European Comps

First topic message reminder :

From the EPCR websites:

'Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup are set for a major viewership boost with the announcement that BT Sport, as well as ITV, RTÉ and S4C, have all agreed multi-year partnerships for the new broadcast cycle in the UK and Ireland.

BT Sport to continue as lead broadcaster in UK and Ireland
EPCR and BT Sport extend long-standing partnership, with BT Sport set to broadcast eighth season of both competitions
ITV, RTÉ and S4C to generate new viewers with extensive free-to-air coverage
BT Sport, who have delivered comprehensive and innovative coverage of the elite club competitions since 2015, have recommitted to the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to extend their long-standing partnership with EPCR. As lead broadcaster in the UK and Ireland, BT Sport will continue to televise both tournaments until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.

In addition, ITV, RTÉ and S4C have come on board in the UK and Ireland to provide free-to-air coverage and the new agreements will expand access for rugby fans across two key markets to the Heineken Champions Cup – the world’s biggest and most celebrated international club rugby competition – which is entering its 28th year.

The agreements with ITV and RTÉ, which will see each broadcaster cover one Heineken Champions Cup match per round in the UK and Ireland – including the Final – on a free-to-air basis, also run until the end of the 2023/24 season.

S4C will focus on the Welsh regions with live coverage of all Ospreys’ pool stage fixtures in the Heineken Champions Cup as well as one match featuring either Cardiff Rugby, Dragons RFC or the Scarlets in each pool stage round of the EPCR Challenge Cup also until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.

“Broadcast partnerships are a massively important part of our strategy to bring our world-class competitions to even wider audiences, and we are very pleased with our partners in the UK and Ireland for the new cycle,” said EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay.

“Following on from what was a magnificent Finals weekend in Marseille last May, we are delighted to continue to work with BT Sport, who have delivered incredible coverage of, and audience growth for, our competitions. It is also significant that we welcome three free-to-air partners on board in ITV, RTÉ and S4C, who will boost our viewership and profile as South African clubs come into the EPCR fold.

“BT Sport, ITV, RTÉ and S4C represent four more exciting broadcast partnerships in the key markets of the UK and Ireland, and with beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France, SuperSport in South Africa and FloSports in the USA, we are looking forward to bringing the pinnacle of international club rugby to more audiences than ever before.”

This update follows previous announcements of broadcast partnership renewals by both beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions in France, as well as confirmation of SuperSport as the exclusive broadcaster of EPCR’s tournaments in South Africa, with the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup set to extend their global reach with the historic inclusion of the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, Cell C Sharks, Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs from this season.

EPCR has also agreed a multi-year agreement with the streaming platform FloSports, the home of rugby in the USA, as the exclusive broadcaster of the tournaments to American rugby fans until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.

The deal is part of a ground-breaking alliance which will see the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup bundled with key fixtures in the BKT United Rugby Championship and the TOP 14, ensuring viewers in America will have unprecedented access to all four competitions on one digital platform.

Rachel Knight, Sports Rights Director, BT Sport, said: “Today’s news means BT Sport remains the home of club rugby in the UK and Ireland, offering unrivalled coverage from the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup, plus multiple live matches every week from Gallagher Premiership Rugby.”

Last month, BT Group and Warner Bros. Discovery completed their transaction to form a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) that combines the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport UK. As the JV works to develop a new sports offering for the UK and Ireland, BT Sport and Eurosport UK will retain their separate product propositions and customers can continue to enjoy the sport offerings in all the same ways as they do currently.

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “This new deal brings rugby fans live, free-to-air coverage of some of the biggest matches in club rugby, featuring the stars of the game and adds Heineken Champions Cup action to ITV’s range of top-class rugby alongside the domestic and international competitions we bring to viewers.”

Declan McBennett, RTÉ Group Head of Sport, said: “The Heineken Champions Cup is a tournament that is much loved and followed by fans throughout Ireland. We are delighted to partner with EPCR to bring this prestigious competition to audiences free-to-air and extend its reach to the widest possible audience in the Republic of Ireland.”

Geraint Evans, S4C Director of Content and Publishing Strategy, said: “The Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup are two of the finest competitions that club rugby has to offer and we are pleased to renew our successful broadcast partnership with EPCR. S4C viewers will be able to follow the progress of all four Welsh regions across both tournaments and we look forward to some top-quality matches.”

With more than 50,000 tickets already sold for EPCR’s 2023 finals, the journey to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will get underway in early December, and the exact dates, kick-off times and TV coverage of the pool stage fixtures will be announced later this week.'

Heaf wrote:English team playing Munster with French officials - you're dooooomed

Yeah. No doubts!

Didn't that Munster player bat that ball into touch before Saints took the quick line-out?

Well you were right Doc, so far it's Saints sloppy play that's been helping out Munster. Officials seem OK overall so far, apart from possibly missing what looked like a slap into touch by Munster at the beginning. If Saints hadn't gone quick there and messed it up it may have been spotted.

Well they got that wrong - that's a penalty try all day ...

A weird performance from Mitchell.  Slow from the breakdown and it cost us.  I still blame the ref (it's easier than blaming our players).

Yes Mitchell has been poor - ref losing it now though after a good start.  Should have been a pen try and since then multiple offences in the red zone should have been another yellow.

Agree. But Saints had no clue how to get over the line. So slow. Get Braley in there now.

What happened there? Ref signalled another advantage, Saints go backwards until they lose the ball, then play on?

Another pen and no yellow - after a promising start the ref has started to bottle it

Meanwhile Saints continue to fluff their lines

pish poor

Finally

Have some balls ref and give yet another yellow if Munster keep infringing

It's beginning to look like Saints couldn't score in a brothel

Not with a fistfull of 50s...

Munster defence has been good but they should have had at least one more yellow with the amount of pens in the red zone.

Yet another pen with no card - the ref is weak as p*ss

Glad that mess is over. We really did have a beef with the ref, but Saints had no clue.

Saints were poor and I thought we were finally going to get a match where the officials did a good job, but in the last 20 mins or so the ref completely bottled it - should have awarded a pen try and Munster should have had at least 2 more yellows based on the amount of pens in the red zone. Munster's defence was good but it's a lot easier if you can keep infringing and stay on the pitch.

Heaf wrote:Saints were poor and I thought we were finally going to get a match where the officials did a good job, but in the last 20 mins or so the ref completely bottled it - should have awarded a pen try and Munster should have had at least 2 more yellows based on the amount of pens in the red zone.  Munster's defence was good but it's a lot easier if you can keep infringing and stay on the pitch.

Saints also got away with a fair bit in that scuffle. Ludlam managed to make contact with the eye area of one of the Munster players, Ribbans threw one to the floor by the neck and Proctor added fuel to the fire by coming in like a missile to cheap shot a prone player. An English or URC ref wouldn't have binned a Munster player but Saints would have had a minimum of one yellow card.

The non-penalty try was ridiculous, stone waller really. Saints bottled it though, particularly up front where they consistently ran into Munster's best jacking threats. The Saints attack was so narrow, Furbank became a completely ineffective third centre and I'm not sure who was on the other wing to Ramm but they did sod all. The one time they held their width Smith dropped that perfect crossfield kick into Ramm's path.

Very unusual from a Sam Vesty coached attack. Munster were brilliant in defence and probably were unhappy with a few of the maul calls.

Borrowing from Heaf's idea: Munster were laying all over everything. They laid on more men than a cathouse worker. And, yes, the ref bottled it. Shame Saints were clueless how to take advantage.

Good start for Quins - shocking defensive line from Racing

That pen went the wrong way - luckily for Quins Russell misses ...

Racing flopping on the wrong side too

Huge kick - unfortunately taken back in - Quins errors keeping Racing in this

Quins by far the better side in the first half but some inaccurate play gives Racing opportunities and they lead at half time against the run of play

How was that line-out straight?

Heaf wrote:That pen went the wrong way - luckily for Quins Russell misses ...

It really didn't. Neither Quins player made any attempt to support their own weight. Leaning your chest on the guy on the floor isn't supporting your own weight.

Hmm not sure - looked like what happens all the time, didn't think they were leaning that much on the isolated player holding on, but would have to look again

That's a red

WFT is Dayglo going on about ...

Heaf wrote:That's a red

I think he was trying to hold onto the player more than he tried to lift the player. If he doesn't try to hold onto the legs there then the player cartwheels over his shoulder and is completely out of control. He's a bit unlucky there, went to low presumably because he was worried about making head contact.

Look at the change in his body height on the replay - clear lift for me?

I'd also give the scrum restart to Quins not Racing as arguably they only kicked it as they were approaching the injured players but they had a fully loaded back line - and they touched the ball last too

Quins doing their hardest trying not to win this ... although to be fair the weather isn't helping

Well they made hard work of that - not sure why they didn't take longer for the kick at the end as I think they had time to run the clock out? Big surprise was Quins stuffing the Racing scrum ...

Heaf wrote:Look at the change in his body height on the replay - clear lift for me?

The player's momentum has him up and over the shoulder. The tackler is panicking and trying to hold because he's knows he's in trouble and if he lets got it's a certain red for dropping him. The tackle is apologising immediately it's clear he's not meant it.

Doesn't mean it's not a red, just that he's unlucky.

Heaf wrote:Well they made hard work of that - not sure why they didn't take longer for the kick at the end as I think they had time to run the clock out?   Big surprise was Quins stuffing the Racing scrum ...

Kerrod has always been pretty good and we have long had high hopes for Baxter - but it was a pleasant surprise to see them put in such a good shift against top quality opposition. Next question is whether Baxter can do it consistently. But to have two 80 minute scrummaging loose heads is a very reassuring thing.

It's funny how the sides that keep losing also seem to always get the dodgy refs. But the winning teams have few reffiing mistakes. WR must plan it like that I guess...

Ha. There'll always be decisions we don't agree with. Several over the course of a match; but it's only the one the ref makes which leads to a try which counts as decisive.

Actually the officiating is pretty poor all around unfortunately, but the winners aren't going to complain are they?

Appears there is very little being said here about Ulster being forced to play at a neutral stadium, which was supposedly behind closed doors but with 160 La Rochelle fans let in and zero Ulster fans.

Dan McF  was at Ravenhill with the referee on Friday when the pitch was deemed not playable in parts, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning, with warmer weather coming in and the efforts made by staff. Referee was happy to wait until 10.00am the following morning to reinspect, however that night EPRC decided not to wait insisted it be moved to Dublin and played behind closed doors.

An independent inspection the next morning confirmed it was playable. The move cost Ulster around £700,000.

Game was moved to Aviva behind closed doors but La Rochelle threatened legal action if 160 club "delegates" weren't allowed in,
These are the "Delegates"
https://twitter.com/MarkHun23432227/status/1604190128217673728?t=4u38Zr0yZkFpW5nK8c_1Xw&s=19

Ulster CEO, and DMcF not happy that EPRC made them move the home game, when Ravenhill ground very likely to have been playable and ref happy to wait. Early decision cost on £700,000 and ment that Ulster fans lose out on seeing one of the biggest games of the season, and said so pre match. Add the insult of the home game moveing to a neutral venue behind closed doors and then allowing in 160 away fans...sorry 'delegates'.

And now reported Ulster are in danger of a misconduct charge from EPCR.

That does sound like a bit of a clusterf*ck ...

It's beyond clusterf*ck territory. Stupidity and arrogance going hand in hand on this occasion, utterly disgusting.

Thought the rugby ban on O'Gara would be like in football where you're allowed no communication during the match and build up too. Obviously not.

Yeah thats bad form all round, I can't help but think that La Rochelle had something to do with the decision on moving the game being made before the ref could have a pitch inspection on Saturday morning.

Oakdene wrote:Yeah thats bad form all round, I can't help but think that La Rochelle had something to do with the decision on moving the game being made before the ref could have a pitch inspection on Saturday morning.

I think the Legal action threatened by La Rochelle to get their 160 club 'delegates' in, was a way of getting RoG in, as with his ban, without them he would have no buiness being in the stadium, as it was he was close enough to be heard and give his players instructions from the empty stand he was in.

Morning peeps, just a passing thought on the Challenge Cup; effectively half of the teams are out of the competition after two rounds.

Glasgow have played two and won two (9 points) and now have two matches to come against teams (Bath and Perpignan) who have both played two and lost two. Since qualification is beyond both of them common sense would suggest that Bath will be sending a much weakened side to Scotstoun in January and that Perpignan may also treat the return match as more of an inconvenience than a live competitive fixture.
Is this really fair on the teams who will be hoping to finish above Glasgow?

The words brewery, piss up and organise spring to mind.

jimbopip wrote:Morning peeps, just a passing thought on the Challenge Cup; effectively half of the teams are out of the competition after two rounds.

Glasgow have played two and won two (9 points) and now have two matches to come against teams (Bath and Perpignan) who have both played two and lost two. Since qualification is beyond both of them common sense would suggest that Bath will be sending a much weakened side to Scotstoun in January and that Perpignan may also treat the return match as more of an inconvenience than a live competitive fixture.
Is this really fair on the teams who will be hoping to finish above Glasgow?

The words brewery, piss up and organise spring to mind.

It's the same for us Scarlets, Bayonne made 14 changes from their league fixture (the previous week) when they travelled.

Kingshu wrote:Appears there is very little being said here about Ulster being forced to play at a neutral stadium, which was supposedly behind closed doors but with 160 La Rochelle fans let in and zero Ulster fans.

Dan McF  was at Ravenhill with the referee on Friday when the pitch was deemed not playable in parts, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning, with warmer weather coming in and the efforts made by staff. Referee was happy to wait until 10.00am the following morning to reinspect, however that night EPRC decided not to wait insisted it be moved to Dublin and played behind closed doors.

An independent inspection the next morning confirmed it was playable. The move cost Ulster around £700,000.

Game was moved to Aviva behind closed doors but La Rochelle threatened legal action if 160 club "delegates" weren't allowed in,
These are the "Delegates"
https://twitter.com/MarkHun23432227/status/1604190128217673728?t=4u38Zr0yZkFpW5nK8c_1Xw&s=19

Ulster CEO, and DMcF not happy that EPRC made them move the home game, when Ravenhill ground very likely to have been playable and ref happy to wait. Early decision cost on £700,000 and ment that Ulster fans lose out on seeing one of the biggest games of the season, and said so pre match. Add the insult of the home game moveing to a neutral venue behind closed doors and then allowing in 160 away fans...sorry 'delegates'.

And now reported Ulster are in danger of a misconduct charge from EPCR.

Another nail in the coffin for the EPCR. To think people used to give out about the ERC, the organisation that ran one of the most successful clubs competitions in world rugby. Club rugby needs this competition to work.