New Zealand told to build a bigger stadium by England boss Ian Ritchie!

First topic message reminder :

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/new-zealand-blacks-told-go-11972580

England boss Ian Ritchie, having already given warning the RFU will torpedo any radical plan to move the autumn internationals or the Six Nations, has fired another in the direction of the southern hemisphere.

The New Zealand Rugby Union has been advised to go and build a bigger stadium if it wants to generate more income as the row over introducing a global season intensifies.

England boss Ian Ritchie, having already given warning the RFU will torpedo any radical plan to move the autumn internationals or the Six Nations, has fired another in the direction of the southern hemisphere.

Unions kings New Zealand have allegedly demanded half of the matchday revenue generated when they come to Europe to face the likes of Wales and England in fixtures following the 2019 World Cup.

There aren’t any tours in place after that tournament and the back-to-back world champion All Blacks have demanded cash to play at the Principality Stadium, Twickenham and the like.

New Zealand, Australia and South Africa want to increase their income to help fund the professional game in those countries.

NZRU boss chief executive Steve Tew has indicated the back-to-back World Cup holders will hold the northern hemisphere to ransom and seek individual fixtures if the sport’s leaders cannot reach a deal on the thorny issue of introducing a global season.

“We need a different season structure than we have now and we’re not going to default to the current one. We’re going to force that issue,” he declared.

“People will have to come to the table and we’ll negotiate individual matches in 2020.”

Tew claimed, without a compromise, there wouldn’t be a window for the Lions to tour or a World Cup.

But the sport’s most powerful and richest union, England, isn’t prepared to dance to the Kiwi tune, according to its chief executive Ritchie.

“When we went down there (Australia) for the three Test matches in June, we got no money at all,” he pointed out.

“They get the gate money and TV money and that’s the same for Lions tours as well, so I’m not sure I get this argument.

“I didn’t ask for a revenue share from Australia. And ditto from the Lions, so I don’t see why there is a particularly strong case for arguing the other way.

“If we manage to sell out 82,000 at Twickenham because of our efforts and because we’ve invested in the stadium, that’s something we’ve rightly invested in.

“If you look at the amount of money the RFU has spent on Twickenham since it was conceived, well then of course we should get a return on that.

“Of course they would say they want more money but there is nothing to stop Australia or New Zealand building a stadium.”

And Ritchie suggested: “Go and build a stadium if you want to increase your revenue growth.

“We’ve all been through it – Wales, Ireland and Scotland too. You incur some debt in stadium build and then you reap the benefits of that. We keep what we make to put back into the game.”

Ritchie hinted England may stop paying countries to play them outside the autumn World Rugby Test window, as has been the case.

“If you throw everything up in the air you might say: ‘Why would you pay that?’” he said.

Wales have also paid 'start money' to opponents so they can stage an extra autumn Test with cash-strapped Australia and South Africa having benefited from the policy.

Ritchie again dismissed the notion of a unified global season, saying: “As I understand it the southern hemisphere don’t want to play in their summer and neither do we, so bringing those calendars together becomes very difficult.

“We still see rugby as a winter sport. The Six Nations and the autumn internationals are important bed-rocks, so we don’t anticipate change there.

“The Six Nations, as far as the date in the calendar is concerned, works well. We have a great TV deal and we have stadia that are filled for every game.

“Why would you want to change something that works really well? So I can’t see there being any significant move in that.

“And I think as well that the autumn internationals work terribly well for us as well. The focus of discussion is on the summer (June), although one year will be a Lions and another a World Cup. Discussions are ongoing.”

Rugby’s leading decision-makers, including top officials from the WRU, have been in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a series of key World Rugby committee meetings to discuss and formulate policy.

WRU chairman Gareth Davies said, in the wake of Wales’ summer tour of New Zealand, the Six Nations didn’t need to be moved “for the sake of it” because it works where it is now (February and March).

But he added: “if it were necessary to move it in order that it were a piece of the jigsaw that enabled northern and southern hemispheres to have a coherent global season, then it’s worth doing.”

Union chief executive Martyn Phillips had said: “I have an open mind and people ask me about changing to summer rugby, moving the Six Nations tournament and altering the format.

“My whole philosophy is you review everything all the time so I’d review the Six Nations every year.

“There are a lot of conversations about the global season and we’re looking to make things better and the logical season for players and supporters.

“People have been very open about their views and there won’t be a solution for everyone because of the two different hemispheres.”

kingelderfield wrote:Maybe we should have a thread for the 'best' or our 'favorite' posts.

Good one SecretFly, very realpolitik.

Yeah, I've read something like this from SecretFly before and he nails it every time.

SecretFly is somewhat prone to imagining that the PRL is more than the combined voices of the club chairmen plus McCafferty trying to get them to sing the same tune.

Hint: it isn't.

Poorfour wrote:SecretFly is somewhat prone to imagining that the PRL is more than the combined voices of the club chairmen plus McCafferty trying to get them to sing the same tune.

Hint: it isn't.

Invariably, there are other vested business interests and stakeholders behind or alongside the chairmen of the clubs - let's not be naive either. And some of the chairmen have more financial clout and power than others in the room. Those who like to sound off in media at a time of their choosing and deign to share with us their views of the world game and where it needs to go, and along the way indicate the power friendships they have within the game. The fawning headlines that appear on glowing puff articles from time to time in print media around certain individuals buttress this perception - with rarely a strong interrogation evident behind them. It's all a little too cosy.

I thought this had all been agreed a while back?

The RFU run international rugby
The PRL run European rugby
The IRFU run the Pro12

Cyril wrote:I thought this had all been agreed a while back?

The RFU run international rugby
The PRL run European rugby
The IRFU run the Pro12

Spot on. Now for a share in European Rugby ownership we're prepared to give you the Welsh, rent free on a hundred year lease. Take 'em. with our blessing.

SecretFly wrote:

Cyril wrote:I thought this had all been agreed a while back?

The RFU run international rugby
The PRL run European rugby
The IRFU run the Pro12

Spot on.  Now for a share in European Rugby ownership we're prepared to give you the Welsh, rent free on a hundred year lease.  Take 'em. with our blessing.

Sorry. The only lease we're interested in is the one on the Guinness brewery.

Yours! If you take the Welsh off our hands???...............................
............................... please?

Irish Londoner wrote:

lostinwales wrote:

ebop wrote:You do realise it's a currency and population thing right? And not a mismanagement thing.

Population etc is very important. Its not the only factor though. (Look at France....)

And I don't think its not like some kind of deal could not or should not be made, but it would have to be reciprocal and not purely based on the idea we have money and you don't.

Problem is as the proposals stand there's nothing reciprocal coming from NZ

Reciprocal?

Are you referring to money or 'talent' or both?

We supply talent for ZERO return

We play you at Twickenham at 'inflated ticket prices that makes the RFU super profits that gets fed to the clubs so they can poach more players'........for no return

Yeah, we are doing great out of this deal

We'll be ok because we pump out players like it's going out of fashion but SA and Australia (not to mention the poor suffering PI countries) are struggling a little bit. We seem to be spearheading this but if it gains traction then other countries in greater dire straights than the 'back-to-back' RWC champions will be taking notice.

Rest assured, this is all about player retention and not about NZR wanting to buy Robshaw, Farrell, Brown or any yellow bellied club coaches with all that extra money

Player retention? Why should others pay for that? Put your tickets prices up, get more supporters or pay your players and staff less.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Player retention? Why should others pay for that?

Think of it as a 'poaching' tax that is paid for not being good at rugby

Eh?

ebop wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:Player retention? Why should others pay for that?

Think of it as a 'poaching' tax that is paid for not being good at rugby

Always remember the golden rule:
"Whoever has the gold gets to make the rules."

A poachers tax

You don't get it?

England clubs go about poaching players that 'become English' after 3 years and are fed money by the RFU that charge over priced tickets to watch England play the ABs etc

A poachers tax is what is needed

A share of the gate

Oh. You're getting pretty worried about England aren't you? You mention it more than Jones mentions NZ!

No

Don't deflect 7.5

Poor ebop! It'll be ok, don't worry. 2nd in the world will still be pretty good for you.

Eh?

True, you may fall further when your players get paid what you can afford.

Eh?

Keep going

This is really good stuff

Finished now ta. It's obvious you're a touch worried that as well as being richer off the pitch,we'll use that to poach players like Hughes off you (by ironically not using that wealth at all and giving free reign to a Welshman to sign who he wants for his club!).

Wow

Wearing that poacher badge with honour 7.5

"We're rich we're rich and you are pooooor!!! Ha ha"

Good on ya mate

May as well be us for a bit. If we can out bid you consistently, it's fine by me.

Ok

You think you can 'buy' success?

What has changed?

The pound has always been stronger than the NZD but to be fair the pound is falling like a stone lately

And it still rains a lot in England

And the beaches are made of pebbles

ebop wrote:Ok

You think you can 'buy' success?

What has changed?

The pound has always been stronger than the NZD but to be fair the pound is falling like a stone lately

And it still rains a lot in England

And the beaches are made of pebbles

What?! Are you being serious?! I've only ever been to sand beaches here.

Easy ebop, you don't have to hit out because you're worried about losing out on players. I'm sure the NH will give you money because you're NZ.

Griff wrote:

ebop wrote:And the beaches are made of pebbles

What?! Are you being serious?! I've only ever been to sand beaches here.

Ah, lucky man Griff

You go to Cleethorpes

ebop wrote:

Griff wrote:

ebop wrote:And the beaches are made of pebbles

What?!  Are you being serious?!  I've only ever been to sand beaches here.

Ah, lucky man Griff

You go to Cleethorpes

???

I know what he was going for but Cleethorpes, despite it not being by the sea, does have sand.

SH Chase European Money shocker!

Life's a beach, eh?

A pebbly beach

Do you know what the main problem with a pebbly beach is?

Is it that NZ don't have enough of them and are thus making demands that England provide them with pebbles?

ebop wrote:Do you know what the main problem with a pebbly beach is?

Which ones are you on about? The only ones I've been to were in Corfu (Greece) and Hvar (Croatia).

The problem of a pebbly beach?

Hmmmm...I like these quizzes.

You can't get a good footing?

People keep stealing them to put in their garden patches?

Perhaps ebop is getting pebbles muddled up with cobbles and was wondering why people were looking at him funny as he stumbled around barefoot in his budgie smugglers in some city centre.

The problem with budgie smugglers?

Hmmmm.... another quiz.

Don't worry ebop the current government will make all the immigrant rugby players wear badges and shame the RFU for employing them whilst we fight the rest of your hordes off our beaches (pebbly or otherwise).

As for the main problem with said beaches, its that you can build a sand stadium on them so instead you have to invest 10's of millions in building a decent one in West London which could otherwise have been spent on poaching New Zealandish talent like Hape.

SecretFly wrote:The problem with budgie smugglers?

Hmmmm.... another quiz.

It's the budgie I feel sorry for. No wonder Antipodean customs staff are so strict.

This thread has taken a strange but entertaining turn.

Has 7.5 broken ebop? Pebble beaches and rain??

By the way I thought Cleethorpes was by the sea, well sort off. In the same way Weston is anyway!

SecretFly wrote:The problem of a pebbly beach?

Hmmmm...I like these quizzes.

You can't get a good footing?

People keep stealing them to put in their garden patches?

You're onto it SecretFly

You shouldn't be stubbing a toe on a beach

It makes a funny rattling sound when the waves break

They get really hot in the sun

stub wrote:This thread has taken a strange but entertaining turn.

Has 7.5 broken ebop? Pebble beaches and rain??

By the way I thought Cleethorpes was by the sea, well sort off. In the same way Weston is anyway!

Exactly stub

Cleethorpes is by the sea, or estuary at least

Cleethorpes doesn't look that pebbly to me.

ebop wrote:

SecretFly wrote:The problem of a pebbly beach?

Hmmmm...I like these quizzes.

You can't get a good footing?

People keep stealing them to put in their garden patches?

You're onto it SecretFly

You shouldn't be stubbing a toe on a beach

It makes a funny rattling sound when the waves break

They get really hot in the sun

Is that why NZ players are leave NZ then?  Plenty of pebble beaches there

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=new+zealand+pebble+beach&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXq_qQtcjPAhWmBcAKHXWICAUQ_AUICSgC&biw=1219&bih=815

Cyril wrote:Cleethorpes doesn't look that pebbly to me.

When the locals are forced to give them back, it will.

Keep up Cyril you plum

I said Griff must go to Cleethorpes because he's never been to a pebbly beach in England

Cleethorpes does look awesome mind

For an estuary

ebop wrote:

stub wrote:This thread has taken a strange but entertaining turn.

Has 7.5 broken ebop? Pebble beaches and rain??

By the way I thought Cleethorpes was by the sea, well sort off. In the same way Weston is anyway!

Exactly stub

Cleethorpes is by the sea, or estuary at least

Much drier than Auckland too.

Surprised that it isn't more popular!

By the way

As amazing as Cleethorpes must be

We don't need an A3 sized photo of it to prove the point

ebop wrote:Keep up Cyril you plum

I said Griff must go to Cleethorpes because he's never been to a pebbly beach in England

Cleethorpes does look awesome mind

For an estuary

I certainly wouldn't recommend Cleethorpes (other than the lovely sand).

ebop wrote:We don't need an A3 sized photo of it to prove the point

I thought you might want to make it your wallpaper. Tsk, ungrateful

What's that sign pointing to at 'Oliver's'? Door?