French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:20 pm  

Can't see what it does for anyone. Time to knock it on the head.

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:41 pm  

Charmless Nerk wrote:

Can't see what it does for anyone. Time to knock it on the head.

Why? Toulouse have made it to the semis & Catalans to the final in recent years & Lezignan can be proud of thier win on Saturday

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:41 pm  

DAIHAPPY wrote:

Why? Toulouse have made it to the semis & Catalans to the final in recent years & Lezignan can be proud of thier win on Saturday

ignore the troll.

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:46 pm  

The Penguin wrote:

ignore the troll.

I genuinely can't see the benefits.

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:55 pm  

Charmless Nerk wrote:

I genuinely can't see the benefits.

Funny, you didn't seem to make the same comments last year when Lezignan, Pia and Toulouse all made round four having beaten NL1 & NL2 opposition.

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:00 pm  

The Penguin wrote:

Funny, you didn't seem to make the same comments last year when Lezignan, Pia and Toulouse all made round four having beaten NL1 & NL2 opposition.

I've never started a thread on it before, but I've had my doubts on this issue for a while. Many RL Francophiles including Harry Edgar and Mike Rylance have expressed these concerns. I believe our own Cliff Spracklen may have too, although he may wish to correct me.

If we could get a Treize Tournoi type thing going, nobody would miss LER clubs in the Challenge Cup.

Never saw you at Keighley when Toulouse were turning over the Cougars last year, by the way.

Re: French (LER) Clubs in the Challenge Cup : Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:08 pm  

Charmless Nerk wrote:

Never saw you at Keighley when Toulouse were turning over the Cougars last year, by the way.

Well no, you wouldn't have done. I wasn't there. I opted to go to Sheffield-Lezignan instead.

HTH

[John_D]

: Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:18 pm  

If you're making the French travel in the third round, no matter what, then it's value begins to diminish and if we did have a regular tournament between leading semi-pro British clubs and the top LER sides, perhaps it would represent duplication of effort.
From a personal point of view, these two games I went to this week were the highlight of my season so far and, frankly, I'd like to see more of the LER clubs against British opposition. It's the only way the LER is going to improve.

: Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:36 am  

I'd say let the French teams stay, its something different to see.

You might as well say the ameteur teams shouldn't compete or the league teams as in reality and with no malice towards any lower league team they aint going to win the cup.

: Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:53 am  

John_D wrote:

From a personal point of view, these two games I went to this week were the highlight of my season so far

I agree, despite one being of dubious quality in dire conditions and the other a complete walkover, I still enjoyed seeing different styles of Rugby and different players, these things could still be acceived with a "treize Tournoi" comp, but in al honesty would you pit LER clubs against average Championship clubs or top C1 clubs, as, to me it seems that the LER clubs are no better than C1 clubs, being brutally honest.

In having a comp with such unfashionable teams in, a comp I might add that few clubs would want in all honesty.
you would imagine a "Treize Tounoi" comp would attract similar attendances as the C1 clubs V LER clubs challenge cup games, I dont see as it would be a viable comp