CVC on verge of completing its second major tournament acquisition - reports
A Premiership versus PRO14 Grand Final could be on the cards in seasons to come if private equity firm CVC acquires a Premiership-like stake-holding in the five-country tournament featuring clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy and South Africa.
CVC Capital Partners splashed out approximately £220million last December to secure a 27 per cent shareholding in the Gallagher Premiership and there are now chasing down a similar size share in the PRO14 valued at approximately £120m.
It’s believed hands will be shaken on this sell-off of this shareholding to CVC in the next four to six weeks as negotiations with rival investors have ended and the focus is now on ironing out the small print of the various terms and conditions.
This development, reported in The Times newspaper on Friday, will generate the exciting prospect of the winners of the English Premiership taking on the champions of the PRO14 in an end-of-season finale aimed at aligning the two rival tournaments.
According to the report, other options include joining up the two leagues for full-on end-of-season play-offs featuring eight clubs, four from each league.
Exclusive: CVC on verge of 2nd major rugby acquisition. Has agreed structure and terms for £120m deal for 27-30 per cent share of Pro14. Pro14/Premiership have already discussed and end-of-season grand final between their two winnershttps://t.co/EpLDHRSbsT
— owenslotTheTimes (@owenslot) April 18, 2019
Currently, four teams from the Premiership annually contest the semi-finals in England following a round-robin season of 22 matches for each of the participating 12 clubs.
Meanwhile, the PRO14 was split into two seven-team conferences for the 2017/18 season to accommodate the inclusion of two franchises from South Africa. Teams now play 21 regular season games before six of them, the top three in each conference, progress to the title-deciding play-offs.
So this would be massive for the competition#PRO14 ??? https://t.co/TMNdsS9FnC
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 17, 2019
The Times Good Friday report vindicated the January 17 exclusive by RugbyPass that a private equity firm had initiated talks with the PRO14 regarding the possibility of a potential buy-in.
CVC’s ambition for these rugby tournaments is to increase their overall commercial revenue and it’s believed an off-field collaboration between the two leagues could result in allowing the equity firm to sell broadcasting rights for the two competitions together.
There could also be an administrative alliance, with the Premiership and PRO14’s currently separate finance and legal teams combining to work together.
Aside from aligning the interests of the PRO14 with the Premiership, there has also apparently been discussions about the potential to set-up a world club cup competition that would be held every four years featuring Europe’s leading clubs along with those playing in Super Rugby.
WATCH: The RugbyPass fly-on-the-wall documentary on 2018’s PRO14 final in Dublin
Comments on RugbyPass
Yeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
1 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
4 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
4 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
13 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
13 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
13 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
4 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
4 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
4 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to comments