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Pro14 conference shake-up - The breakdown
The Pro14 has announced the new conferences for the 2019/20 season and it might cause a bit of a stir. Why have they changed, how were they calculated, and what will the league look next season?
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Balancing competitive conferences with the demand for domestic derbies is never easy and the Pro14 is no different. Two seasons ago, when the league introduced the two South African teams and moved to a conference format, the organisers put in place a process that was meant to balance those demands while keeping the league fresh over time.
The Pro14 could have chosen to put all four Irish provinces in one conference and all four Welsh sides in the other, splitting the pairs of Italian, Scottish, and South African sides between the two in a way similar to the Super Rugby competition. Given the historical strength of the Irish sides, however, this would very likely have generated lopsided conferences and, with time zones and travel less of an issue for the Pro14 than its southern hemisphere equivalent, other approaches were possible.
The Pro14 decided to rank the teams within their respective countries before distributing them, adding in extra cross-conference derby fixtures to keep fans happy. Moreover, the league committed to changing the makeup of the conferences after two seasons to refresh the competition and allow for improvement in sides, after giving each team a fair set of home and away fixtures with the other conference teams.
So that’s why they’ve changed now, two seasons on. So far, so simple. The process of ranking the teams within their countries, however, is done based on overall points standings at the end of the regular season rather than individual placings in the table. Crucially, it doesn’t take into account the play-offs, which is where things start to look a bit odd.
The distribution is simple enough. Conference A has:
Scotland 1
Ireland 2
Ireland 3
Wales 1
Wales 4
Italy 2
South Africa 1
Conference B takes the remaining teams, which are:
Scotland 2
Ireland 1
Ireland 4
Wales 2
Wales 3
Italy 1
South Africa 2
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The combined table, at the end of the regular season, looked like this:
Glasgow – 81 (Scotland 1)
Munster – 77 (Ireland 1)
Leinster – 76 (Ireland 2)
Ulster – 63 (Ireland 3)
Connacht – 61 (Ireland 4)
Ospreys – 58 (Wales 1)
Benetton – 57 (Italy 1)
Cardiff Blues – 54 (Wales 2)
Scarlets – 52 (Wales 3)
Edinburgh – 51 (Scotland 2)
Toyota Cheetahs – 46 (South Africa 1)
Dragons – 26 (Wales 4)
Isuzu Southern Kings – 22 (South Africa 2)
Zebre – 19 (Italy 2)
That makes the conferences for the next two seasons as follows:
Conference A
Glasgow (Scotland 1)
Leinster (Ireland 2)
Ulster (Ireland 3)
Ospreys (Wales 1)
Dragons (Wales 4)
Zebre (Italy 2)
Toyota Cheetahs (South Africa 1)
Conference B
Edinburgh (Scotland 2)
Munster (Ireland 1)
Connacht (Ireland 4)
Cardiff Blues (Wales 2)
Scarlets (Wales 3)
Benetton (Italy 1)
Isuzu Southern Kings (South Africa 2)
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What does that mean for the Pro14?
Some of these placings are uncontroversial: Benetton, who made the playoffs for the first time, were unquestionably the better Italian side. Likewise, Glasgow, who lost in the final, had a better season than their Scottish rivals Edinburgh, who didn’t make the playoffs despite a strong start. Cheetahs are a better side the Southern Kings and Dragons have long been the weakest Welsh side.
There are however, two standout consequences of this conference distribution system. The Champions Cup play-off last season was contested between the two fourth-places sides of each conference, Ospreys and Scarlets. Ospreys won, suggesting Scarlets are currently the second best side in Wales. But Cardiff Blues are ranked second because they finished with more points overall than Scarlets, despite finishing fifth in their conference.
Most glaring of all, however, is that Munster are ranked higher than Leinster, the Pro14 title winners last season. Leinster actually beat Munster in the semi-final game before beating Glasgow in the final. For them to be considered a weaker team than Munster could understandably confuse some fans.
Conference A, with the two finalists and a semi-finalist (Ulster) does look to be the stronger conference. However, things change quickly. Scarlets won this league only two years ago and Connacht the year before. Edinburgh couldn’t keep up steam in the final stretch but they looked very strong until that point and you can bet Richard Cockerill will be working hard to improve further. Conference B could easily prove to be a tough battle.
Meanwhile, in Conference A, Cheetahs were in the play-offs last season before struggling this time around and Ulster have had an up-and-down few years of it. Not long ago, even Leinster were struggling to make their mark. It might look lopsided now but recruitment, injuries, and the World Cup means we might be surprised by how this conference allocation plays itself out next season.
The fixtures
The fixture list is yet to be announced. However, just as in the past two seasons, teams will play each team in their conference home and away, each team in the other conference home or away, plus return fixtures with the derby sides of the other conference (so Leinster will still play Munster and Connacht twice, for instance).
The fixture list has also been adapted this season to accommodate the Rugby World Cup, with rounds being played in blocks. The RWC means the season will also start later, on September 27, and finish later, on June 20, 2020.
This is Zebre – Documentary
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments