European Rugby Champions Cup

[Peg Leg]

Not to put to fine a point on it, if Nigel was the ref the event would have been very different.
Either Bastareaud could have restrained himself or he'd be sent walking.

Either way, what a tool.

[fourthirtythree]

Yeah, Leinster asked the players what happened and went with that.

No cynical French club muddying the waters, just Leinster asks the players. I don't think we have any reason to call Toulon names here, I'd be surprised if on review they don't change their stance to morto.


He'll get his ban, not. The first time he's been really stupid. Not sure how good his English is either. Though isn't it the hlingua Franca at Toulon?

[Dave Cahill]

Yeah, Leinster asked the players what happened and went with that.

No cynical French club muddying the waters, just Leinster asks the players. I don't think we have any reason to call Toulon names here, I'd be surprised if on review they don't change their stance to morto.


He'll get his ban, not. The first time he's been really stupid. Not sure how good his English is either. Though isn't it the hlingua Franca at Toulon?

Thats not entirely accurate. Leinster asked the players what happened then checked that story with the Sharks and by going through SARU to contact Tendai Mtawarira who was in the Sprinboks pre world cup camp. Beast spoke to Northampton management to confirm Sykes' story and tried to contact Mujati to explain that Sharks regularly used that call as a discipliner but Mujati refused to take the call.

[Xanthippe]

Interesting little point that came up several times today. Andy Goode was quite happy to take all the plaudits yesterday and early today from everyone who was willing to praise him for calling out Basteraud but then someone found an old tweet (from 2012) from him where he asked someone who argued with him “is your dad is a raving homo like you or not”

The tweet has now been deleted but not before it was screen capped - the internet NEVER forgets!!!

[Laighin Break]

I don't think you need get paranoid about French clubs muddying the waters. Bastareaud is clearly aggrieved at him saying "that", though nothing offensive is said unless you consider f%~king too much for your pearl likes, Bastareaud has previous for not b int the brightest. It seems that he misheard it as something quite possibly racist given his anger.

I suspect he will be pretty remorseful by hearing time. Said it on telly though so he's doing time.

Considering english is not his first language, he might have taken more offense than was meant, which is kind of understandable.
I remember being in France and an Irish lad (who cursed quite a lot) asked a girl in the group, just small talk, if she was french "Vous êtes f*ckin francais?". She thought he was insulting her

[neill_m]

Interesting little point that came up several times today. Andy Goode was quite happy to take all the plaudits yesterday and early today from everyone who was willing to praise him for calling out Basteraud but then someone found an old tweet (from 2012) from him where he asked someone who argued with him “is your dad is a raving homo like you or not”

The tweet has now been deleted but not before it was screen capped - the internet NEVER forgets!!!

His very different reaction to the Marler incident re Samson Lee has also been found. The dangers of Social Media!

[Ruckedtobits]

We haven't needed a larger ground for the Pro12 semi finals - the break even figure in the Aviva is higher than the max capacity of the RDS and we've never reached that for a Pro12 semi final

We've only ever played one home quarter final in the RDS as LR was being re-developed. We've since played four quarter-finals in the Aviva Stadium and unless we draw a particularly unattractive side, this years will be played there too.

Just an idea, Dave. Any chance you could explain in this week's Blues Talk the financial implications to Leinster Rugby of a home ERCC quarter-final und potentially a semi-final too - as opposed to playing those matches abroad?

A full house in Aviva for a q/f would accumulate about €2m gross (ave. Ticket €40). Rental, staffing, 'dressing' for stadium estimated at €450k. Distribution to opponents c. 25% of gross revenue net of certain costs. So, assuming good corporate functions and full Stadium, net, net to Leinster should be c. €1m which is not budgeted.

All revenues for s/f and Final belong to EPCR but match fee paid to participants as well as distribution to members of EPCR which include IRFU.

[RoboProp]

433 is talking about the Mujati accusation that Strauss and Sykes called to him a baboon. Leinsters defence was that "baboona" was a scrum tactic call.

Wasn't it Van der Merwe not Strauss?

[riocard911]

We haven't needed a larger ground for the Pro12 semi finals - the break even figure in the Aviva is higher than the max capacity of the RDS and we've never reached that for a Pro12 semi final

We've only ever played one home quarter final in the RDS as LR was being re-developed. We've since played four quarter-finals in the Aviva Stadium and unless we draw a particularly unattractive side, this years will be played there too.

Just an idea, Dave. Any chance you could explain in this week's Blues Talk the financial implications to Leinster Rugby of a home ERCC quarter-final und potentially a semi-final too - as opposed to playing those matches abroad?

A full house in Aviva for a q/f would accumulate about €2m gross (ave. Ticket €40). Rental, staffing, 'dressing' for stadium estimated at €450k. Distribution to opponents c. 25% of gross revenue net of certain costs. So, assuming good corporate functions and full Stadium, net, net to Leinster should be c. €1m which is not budgeted.

All revenues for s/f and Final belong to EPCR but match fee paid to participants as well as distribution to members of EPCR which include IRFU.

Can a total be put on the potential Leinster/IRFU takings for a home-semi in Lansdowne Road?

[simonokeeffe]

433 is talking about the Mujati accusation that Strauss and Sykes called to him a baboon. Leinsters defence was that "baboona" was a scrum tactic call.

Wasn't it Van der Merwe not Strauss?

You are correct
Though IIRC Sykes was the main one being accused

Am glad this is being taken so seriously though
2 years ago Jacques Potgieter playing for Waratahs got fined a derisory $10,000AU for homophobic slurs that were picked up on the ref mic v Brumbies. Pocock (big gay rights campaigner) and Moore even complained about it to the ref, Joubert, and he pretended not to have heard it

[wixfjord]

Pocock does love campaigning for big gay rights in fairness.

[riocard911]

Pocock does love campaigning for big gay rights in fairness.

I never realised that big gays were particularly discriminated against. You live and learn.

[the spoofer]

I'm obviously from a different generation and find the hysteria about this completely over the top.

Basta should probably have got a slap from the Saffa for the insult and left at that.

Should Glenn McGrath have got banned for saying to Eddo Brandes " Why are you such a fat c**t?"

Yeah, any form of racism should attract heavy penalties but is calling someone a faggot that bad?

[Flash Gordon]

I'm obviously from a different generation and find the hysteria about this completely over the top.

Basta should probably have got a slap from the Saffa for the insult and left at that.

Should Glenn McGrath have got banned for saying to Eddo Brandes " Why are you such a fat c**t?"

Yeah, any form of racism should attract heavy penalties but is calling someone a faggot that bad?

Racism, homophobia - yes, it is that bad. In my opinion, McGrath should have chatted less and when the over the top "banter" was turned him after he asked Ramnaresh Sarwan what Brian Lara's dick tasted like he flipped out. Best way to deal with something you don't like on a rugby pitch is at the next collision.

[artaneboy]

I'm obviously from a different generation and find the hysteria about this completely over the top.

Basta should probably have got a slap from the Saffa for the insult and left at that.

Should Glenn McGrath have got banned for saying to Eddo Brandes " Why are you such a fat c**t?"

Yeah, any form of racism should attract heavy penalties but is calling someone a faggot that bad?

I’m also from an older generation- and have both been called names- and in turn called people names I would not be proud of now. But it was another time and there are set rules in place now. You can’t refer to race, sexual orientation, etc. in a derogatory way. That’s only right- and Basteraud knew the rules.

To be honest in any period on the field of play, being called a c**t (once aimed at a male), was never regarded as much of an insult. Didn’t Jerry Flannery call Steve Thompson something similar a few years to the ref without sanction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cianostays]

I'm obviously from a different generation and find the hysteria about this completely over the top.

Basta should probably have got a slap from the Saffa for the insult and left at that.

Should Glenn McGrath have got banned for saying to Eddo Brandes " Why are you such a fat c**t?"

Yeah, any form of racism should attract heavy penalties but is calling someone a faggot that bad?

Times move on. For me, it is that bad and shouldn't be tolerated.

Sent from my SM-G531F using Tapatalk

[simonokeeffe]

The thousands of gay rugby players in EPCR countries would see it as being that bad. The tens of thousands of gay rugby fans in the same countries would agree. Anti gay bullying is still a huge issue in schools. People in this country still get beaten up, bullied, kicked out of their homes for being gay.

The days of any on field transgression from verbal to collapsing a maul being dealt with via a few digs is well past us

[curates_egg]

We haven't needed a larger ground for the Pro12 semi finals - the break even figure in the Aviva is higher than the max capacity of the RDS and we've never reached that for a Pro12 semi final

We've only ever played one home quarter final in the RDS as LR was being re-developed. We've since played four quarter-finals in the Aviva Stadium and unless we draw a particularly unattractive side, this years will be played there too.

Just an idea, Dave. Any chance you could explain in this week's Blues Talk the financial implications to Leinster Rugby of a home ERCC quarter-final und potentially a semi-final too - as opposed to playing those matches abroad?

A full house in Aviva for a q/f would accumulate about €2m gross (ave. Ticket €40). Rental, staffing, 'dressing' for stadium estimated at €450k. Distribution to opponents c. 25% of gross revenue net of certain costs. So, assuming good corporate functions and full Stadium, net, net to Leinster should be c. €1m which is not budgeted.

All revenues for s/f and Final belong to EPCR but match fee paid to participants as well as distribution to members of EPCR which include IRFU.

Surely it would be easier to sell more tickets if they weren't so horrendously expensive?

I tried raising this point via various channels last year, but it is ridonculous that I would have to pay 120 Euro to bring my 70 year old father to watch Leinster play Scarlets in a covered stand in an ordinary Pro14 game.
I wasn't able to travel home last weekend but, if I had been, I could possibly have been left with a 180 Euro bill for two seats for a pool game in the Heineken Cup - 85 Euro per ticket plus handling fee.

I've been going to games since I could afford to buy tickets (so around 2002 or 2003) but I started balking at the prices last season. If someone like me balks, how do you expect to attract people who don't normally attend but might for a semi-final or a big European game against (say) Glasgow?
I've always thought Leinster was well-run at this end of the business, so I presume they think they have got their pricing right. I wonder though.

[leinsterforever]

The thousands of gay rugby players in EPCR countries would see it as being that bad. The tens of thousands of gay rugby fans in the same countries would agree. Anti gay bullying is still a huge issue in schools. People in this country still get beaten up, bullied, kicked out of their homes for being gay.

The days of any on field transgression from verbal to collapsing a maul being dealt with via a few digs is well past us

Yeah but unless Negri is actually gay and this is known to Bastareaud, he's not calling him faggot as a sort of homophobic thing. He's more just trying to insult him generally.

It's a bit like calling someone a b$&%@#d. If the person in question was actually born illegitimately, and this was being used against him, it would be more of a nasty thing than just calling someone 'b$&%@#d' as an insult.

It's unsavoury all the same

[blockhead]

EPCR have already opened an investigation into the alleged comments by Bastareaud, but Boudjellal was quoted by rugbyrama.fr as saying: "At no point did Mathieu Bastareaud make a judgement on the sexual orientation of the player in question.
"I am worried. What I fear is the Mormon side of EPCR with the Welsh and the Irish."

Hey, how come the Jocks get off scot-free (PTP).
I'm starting to warm to Boudjellal.