The Future for the PRO12 - Part 3 - The Union Balldance

First topic message reminder :

First article I came across on the Web.

I think you're understating things, you're good patch was nearly the whole season and I think the ERCC has been a bit kinder to you this season

Ulster with a new 10 are still a few injuries away from disaster, we're short everywhere this season

I've watched the highlights over the season a few times (it's been a long off season), and we muddled through a lot of games. Those results to the other way and we struggle.

Weird, theoretically the is the easiest season for most pro14 sides, with the top 6 hitting the playoffs and realistically only three/four top level sides in the conferences. Yet nobody seems too confident.

Scarlets were the best rugby team by far last season and fully deserved to win the final. Their displays agains Leinster(semi) and Munster(final) were exceptional. They wiped the floor with my team home and away as well (an off colour Glasgow Warriors)

PS Can we have John Barclay back too ?

Quite a few unknowns going into the season think that leaves people feeling uneasy about being confident

Well to be honest Leinster and Scarlets have to have a total melt down not to qualify - they would have to finish behind both Ulster (possible) and Edinburgh

Dragons and Treviso have way too much to make up.
This is definitely the easier conference

Cant see anything other than Leinster and Scarlets qualifying
Unlike last year Scarlets are in with a chance in Europe as well, at least in terms of getting out of the group

Hopefully Scarlets can build on last year in terms of bringing back/in supporters. Being Pro 12 champions will help, an attractive brand of rugby as well, plus there is a great change of making it out of the group in Europe, and the Pro 14 Playoffs, which will help keep a postive feeling among supporters.

If one of the regions starts doing well, hopefully the feel good factor will spread to fans of the other regions. Maybe some will start seeing the Pro 14 as being equal to the Aviva and be glad to be in it rather than wishing they were in the Aviva.

Kingshu - new reasons (and old) I have heard for not attending this season include: no shirt sponsor, shirts not made by addidas or Nike, the stadium needing a coat of paint, parking, kickoff times, tv coveraging too many games, not having 11 home games. So don't hope for too much unfortunately. Truth is those who attended before, will carry on, and those who didn't before will continue to gripe and make excuses.

All things considered, if Scarlets can't get 10k for this opening game and build up from last season. There is no hope for pro club rugby in Wales.

Lol you will always get people who like to complain, but I bet there will be bumper crowds for a home semi final in either Europe or Pro 14, if Scarlets can get that far and get the bumper crowds in then next season a large number will hopefully return (there will always be those that gripe).

You must have laughed at the no shirt sponsor one though, I actually think most shirts look better without it, could lose the Intersports one on the back as well.

On a side note I do think that a lot of teams do have too much sponsorship on the kits. I would like to see the Pro 14 bring in rules similar to the Premier League about it being limited to one main, and one sleeve, also no name sponsorship (maybe special case for Benetton Rugby Treviso).

It may mean less sponsors overall, but if the space becomes premium, hopefully it attracts just as much, I would hate if we ended up with shirts covered in sponsors playing against teams like the InterSport Scarlets at Parc y Dyfed Steel.

There aren't 10,000 rugby fans in Llanelli... There would be in the wider area but I doubt many of them would show up.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Kingshu - new reasons (and old) I have heard for not attending this season include: no shirt sponsor, shirts not made by addidas or Nike, the stadium needing a coat of paint, parking, kickoff times, tv coveraging too many games, not having 11 home games.  So don't hope for too much unfortunately.  Truth is those who attended before, will carry on, and those who didn't before will continue to gripe and make excuses.

Why is this even a thing? I can't think of any fans of any other sport that complain about too many games being on tv. If anything it's the opposite, most people would kill to have their team being on tv every week. Also I'm yet to see any correlation between the games not being on tv and helping it increase attendances. From a leinster pov the games that haven't been shown on tv; such as playing the Dragons at home have seen some of our lowest attendances in the league.

mikey_dragon wrote:There aren't 10,000 rugby fans in Llanelli... There would be in the wider area but I doubt many of them would show up.

Need to gather fans from wendyball. I hope as a champion they will have at least 2k more on average from last season, if they don't have too expensive tickets..

mikey_dragon wrote:There aren't 10,000 rugby fans in Llanelli... There would be in the wider area but I doubt many of them would show up.

It tends to be the wider area lot turn up as travelling was always part of things. It's the locals that are the biggest offenders for not attending for petty reasons.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Kingshu - new reasons (and old) I have heard for not attending this season include: no shirt sponsor, shirts not made by addidas or Nike, the stadium needing a coat of paint, parking, kickoff times, tv coveraging too many games, not having 11 home games.  So don't hope for too much unfortunately.  Truth is those who attended before, will carry on, and those who didn't before will continue to gripe and make excuses.

Why is this even a thing? I can't think of any fans of any other sport that complain about too many games being on tv. If anything it's the opposite, most people would kill to have their team being on tv every week. Also I'm yet to see any correlation between the games not being on tv and helping it increase attendances. From a leinster pov the games that haven't been shown on tv; such as playing the Dragons at home have seen some of our lowest attendances in the league.

I really don't understand it myself, if you're a 'supporter' you buy tickets and help support the side (financially and vocally). But I think the argument was they could spend £10-20 a game on a ticket, £5-10 on food/drink plus driving/parking, or they can sit at home and watch it. Personally I think the more games on tv the better, first off it means away fans who can't get to matches can still see their team play, but also it helps (or I hope it does) the average tv viewer to start to get interest in the game/team.

All those excuses I reeled off are just that, excuses, and they came from people who used to say that they didn't go because the product on the pitch was poor, or we didn't have big name players etc.

Slightly off topic SS, but what's the deal with the Jones twins (lock forwards) who came through your academy and now play for Ealing? We're not gifted with Welsh locks currently so if, at the least the most versatile twin is any good, why isn't he on the radar?!

mikey_dragon wrote:Slightly off topic SS, but what's the deal with the Jones twins (lock forwards) who came through your academy and now play for Ealing? We're not gifted with Welsh locks currently so if, at the least the most versatile twin is any good, why isn't he on the radar?!

I think Jack (there was a Jack Jones in the second row) played today for the premier select xv against the Scartlets. But honestly don't know about Carwyn, the better one.