PRC - Knock out stages

[Mikey Brown]

Did we blow a 28-0 lead?

[Which Tyler]

No, 0 - 21, and 7 - 28

[p/d]

Hopefully that makes you feel better Mikey.

[Mellsblue]

Hopefully that makes you feel better Mikey.

This made me lol

[Adam_P]

Shame theres such little coverage of any of this tournament, especially in 6N rest weeks.

Saints team for Ealing:
15 George Hendy
14 James Ramm
13 Tom Litchfield
12 Charlie Savala
11 Tom Seabrook
10 Rory Hutchinson
9 Tom James

1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Craig Wright
3 Luke Green
4 Chunya Munga
5 Tom Lockett
6 Angus Scott-Young (c)
7 Fyn Brown
8 Iakopo Mapu

Replacements:
16 Nathan Langdon
17 Tom West
18 Elliot Millar Mills
19 Ed Prowse
20 Juarno Augustus
21 Jake Garside
22 Burger Odendaal
23 Will Glister

Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, George Furbank, Sam Graham, Callum Hunter-Hill, George Makepeace-Cubitt, Archie McParland, Toby Thame, Robbie Smith and Jonny Weimann.

International duty:
Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell, Henry Pollock, Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith (all England), Aiden Ainsworth-Cave and Ollie Scola (both England U20s).

Ealing team:
15 Tobi Wilson, 14 Angus Kernohan, 13 Reuben Bird-Tulloch, 12 Francis Moore, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Craig Hampson; 1 Lefty Zigiriadis, 2 Mike Willemse (c), 3 George Davis, 4 Bobby De Wee, 5 Sean Lonsdale, 6 Rob Farrar, 7 Jordy Reid, 8 David Bridge.
Replacements: 16 Matt Cornish, 17 Kyle Whyte, 18 Biyi Alo, 19 Danny Cutmore, 20 Ollie Newman, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 George Worboys, 23 Michael Dykes.

[Mikey Brown]

No, 0 - 21, and 7 - 28

Even worse. These scores used to be sacred, since that Bristol game.

[twitchy]

Yeah I thought they would be showing the exe-sale game, shame.

[FKAS]

Yeah I thought they would be showing the exe-sale game, shame.

Sounds like TNT have made an error, looks like there's some good game they are missing out on today.

[Oakboy]

This competition needs a re-think. Are there rules about who clubs can select?

[Which Tyler]

This competition needs a re-think. Are there rules about who clubs can select?

You can only pick players for the SF and F if they've played in the tourney previously.
As far as I know, that's it. Beyond that it's the spirit of the thing

[Oakboy]

This competition needs a re-think. Are there rules about who clubs can select?

You can only pick players for the SF and F if they've played in the tourney previously.
As far as I know, that's it. Beyond that it's the spirit of the thing

I suppose the thing is meaningful to different clubs in different ways depending on current form etc. It just seems a bit misleading to fans who pay good money to spectate when Prem clubs approach their selections so differently.

[Adam_P]

Glad there was no coverage - Saints lost 26-43 and it sounds like it was a poor showing. Tom Collins scored a couple for Ealing.

[Banquo]

This competition needs a re-think. Are there rules about who clubs can select?

The re think is that it won’t involve champ sides next season

[Which Tyler]

The re think is that it won’t involve champ sides next season

more a re-stupid than a re-think

[Banquo]

The re think is that it won’t involve champ sides next season

more a re-stupid than a re-think

its a PRL theme....but also a by product of a 14 team champ, plus rumours of expanding the Prem somehow.

[FKAS]

The re think is that it won’t involve champ sides next season

more a re-stupid than a re-think

its a PRL theme....but also a by product of a 14 team champ, plus rumours of expanding the Prem somehow.

Reports are the Championship clubs have pulled out because they don't have a say in the tournament setup. Prem clubs only next year with increased numbers of home games so more money for them. I don't doubt that Championship clubs were getting a fairly crap deal from the Prem clubs in terms of status in the competition but losing three extra home games, two against Prem opposition that increases attendance I'd have thought would have been worth trying to keep.

[Banquo]

more a re-stupid than a re-think

its a PRL theme....but also a by product of a 14 team champ, plus rumours of expanding the Prem somehow.

Reports are the Championship clubs have pulled out because they don't have a say in the tournament setup. Prem clubs only next year with increased numbers of home games so more money for them. I don't doubt that Championship clubs were getting a fairly crap deal from the Prem clubs in terms of status in the competition but losing three extra home games, two against Prem opposition that increases attendance I'd have thought would have been worth trying to keep.

It was six of one, half a dozen of the other. PRL again insisted on it being their gig with all the rights to them and only 6 champ clubs allowed, so benefitting far fewer, plus insisting on minimum standards most of them don’t meet. That plus championship having 2 more teams made it pretty unviable in the round.
As it is, champ season will run pretty much back to back from Oct 5 to May 11th regular season, and then play off s for top 6 for promotion game and play offs for relegation tho 14th goes down.


Reality is that most prem teams don’t want champ teams involved or anywhere near- RFU had to bribe em this year. the treatment some teams received at prem grounds was appalling. Presume you read the Times for your source? Not entirely accurate.

Ealing Trailfinders achieved a “statement victory” over Northampton Saints to reach the semi-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup for a second consecutive season — but they will not participate in next year’s competition.

The Times understands that the Championship clubs, who have been in the Premiership Rugby Cup for three seasons, have withdrawn in protest at not being made equal partners in the development competition.

The move suits Premiership Rugby and it takes the ten top-flight clubs, who receive £33million a year in funding from the RFU, a step closer to becoming a ring-fenced franchise league.


The decision was rubber-stamped at the same Professional Rugby Board (PRB) meeting that confirmed a change to the agreed season structure so England could play a fourth international in November.

The Championship clubs elected to leave and set up their own cup competition after being informed that they would not be given partner status in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

“We were invited members with no say,” one source said. “We were told the Premiership Cup rights were held by Premiership Rugby and we weren’t entitled to any funding. We have enjoyed it but if we don’t have a stake in the competition, we aren’t doing it.”

The Premiership clubs hardly fought to persuade the Championship to stay on board. The concept of a joint cup competition may have worked on the field but it has not been a commercial success, according to one source.

Next season’s Premiership Rugby Cup will feature two five-team groups, guaranteeing each club four home fixtures. That is an increase on three from this year, immediately making it a more lucrative proposition for the top-flight clubs.

The Premiership is moving towards becoming a stand-alone franchise competition. Unofficially, it already is. With no relationship through a joint cup competition, it is only the tenuous notion of promotion and relegation that technically keeps the Premiership connected to the rest of the English rugby pyramid.

In theory, the Championship winners are due to play the bottom team in the Premiership in a play-off. But Ealing, who are top of the second tier, cannot go up because they do not satisfy off-field requirements.

Even if they did, the promoted team’s funding would be substantially less than their Premiership rivals unless they bought a so-called P-share in the league, which one source valued at £15million.

The Championship was not part of the Professional Game Partnership that was agreed last year between the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association.

“Hopefully one day we will be part of it,” one Championship source said. “We are [now the] top of the pyramid.”

The 2025-26 Premiership season is expected to begin with a couple of rounds of the cup before the league campaign gets under way in late September or early October. British & Irish Lions players will not be available until mid-October because of a mandatory ten-week stand-down period.

Ealing won 43-26 at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday against a Northampton side featuring several England A players. Ealing will play Exeter Chiefs in the last four with Newcastle Falcons to host Bath in the other semi-final.

“We want to prove a point,” Tom Collins, Ealing’s former Northampton wing, said. “We want to prove we can play at this level and if we ever get an opportunity to go up in the next year or so then this can sow the seed.

“I can’t wait [for the semi-final]. We have so many young lads who want to prove themselves. The only way to do that is by winning knockout games in this competition.”

[Which Tyler]

Well, this will be the last year that this competition exists in my mind.
I'm not interested in PRL teams playing with each other (outside of the Premiership itself) and drawing up the ladder behind them again.
Only interested in keeping their share of an ever shrinking pie - and blind to the fact the they're a very large reason that the pie is shrinking.

I've lost interest in the European Cup, I've now lost interest in this - how long before they turn me off the Prem as well?

[Banquo]

Well, this will be the last year that this competition exists in my mind.
I'm not interested in PRL teams playing with each other (outside of the Premiership itself) and drawing up the ladder behind them again.
Only interested in keeping their share of an ever shrinking pie - and blind to the fact the they're a very large reason that the pie is shrinking.

I've lost interest in the European Cup, I've now lost interest in this - how long before they turn me off the Prem as well?

As said before, three at least of the Prem sides made it totally clear that their visitors from the champ were not welcome. Which is sad, because that wasn't the experience we had last season to be fair.

[Oakboy]

Well, this will be the last year that this competition exists in my mind.
I'm not interested in PRL teams playing with each other (outside of the Premiership itself) and drawing up the ladder behind them again.
Only interested in keeping their share of an ever shrinking pie - and blind to the fact the they're a very large reason that the pie is shrinking.

I've lost interest in the European Cup, I've now lost interest in this - how long before they turn me off the Prem as well?

Sentiments shared. I don't get why the 'shrinking pie' is not central thinking in all areas. The sport has reached the point where there is no single fix. More, it is a case of getting loads of small issues right - throughout the game.

It's amost as if somebody should sit down and draw up 'articles of association' so that there are worthy aims beyond self-interest.

[Banquo]

Not in the loop Rob?.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 2gl2z154ko

[Which Tyler]

Newcastle's 4th try was absolutely magic!

[Which Tyler]

Quick thinking tpfor Staddon for Bath's 6th.
Absolutely hammered backwards in the tackle, hit so far back the tackler couldn't wuite keep hold, and no other defenders could get close, so not held and goes again (playing with penalty advantage somewhat mitigates the risk)

This has been a great match, both sides playing well, albeit with a fair few errors - mostly feeling forced

[Oakboy]

Sandy Park looks about a third full.

[Which Tyler]

Ex 7 - 10 ET
27'