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#Post#: 148312--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: January 22, 2026, 4:10 am
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Those 2 spots would be reserved for the previous year's winners
of the two competitions.
I don't think there's any scope to increase the size of the
tournament - it's already too bloated - and adding ProD2 & Champ
clubs dilutes it even further, makes it far more likely we'll
see blowouts, and also encourages clubs to view it as something
they can field weakened teams in.
#Post#: 148313--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: Yareet
Date: January 22, 2026, 4:41 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: thatchapcarnell link ---
>
> But the clubs need those home games to remain financially
solvent. How will you compensate them for that. I don't disagree
with the tenet of your argument but it's not that simple.
>
> The big clubs will fight against knock outs (FA Cup style) for
the same reason - revenue risk.
>
> Also, how do you divide 16 teams by three leagues? 6 teams
from Top 14, 6 from Prem and 6 from URC - who gets the remaining
two spots?
>
> There are just no easy solutions to any of this. I'd also like
to see the Challenge Cup given increased status. A recent
podcast suggested making that a straight knockout but including
Pro D2 and Champ clubs for FA Cup style upsets. Racing 92 having
to travel to Caldy would be quite the thing.
>
> Football is struggling with the same issues - the Champions
League is now so bloated and long that the early games are of
little interest or consequence.
>
--- End Quote ---
Given the size of the respective leagues, 6 from the Top 14, 6
from the URC and 4 from the Prem. The other 24 go into the
Challenge Cup which an easily poolable number of teams.
#Post#: 148314--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: Fearless Fred
Date: January 22, 2026, 4:49 am
---------------------------------------------------------
This was my suggestion on a different thread:
I think the format needs to be reset back to something like the
old HC, with pools of 4, and pool games home and away. Give it
more jeopardy to get out of the pool stages. Also, cut the
Champions cup to 20 sides, the other four can go into the
Challenge Cup to make that more balanced. Invite two more teams
into the Challenge Cup to make it 24 teams in that. Keep them
separate, removing any notion of a side dropping down into the
Challenge Cup from the Champions Cup.
So, Champions Cup with 5 pools of 4, winners and best 3
runners-up of the pool stage go into the QFs and beyond.
Challenge cup 6 pools of 4, winners and best 2 runners-up into
the QFs and beyond.
If you want to innovate, you can take the teams that don't
qualify for the knock-out stages of the cup and run a plate
competition taking place parallel to the Cup knock-out rounds.
That would mean 4 teams in the Champions cup see their campaign
finish after the pool stage, but you could even run a third
Shield competition for the Challenge cup comp as there would be
8 teams at the Cup QFs, 8 for the Plate comp and 8 for the
Shield.
#Post#: 148315--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: Rugbycat
Date: January 22, 2026, 6:27 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: thatchapcarnell link ---
>
> But the clubs need those home games to remain financially
solvent. How will you compensate them for that. I don't disagree
with the tenet of your argument but it's not that simple.
>
> The big clubs will fight against knock outs (FA Cup style) for
the same reason - revenue risk.
>
> Also, how do you divide 16 teams by three leagues? 6 teams
from Top 14, 6 from Prem and 6 from URC - who gets the remaining
two spots?
>
> There are just no easy solutions to any of this. I'd also like
to see the Challenge Cup given increased status. A recent
podcast suggested making that a straight knockout but including
Pro D2 and Champ clubs for FA Cup style upsets. Racing 92 having
to travel to Caldy would be quite the thing.
>
> Football is struggling with the same issues - the Champions
League is now so bloated and long that the early games are of
little interest or consequence.
>
--- End Quote ---
The problem long term will be the broadcast rights, which are
only viable because of competition for the French rights, the UK
and Ireland rights went for 6m and the Italian rights were not
taken up.
If one of the French bidders loses interest, then the
competition is gone, so it will be a question of something or
nothing for the clubs, the present format is not working, Top 14
has no space in the calendar for more matches.
Something has to be done to make it more interesting and no
competition can survive on gate receipts alone, especially with
the prospect of the cost of travel to South Africa.
#Post#: 148317--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: FrostAndFire
Date: January 22, 2026, 7:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
There's zero justification for there being 8 Prem teams in the
contest. 4 would be fine. 6 if we really had to. It would make
the whole thing actually have some value, rather than being
pretty much every Prem team who hasn't absolutely imploded.
We're currently qualified for next year's tournament. If we
continue on our current domestic trajectory, are we really
claiming to be worthy of something called the "champions cup"?
#Post#: 148319--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: Fursty
Date: January 22, 2026, 7:48 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: FrostAndFire link ---
>
> There's zero justification for there being 8 Prem teams in the
contest. 4 would be fine. 6 if we really had to. It would make
the whole thing actually have some value, rather than being
pretty much every Prem team who hasn't absolutely imploded.
>
> We're currently qualified for next year's tournament. If we
continue on our current domestic trajectory, are we really
claiming to be worthy of something called the "champions cup"?
>
--- End Quote ---
I’d argue there’s a lot more justification for 8 prem teams than
8 from the URC.
#Post#: 148322--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: Fearless Fred
Date: January 22, 2026, 8:58 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Cut it to 20 teams. 7 from Top14, 8 from URC, 5 from Prem, all
based on the top finishers in the previous domestic comp. That
way every qualifier has to be in the top 50% of their domestic
competition.
If, somehow, the previous seasons Champions Cup winner finishes
outside the top 50% of their domestic comp, too bad, they don't
get in the Champions Cup the following season. That would
prevent the winner from going all out on the Champions Cup at
the expense of the other competition.
You'd also get a better competition in the Challenge Cup as
you'd have better teams in there than we currently have. Keep
them as two completely separate competitions & get rid of teams
dropping from the Champions Cup into the Challenge Cup after the
pool stages.
#Post#: 148323--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: January 22, 2026, 9:09 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Our current domestic form is godawful and we've been making
waves in Europe. Frankly I think we're one of the big
beneficiaries of the change in the tournament simply because
we're one of the sides that were infrequently qualifying before,
and nothing helps you navigate European competition better than
having repeat exposure to it. Reducing the number of English
teams could well be justified but I think we'd see a higher
percentage of English teams flopping as a result, especially as
it's hard for teams to remain top 4 year after year if they're
the only ones having to endure a challenging European tournament
as well, so you'd get quite a bit of turnover.
#Post#: 148326--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: FrostAndFire
Date: January 22, 2026, 9:45 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: JammyGit link ---
>
> Our current domestic form is godawful and we've been making
waves in Europe. Frankly I think we're one of the big
beneficiaries of the change in the tournament simply because
we're one of the sides that were infrequently qualifying before,
and nothing helps you navigate European competition better than
having repeat exposure to it. Reducing the number of English
teams could well be justified but I think we'd see a higher
percentage of English teams flopping as a result, especially as
it's hard for teams to remain top 4 year after year if they're
the only ones having to endure a challenging European tournament
as well, so you'd get quite a bit of turnover.
>
--- End Quote ---
Let's be honest. We're making waves because the Stormers put out
a reserves of the reserves team against us, and Bayonne have not
been trying, either. Our win against La Rochelle was a good win,
but it's been the only competitive game we've won. Which I think
is my point. This has not been top-quality rugby worth of a
Champions Cup.
#Post#: 148329--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Champions Cup is great for fans of clubs but terrible
for everyone else
DIR By: never sleep
Date: January 22, 2026, 9:54 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: FrostAndFire link ---
>
> Let's be honest. We're making waves because the Stormers put
out a reserves of the reserves team against us, and Bayonne have
not been trying, either. Our win against La Rochelle was a good
win, but it's been the only competitive game we've won. Which I
think is my point. This has not been top-quality rugby worth of
a Champions Cup.
>
--- End Quote ---
I think that on paper, the Stormers team was okay. Yes, there
was some rotation, but, there were some decent players there
too.
They just had some players who had absolute shockers on the day.
It felt more like an attitude issue more than a team selection
issue.
Basically, that Stormers team (on paper) should never have have
been 60 odd points down with 10-15 minutes to go.
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