Furball
Evil Scotsman
Fairly certain that rule would be legally challengeable in situations where a player earns citizenship (as Gibson-Park has done) and wants to switch allegiance.
Would be the most blatant case of discrimination.
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Official Rugby Thread
- Thread starter KennyD
- Start date
Would be the most blatant case of discrimination.
Molehill
International Captain
That's not exactly how it's panned out. In England, they introduced salary caps to theoretically help prevent clubs from going broke, it hasn't exactly worked. What it's done instead is prevent the bigger teams from competing as well with the French and Irish clubs in European competition. The signing of a TV Deal with BT/TNT Sports I suspect has had a damning influence on it too.
BoyBrumby
Englishman
I mean, we've lost Wasps, London Irish and Worcester in the last 2 or 3 years due to financial snafus so something's rotten in the state of rugger buggery.
The former two (all due respect to Worcester) are both pretty resonant names in the English domestic game. Wasps former European champions to boot; I was actually present when they won the Heineken Cup (as was) in 2004 against Toulouse (the "Poitrenaud's Corner" final where the storied Toulousian and French test #15 dithered over a loose ball behind the try line hoping it would run dead and Rob Howley nipped in to score in the last minute).
I remember it very well because a) we were surrounded by Munster fans who'd bought tickets in the expectation they'd beat Wasps in the semi and had turned up for the lash anyway; & b) I had seriously awful sunburn because I'd been to watch England v NZ at Lords the previous day and had rather skimped on the factor 15. The test was notable for being Nasser's last and Andrew Strauss's first, with the former completely sawing off the latter in the second innings and potentially denying him twin tons on debut (from memory he was on 80-odd).
That I had that level of disposable income back then now rather boggles the mind.
However, avec three bin lids one cuts one's cloth accordingly, something said clubs seemingly failed to do.
The former two (all due respect to Worcester) are both pretty resonant names in the English domestic game. Wasps former European champions to boot; I was actually present when they won the Heineken Cup (as was) in 2004 against Toulouse (the "Poitrenaud's Corner" final where the storied Toulousian and French test #15 dithered over a loose ball behind the try line hoping it would run dead and Rob Howley nipped in to score in the last minute).
I remember it very well because a) we were surrounded by Munster fans who'd bought tickets in the expectation they'd beat Wasps in the semi and had turned up for the lash anyway; & b) I had seriously awful sunburn because I'd been to watch England v NZ at Lords the previous day and had rather skimped on the factor 15. The test was notable for being Nasser's last and Andrew Strauss's first, with the former completely sawing off the latter in the second innings and potentially denying him twin tons on debut (from memory he was on 80-odd).
That I had that level of disposable income back then now rather boggles the mind.
However, avec three bin lids one cuts one's cloth accordingly, something said clubs seemingly failed to do.
Furball
Evil Scotsman
I wonder how bad sporting event inflation has been in the last 20 years. Feels like the sort of thing you'd easily have had change from £100 to really let loose on the booze.
I'm pretty sure in the mid-00s I bought tickets in the Compton Lower for day 2 v Sri Lanka one year and West Indies the next for about £35-40 each. A quick check on Lords webpage tells me the same tickets would be £125 against both sides this summer.
I was a PhD student back then taking home a stipend of around £1100pcm. As a treat, tickets plus a day's train and tube to London was plenty affordable. The stipend has increased by about 50% since then, so can't imagine that it would be as easily affordable for a current PhD student
Molehill
International Captain
I used to go to Lord’s/Oval about 5 or 6 times every Summer late 90’s early 00’s. Tickets were never more than £50 and were easily obtainable too. Then the 2005 Ashes happened and prices doubled overnight (and have got worse since). I’ve barely been to Lord’s since, last time was Women’s World Cup Final.
Bringing it back to rugby, must’ve been about 2001, living in Chiswick, I’d occasionally pop down to Loftus Rd on a Sunday and watch Wasps. Again, easy to get in and sure I watched decent European games for £20.
Probably loads of reasons why inflation has been so ridiculous…
Those prices tally with my memory of the time. The demise of the three clubs interested me from an economic perspective and it simply seemed that it was a case of more cash out than cash in (despite the salary cap) and owners no longer willing or able to make up the deficit. Arguably there has never been a functional financial model for English club rugby Union since professionalism. Outside of football there is a limited number of individuals prepared to lose/invest millions in a sporting club.
On the other hand, the number of people prepared to spend £100 plus at Lord’s, The Oval or Twickenham (and other expensive pastimes in London, regardless of the ostensible state of the economy) never ceases to amaze me either.
Friend of mine was a massive Wasps fan so I looked at it some time ago
From memory, numbers didn’t stack up compared to NRL because the salary cap was comparable but broadcast revenue was not
Basically needed a wealthy benefactor like Toulon (?) to survive & didn’t have one so went belly up
Last time I went to a cricket test in Australia must have been 5-6 years ago with my son and I didnt get any change out of $300 for the day & rugby tests are more expensive again
By way of comparison, we have the full Foxtel package (plus internet, Netflix, etc) on 3 boxes at home and it’s much less than that per month so can watch every cricket, rugby, league, afl, etc game played around the world for less than $10 per day from my couch
You have to be really keen on having the whole game day experience to attend a match these days
By way of comparison, we have the full Foxtel package (plus internet, Netflix, etc) on 3 boxes at home and it’s much less than that per month so can watch every cricket, rugby, league, afl, etc game played around the world for less than $10 per day from my couch
You have to be really keen on having the whole game day experience to attend a match these days
To try and be pithy, club rugby Union in England aspired to be like football and did not realise that it was in fact more like cricket - the interest and revenue is concentrated at the top, at international level. The clubs cannot really function at the level to which they aspire as self-supporting entities. There really needs to be a form of central subsidy, and therefore a form of control, from the RFU, just as there is between the ECB and the counties.
An alternative model would be English rugby league which, while hardly a model of good financial governance, is at least more successful at sustaining itself by cutting its cloth appropriately. I believe the salary cap in super league is around 2/3 of that in the premiership.
An alternative model would be English rugby league which, while hardly a model of good financial governance, is at least more successful at sustaining itself by cutting its cloth appropriately. I believe the salary cap in super league is around 2/3 of that in the premiership.
Molehill
International Captain
Wasps had further problems because they never stuck around at one ground for long enough to really build up a proper local support. I think they got hit harder by buying into the stadium in Coventry when they never had the support to make it worthwhile.
Generally go to one England game of cricket a year now and use it as a means of catching up with old mates. We tend to go to various grounds around the country (not London), can book a hotel and ticket for about the same price as attending at Lord's.....plus you get some atmosphere.
Lords ticket prices were crazy the last time I looked
ripper868
International Coach
I went to Day 1 of the Ashes test there in 2015, was £105 a ticket to sit in the cheap seats in upper uncovered at long on. had a great day, but expect even that price has gone up by £50 since then.
I'm definitely one person who goes to less live events as it's all so bloody expensive.
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Started at 170 quid for ‘23 Ashes apparently
Some people are defending the Lions ticket prices by saying that they’re not quite as expensive as Taylor Swift
Get real
One was the biggest live event in history and the other is rugby
Sad thing is that it will be a sellout with 75% of the crowd being Lions fans
BoyBrumby
Englishman
£115 minimum to watch West Indies or Sri Lanka this year.
ashley bach
International Captain
Pretty insane to see current four time and fourteen times champions the Crusaders perched at the bottom after five rounds.
James
Cricket Web Owner
Yeah incredible isn't it, no one would have picked that. And they have the chiefs next I believe!
Furball
Evil Scotsman
If it sells out then you can't really argue the price is too high can you?