Rugby!

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Arclight_Dynamo
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Rugby!

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 13 Aug 2016, 18:19

As a result of watching the women's rugby sevens Olympic events, I've found that I'm, apparently, a fan of the sport.

Yay! Good for me!

Unfortunately, I live in Canada. Which means I live in a country where rugby union barely exists, and rugby league pretty much doesn't exist at all. If I want to watch matches, I think I'm stuck watching foreign matches... but I'm not aware of any sports networks in Canada that carry them.

Boo! Bad for me!

So, given that I'm new to finding I enjoy this sport, are there any fans here who can point me in the right direction? Maybe, I don't know, tell me which leagues or competitions are generally worth checking out? And maybe some Canadian fans, who can tell me how I can even manage to watch a match, here?

Kind of at sea, here. It's strange, sports are so dominant a thing in the media environment, you wouldn't think I'd need to search far to find what I want. But I pick oddball sports to like. Typical, eh? :P
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Master Gunner » 13 Aug 2016, 18:57

I know there's a few local leagues in Ontario, at least - I know Aeric plays Rugby there.

Beyond that, I know nothing. Women's Rugby Sevens was my first proper exposure to the sport too.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 13 Aug 2016, 19:04

Hm. Bugger.

I hear there's a rugby union league in the US that might be looking to expand into Canada in the next year or two, so that's something to watch.

I've also been crawling through the TSN and SportsNet websites, looking for anything, but they're kind of frustrating to navigate. I imagine they might air world cup matches when they come around, or British/European matches. But I've not found anything.

And, well, to be entirely honest, I like having a local team to root for. Wish the sport were big enough here to have its own league.

Maybe the CIS is worth watching; might even be on TV, too...

Also... to be clear... I'm interested entirely as a spectator sport, not as something to play. There is no way I'm fit or durable enough to play it. :P
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Antitonic » 14 Aug 2016, 03:41

Admittedly, I may be biased, but I find league to be the more interesting game. The NRL has a worldwide streaming service, and apparently in Canada specifically it's on Roger Sports Net? Here's the info I have: Link
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 14 Aug 2016, 04:50

*cracks knuckles*

First up, welcome to rugby! I've been involved in the game for (quick mental maths) around 14 years now, picking up a ball again this year after three years of refereeing. I've always found rugby, despite its reputation (at least in Britain) for being played by hoo-rah public schoolboy jocks, to be an incredibly welcoming and supportive game, and it has done a lot for me over the years. Plus, y'know, it's really great fun to both play and watch, and once you get into it there are huge amounts of hidden depth to find intrigue in.

Secondly, your guide to the sport itself. I apologise if you already know any of this, but consider this an introduction for those who may not be aware.

At the Olympics, you'll have been watching Rugby Sevens; the fastest, most physically demanding of the three main codes. Rules-wise, sevens is a stripped-down version of rugby union (with a number of tweaks to favour faster play), and tends to follow a play style of throwing the ball around probing for opportunities, before suddenly and explosively exploiting them. Players tend to be slim, fast, deceptively powerful in key moments, and must have the endurance for seven minutes of near-constant interspersed jogging and sprinting. There are also not really 'positions' as such; although there are lineouts and scrums to restart play, once the game has got going everyone mucks in as one on the defensive and offensive lines.

Rugby league is a variant of the code that originated in Britain in the 1890s, over an argument between northern and southern teams regarding payment of players (before the game became professional in 1995, and for some time after that as well, amateurism was a huge bone of contention within rugby union and players were frequently banned for the sport for playing league). Most rugby league teams in the UK are based in a small area of northeastern England, but nowadays the real heartland of the sport is in Australia and New Zealand (where it is arguably a bigger sport than union). Rugby league features teams of 13-a-side and no 'rucking' once a player has been tackled; after a tackle the referee will tell everyone to move out of the way and get the ball moving again. Teams get six tries of this to score before the ball is turned over to the other side. It also features no lineouts and largely noncompetitive scrums, meaning that (as in sevens) there aren't particularly 'positions' and all players tend to have the same "fast and powerful runners" build, at least at the professional level. Individual skill levels for things like passing and handling also tend to be higher due to the stripped-down ruleset, leading to some truly glorious NRL highlights reels I highly encourage you to look up on YouTube. Historically league has had less international appeal than union, particularly since the advent of union professionalism.

Rugby union is the oldest of the three codes, with the sport being founded (predictably enough, in a London pub) in 1873. As previously stated, union has been professional at the highest level for more than twenty years now, but there is a strong grass-roots rugby culture and there are amateur teams playing a mere two divisions from the very top in the UK. At least in part thanks to the stirling work of the sport's governing body, World Rugby, Union has long held international appeal- it is played across Europe, most notably in the UK and France, and the 'big three' southern nations of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (the most successful rugby union nation in history) have long and proud union heritages- but we must also not forget the contributions of the likes of Japan, the Pacific Islands (well done Fiji) and, indeed, Canada. Union is a 15-a-side game, and I find it tends to be slower, more organised and more organic than either of the other three; the ball may be contested at the tackle, rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts. This continuous cavalcade of contest chances means union is traditionally a game for 'all shapes and sizes'- big meaty guys play up front in the forwards, where they try to push one another out of the way and secure possession, whilst lighter, faster, players are usually more inclined to play in the backs, where they try to run round their opponents and do all sorts of clever things to score tries. There is, of course, huge amounts of variation within these broad labels, as you'll know if you've ever seen an outside centre arguing with a scrum-half.

**DISCLAIMER** I am primarily a rugby union player and fan, with my knowledge of sevens and league being passing at best, so I'm not quite able to speak impartially about the various codes from hereon in. I have, however, tried my best to be fair.

Thirdly, international competitions. Since sevens matches are so short, sevens is usually played in two- or three-day competitions when teams play multiple matches on each day. The international scale for this is the HSBC Sevens World Series, where the big international teams travel around the world taking over stadiums for a weekend at a time (during which time the fans tend to take the opportunity to dress up and generally have rather chilled-out fun). The sevens world champion is announced at the end of each season based on who accumulated the most points over various series events. For the 2016-17 series, the season runs from December to May, coming to Las Vegas on 3-5 March and Vancouver on 11-12 March (the Vegas Sevens has a lot of history behind it and is well worth a trip if that kind of party atmosphere floats your boat).

Rugby league has two major international competitions. The Four Nations held biennially and is contested between Australia, New Zealand, England and Another Team (Scotland for the 2016 competition). The Antipodes have an annoying habit of winning the whole time. There is also the Rugby League World Cup, which has finally settled on a regular schedule and is now held every four years (the next to be in 2017). Unfortunately, I've found news of their existence hard to come by even in England, so it'll probably be a little difficult to find unless you look particularly closely.

Rugby union is blessed not only with multiple international competitions, but also extensive TV coverage of almost all of them. The Six Nations, held between England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland (inc. Northern Ireland), France and Italy in spring each year is rugby's oldest international competition and always produces some great rugby. The Southerners, for their part, have the Rugby Championship, contested between Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina every year- it is usually broadcast on Sky or ESPN, and world class rugby is guaranteed. There are a variety of smaller competitions elsewhere in the world (the Asian Five Nations, Rugby Europe Championship and Pacific Nations Cup, which Canada and the US competed in up until this year), but they are harder to find and watch. Every four years, however, the world comes together for the Rugby World Cup, the biggest rugby event in any code. The qualifying process includes around 100 teams, and it will next be held in Japan in 2019- the first time the competition has gone outside a top-tier rugby nation. In addition, between each world cup the home nations contest a Lions Tour, wherein the top players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland come together as one side to play a three-match series against either New Zealand, South Africa or Australia (rotating each year). This is a tradition going back well over 100 years, and is always a great occasion- the 2017 tour will be to New Zealand, who the Lions have only ever beaten once.

I should also point out at this juncture that both league and union sides play international touring friendlies in spring and autumn, but keeping track of all those.

Fourthly, local competitions. There are a number of highly-regarded domestic competitions held around both the year and globe in League and Union. The most historic Union league in the world is what is now called the Aviva Premiership, the top division of an English league structure that goes right down to grass roots level and runs from September to May each year. France has a similar competition, the Ligue National de Rugby, for its professional sides. Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy (for their part) divide themselves into geographic 'franchises' that draw from the local sporting population and contest the... *sigh* Guinness Pro12 (I know, it's a bloody stupid name) competition, also running from September to May. European teams also compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, the premier European Rugby competition. In the Southern hemisphere, as well as some well-regarded domestic leagues, they also divvy up into franchises to contest the Super Rugby championship from February to August, which is unique amongst rugby championships in the way it keeps getting bigger to accomodate more teams who want in- the 2017 competition will include five sides each from Australia and New Zealand, six from South Africa and one each from Japan and Argentina. Expect a North American representative in less than a decade, followed by internal fragmentation. In League, Australia has the very well-regarded National Rugby League, the UK has the Super League, and the best of each contest the World Club Series each year. I will confess to know little about each, except that the NRL is generally regarded as the superior competition in terms of entertainment value (which is probably why league is more popular in Australia than the UK).

Finally, and perhaps most pertinently to you, rugby in Canada. I can't speak for their prowess at league, but in rugby union Canada have a long and proud rugby tradition- they have contested every world cup and several of their players have gone on to have very distinguished professional careers. Perhaps most notably, Victoria's own Gareth Rees played for three different British clubs during the professional era, was the only player to play in each of the first four rugby world cups (1987-1999, captaining the 1995 team), is a World Rugby Hall of Famer and one of his boots is used as a rugby trophy by LRR's own Oak Bay High School. However, at a domestic level, Canadian domestic rugby is strictly amateur (as it is across most of the world) and local, due to a problem described by the Arrogant Worms as 'Canada is Really Big'. Its real heartland is on the coast, in BC and Newfoundland.

So, what do I recommend for you?

Well, I can't personally recommend any streaming sites, but if possible I can suggest getting friendly with the Sky and ESPN rugby programming. The next big union event to come up will be the start of the European domestic season in September, with the Autumn Internationals (or whatever sponsor-branded name they've got nowadays) starting in November, when the southern hemisphere nations will be coming to tour Europe; coverage is invariably available. The Sevens World Series is typically broadcast online and begins in December, whilst the Six Nations kicks off in February. Perhaps most pertinent to you, the US has just founded its own professional domestic league called PRO rugby, and there are plans to include Canadian teams in 2017- so watch this space.

That'll do you for stuff to watch, I reckon. However, I would personally suggest one more thing- to potentially revise your opinion about playing.

You might think you're unfit. You might have looked at the sevens and thought "I ain't got a patch on those guys", and you may well be right. But rugby, and in particular union, has always been a sport for all shapes and sizes to play, and proper grass roots rugby is always willing to take in newbies without a clue what they're doing. Rugby should be a fun, participative sport, and if you find there is a club near you, no matter how big or small, go along. Ask if there's anywhere you can start off with. Meet some people. See if you can't find some joy in them.

Good luck, and once again welcome to the brotherhood of rugby.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Lord Chrusher » 14 Aug 2016, 05:13

My understanding is that rugby (by rugby I mean Union as League is virtually unknown in Canada) is better organised on the west coast. I played a bit of it in school and there is a relatively well developed amateur club scene. The national training centre is Langford which is just west of Victoria.

I haven't live in Canada for a few World Cups but I used to watch world cups on television. I seem to remember watching the odd game outside the world cup as well. In terms of seeing the game live, the senior men's team usually play home games each year in Toronto and in Vancouver. Vancouver is a stop on the World Sevens tour for the next few years and Langford is a stop on the Women's World Sevens tour.

As a former forward I find League a bit boring since there is no rucking, mauls, contested scrums or lineouts. Also, I don't like how the passage of play is broken up after six tackles.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 14 Aug 2016, 10:19

Antitonic wrote:Admittedly, I may be biased, but I find league to be the more interesting game. The NRL has a worldwide streaming service, and apparently in Canada specifically it's on Roger Sports Net? Here's the info I have: Link


Well, as I say, league is just... not a thing in Canada. Rugby is barely played here, and when it is, it's union. As I've only seen union sevens so far, though, I'd be more than happy to give a full league game a watch. Though I'm not sure it'll be something I can really stick with - to get interested in a sport, it's important for me to have a team to support. And I find I can only do that if I have some connection to the team. Given that there are no local league teams... well. Watching two countries halfway around the world compete might result in a good game, but I find it a little hard to get invested.

My pseudonym is Ix:

...holy crap, man!

First of all, thanks for the 101 intro. All I know about the game are what I picked up watching the women's sevens matches at the Olympics (and what the commentators decided to explain) and what I read over on Wikipedia. This was tremendously helpful.

It is interesting to note that league seems more similar to NFL and CFL football than union. The lack of rucking and turning the ball over to the other side after six tackles brings to mind "downs" in North American football. I wonder if it was an influence?

Anyway, my problem with all these competitions is, again, I have serious trouble caring at all unless I have a team I can identify with, somehow. Following Canadian teams in international competitions works. Watching six European countries compete... doesn't, so much.

I mean... for the longest time I didn't give even half a rat's ass about CFL football, because Ottawa didn't have a team. Now that we do, I'm considering maybe giving it a look.

The connection to the team, the sense that it's "my" team, really matters to me in sporting events. Otherwise it's just stuff happening on a field. Call me odd, but there you go.

Which is why I'm going to be watching this PRO Rugby league out of the US with interest. Maybe we'll even get a team here (unlikely - if we get one in Ontario, it'll be in Toronto, no doubt. Close enough).

What I'm most likely to be interested in are things like the Canadian Rugby Championship (not broadcast), the Americas Rugby Championship (not broadcast), or one of the world events (Canada is not competitive). So... that sucks.

Right. Well, I guess the best bet is to give the union, league, and sevens world cups a go, hope that American league actually succeeds in bringing in Canadian teams, and try to scrounge around for anything about the Canadian Rugby Championship. The World Rugby Sevens Series also seems promising. Maybe I'll give the Six Nations a shot, too - Scotland being there might be enough to keep me invested.

Bah! Why the hell did I have to get interested in a sport that's so hard to even see where I am? :lol:

And, yeah... we don't get Sky or ESPN in Canada, really. We have our own domestic sports networks - SportsNet and TSN - which have their own programming. Largely focused on NHL hockey, of course, as well as other sports that are much more popular here than rugby. Frankly it'll be hard to see anything other than hockey, NFL/CFL football, curling, baseball, and basketball. Oh! And NASCAR. Joy.

As for playing the game myself... nooooo. I'm really quite out of shape, as a result of depression, then depression meds that cause weight gain. Maybe at some point in the future once I get back into shape, but at the moment? Rugby is a definite no-go. I would heel over and die.

At the very least, we do seem to have a good number of amateur teams in the city, so that's nice.

So... yeah. Again, thanks for taking the time to help! I think I'm going to go try to piece together something workable for me - try to figure out what's at all available to me, then figure out what, of that, I'm actually interested in. Thanks again!

Lord Chrusher:

Yeah, there seems to be a lot more going on in BC than anywhere else. Though Ontario seems to be a close second, which is good for me...

Still. I wish we had a decent national league, or something...

Edit:

I've just had a look at the Rugby Canada website. Apparently, rugby isn't televised in Canada - often including the world cup - because the broadcast rights are too expensive for the networks to carry it in a country that doesn't really care about it. So... we just don't get to see it. Boo.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Lord Chrusher » 14 Aug 2016, 11:52

Both American and Canadian football did evolve from the Rugby football code of rules. Indeed, the governing body for Canadian football used rugby in its name until the 1960s.

One hopes the recent success of the Canadian Women's Sevens team will lead to a higher profile for rugby in Canada.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 14 Aug 2016, 12:18

Oh, sure - I meant that I wonder if the downs grew out of rugby league directly, since its rules seem a lot closer to North American football than rugby union's.

And, yep, I'm certainly hoping that the women doing well encourages people to look at the game - it sure did for me!
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 14 Aug 2016, 13:45

Good to know it was appreciated Arclight ;-) I can't speak with any authority regarding the development of rules in league and gridiron football respectively, but I believe the two were separate (albeit one could well have inspired the other).

Your choice on the participation thing ultimately, but I will say this- in my current side, one of our lads is 25 stone and an excellent front row player, even if he struggles for mobility. I've played with another who was a heavy smoker by 18, once running 80 metres for a try before walking off to be sick in a bin. I read a story in Rugby World about a year ago about a guy who plays regular rugby somewhere in the north of England aged 70. At an amateur level, fitness is frequently optional.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby aeric90 » 17 Aug 2016, 12:25

*shakes the dust off himself*

Hello! I'm back? I guess?

Arclight, I coach a Rugby Union team in Toronto so if you want any kind of information about rugby in Canada I can either help you out or point you in the right direction.

After doing a quick scan of the thread though I have to make one minor correction. The primary reason for the lack of rugby's groundswell in Canada is mostly due to the weather. Many places in the country are too cold and snowy in the winter and too warm and dry in the summer, like where I grew up in Manitoba, so that means indoor sports end up being more popular. I hadn't even really heard of the sport until I moved to BC where the climate in the winter, when the rest of the world plays the sport, is wetter and milder, like Newfoundland which also has a following though that is largely due to having closer ties to the UK for longer than most of the rest of the country. While it has taken some hold in Southern Ontario we play over the summer in 30C + temperatures and 80% humidity which, according to a former Irish teammate of mine, makes us "F@$%in' crazy!"

Anyways, hope I can help!
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 17 Aug 2016, 13:32

Hey aeric! Totally forgot about your rugby links until I saw your name pop up here. Good to see you around here again.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby DennyR » 18 Aug 2016, 18:12

Big fan of rugby myself, the sport has really grown in the last 10-20 years in Ireland.

Here in Europe your big club tournament is the European Rugby Champions Cup, contested by teams from Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy.

There's other leagues that take place, but the only one of those I follow is the Pro 12, which has my team in it (Leinster). 7 teams from this go into the ERCC.

For internationals, outside of the World Cup your most interesting options are the Six Nations (Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Wales), which takes place usually around February/March, or the Rugby Championship (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina), which will start on the 20th of August.

I'd say if it's at all possible, watch that tournament. Those 4 teams are very strong, and you're quite likely to get some great games from it.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 19 Aug 2016, 11:53

That's a good shout actually- the Rugby Championship is fairly heavily streamed and will showcase some top quality 15s rugby union, if you want to get a bit more of an introduction to this particular code. The opening fixtures are as follows:

Australia v New Zealand, 1005 UTC, 1105 BST, 0605 EDT
South Africa v Argentina, 1505 UTC, 1605 BST, 1105 EDT

(I think I've got the times for that right).
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Re: Rugby!

Postby aeric90 » 25 Aug 2016, 07:42

I guess this is relevant here. This is a shot of me from a tournament in May in Ottawa. I like my game face.

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Edit: Changed the image path. Hopefully this one works.
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 25 Aug 2016, 08:38

Image ain't showing aeric...

EDIT: All good now. Enjoying the intense-face look ;-)
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Phailhammer » 31 Aug 2016, 04:11

Antitonic wrote:Admittedly, I may be biased, but I find league to be the more interesting game. The NRL has a worldwide streaming service, and apparently in Canada specifically it's on Roger Sports Net? Here's the info I have: Link


Arclight_Dynamo wrote:Though I'm not sure it'll be something I can really stick with - to get interested in a sport, it's important for me to have a team to support. And I find I can only do that if I have some connection to the team. Given that there are no local league teams... well. Watching two countries halfway around the world compete might result in a good game, but I find it a little hard to get invested.


If you decide to go for the NRL, may I suggest the team of a fellow Commonwealth capital, the Canberra Raiders? Totally not suggesting it as a fan of said team myself. :P
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 03 Nov 2016, 15:26

Bumping for two bits of relevant news.

Firstly, the autumn internationals start this weekend! High calibre rugby with the top teams in the world- this weekend starts with Australia vs Wales in Cardiff and, more pertinently for any American rugby fans, Ireland and New Zealand are playing an international in Chicago!

Also, regarding the PRO Rugby Championship discussed previously on this thread, it was announced yesterday that there will not be Canadian teams in the league for its next year of operation (contrary to popular speculation). PRO Rugby published this statement on the subject yesterday if anyone cares to read their justification (the Pro12 they refer to is the European/Celtic league which had been speaking to Rugby Canada about the feasibility of adding a Canadian franchise to the league):

Yesterday it was announced that we would not have PRO teams in Canada. I have received many inquiries and I thought it best now to answer some of those questions and also discuss some other issues:

1. The main point of disagreement between PRO and Rugby Canada was over exclusivity. RC had agreed to give us an exclusive professional sanction and then, on Friday of last week, decided to reverse the agreement. I asked them if this was non-negotiable for them, as they knew it is for me, and they said it was. At this point, as there was no way forward, we made the announcement. I have not received a reason for their reversal.
2. We have been talking to RC about an exclusive agreement since the summer of 2015 and, after an agreement for our 2016 season fell apart at the last minute, I was very gun shy of restarting the process again. When I was assured that all terms were acceptable to RC I started the process of vetting venues. On 9/19 in a meeting at our offices and after their meeting with Pro12, RC stated that they had only listened to Pro12 as a courtesy and they understood, because of the small number of potential markets in Canada, a foreign competition team in Canada did not make sense.
3. There was never any conversation or discussion between us and RC regarding the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport guidelines, either this year or last. To insinuate that this was a cause of the agreement not being executed is both untrue and insulting to PRO.
4. Though we experienced standard start-up operational issues, it is untrue to say that these problems were systematic. We are owed substantially more money than we owe to venues. Almost 200 rugby personnel were paid over $4 Million last year with 95% of that going to payroll on the team level to players, coaches, managers, etc. I have been told that this is more money than has been paid to rugby players in NA in aggregate ever.
5. PRO Canada was to have initially two teams, one in the Toronto area and one in the Vancouver area, comprised 100% of Canadian players and coached by leading international coaches. Though there was a concern that the Canadian sides would be stronger than the more diluted American sides, we agreed to this structure to simplify operations. The benefits of Canada's National playing pool training/playing in just two professional teams for 5 months a year would have been overwhelming.
6. We had secured a venue in the Vancouver area and were narrowing down our search in the Toronto area when I was informed of the exclusivity clause change.
7. Some people question why we deserve an exclusive professional sanction from RC. A good analogue would be a renter of an apartment. Would the renter renovate the kitchen, the bath, etc. knowing he only had a 2-3 year lease? Maybe, but not with serious investment. Rugby in Canada needs very serious investment and it is only fair and reasonable to have the opportunity to get a return on our investment of time and money. I truly doubt that anyone will make the necessary investment without protections.
8. Growing the game needs to be done in partnership. Players, coaches, unions, professional teams, etc. all benefit from the growth of the game. We are supportive of anything that grows the game and anyone that helps to grow the game. PRO cannot grow the game by itself but only in partnership with others.
9. Pro12 is an interloper and it is not in the best interests of NA unions to welcome them at this time. PRO Rugby was set up to develop both the game and player/coach capabilities. Introducing a foreign competition only upsets this process and funnels needed sponsorship and media dollars to their home unions and not to NA unions.
10. Pro12 does not have a legitimate business plan. There is no East Coast North American market that fits into their playing season. I understand their present concept is to have multiple home team venues (i.e. a NY/Houston and a Toronto/Vancouver joint teams) even though a multi-home team model is a completely unproven professional sports model and has never worked successfully in any professional sport.
11. Our concern is not a successful Pro12 team in NA, but a failed one. It will be easy for Pro12 to pick up and leave NA leaving behind the legacy of their failure for us to pick up the pieces. The experience that the Italian Pro12 sides are having speaks to the issues Pro12 is experiencing (and NA is about 4 times further away).
12. In 3-5 years, if Pro12 comes to Canada and spends all the necessary capital to activate the market, proves that professional rugby is viable, increases the rugby brand and infrastructure in Canada, PRO will be happy to have teams in Canada. It clearly will be easier for us to enter a more mature market than an unproven one.
13. As has been misreported and misstated many times, PRO does have an exclusive sanction for professional 15-side men’s rugby in the USA. USA Rugby has the contractual obligation with PRO to enforce our exclusive sanction against any and all challenges.

We are saddened that RC chose to change the agreement at the last moment. I had believed that our partnering with RC would have made our competition and Canada’s National team better in many ways. We look forward to watching the development of the game in Canada and look forward to having teams and employing Canadian players in our league sometime in the future.

Doug
"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not Image it after all."
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Arclight_Dynamo
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 03 Nov 2016, 23:16

Well... crap. :?
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Re: Rugby!

Postby My pseudonym is Ix » 04 Nov 2016, 09:08

Agreed. I anticipate a year or two of back-and-forth negotiation between RC and the Pro12, before they either bite the bullet or RC go cap in hand back to the PRO NA league... but who knows, rugby's top brass have been known to pull their finger out every once in a while.
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aeric90
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Re: Rugby!

Postby aeric90 » 04 Nov 2016, 12:04

That's genuinely disappointing... especially with some of the buzz generated with the pro rugby(*HURK*)league team starting up here I was hoping that would follow with a proper union team. Fingers crossed for the future.
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Dr.Susse
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Re: Rugby!

Postby Dr.Susse » 05 Nov 2016, 02:09

How's the rugby life treated you do far?
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