European Club Rugby

mariner4life

@canefan said in NH club rugby:

I guess Charles isn't coming back anytime soon

Entirely predictable. He wasn't going to be competitive coming back because he certainly wouldn't have become a better player while up north.

a million squids a year to play 2nd div rugby? fucking sign me up. Winning world cups is nice and all, but it would be a big ask to give that up for much less money and only a chance to win something

Tim

@mariner4life 2018/19 season. They should be back up in the top division by then.

Higgins

Lots of clubs go broke trying to buy their success. How long will they be able to afford salaries like this?

Billy Tell

@canefan said in NH club rugby:

I guess Charles isn't coming back anytime soon

Don't think he'll ever play for nz again. When you turn down a Rwc and a lions tour you know the bottom line will always win out. Would have been an AB great imo but he'll be wealthy anyways.

Bones

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

Would have been an AB great imo

Why?

Tim

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11902465

NZR criticised his decision, but less well known was that Piutau is one of 10 children and happened to be living in the garage of the family home. The same garage he had shared with four of his brothers.

Also heading to Europe at 25 is Malakai Fekitoa, who will join French giants Toulon in October. Fekitoa is one of 15 children and is thought to have been offered about $600,000 more to play in France than to stay in New Zealand.

Billy Tell

@Bones said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

Would have been an AB great imo

Why?

Why not?

Bones

@Billy-Tell because he's not one

Billy Tell

Would be interesting to know if piutau's agent and the NZRU even exchanged pleasantries. Quite possibly not.

taniwharugby

@Billy-Tell Is it still Craig Innes?

antipodean

I completely understand Charles' decision making. If someone said to me two decades ago that I could play for the All Blacks in a highly competitive position and then go north to continue playing rugby but earn millions of dollars I'd have packed my bags.

Had they mentioned it was Ulster or Bristol instead of the south of France, I may have packed slower...

pukunui

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

@Bones said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

Would have been an AB great imo

Why?

Why not?

That is a fucking long bow to draw. He is in it for the cash. Great AB's are in it for a completely different reason.
I couldn't care less that he isn't coming back.
He would have just headed back north after a failed season or two like all the rest.
Let him soak up some of the cash up north so the guys who actually want to be here don't get poached.

African Monkey

Meh can't blame him. I'm sure he'd love to have stayed in NZ but when that much money gets thrown at him and he has the chance to support his family on top of himself then good on him.

Crucial

Bristol's not that bad a place. It has developed some cool spots near the river with a growing cafe/brewery/shopping side of things and is in a handy place for travel north or south to interesting places. Not that Charlie will probably get much time for that, but at least it isn't a complete shithole.

I know someone who joined the Bristol club just for ticket gaining purposes and says it has such a good club feel they regularly go there from London for a good night out. Says the club has a really open family vibe and the players mix in with the clubbies. Has offered to take me over so may go and check it out.

While I still don't comprehend the £s that get spent on players here, you can't blame Charles for grabbing it.

Derm McCrum

I'm betting that it's more likely 1.5m for 2 years. He was on c.£420-450k in Ulster per year. Ulster weren't going to go above that, and renewing foreign contracts is a no-no under IRFU Succession Strategy anyway.

Billy Tell

You're not the first Irish poster I see to question the figures.

I don't really have an opinion but media outlets having been saying £1m season

Derm McCrum

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

You're not the first Irish poster I see to question the figures.

I don't really have an opinion but media outlets having been saying £1m season

Belfast Telegraph said £900k ($1.5m) per season. English Telegraph boosted this to £1m per season in its report. Ryan Constable, Piutau's agent, says price also includes image rights and merchandising performance. These figures get inflated all the time with all potential earnings thrown in to boost the market courtesy of agents. It suits PRL to be outbidding the French clubs. Bristol have put out a statement saying it's not close to £1m. Go figure.

It's all madness really. Can't wait for the sandcastles to collapse when the tide comes in.

Billy Tell

If the tide comes in...

Derm McCrum

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

If the tide comes in...

Fair point - if the tide comes in.

I see that SARU are now saying they plan to have 8 franchises playing pro rugby in the near future - 4 in the north and 4 in the south. In turn, they are likely to field two different test teams depending on whether they're playing down south for SA tours or Rugby Championship, or playing up north for November tours. In other words, use the PRO14/16 players in November, and SR players from July-Oct.

Interesting.

Catogrande

@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

If the tide comes in...

Fair point - if the tide comes in.

I see that SARU are now saying they plan to have 8 franchises playing pro rugby in the near future - 4 in the north and 4 in the south. In turn, they are likely to field two different test teams depending on whether they're playing down south for SA tours or Rugby Championship, or playing up north for November tours. In other words, use the PRO14/16 players in November, and SR players from July-Oct.

Interesting.

Will they have enough quota players?

The Silver Fern

European Club Rugby