Pro 14 - General Thread

[FLIP]

Cardiff will host the Pro14 final for the first time.....

In the Cardiff City Stadium (33,280 capacity)

[blockhead]

Pro14: Chief executive Anayi says no talks held over British and Irish league

There have been reports and speculation this year of such a tournament being launched in the coming seasons.

But Anayi says no discussions have taken place and his focus is on consolidating the Pro14 competition alongside the two European tournaments.

"That is all news to us," said Anayi at the official launch of Cardiff hosting the 2019-20 Pro14 final.

"I sometimes laugh because there is sometimes some ignorance around there being a European Cup.

"That is the platform where we play the great games against the English and French sides.

"We love the Champions and Challenge Cup and our part in it. We think we can do more to help those two tournaments as well as the Pro14.

"So the definite answer for us is our future is with the Pro14 and EPCR which represents the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

"We are focusing on that. We have a good product which we love and fans that are loving it more and more by the day."

'No expansion' into North America'
A move to a British and Irish league could be linked to private investment coming into the Pro14, something which has already happened in England.

Premiership Rugby has moved into a "new era" after a deal was concluded for private equity firm CVC Capital Partners to invest more than £200m.

CVC has bought a minority shareholding, understood to be about 27%.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips has said no concrete decisions have been made on any private investments in the Pro14 and it is currently speculation.

Anayi also said there were no plans for future expansion into North America.

"I like the game growing in territories where it should be strong," said Anayi.

"Are we the best way for that to happen now they have a domestic league? Probably not. We are better off probably supporting their domestic league.

"My view has changed over the last couple of years so we are not pursuing it (American teams in Pro14)."

Anayi said there were no plans to increase the number of sides in the competition.
"I want the 14 to be strong," said Anayi.

"When you don't have promotion and relegation, the bottom half of the table needs to really push the top half.

"We are probably getting one to eight being strong and we need nine to 14 being able to beat one to eight on any day.

"My job is to make sure the bottom half of the table is as strong as the top half and that is my focus for the next few years."

[DaveMr]

Cardiff will host the Pro14 final for the first time.....

In the Cardiff City Stadium (33,280 capacity)

tickets for final on sale here
https://www.eticketing.co.uk/pro14/EDP/ ... ff%20Blues

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

[blockhead]

Cheetah's win the Currie cup in front of 39,000 fans.

Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Dries Swanepoel, 11 Tian Meyer (captain), 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Erich de Jager, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Retshegofaditswe Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Reinach Venter, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Abongile Nonkontwana, 22 Louis Fouche, 22 Darren Adonis

How many of these players will be in the Pro14 this season?

Ruan wins a medal. A winners medal too! The guy he replaced at Ulster had a similar experience once he got out of ravers.
Got to be just a coincidence, right?

[neill_m]

Cheetahs will be in good shape early in the season. 8 real games v the other sides doing fitness games.

They host Glasgow, Ulster and Munster and then come North to Connacht and Scarlets during RWC

[blockhead]

Edinburgh get green light to build new 7,800 seater stadium next to Murrayfield.

[blockhead]

Cheetahs name 14 of the Currie cup final starting team to start against Glasgow.
Dark Horses for Cardiff 2020.

[blockhead]

Cheetahs 10-0 Glasgow after 9mins, Try-Con-Pen all Ruan

[blockhead]

Cheetahs 48-14 Glasgow, 7 tries.
18 pts for Ruan.

[Dave Cahill]

Ruan wins a medal. A winners medal too!

No he doesn't (sort of)

[Morf]

Ruan wins a medal. A winners medal too!

No he doesn't (sort of)

Joke Ruaned . . .

[Dave Cahill]

Ruan wins a medal. A winners medal too!

No he doesn't (sort of)

Joke Ruaned . . .

Traditionally medals weren't/aren't awarded to players for winning the Currie Cup. The first Currie Cup was donated by the owner of the shipping line that transported the first Lions team to South Africa with instructions that it be awarded by the Lions to the team that gave them the best game (which was the Griquas). There weren't any medals in the gift though. The Cup became the perpetual trophy for South African provincial rugby, and the lack of medals became tradition. Most Unions in SA strike their own medals for their players when they win nowadays, but little traditions sprung up in their absence. One province presents their players with bottles of beer from a brewery within the province (during the height of Apartheid the brewery was forbidden from using glass bottles as the mouth of the bottle they used was wider than the norm which made them a popular receptacle for Molotov Cocktails and so they switched to cans - but made special bottles if the team got to a final). Another province gave out Cuban Cigars to its winning players.

[TerenureJim]

Cuban cigars? Now that would be a great man of the match instead of glass wear

[blockhead]

Joseph Dweba (Hooker)-Faster than even Cronin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rRRKvuNOj4

[neill_m]

Final confirmed for a 3pm kick off on Saturday June 20th in the Cardiff City Stadium.

[Ruckedtobits]

Fairly tortuous win for Munster in Cork versus Ospreys. There was a maximum of 5 points available and Botha's 79th minute try gave them a maximum. Ospreys looked in contention for about 10 minutes during the entire game (from 60th to 70th mins). However, Munster with Haley looking sharp closed out the game with plenty of youngsters finishing off the game for them. 28-15.

[cormac]

Dragons leading 18-0 at home to Glasgow after 65 mins. Glasgow have had a stinker of a start to the season.

[Ruckedtobits]

Really excellent bonus-point win for Connacht against Cheetahs in a last 83rd minute thriller finish with two tries, including the winner for super-sub Tom Farrell.

Captain Jared Butler turned down a penalty option in front of the posts with the clock in the red, and the score at 19-22, but Cheetahs down to 14 players after a RC for their big centre. The first Connacht scrum was demolished by the Cheetahs massive pack but Referee Whitehouse awarded a second penalty, apparently for comments to him by the Cheetahs number 8. The second scrum went down and Butler pulled the ball out immediately and passed to Farrell who beat his opposing centre to get the winning, bonus-point win.

Great win for Connacht in a highly entertaining game which showed that the Cheetahs have a range of talents and skills which will definitely make them a force throughout this League. They won't suffer many defeats, home or away, with their strong pack and a number of very aggressive backs, particularly at full back.

Connacht have a big injury list and it was lengthened tonight but they remain a well coached group who will defend the Showgrounds to the death.

Well done Connacht.

[Oldschool]

Leinster are away to Cheetahs on 21Mar2020.
This game will be at altitude.
Leinster and any other team that still have to face an away game against Cheetahs should seriously consider a 6/2 split on the bench a la SA in the RWC.

[Ruckedtobits]

Four Irish Provinces in the top two positions of the two Pro14 Conferences. Well done to the Coaching and Management groups in each Province. Only saw the Leinster and Connacht performances and both were impressive for different reasons.

These two games clearly demonstrated that there is plenty of talent developing down the ranks. Not at international level yet but clear signs of skill development and good coaching.

Well done to all four Head Coaches