love for the English folk (and beer) in general, particularly Yorkshire folk.

P.S. my nephews are all English so I'm biased

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:



Are you living up to the 'arrogant Frenchman' stereotype for a laugh or as we call it on here a WUM?

Sorry if my words offended you, but it's just your idea doesn't make any sense at all.
If there is no european cup, you would create a new cup with the same countries to make more money. (if I understand you)
Do you really believe it would attract viewers and sponsors when you would have a very similar competition (pro12) which didn't make much money and attract big crowds. A competition the welsh fans often hate it and would like to quit if it was possible.
But it's ok, I think I would stop speaking about it with you, before the typical arrogant French man I am, will madden the typical swearing Irish man you're.

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Pete330v2 wrote:

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Did I say otherwise?
Sorry last time I was in Dublin I walked from the Guiness factory to Croke Park, and the nearer we were from the stadium the most the street were dirty (fast foot papers) and full of junkies or young people drinking beers in afternoon.
Maybe it's not usally the case, but this day it didn't make a big impression on us. After all on 7 days we had only one morning of rain too ( ), so anything can happen.

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Did I say otherwise?
Sorry last time I was in Dublin I walked from the Guiness factory to Croke Park, and the nearer we were from the stadium the most the street were dirty (fast foot papers) and full of junkies or young people drinking beers in afternoon.
Maybe it's not usally the case, but this day it didn't make a big impression on us. After all on 7 days we had only one morning of rain too ( ), so anything can happen.

Well that has to be some kind of record, rain is a daily event here as is young people (and old) drinking beer in the afternoon. The water is full of chemicals like flouride so we only have Guinness to turn too when we're thirsty.

shuren34 wrote:

TJ wrote:Put their national sides in then?  its all pie in the sky but I do note that the PRL, FFR proposal included a 3rd teir to expand the game - and this ain't happened - and they are actually generating less money than the ERC run cup did as they peed off the major sponsers

the Italians no longer pay to play.  The PRO 12 is on a decent financial footing nowadays

Ok even if these countries would have all their best players back, it doesn't change the fact they don't have much money.
Your idea would have be more "realist" if you include one team in Russia. You could imagine a Russian oligarch would spend enough money on Pro12.

No one needs to pay to play in the pro 12 any more

Be quite happy with a russian team as well

I'd quite like a pro 12 division 2 - another 4 welsh teams allowing them to go back to eight top clubs, might stop some of the infighting, allow Melrose and Stirling into the pro game ( or another two scots teams borders and highlandish) dunno if the irish would want to put up a couple more teams and then include Russia, Georgia, Romania maybe spain in some form. Taps into a few new if small markets. Promotion and relegation.

As pete said - the thought of a new cup was a bit of a luagh really - and only if the Euro cup collapses as it well might.

quinsforever wrote:I thought it was arrogant English stereotype?

Can't we have both?

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Did I say otherwise?
Sorry last time I was in Dublin I walked from the Guiness factory to Croke Park, and the nearer we were from the stadium the most the street were dirty (fast foot papers) and full of junkies or young people drinking beers in afternoon.
Maybe it's not usally the case, but this day it didn't make a big impression on us. After all on 7 days we had only one morning of rain too ( ), so anything can happen.

Only young people?

What's wrong with drinking beer in the afternoon,does the clock striking 9 p.m. somehow change the properties of alcohol and is beer somehow different from other alcoholic beverages?

Pete330v2 wrote:

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Did I say otherwise?
Sorry last time I was in Dublin I walked from the Guiness factory to Croke Park, and the nearer we were from the stadium the most the street were dirty (fast foot papers) and full of junkies or young people drinking beers in afternoon.
Maybe it's not usally the case, but this day it didn't make a big impression on us. After all on 7 days we had only one morning of rain too ( ), so anything can happen.

Well that has to be some kind of record, rain is a daily event here as is young people (and old) drinking beer in the afternoon. The water is full of chemicals like flouride so we only have Guinness to turn too when we're thirsty.

And you forgot you're all ginger eating potatoes.

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

shuren34 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

I think you are getting confused, perhaps it's all lost in translation.
I never proposed any new cup, I mentioned it in jest with a big yellow smiley face to signify said jest.

Just because we colour our conversations with swear words doesn't make us bad people you know.
Then again you seem to think the area around Croke Park is a shanty town, you must come from regal breeding.

Did I say otherwise?
Sorry last time I was in Dublin I walked from the Guiness factory to Croke Park, and the nearer we were from the stadium the most the street were dirty (fast foot papers) and full of junkies or young people drinking beers in afternoon.
Maybe it's not usally the case, but this day it didn't make a big impression on us. After all on 7 days we had only one morning of rain too ( ), so anything can happen.

Well that has to be some kind of record, rain is a daily event here as is young people (and old) drinking beer in the afternoon. The water is full of chemicals like flouride so we only have Guinness to turn too when we're thirsty.

And you forgot you're all ginger eating potatoes.

Hey I'd always eat gingers if they all looked like Christina Hendricks

Dubbelyew L Overate wrote:

A fuller 3rd tier cup, which was never something that PRL/LNR proposed, is planned by Rugby Europe next season, but there are difficulties in aligning the East European summer season with that of the West European season.

Well the PRL mouthpieces kept stating it as one of the advantage of their proposals - a 3rd teir to widen the game. of course well all knew it was nonsense.

TJ wrote:

Dubbelyew L Overate wrote:

A fuller 3rd tier cup, which was never something that PRL/LNR proposed, is planned by Rugby Europe next season, but there are difficulties in aligning the East European summer season with that of the West European season.

Well the PRL mouthpieces kept stating it as one of the advantage of their proposals - a 3rd teir to widen the game.  of course well all knew it was nonsense.

They didn't bang on about it - probably not mentioned for about a year after the initial proposal for a qualifying competition to make up the numbers in the Challenge Cup.

So far, a Georgian team and a Russian team have played in a Euro competition for the first time, along with the resurrection of the Spanish and continuation of Portuguese, Romanian and Italian participants.

Baby steps but Rovigo and Buceresti have shown there is still a bit of a gulf in quality.

Has that widened the game or is it nonsense?

Nonsense. WE were sold the idea of a 3rd tier competition not a 4 way round but a full cup comp. that of course was utter rubbish as we knew along with huge riches for everyone and all the rest of the guff spouted. So you have changed your tune from " it was never policy" to " not mentioned for a year" When will it change to " usual broken promises"?

I thought there was no appetite for lower tier comps?

There isn't. Its just pointing out the hypocrisy and lies of the PRL pr flacks again. Lets not get back on that merry go round

So it is just a stick to beat them with rather than anyone currently thinking it's a good idea?

I'm glad that the new organisation managing the competition is based in Neuchâtel as we Irish owe them one.

Back in the early '90s, Google were going to establish their new European HQ in Neuchâtel, but the Irish got to them and persuaded them to establish their European HQ in Dublin.

Hope EPCR locating in Neuchâtel is as good for Switzerland as Google locating in Dublin has been for Ireland

Sin é wrote:I'm glad that the new organisation managing the competition is based in Neuchâtel as we Irish owe them one.

Back in the early '90s, Google were going to establish their new European HQ in Neuchâtel, but the Irish got to them and persuaded them to establish their European HQ in Dublin.

Hope EPCR locating in Neuchâtel is as good for Switzerland as Google locating in Dublin has been for Ireland

Isn't Google under investigation by the EU for dodgy tax practices. Completing sales in the UK which would mean they a liable for tax, yet Google claimed all sales are done in Ireland to avoid paying the tax.

Plus the fact that the EU are looking at ways to force a split between Google search and the rest of the company due to well documented anti-competitive tactics.

No 7&1/2 wrote:So it is just a stick to beat them with rather than anyone currently thinking it's a good idea?

The PRL nonsense was for a 3 tier comp to expand the game and riches for all with the amazing income they would be able to generate with their amazing commercial expertise. So far they have lost the sponsor for the first and second tier comps and a lot less is money coming in, the broadcasting is fragmented and expensive to watch and the third tier comp never happened. do you not think we have a right to be annoyed especially as it was obvious this was going to happen? Do you think they don't need to be held to account and those who believed in the land of milk and honey shouldn't be laughed at?

Sin e is a big fan of tax avoidance, so I can't see him being bothered. Not tax evasion, but tax avoidance.

TJ wrote:Nonsense.  WE were sold the idea of a 3rd tier competition not a 4 way round but a full cup comp.  that of course was utter rubbish as we knew along with huge riches for everyone and all the rest of the guff spouted.  So you have changed your tune from " it was never policy" to " not mentioned for a year"  When will it change to  " usual broken promises"?

Sorry TJ, but that's bollix.

PRL etc initially proposed a qualifying competition, not a full cup competition, and that qualifying competition wasn't mentioned for a long period. Neither the format nor the participation was described in any kind of detail.

It may have been assumed by some that 3rd tier meant a full cup competition, but without basis.

Out of interest, what was the format, timing and participation of the 3rd tier that you expected?

Sorry W - you are the one spouting nonsense - at least accordin to the PRL fanbois on here and the PRL PR flacks. But lets just drop it eh?

I was never expecting a third tier comp - it was obvious nonsense to try to get a broad appeal and to buy the votes of minnows

A Premiership Rugby spokesman said: "Over the last 18 months we have repeatedly made several different proposals for a pan-European rugby competition.

"These have even included a third-tier competition for developing nations, all of which benefit the whole of European club rugby.

TJ wrote:A Premiership Rugby spokesman said: "Over the last 18 months we have repeatedly made several different proposals for a pan-European rugby competition.

"These have even included a third-tier competition for developing nations, all of which benefit the whole of European club rugby.

Is the Qualifying Competition a third tier of European club rugby behind the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, or not?

Are Spain, Portugal, Russia and Georgia developing nations, or not?

Can you really not see the difference? we were sold a pup. you believed it, I did not, you are now trying to say a 4 team qualifying round for a second tier comp is the same as a thrid tier competition. having earlier said there was never a promise of a third tier comp and then changing your line to it was never mentioned for a year

I fail to understand why the PRL fanbois will adopt such logical distortions to try to pretend that everything is great when the lies of the PRL are exposed and the chickens come home to roost. where are all the riches we were promised? Where are all the sponsors? Where is the third tier comp?

TJ that quote says it was 1 of several proposals. And is money really the be all and end all?

7 1/2 - no of course money is not. But we were sold this new debased format on the grounds the PRL would generate so much more money from it that we would all be wallowing in riches well that didn't happen did it?

so we have a poorer narrower less varied tournament and less money. thank goodness the one decent bit of negotiation from the PRO12 unions was a guaranteed floor on earnings. Its really funny that the French adn English are getting much less now than they did before.

Its one of the difference between the PRL and PRO12 visions - we care more about the health of the players and the game as a whole, the PRL only care about money in their pockets

HammerofThunor wrote:Sin e is a big fan of tax avoidance, so I can't see him being bothered. Not tax evasion, but tax avoidance.

What is that meant to mean?

What is the format, timing and participation of the third tier competition that PRL lied about?

What is this 4 team qualifying round you're writing about? The Qualifying Competition for next season comprises initially 6 teams over 3 rounds, with a further 2 rounds and 2 more teams. It's all there in black and white, quite comprehensible.

Sin é wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:Sin e is a big fan of tax avoidance, so I can't see him being bothered. Not tax evasion, but tax avoidance.

What is that meant to mean?

Previously you've lauded the basing of the ERC in Ireland so they can avoid paying tax on the profit it makes in other countries. Not tax evasion but it's tax avoidance. Not illegal, but to some immoral.

The quality of the comp is better surely you have to agree as its restricted more to the best teams bar Treviso. Less varied of course as the quality aspect impacts this directly.

Personally i dont give a flying fig about earnings as at least its now a more balanced tournament with the teams included.

Not sure where you get anything about the health of the players from as that sentence seems to be a broad generalisation with ho real substance.

HammerofThunor wrote:

Sin é wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:Sin e is a big fan of tax avoidance, so I can't see him being bothered. Not tax evasion, but tax avoidance.

What is that meant to mean?

Previously you've lauded the basing of the ERC in Ireland so they can avoid paying tax on the profit it makes in other countries.  Not tax evasion but it's tax avoidance. Not illegal, but to some immoral.

All sports are tax exempt in Ireland - its for a common good. Its not tax avoidance.

What have the Swiss done to deserve a cut of tax, bearing in mind that no profits are made there for the EPCR?

Sine - I guess we have prodded them enough now. the nonsense is exposed. Don't try to defend googles tax arrangements tho