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URC exploring draft system to improve competition
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Steve@Mose View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 May 2023 at 13:34
An interesting proposal.

United Rugby Championship exploring draft system to improve competition

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The United Rugby Championship is exploring a form of draft system to improve competitiveness across the league.

Italian side Zebre lost all 18 games this season as they finished bottom of the table in consecutive seasons.

Leinster topped the table after the regular season and only lost twice - including the semi-final to Munster.

Chief executive Martin Anayi says the URC needs to "think laterally" about improving the weaker teams' standards.

"There might be an ability to draft in players from the other unions who aren't getting game time," he told BBC 5 Live. "That is 100% [a conversation]."

One of the biggest defeats Zebre suffered this season came at the hands of the Bulls, who beat them 78-12. The Dragons, who finished second from bottom, only managed to win four games from 18.

Anayi says a lack of jeopardy at the bottom of the table is a result of a "closed league", one without promotion and relegation.

"There is a natural filter system to relegation, one team goes down and the team that comes up is full of expectation because they have won the league below; we don't have that in a closed league," he added.

"Our job is to find ways of helping the likes of Zebre and the Italian Federation to make them more competitive.

"In American sports they have a system for doing that, the draft system. We don't have that, so we need to think a bit more laterally about that question.

"Ireland have so much talent they are trying to work out how does everybody get game-time, while Scotland have two teams so that creates a bottleneck for them.

"So those are avenues we are trying to explore. We are setting up a high-performance think-tank to help us with that question, from a league-wide point of view.

"Zebre has been at the bottom of our table for a wee while and we need to try and do something to help them."

Anayi says there is enough collaboration to ensure a draft system could work, without concerns from other unions about improving rival teams.

"We have that collaboration at union level. They see the league is better and more commercially viable if all the teams are competitive," he added.

"And secondly they want the Six Nations to be competitive. Our unions can see that helping Zebre is a good thing both for the league and also for the Six Nations."
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tigerburnie View Drop Down
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Points: 3807 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tigerburnie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 13:41
So DR by any other name, who'da thunk it eh?
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Richard Lowther View Drop Down
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Points: 6605 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Richard Lowther Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 13:59
Originally posted by tigerburnie tigerburnie wrote:

So DR by any other name, who'da thunk it eh?

I read it as that a player is drafted by a club and becomes their player, not that a player is loaned but the devil is in the details. 

Loans and duel registration isn't a problem as long as the time limits are set and players can't be recalled at the drop of a hat. 
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Mark W-J View Drop Down
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Points: 3688 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark W-J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 14:03
Originally posted by tigerburnie tigerburnie wrote:

So DR by any other name, who'da thunk it eh?
Not as straightforward as that, though.  Loaning players to teams in the same league in an attempt to raise standards across the competition, and the lack of promotion and relegation means that ultimately nobody really suffers.  It doesn't compare with a relegation-threatened side filling its team with ringers to ensure survival.


Edited by Mark W-J - 24 May 2023 at 14:04
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Robb View Drop Down
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Points: 1587 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 14:34
Why don't they just create a second tier for the URC then? Scots can have teams in Aberdeen and the Borders. Wales can have theirs in North Wales. Ireland could just use champions of the Provinces/2nd xvs and SA can bring up some of their Currie Cup teams.
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Mark W-J View Drop Down
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Points: 3688 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark W-J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 15:52
Because that requires additional investment.  There's a reason why Scotland only has two teams.  The draft means that existing players in the squad system at the stronger regions/ provinces/ franchises can be shared around, although I worry that it would mean fewer players being given an opportunity at Zebre (for example) and that might affect the national teams longer-term.

I think it's an interesting proposition, and I think the URC should be applauded for thinking a bit different (although I may be biased because Martin Anayi is ex-LW!) but I don't see this working.
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No mention of some sort of budget cap.
That would help make things more unpredictable.
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Robb View Drop Down
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Points: 1587 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 16:54
Originally posted by Mark W-J Mark W-J wrote:

Because that requires additional investment.  There's a reason why Scotland only has two teams.  The draft means that existing players in the squad system at the stronger regions/ provinces/ franchises can be shared around, although I worry that it would mean fewer players being given an opportunity at Zebre (for example) and that might affect the national teams longer-term.

I think it's an interesting proposition, and I think the URC should be applauded for thinking a bit different (although I may be biased because Martin Anayi is ex-LW!) but I don't see this working.

Especially if you have a player in say Wales "drafted" to Zebre and they cannot/don't want to learn to speak Italian, then you might have a problem. Likewise, try sending a Scotsman to South Africa against his will. 

It is a nice idea but its born out of the American ideal that the league owns all the teams and players which means it won't really work in a league of independent clubs.
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tigerburnie View Drop Down
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Points: 3807 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tigerburnie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 17:02
Originally posted by Robb Robb wrote:

Why don't they just create a second tier for the URC then? Scots can have teams in Aberdeen and the Borders. Wales can have theirs in North Wales. Ireland could just use champions of the Provinces/2nd xvs and SA can bring up some of their Currie Cup teams.
Scotland tried a Border Reivers team, no-one went watch them and seemingly no-one particularly wanted to play for them either, Scotland is a club based game like England's and Wales used to be, Aberdeen already have a club at a high level as do the borders.
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billesleyexile View Drop Down
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Points: 1855 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billesleyexile Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 17:17
Originally posted by Robb Robb wrote:

Likewise, try sending a Scotsman to South Africa against his will. 


Isn't most of the traffic the other way anyway....?
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Robb View Drop Down
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Points: 1587 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 18:08
Originally posted by billesleyexile billesleyexile wrote:

Originally posted by Robb Robb wrote:

Likewise, try sending a Scotsman to South Africa against his will. 


Isn't most of the traffic the other way anyway....?

Precisely. Hence all the North Africa or South Scotfrica jibes.
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Raider999 View Drop Down
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Points: 4483 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Raider999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 18:41
Interesting that one of the reasons quoted for the imbalance in playing standards is that the URC is a closed competition with no promotion/relegation.

RFU please note
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Points: 2589 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Exiled_Scots Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2023 at 18:42
Meanwhile the Premiership implodes before our eyes, with teams dropping like flies and all that happens is the Premiership looks on with envy at the success the URC teams achieve since the South African Provences joined the league. 

At this rate the surviving Premiership teams will be begging to join the URC as their own league is a walking disaster based around so call traditional supported clubs. Unfortunately professional rugby has moved on and left the Premiership behind. 
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