2 English clubs in the Pro 12??

First topic message reminder :

Being reported today that London Scottish and London Welsh are being lined up to play in the pro12.....if the Italian teams don't pay money owed to the league.

Fantastic news that English teams are already touted as playing in what could be an early British and Irish League. Even if it doesn't happen, these increasingly frequent bits and bobs are only the beginning of what is to come.

offload wrote:The conspiracy plot thickens. Guinness is owned by a UK FTSE 100 company headquartered in London, England.  

Has this thread (after 11 pages of thought provoking discourse) at last come full circle and are we seeing an attempt by 2 English clubs to infiltrate the Pro 12 ??

The launch of the PRO12 was in London as well!

[quote="Exiledinborders"]

Pot Hale wrote:Just re-reading this Ospreys Supporters summary of their conversation with Ospreys RFC:

"There were many things to take into account in regards to the tenders. A financial commitment in excess of £100,000 by the host stadium/team; two 5 star hotels for the two finalists and the backing by city authorities were just some of the stipulations for tender. We were advised that several clubs did not submit tenders including the Ospreys."

Just a small point but why do two rugby teams need two five star hotels?

Until retirement I was a senior manager with a very large international company. Only if I was in a third world country where hotel standards were dodgy would I stay in a five star hotel.  Wasting money on five star hotels and first class flights went out years ago in any well run organisation.

As for why they need two hotels, can they not be trusted to stay in the same hotel without fighting?[/quote

All the PRO12 teams would probably want to stay in the hotel they normally stay in (the one in Limerick that is generally used is 4* with swimming pool, gym and leisure facilities). I think the 5*s are more to do with sponsors, potential sponsors and corporate entertainment. I remember being on the same plane as a group (60+ of them) of Heineken corporate guests going to a Heineken Cup Final and they were getting 5* treatment all the way.

The PRO12 themselves might be casting a line for some more sponsors as well. They need to give a good day out.

+1 on Sin's queries.  Why could two rugby teams not stay in the same hotel?  It ain't football. But maybe one team risks leaving their game strategy plans lying in the lounge for the others to see.

On the Heineken lads wanting the 5 star treatment in the old days?  Well f**k them fellas good and proper, and hopefully that wasn't added to the expenses either...

This old corporate schit where you have to schmoozle them as private citizens (prawn sangwiches and non-sqeaking best seats) before they cough up money that isn't there's to begin with is grotesque.

They should be bluntly just asked "Look, asswholes, does the company you represent want to make a profit with us or not???  And no f**king freebies to you before telling us either, schithead!"

Or maybe diplomacy just isn't my best skill????  

Has it occured to anyone that the 5* hotels are not actually an essential for the players but a little treat for all the "blazers" from the PRO12 and unions as their little reward to themselves?

Irish Londoner wrote:Has it occured to anyone that the 5* hotels are not actually an essential for the players but a little treat for all the "blazers" from the PRO12 and unions as their little reward to themselves?

Why two?

One for the IRFU blazers and one for the Welsh?

That at least is an understandable reason for keeping those two apart. Scottish and Italian reps would then decide which of the two hotels they stay in for themselves.