Pro12: Edinburgh Rugby v Zebre

First topic message reminder :


Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU, 50th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Mike Adamson, Stephen Hart (both SRU)
Citing Commissioner: Iain Goodall (SRU)
TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU )

Head to Head
5 Played 5
3 Wins 2
2 Losses 3
0 Draws 0
10 Tries 9
9 Conversions 6
10 Penalties 9
9 Drop Goals 0
98 Points 84
26 Avg. Age (for some reason Zebre are not listed as having an average age)

Edinburgh
Last 3 Matches
17/4/15 Edinburgh 45 - 16 Dragons
11/4/15 Edinburgh 3 - 34 Munster
5/4/15 L Irish            18 - 23 Edinburgh

Zebre
Last 3 Matches
11/4/15 Zebre 26 - 28 Scarlets
28/3/15 Ospreys 53 - 22 Zebre
6/3/15 Glasgow 26 - 5 Zebre

Teams

Edinburgh
15 Tom BROWN
14 Dougie FIFE
13 Sam BEARD
12 Andries STRAUSS
11 Tim VISSER
10 Phil BURLEIGH
09 Sam HIDALGO-CLYNE

01 Alasdair DICKINSON
02 Ross FORD
03 WP NEL
04 Anton BRESLER
05 Ben TOOLIS
06 Stuart McINALLY
07 Roddy GRANT
08 Mike COMAN (captain)

16 Neil COCHRANE
17 Rory SUTHERLAND
18 John ANDRESS
19 Fraser MCKENZIE
20 Cornell DU PREEZ
21 Nathan FOWLES
22 Tom HEATHCOTE
23 Carl BEZUIDENHOUT

Zebre
15 Hendrik Daniller
14 Giulio Toniolatti
13 Mirco Bergamasco
12 Gonzalo Garcia
11 David Odiete
10 Luciano Orquera
09 Guglielmo Palazzani

8 Samuela Vunisa
7 Andries Van Schalkwyk
6 Filippo Cristiano
5 Marco Bortolami (cap)
4 Valerio Bernabò
3 Dario Chistolini
2 Andrea Manici
1 Matias Aguero

16 Oliviero Fabiani
17 Andrea Lovotti
18 Luca Redolfini
19 Andrei Mahu
20 Filippo Ferrarini
21 Alberto Chillon
22 Matteo Pratichetti
23 Brendon Leonard

Given the importance of the game financially, I am not massively surprised that we have a string team out. I think/hope that we get the TBP early and then remove 7 players to the sanctuary of the touchline although, even after doing this, there is no resting place for a prop as they could be called back on at any time

We don't earn any more money from qualifying for the champions cup - other than bigger crowds and perhaps better sponsorship.

SRU earns the same participation money regardless.

RDW_Scotland wrote:We don't earn any more money from qualifying for the champions cup - other than bigger crowds and perhaps better sponsorship.

Err, so we do get more money then?

Just pointing out - the SRU don't get a bigger share of the money pot for 2 teams qualifying!

Edinburgh and Glasgows income from crowds and other sponsorship isn't very much either.

Probably best leave the financial stuff to those who have experience of helping bringing the country to its knees, RDW <chest swells with pruide> Stick to leaning on a shovel scratching your arse while holding traffic up unnecessarily

Thinking about income from crowds and stuff. Some rough calculations, no substance behind these.

If we assume 20 quid per punter, that allows for promos and factors in a bit for food and drink. Then an extra 2k on the European gates x 3 is 120k assume that translates to an extra 500 at league games x 11 that is another 110k. So  another 230k, not a huge amount. Then you have to factor in additional attractiveness to sponsors and that is outwith the back of my fag packet, need some clever marketing guys to work that out.

Edinburgh gate profits are probably a bit more difficult to try to approximate given the overheads of running Murrayfield are also shared by the SRU.

Are the SRU accounts not made public? I have a vague memory of a discussion on here where we expressed our surprise at how little income comes from supporters. Can't back that up with any facts though!

Now if you're Toulouse with 15k season ticket holders, that's another matter!

I found last year's SRU annual report - ticket money was around 8 million out of the SRU's total income of 43 million.

A significant proportion of that money will be Scotland games.

Shame they don't split it into Edinburgh and Glasgow!

Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

On a day like today I wish they'd play the game at the Greenyards instead of a practically empty stadium.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I'm getting a free ticket too!

highland_scot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I'm getting a free ticket too!

Were you the other winner of the Caledonian Best competition?

I don't like the stuff, just follow them because it is a good chance of winning free tickets!

RDW_Scotland wrote:

Are the SRU accounts not made public? I have a vague memory of a discussion on here where we expressed our surprise at how little income comes from supporters. Can't back that up with any facts though!

I've had a bit of a look at the SRU stats before - they are not especially helpful if you want to actually assess how a pro team is performing financially; from memory, I think they class their operating segments as pro rugby, community development, and youth. Certainly pro rugby is all lumped in together which does not aid understanding in the slightest.

Thing is, if you did them at a "team" level, there would likely be all kinds of management recharges which would make things a bit messy in any case - clubs would be showing costs that are then charged back to the SRU parent etc. From their perspective it is far easier than trying to dream up the recharge required, apportion time between club/country etc. Given there is no accounting or legal requirement to display it by team, you can totally understand why!

Though I'd have thought that there may have been some financial reporting for Edinburgh Gunners back in the Carruthers days - anyone know if they formed a separate company for their venture, or how it was structured??

RDW_Scotland wrote:

highland_scot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I'm getting a free ticket too!

Were you the other winner of the Caledonian Best competition?

I don't like the stuff, just follow them because it is a good chance of winning free tickets!

Nope - just through work.

Didn't realise there was a Caley Best competition - usually enter them for Scotland games though.

highland_scot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:

highland_scot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I'm getting a free ticket too!

Were you the other winner of the Caledonian Best competition?

I don't like the stuff, just follow them because it is a good chance of winning free tickets!

Nope - just through work.

Didn't realise there was a Caley Best competition - usually enter them for Scotland games though.

I used to do well from Ghillie Dhu ticket competitons - I was quite often the only person who entered! They've not done one for a while though, no surprise really.

Can we please stop talking about a 5 point win?  I'm having flashbacks to the Italy game in the 6 nations this year.

I've had to give my season ticket to someone else for tonight as my neighbours have selfishly decided to have a joint 60th birthday party.

des wrote:Can we please stop talking about a 5 point win?  I'm having flashbacks to the Italy game in the 6 nations this year.

These are completely different circumstances though - Zebre are bottom of the league with a long injury list and a number of academy players. If our first XV can't get a BP win against that lot then we really should pack up and go home!

RDW_Scotland wrote:I used to do well from Ghillie Dhu ticket competitons - I was quite often the only person who entered! They've not done one for a while though, no surprise really.

I do have memories of you winning free tickets on more than one occasion and... letting us all know about it

Imperialbigdave wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:I used to do well from Ghillie Dhu ticket competitons - I was quite often the only person who entered! They've not done one for a while though, no surprise really.

I do have memories of you winning free tickets on more than one occasion and... letting us all know about it

Dam straight!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I hold you directly responsible for the lack of income received by the SRU from tickets sales. Have you ever actually paid full price for a ticket??

RDW_Scotland wrote:

des wrote:Can we please stop talking about a 5 point win?  I'm having flashbacks to the Italy game in the 6 nations this year.

These are completely different circumstances though - Zebre are bottom of the league with a long injury list and a number of academy players.  If our first XV can't get a BP win against that lot then we really should pack up and go home!

I'm not talking about giving them too much respect like we did the home game against London Welsh.  I just think we're showing them none which always makes me uncomfortable.  

We're 16:1 on.  They're crazy odds which should make any Scotsman shudder with fear.

I'm going to blow the moths off my wallet and put £10 on Zebre.

You are logically correct but when has that ever come in to it.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Well in other news, I've won some free tickets for tonight!

I hold you directly responsible for the lack of income received by the SRU from tickets sales. Have you ever actually paid full price for a ticket??

Once or twice...

In my defence, the tickets all come from SRU or Edinburgh sponsors, so the money does go into the SRU in some way, I'm just not spending it!

You going tonight?

Thinking about it, but one of the guys at work is having his retirement drinks this evening and has promised to settle the bar tab at the end of the night, so taking a leaf out of your book I thought I may stick around for a few!

funnyExiledScot wrote:Thinking about it, but one of the guys at work is having his retirement drinks this evening and has promised to settle the bar tab at the end of the night, so taking a leaf out of your book I thought I may stick around for a few!

I only ever go for drinks after work if somebody is leaving...

Anyone else off to the game then? Or will it just be me and HS in the crowd?

Well there will be a group of about 30 of us from the office... Plus RDW. So at least 31!

I may still go - hate to pass up the opportunity of seeing Edinburgh actually win a game!

Hopefully we'll see some good planned backline attacks this evening. It'd be a good opportunity to try things with Gloucester coming up, although without Burleigh in the centres the attack tends to be a bit one dimensional.

highland_scot wrote:Well there will be a group of about 30 of us from the office... Plus RDW. So at least 31!

Are you the group of guys that stands trackside, 10m from the barrier and spends the entire game talking 'business' and drinking beer and not actually watching any of the game?

Very late notice, but my missus isn't feeling well so I've got a spare free ticket going for the first taker?

You don't need to sit with me or anything!

Shambles of a lineout so far!

Over using the maul I think, albeit we should have had a few penalties from their defending of the mauls!

Grayson Hart's commentary is interesting! Roddy Grants got a meat pie to his name!

Their pack is completely mince so far

Conservative penalty choice from Edinburgh given we're completely horsing them up front and they're a man down!

That is a harsh yellow

We're really not playing sensibly 2 men up

Stop bloody kicking it!!!

Full backline playing against 13 & Strauss grubbers it away

Our intensity has well dropped

What's with all the turnovers??

I am starting to feel sorry for the Zebre front row.

I don't think the players quite believe they managed that try - was right in front of me too!

Right, get the feckin subs on!

Give us a wave RDW

Hope Solomons takes off SHC now & wraps him in bubble wrap

Far too many turnovers

Nel off after 60 minutes, this must be some kind of record!

Well very much job done - BP win and no apparent injuries.

I don't think we played that well though - our pack destroyed them but zebre were woeful in every aspect. We're still pretty clueless with ball in hand.

Given how bad they were, their number of yellow cards and our dominance up front that really should have been 50 points!

Got home to watch the last 25 minutes on Alba. 5 points, no injuries and a clean sheet. I agree with RDW that from what I saw we were poor in attack and should have scored more, but I'd have taken that outcome before the game started.

Now we need the soap dodgers to deny Connacht any points.