No Neutral Venues For Semi Finals

Why was this changed, surely semi finals should be played on neutral ground? Wasn't the system on the old set up home advantage as in home country not home ground?

I have no problem with home semi-finals. Only caveat is that these are big events and I would like these matches to be played in bigger stadia than some of the little band-boxes some of our clubs play in today.

I don't mind the venues for the Semi Finals either. I would personally prefer Edinburgh v Dragons to be on the Saturday so I could go, but that's another matter.

Trip along the M4 to Reading would have been better Rev but just wondered why they have gone away from neutral venues.

? Does this leave more money for the clubs involved as there is no need to pay for using another venue?

Easier to sell tickets too, I guess.

Remember the Sarries/Clermont farce last season. Minimal time to sell tickets, ban on cut price tickets etc so we had a 1/4 full Wembley

bedfordwelsh wrote:Why was this changed, surely semi finals should be played on neutral ground?  Wasn't the system on the old set up home advantage as in home country not home ground?

Confused here lads.

Nothing has changed. Still home country advantage in the ICBINTHC. Challenge cup still home advantage.

Same as it ever was.

AS Jen said - no change

http://www.epcrugby.com/matchcentre/fixtures_challenge_cup.php?includeref=22185&season=2013-2014&round=elimination

25/04/2014 Northampton Saints 18 - 10 Harlequins - Franklin's Gardens 10,077
27/04/2014 London Wasps 18 - 24 Bath Rugby - Adams Park Stadium 6,010

OK didn't they use to have neutral venues or did I get it totally wrong (won't be first time). There a bit of fuss going on about the scheduling of the Edinburgh/ Dragons game which is at 7.45 on the Friday.

Virtually impossible for a lot of Dragons fans to get there without losing a days work yet the Gloucs/Exeter game is Saturday afternoon. Seems strange planning

bedfordwelsh wrote:OK didn't they use to have neutral venues or did I get it totally wrong (won't be first time).  There a bit of fuss going on about the scheduling of the Edinburgh/ Dragons game which is at 7.45 on the Friday.

Virtually impossible for a lot of Dragons fans to get there without losing a days work yet the Gloucs/Exeter game is Saturday afternoon.  Seems strange planning

Murrayfield is hosting Cup finals day on the Saturday with 4 games being played on the main pitch so it would either be Friday night or Sunday. Then you throw in the TV companies...

cp10 wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:OK didn't they use to have neutral venues or did I get it totally wrong (won't be first time).  There a bit of fuss going on about the scheduling of the Edinburgh/ Dragons game which is at 7.45 on the Friday.

Virtually impossible for a lot of Dragons fans to get there without losing a days work yet the Gloucs/Exeter game is Saturday afternoon.  Seems strange planning

Murrayfield is hosting Cup finals day on the Saturday with 4 games being played on the main pitch so it would either be Friday night or Sunday. Then you throw in the TV companies...

All due respect to the teams involved on the Saturday but surely the Semi game is the bigger draw and TV companies invest in that again surely they would want to make sure every chance to get the bigger crowds in.

SRU have to tread lightly with the clubs - they're a fickle bunch. Being Welsh you should know that.

Plus, there's talk of over 50 buses heading up from Hawick (then include the Edinburgh based expats and people driving up) against a team from Edinburgh. I don't think it'll be a small attendance.

I would have liked the game to be put on after the 5.45 Cup final  but then that probably wouldn't have suited the TV company.

Yeah clubs are fickle just seems strange that given they knew Edinburgh would have been home if won even before the quarters kicked off they could have arranged the games other way round.

Especially when you think the Gloucs/Exeter match is waht a 100 mile trip up M5

bedfordwelsh wrote:

cp10 wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:OK didn't they use to have neutral venues or did I get it totally wrong (won't be first time).  There a bit of fuss going on about the scheduling of the Edinburgh/ Dragons game which is at 7.45 on the Friday.

Virtually impossible for a lot of Dragons fans to get there without losing a days work yet the Gloucs/Exeter game is Saturday afternoon.  Seems strange planning

Murrayfield is hosting Cup finals day on the Saturday with 4 games being played on the main pitch so it would either be Friday night or Sunday. Then you throw in the TV companies...

All due respect to the teams involved on the Saturday but surely the Semi game is the bigger draw and TV companies invest in that again surely they would want to make sure every chance to get the bigger crowds in.

I agree, it should be on a Saturday, as should the final. I can watch the semi being an Edinburgh resident, but it's more than likely I'll be watching the final on TV (should Edinburgh beat the Dragons in the semi), which is really annoying as I could defintely get to London for a Saturday afternoon final.

Imagine if the main tournament final was on a Friday night!! Unthinkable.

FeS,

As you can guess other way round for me and no offence was hoping for an Irish win purely for logistic reasons.

If we are lucky to get to final then I could make the Stoop possibly even as a round trip but wouldn't have to take time off work.

Either way I do think semi-finals and finals should, as a rule, be played on a Saturday afternoon, wherever the venue.

I have no problem with the venue being in Wales, Ireland, France or England, but a Friday night game basically rules out away fans unless they are students, retired or willing to use up a precious day off in order to travel.

Or the two teams are fairly close as in Gloucester and Exeter.

funnyExiledScot wrote:main tournament final was on a Friday night!! Unthinkable.

Just underscores what an afterthought this tournament is in the grand scheme of things. I do feel sorry for the fans who can't make what is maybe their teams most important game of the season because the TV companies are treating it like some rubbish appetiser to the main course.

I can see the appeal of the two finals close by on the Friday and Saturday and I was lucky enough to go to both last year and if Dragons get to final I am likely to do same this year.

But I know they had problems last year as in the end the Amlin turned out to be Bath and Saints with the final in the Arms Park which wasn't really big enough.