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Rugby Europe Super Cup ready for a new season

Ilia Spanderashvili on the charge for Black Lion.

Rugby Europe’s franchise competition is set to start in September, but not without some forced changes, mainly due to the absence of the Israeli franchise Tel Aviv Heat, runner-up in 2022 and 2023.

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Rugby Europe’s official statement shed a bit of light about why the Israelis will not take part of the upcoming season, “The competition will take place this season without the two-time runners-up, the Tel Aviv Heat, due to various logistical elements.”.

From sources close to the process, the Heat will potentially return in 2025 pending new developments in the structure of the franchise.

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Wallabies skipper Allan Alaalatoa insists his side won’t be distracted by external criticism

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Wallabies skipper Allan Alaalatoa insists his side won’t be distracted by external criticism

With no new franchise to fill the void, the 2024 Super Cup will consist of seven teams, divided into two pools: pool A with the Georgians and three-time winners Black Lion, the Portuguese Lusitanos and the Spanish Leon y Castilla Iberians. Pool B will consist of the Romanian Wolves, the Dutch Delta, the Belgians Brussels Devils and Czech Bohemia Warriors.

Unlike the previous three seasons, the 4th instalment of the Rugby Europe Super Cup will not have a Championship knockout stage, meaning the team with more points in pool A will be crowned as the champions. The three contestants will play in a double round-robin format.

Pool B will consist of a round-robin to then proceed for a one-game knockout stage to determine the final placings of each one of the contestants.

The Super Cup worked as a pathway for local talents to enjoy a higher international level of competition, preparing them up for the upcoming February-March Test Match window. Portugal’s and Georgia’s accomplishments in 2022 and 2023 were built on the back of the success of the Black Lion and Lusitanos campaign, as Tomás Appleton attested in a previous interview,

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“It definitely helped us to achieve a higher level of playing quality in the national team. In the Super Cup we can play more as a team, build good attacking patterns, work on our defence, and choose the game plan that fits us better thanks to the Lusitanos and the Super Cup.”

David Gérard, Romania and Bucharest Wolves head coach, explains how the Super Cup can help the Oaks be ready for 2025 Men’s Rugby World Cup qualification, “The competition is important, but for us, the most crucial part is how it can help us to be ready for the 2025 [RWC] qualification. That’s why we chose to remain in Pool B so that we can work harder, cementing our game strategy. We need to learn how to work together and be in the best possible shape for the November tests. That’s our mentality for the new Super Cup season.”

The Super Cup kickoff is set for the 7th of September, with a regional derby between Portugal’s Lusitanos and Spain’s Castilla y León Iberians. The competition is set to be broadcast on Rugby Europe’s website with confirmation to be announced in late August.

A reminder that the three-time Super Cup winners, the Black Lion, are going to take part of the EPCR Challenge Cup until 2026, with rumours of a possible Spanish or Portuguese inclusion in the future.

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J
JW 3 hours ago
Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year

It really all depends of how much overseas players would be paid (by NZR) to play for the All Blacks. I’ve not heard a peep on this front from any author suggesting it’s a good idea.


If it’s nothing (a player gets his weekly paycheck from the club and thats it (which we know is definitely not the case in Ireland and France, or SA even I think?), then maybe it would retain more SR level players given that they’ll be getting the “AB” component (which is about where things stand, Burke for instance would have had to had his Sader contract upgraded to an AB one (think above Pero levels) to be on similar money.


I’d having to imagine if a player is getting paid to do nothing over the international windows though, they are going to want to get paid extra for appear for the ABs, so in this situation, it’s hard to see many players being retained, yes.


I’m pretty sure they flew to Japan and met in person.


I’ve heard/had these discussions numerous times. I don’t think theres anyway to judge the interest that would be retain in SR. For one, it might be a more entertaining league as a result, as the JRLO is compared to Europe, despite it obviously being a lesser standard.


If SRP is of a lesser standard and now able to use Japanese and American players to bolster teams, perhaps those markets more than make up for the downturn in NZ and Aus? Perhaps it gives NZR flexibility to create a more fit for purpose interdomestic competition, and interest actually increases? All you might need is a proper pathway from school to pro?


Razor asked NZR to keep an open mind. Did NZR answer any of these questions to themself?

24 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

36 Go to comments
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LONG READ Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year
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