Club rugby season ends
Discussion
I've just had a look at the National 3 South table to see who our lot will be playing next season, and it has quite a statistically quirky final table!
London Irish Wild Geese were champions, having won 21, lost 1 and drawn 4.
I'd already say 4 draws was pretty high for a rugby team, but they drew once against each of the teams who finished in 2nd to 5th place below them in the final league, with absolutely no other matches between any other teams in the division resulting in a draw all season.
I'm sure this says absolutely nothing of statistical relevance to anything, but I thought it was quite interesting!
London Irish Wild Geese were champions, having won 21, lost 1 and drawn 4.
I'd already say 4 draws was pretty high for a rugby team, but they drew once against each of the teams who finished in 2nd to 5th place below them in the final league, with absolutely no other matches between any other teams in the division resulting in a draw all season.
I'm sure this says absolutely nothing of statistical relevance to anything, but I thought it was quite interesting!
Kermit power said:
Add to that the fact that the Premiership boys tried to keep London Welsh out for not meeting criteria such as primacy at their ground at a time when they actually met more of the criteria than some of the clubs already in the Premiership....
With the aid of hindsight, I bet London Welsh now wish they had been kept out of the Premiership!Kermit power said:
XCP said:
2 down. At least we have finished playing Bedford now ( 3 times in 3 weeks was getting a bit monotonous)
And in the process guaranteed that Irish are relegated, given that Bedford were the only team in the semis who didn't meet the Premiership criteria.XCP said:
Kermit power said:
XCP said:
2 down. At least we have finished playing Bedford now ( 3 times in 3 weeks was getting a bit monotonous)
And in the process guaranteed that Irish are relegated, given that Bedford were the only team in the semis who didn't meet the Premiership criteria.
The Aviva Premiership playoffs are there because the premiership clubs wanted them there. There are 20 teams in the FA Premiership, so each club plays 38 matches. Having only 12 teams in the Aviva Premiership means each team only has 22, so it was all about the money, and if fans didn't fork out for tickets to go and watch the playoffs and finals, they wouldn't have survived for this long.
As for promotion from the Championship, granted 2 teams go up by right - but again, there are more teams in each division - but the teams ranked 3rd to 6th still have to play home and away semis plus a final, so it's not as though there's a huge difference really, is it?
Derek Smith said:
housem said:
I don't necessarily disagree with (some of) that. But I am of the principle of the the winner of the league over the season should be the champion (Regardless of whether i like them or not), so Bristol and Saracens and anyone should both receive that. IMO it's wrong to change the principle just because I don't like one club or some of that clubs players.
To keep the interest and generate the income!, by all means create another 'competition' for the Top 4, but the league should decide the champions.
From what I remember, the clubs were asking for more matches to increase income. The current system, where the normal season can be seen as a qualification for the play-offs, seems as good as any. It also evens things out to a degree. Richer clubs tend to dominate the season but any team in the top four can, on any one day, win. It adds a bit of excitement (although not for me as 'my' team isn't in it), and gives more matches which is a positive for me. To keep the interest and generate the income!, by all means create another 'competition' for the Top 4, but the league should decide the champions.
Any competition has rules and regulations.
The play offs were introduced in 2009/10, previously it was called National Division 1 - a straight league of 16 teams. The RFU decided that it wanted an all pro second level so came up with a plan.
At the end of 2008/2009 5 teams were relegated (1 promoted). In order to balance the loss of games the clubs voted in the play offs (or pray offs as some in Bristol know them). It is worth noting that only Bristol and Exeter (at the time the only clubs that could be promoted due to Premiership regulations) voted against the introduction.
So in 2009/10 the play offs were:
1st, 4th, 5th & 8th - promotion pool 1
2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th - promotion pool 2
Winners play home/away for promotion.
9th-12th play off for relegation.
Exeter narrowly avoided being knocked out and beat Bristol in the final.
Birmingham & Solihull lost every game in the season, brought in a team of ringers and stayed up (at Coventry's expense i think).
2010/12 - broadly similar but "bonus points" were given to the play off stages for various things.
2012/13 - pools scrapped, top 4 play off, no relegation play off
This is the system currently in place. Bristol have won the "league" section 5 times in the past 7 seasons.
Under the original system the team that topped the league had an additional 10 games to play to get promoted!
At least now its only 4, but it does make recruiting players (should you win) far harder and stacks the deck against the promoted team. As does the level of funding but that's a different issue....
jimKRFC said:
Close but missing a few points - apologies in advance for the essay!
The play offs were introduced in 2009/10, previously it was called National Division 1 - a straight league of 16 teams. The RFU decided that it wanted an all pro second level so came up with a plan.
At the end of 2008/2009 5 teams were relegated (1 promoted). In order to balance the loss of games the clubs voted in the play offs (or pray offs as some in Bristol know them). It is worth noting that only Bristol and Exeter (at the time the only clubs that could be promoted due to Premiership regulations) voted against the introduction.
So in 2009/10 the play offs were:
1st, 4th, 5th & 8th - promotion pool 1
2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th - promotion pool 2
Winners play home/away for promotion.
9th-12th play off for relegation.
Exeter narrowly avoided being knocked out and beat Bristol in the final.
Birmingham & Solihull lost every game in the season, brought in a team of ringers and stayed up (at Coventry's expense i think).
2010/12 - broadly similar but "bonus points" were given to the play off stages for various things.
2012/13 - pools scrapped, top 4 play off, no relegation play off
This is the system currently in place. Bristol have won the "league" section 5 times in the past 7 seasons.
Under the original system the team that topped the league had an additional 10 games to play to get promoted!
At least now its only 4, but it does make recruiting players (should you win) far harder and stacks the deck against the promoted team. As does the level of funding but that's a different issue....
Without doubt that original scheme was a complete farce, and it's no surprise they scrapped it! I remember sitting there as a neutral cheering on for Plymouth Albion (finished regular season 8th) to be promoted, and Moseley (finished regular season 9th) to be relegated, just to see how the muppets who thought the whole scheme up would try to spin something positive out of it!The play offs were introduced in 2009/10, previously it was called National Division 1 - a straight league of 16 teams. The RFU decided that it wanted an all pro second level so came up with a plan.
At the end of 2008/2009 5 teams were relegated (1 promoted). In order to balance the loss of games the clubs voted in the play offs (or pray offs as some in Bristol know them). It is worth noting that only Bristol and Exeter (at the time the only clubs that could be promoted due to Premiership regulations) voted against the introduction.
So in 2009/10 the play offs were:
1st, 4th, 5th & 8th - promotion pool 1
2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th - promotion pool 2
Winners play home/away for promotion.
9th-12th play off for relegation.
Exeter narrowly avoided being knocked out and beat Bristol in the final.
Birmingham & Solihull lost every game in the season, brought in a team of ringers and stayed up (at Coventry's expense i think).
2010/12 - broadly similar but "bonus points" were given to the play off stages for various things.
2012/13 - pools scrapped, top 4 play off, no relegation play off
This is the system currently in place. Bristol have won the "league" section 5 times in the past 7 seasons.
Under the original system the team that topped the league had an additional 10 games to play to get promoted!
At least now its only 4, but it does make recruiting players (should you win) far harder and stacks the deck against the promoted team. As does the level of funding but that's a different issue....
Good thread.
Been a difficult season for me as a player suffering a nasty knee injury only played half a dozen games. Finally on the road to recovery after two operations. Makes you reassess after having missed months of work, being generally useless if it's worth it, but I've been coaching our second team and really enjoying it. I know the pull to play will be too great so if I get back to even close to what I was before I've hopefully got a few more years in me yet! (If the wife lets me!!!)
Don't know if anyone is based close by and know the club or watch the game but a local side recently got to the Intermediate cup final at Twickenham a week or two ago playing Tunbridge Wells. I'd done some online snooping and on their Facebook page there were several threads and slanging matches accusing TW of paying players etc and rumours before the game that a few ringers had been brought in.
My suspicions were confirmed when the teams walked out, TW to a man were MASSIVE and made the other team look like, well amateurs! They looked like a professional outfit whilst my local team who've laid waste to all before them all season kept it respectable up until half time got blew away in the end. A shame really as Rugby Union in Cumbria is a distant second to league, but still a huge achievement.
Been a difficult season for me as a player suffering a nasty knee injury only played half a dozen games. Finally on the road to recovery after two operations. Makes you reassess after having missed months of work, being generally useless if it's worth it, but I've been coaching our second team and really enjoying it. I know the pull to play will be too great so if I get back to even close to what I was before I've hopefully got a few more years in me yet! (If the wife lets me!!!)
Don't know if anyone is based close by and know the club or watch the game but a local side recently got to the Intermediate cup final at Twickenham a week or two ago playing Tunbridge Wells. I'd done some online snooping and on their Facebook page there were several threads and slanging matches accusing TW of paying players etc and rumours before the game that a few ringers had been brought in.
My suspicions were confirmed when the teams walked out, TW to a man were MASSIVE and made the other team look like, well amateurs! They looked like a professional outfit whilst my local team who've laid waste to all before them all season kept it respectable up until half time got blew away in the end. A shame really as Rugby Union in Cumbria is a distant second to league, but still a huge achievement.
jimKRFC said:
Close but missing a few points - apologies in advance for the essay!
The play offs were introduced in 2009/10, previously it was called National Division 1 - a straight league of 16 teams. The RFU decided that it wanted an all pro second level so came up with a plan.
At the end of 2008/2009 5 teams were relegated (1 promoted). In order to balance the loss of games the clubs voted in the play offs (or pray offs as some in Bristol know them). It is worth noting that only Bristol and Exeter (at the time the only clubs that could be promoted due to Premiership regulations) voted against the introduction.
So in 2009/10 the play offs were:
1st, 4th, 5th & 8th - promotion pool 1
2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th - promotion pool 2
Winners play home/away for promotion.
9th-12th play off for relegation.
Exeter narrowly avoided being knocked out and beat Bristol in the final.
Birmingham & Solihull lost every game in the season, brought in a team of ringers and stayed up (at Coventry's expense i think).
2010/12 - broadly similar but "bonus points" were given to the play off stages for various things.
2012/13 - pools scrapped, top 4 play off, no relegation play off
This is the system currently in place. Bristol have won the "league" section 5 times in the past 7 seasons.
Under the original system the team that topped the league had an additional 10 games to play to get promoted!
At least now its only 4, but it does make recruiting players (should you win) far harder and stacks the deck against the promoted team. As does the level of funding but that's a different issue....
Thanks for that.The play offs were introduced in 2009/10, previously it was called National Division 1 - a straight league of 16 teams. The RFU decided that it wanted an all pro second level so came up with a plan.
At the end of 2008/2009 5 teams were relegated (1 promoted). In order to balance the loss of games the clubs voted in the play offs (or pray offs as some in Bristol know them). It is worth noting that only Bristol and Exeter (at the time the only clubs that could be promoted due to Premiership regulations) voted against the introduction.
So in 2009/10 the play offs were:
1st, 4th, 5th & 8th - promotion pool 1
2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th - promotion pool 2
Winners play home/away for promotion.
9th-12th play off for relegation.
Exeter narrowly avoided being knocked out and beat Bristol in the final.
Birmingham & Solihull lost every game in the season, brought in a team of ringers and stayed up (at Coventry's expense i think).
2010/12 - broadly similar but "bonus points" were given to the play off stages for various things.
2012/13 - pools scrapped, top 4 play off, no relegation play off
This is the system currently in place. Bristol have won the "league" section 5 times in the past 7 seasons.
Under the original system the team that topped the league had an additional 10 games to play to get promoted!
At least now its only 4, but it does make recruiting players (should you win) far harder and stacks the deck against the promoted team. As does the level of funding but that's a different issue....
No need to apologise to me for an essay.
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