RugbyRebels

Tom Moore wrote:*****Warning*****

I accept that this opinion is likely to be unpopular and unworkable.

I would prefer it if we entered 4 or 5 teams (dependent on numbers) composed solely of English qualified players, thereby giving the opportunity for EQP's to improve.

Run by the RFU, coaches appointed by the RFU, compensation paid to the clubs for loss of earnings, played at club grounds with cheaper tickets, squad composition based on Eddie and his merry men picking in conjunction with the appointed coaches.

While I'll give Tom the unworkable (could also add unfeasible), I thought this was an interesting discussion point. While I do like having clubs in the ERC, that is because I'm a fan of club rugby - clearly this would be a better approach (at least short-term) for the development of English players and of the England team.

So, if we were to pick regions, who would they be and who would play? I'd have:

North (Sale and Newcastle):

Harrison
Webber
SWilson
Green
Beaumont
Ross
Curry
Wilson

Young
Flood
Yarde
Jennings
James
Solomona
Haley

Vickers, Neild, DWilson?!, Witty, Curry, Cliff?!, Hodgson, Hammersley

Gods help that side if there are any injuries; it was difficult enough to put together a XXIII as it was.


East Midlands (Wasps, Leicester, Saints):

Genge
Hartley
Cole
Launchbury
Lawes
Gibson
Harrison
Hughes

Youngs
Ford
May
Eastmond
Tuilagi
Wade
Tait

Mullan, Taylor, JCW, Gaskell, Haskell, Robson, Cipriani, Watson

A bit more competition in that one! I'm sure I've missed some obvious names.


West Midlands (Worcester, Gloucester):

EWaller
Singleton
Schonert
Spencer
Slater
Ludlow
Clarke
Morgan

Vellacott
Burns
Thorley
Mills
Trinder
Woodward
Pennell

VRR, AN Other, Balmain, Savage, Rowan, Arr, Te'o, Sharples


West (Exeter, Bath):

Obano
LCD
Williams
Ewels
Skinner
Armand
Underhill
Simmonds

Maunder
Burns
Nowell
Slade
Joseph
Rokoduguni
Watson

Hepburn, Dunn, Thomas, Stooke, Ewers, Cook, Hill, Woodburn


London (Quins, Saracens, Irish):

Mako
George
Sinckler
Itoje
Kruis
Robshaw
Clifford
BillyV

Care
Fazlet
Lewington
Barritt
Marchant
Walker
Brown

Marler, Ward, Collier, Isiekwe, Chisholm, Spencer, Smith, Goode

West Midlands and North might be a bit ropey, but the other three would be very competitive in the ERC, to my mind.

Puja

I'd go so far as to say Coventry isn't in the West Midlands

Digby wrote:I'd go so far as to say Coventry isn't in the West Midlands

Warwickshire was part of West Midlands group when I were a lad for rugby purposes. Mind, Herefordshire was classified as North Midlands at senior level. So random is as random does.

Glaws folk would also object to being midlands of any description


....but good work Puja anyway. Divisional Rugby was always good fun for opposing international teams on the old school 'proper' tours- but not so much for England trial purposes, or when playing each other.

Nice idea in principle, harking back to the divisional rugby days. 5 regions seems right. You could move players into a region where they are struggling a bit, as well as allowing a few strategic high quality non EQP's.

fivepointer wrote:Nice idea in principle, harking back to the divisional rugby days. 5 regions seems right. You could move players into a region where they are struggling a bit, as well as allowing a few strategic high quality non EQP's.

Divisional Rugby's last iteration iirc was North, Midlands, South West and London/SE (and these mirrored the introduction of 'merit tables') and I think that is how RFU leagues are organised below national leagues.

Banquo wrote:

Digby wrote:I'd go so far as to say Coventry isn't in the West Midlands

Warwickshire was part of West Midlands group when I were a lad for rugby purposes. Mind, Herefordshire was classified as North Midlands at senior level. So random is as random does.

Glaws folk would also object to being midlands of any description


....but good work Puja anyway. Divisional Rugby was always good fun for opposing international teams on the old school 'proper' tours- but not so much for England trial purposes, or when playing each other.

If we moved Wasps to the West Midlands team (as a simple look at a map should've told me to do) then that would make selection a lot easier for both them and the East Midlands. So that would work out and leave only the North getting righteously screwed each week.

Puja

Puja wrote:

Banquo wrote:

Digby wrote:I'd go so far as to say Coventry isn't in the West Midlands

Warwickshire was part of West Midlands group when I were a lad for rugby purposes. Mind, Herefordshire was classified as North Midlands at senior level. So random is as random does.

Glaws folk would also object to being midlands of any description


....but good work Puja anyway. Divisional Rugby was always good fun for opposing international teams on the old school 'proper' tours- but not so much for England trial purposes, or when playing each other.

If we moved Wasps to the West Midlands team (as a simple look at a map should've told me to do) then that would make selection a lot easier for both them and the East Midlands. So that would work out and leave only the North getting righteously screwed each week.

Puja

I wouldn’t worry about it. Last time I posted on a geography based thread I completely wiped Gloucester off the map.

I think it’s a good idea but I’d have more fluidity between the regions in positions where one is poorly stocked and another isn’t. I’d have the England coaching team sit down and put the squads together, in consultation, with the clubs each summer.
Won’t ever happen, unfortunately.

It would make more sense to have the squads mixed fully and then pried out, you could also then try and build each pack/squad to better reflect what they are trying to do with England.

Raggs wrote:It would make more sense to have the squads mixed fully and then pried out, you could also then try and build each pack/squad to better reflect what they are trying to do with England.

Or could take a leaf out of the Aussies book and have it as a “region of origin” based on where you were born? EQP Players born outside of England can get selected based on where they first played pro rugby in England?

BenHK wrote:

Raggs wrote:It would make more sense to have the squads mixed fully and then pried out, you could also then try and build each pack/squad to better reflect what they are trying to do with England.

Or could take a leaf out of the Aussies book and have it as a “region of origin” based on where you were born? EQP Players born outside of England can get selected based on where they first played pro rugby in England?

Is that anything to do with all the Lancastrians who don’t play oop north?

We've done this before haven't we? Let's just go Anglo-Saxon

Wessex (Bath, Exeter; Bristol, CPirates, Jersey) AKA Southern Ponces
West Mercia (Gloucester, Worcester, Wasps; Hartbury) AKA Brum Scum
East Mercia (Northampton, Leicester; Bedford, Nottingham) AKA Brother Lovers
Northumbria (Sale, Newcastle; Leedshire, Doncaster, Rotherham) AKA Northern Twats
London (Harlequins, Saracens, LIrish; Ealing, Richmond, LScottish) AKA Cockney Bastards

Which Tyler wrote:We've done this before haven't we?

Wessex (Bath, Exeter; Bristol, CPirates, Jersey) AKA Southern Ponces
West Mercia (Gloucester, Worcester, Wasps; Hartbury) AKA Brum Scum
East Mercia (Northampton, Leicester; Bedford, Nottingham) AKA Inbreds
Northumbria (Sale, Newcastle; Leedshire, Doncaster, Rotherham) AKA Northern Twats
London (Harlequins, Saracens, LIrish; Ealing, Richmond, LScottish) AKA Cockney Bastards

Can’t say I agree with this. Mainly because it would make me an inbred, northern twat, and I’m neither inbred nor northern.....

Ok, ok, I'll change the Inbreds nickname

Banquo wrote:
Glaws folk would also object to being midlands of any description

Not compared to their objections for binning their club and merging them with Bath

Poor Daly.

Tigersman wrote:Poor Daly.

Oh yeah. I knew I'd missed someone minor.

Puja

Puja wrote:

Tigersman wrote:Poor Daly.

Oh yeah. I knew I'd missed someone minor.

Puja

It could be worse regarding Daly. You could have been out for a run and found yourself reworking lyrics from - you ain't nothining but a hound dog

including such classic lines as

you aint nothing but a winger, scoring all the time

or the crowd favourtie

they said you was high class, they knew three quarter play

Digby wrote:

Puja wrote:

Tigersman wrote:Poor Daly.

Oh yeah. I knew I'd missed someone minor.

Puja

It could be worse regarding Daly. You could have been out for a run and found yourself reworking lyrics from - you ain't nothining but a hound dog

including such classic lines as

you aint nothing but a winger, scoring all the time

or the crowd favourtie

they said you was high class, they knew three quarter play

Moved on from Snowballs to Absinthe??

Banquo wrote:

Digby wrote:

Puja wrote:
Oh yeah. I knew I'd missed someone minor.

Puja

It could be worse regarding Daly. You could have been out for a run and found yourself reworking lyrics from - you ain't nothining but a hound dog

including such classic lines as

you aint nothing but a winger, scoring all the time

or the crowd favourtie

they said you was high class, they knew three quarter play

Moved on from Snowballs to Absinthe??

I think rather more it's why I drink, left to the dangers of sobriety this is what happens. Really it's just safer for everyone not to allow that to happen too often