2017-18 Continental Shield

[victorsra Profile Website]

If the Premiership expands to 14 clubs be sure EPCR will kick out the 2 non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs from the Challenge Cup and no Continental Shield spots would be available. Would they keep backing the tournament in this scenario? Unless they decide to expand the Challenge Cup. Would they?.

However, if the Premiership only expands to 13 clubs, there will be only 1 place left for non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs... They could give it indeed to the Continental Shield champions...

And there is always the possibillity to see a new European team in the PRO14, such as the promised 3rd Italian...

[Blurandski Profile]

If the Premiership expands to 14 clubs be sure EPCR will kick out the 2 non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs from the Challenge Cup and no Continental Shield spots would be available. Would they keep backing the tournament in this scenario? Unless they decide to expand the Challenge Cup. Would they?.

However, if the Premiership only expands to 13 clubs, there will be only 1 place left for non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs... They could give it indeed to the Continental Shield champions...

And there is always the possibility to see a new European team in the PRO14, such as the promised 3rd Italian...

Rumour that the Champions Cup will be cut down numbers wise, what that would do the the challenge is anyone's guess.

[amz Profile]

Incredible end. Congratulations to Timisoara, the score is harsh and the red card probably costed them the qualification.
After a very poor season in Challenge Cup, Enisei must show a lot better things but with important players signing to Krasny Yar (Rudoi, Kushnarev, Krasilnik) it will be hard for them

According with EPCR, the red wasn't in fact a red.

https://www.epcrugby.com/2019/04/25/sio ... dismissed/

Too bad the qualification was gifted this way but hey, we don't have KGB or Spanish press

[STMKY Profile]

If Romanians become a member of the new international club league, then the KGB will be on your side

[amz Profile]

If Romanians become a member of the new international club league, then the KGB will be on your side

no thanks, we experienced that before

[Horsehead Profile]

Did the Enisey STM Calvisano final take place this weekend?

[Tobar Profile]

If the Premiership expands to 14 clubs be sure EPCR will kick out the 2 non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs from the Challenge Cup and no Continental Shield spots would be available. Would they keep backing the tournament in this scenario? Unless they decide to expand the Challenge Cup. Would they?.

However, if the Premiership only expands to 13 clubs, there will be only 1 place left for non-PRO14/Premiership/Top14 clubs... They could give it indeed to the Continental Shield champions...

And there is always the possibility to see a new European team in the PRO14, such as the promised 3rd Italian...

Rumour that the Champions Cup will be cut down numbers wise, what that would do the the challenge is anyone's guess.

Fewer Challenge Cup teams so more teams for the Continental Shield?

[victorsra Profile Website]

3 competitions of 16?

The question is the comercial interest for the 3rd competition anyway. But it could offer real title oportunities for teams like Zebre, Dragons, etc...

In fact, the Challenge Cup doesn't need to mirror the Champions Cup, as Europa League doesn't mirror the Champions League.

[Canalina Profile]

Did the Enisey STM Calvisano final take place this weekend?

There's no Continental Shield final this year, the trophy wasn't awarded and probably there will be not a new edition of this competition

[Armchair Fan Profile]

VRAC Quesos Entrepinares says they want to play next Shield... now that the survival of the competition is more doubtful than ever
https://twitter.com/JuanCouselo/status/ ... 5442269184

[Canalina Profile]

and they also want to play a test match against Rhodesia

[Tiernster Profile]

Good to see. Spain is the most professional of the leagues in Western Europe outside the big 3 and they are needed for this to work.

Russian, Georgian and Romanian teams playing in one league as well as the best Portuguese teams joining Spanish league is also needed but that is a separate day's work.

[Canalina Profile]

Calvisano will play in Challenge Cup by their own. It’s a news of these hours. This could mean that the continental shield has some chance to go ahead. Because the admission of Calvisano in the upper cup proves that the shield is useful. And because in the opposite hypothesis the Italy Cup would have 11 competitors (the Top 12 minus Calvisano) and a 11 team competition divided in pools would be uglily lame

[Armchair Fan Profile]

You can always introduce Academia FIR team as 12th entrant.

[4N Profile]

You can always introduce Academia FIR team as 12th entrant.

That would be the sensible thing to do.

[Canalina Profile]

It’s a brilliant idea but it would force Serie A (the second category) to rest in the same days of the euro cups

[Tiernster Profile]

Any idea whether this will go ahead next year.

Looking at the current state of European rugby I would hope there could be 8 teams as follows

Rovigo, Petrarca, Reggio, VRAC, Batumi, CSM Bai Mare , 2 of Agronomia, Belgian XV(La Hulpe clearly too small to compete)
Krasny Yar & SC Frankfurt 1880 would be the reserve teams if some of the above are unable to compete.

Criteria for participation should be countries in the top division of the rugby europe championship. Each champion should have the opportunity to compete first , but secondly submit a national amalgamation of club players if deemed to be a better option. As Portugal are promoted now I think it should be them and not Germany.
Similar to UEFA qualification initial groups should be divided on a geographical basis. If a country has a team in the Challenge cup then the 2nd placed team in that country should be added to the reserve list(with the exception of Italy). This team may also be the champion of that country. Champions from the leagues below the top Rugby Europe Countries should then be added with the country most recently being in the top level of rugby europe having preference( after the 2nd placed /champion for the country already in Challenge cup), followed by the actual position in the rugby europe Trophy

I understand the lack of financial support for this competition currently but it seems to be a good opportunity to introduce Domestic players to a higher level of Rugby.

Group 1
VRAC
Portugal XV/ Agronomia
Rovigo
Belgian XV
(SC Frankfurt)


Group 2
Petrarca
Reggio
Batumi
CSM Bai Mare
(Krasny Yar)

[STMKY Profile]

Russia will be ready to put 4 clubs in a tournament like Italy. Krasny Yar, VVA, Kuban and Slava or Lokomotiv or Strela.

[Raven Profile]

Looking at the current state of European rugby I would hope there could be 8 teams as follows

Rovigo, Petrarca, Reggio, VRAC, Batumi, CSM Bai Mare , 2 of Agronomia, Belgian XV(La Hulpe clearly too small to compete)
Krasny Yar & SC Frankfurt 1880 would be the reserve teams if some of the above are unable to compete.

Why would you want to have all these Italian teams if it is well known that they don´t focus on this cup that much or at all?

This competition is dying because it´s not a real pathway for clubs yet. Maybe one of those things done ahead of its time. As much as I am in favor of a 3rd European comp, as long as there isn´t clear rules it will be destined to fail.

[Canalina Profile]

I think it's dying because there's too much gap between Tier 1 and tier 2 teams and between tier 1 and tier 2 crowds.
The board of a club playing in Continental Shield knows that to qualify for the Challenge Cup will be probably as to be thrown on a lions cage and that the amount of fans will not improve sensibly.
"So where's the point?" ask themselves many chairmen.
This is my suspect, at least. I'm curious to see what Calvisano will do next season, both on the field and as following on the stands

[Armchair Fan Profile]

Russia will be ready to put 4 clubs in a tournament like Italy. Krasny Yar, VVA, Kuban and Slava or Lokomotiv or Strela.

The problem is that by entering more Russian teams you kill the possibility of seeing Western European clubs. A trip to Moscow costs 10% of a senior top team in Spain.

[Tiernster Profile]

I know we have been down this road before but would entering lower ranked teams from the bigger 3 leagues in Europe help in making these fixtures more attractive.

Do Tier 1 clubs actually get TV money from EPRC. All you ever see mentioned is gate receipts so if Gate receipts is all that is possible is there a set of fixtures that could help these clubs while also increasing gate receipts.

If it comes down to financial support for these clubs do EPRC actually have the funds to help.

English Championship clubs used to play in the British and Irish Cup on European weekends. Welsh & Irish A teams did likewise. Pro D2 is obviously overly full with fixtures but maybe something is possible there. Would playing clubs like these as well as clubs from other tier 2 nations help the situation.

I appreciate the issue of a Spanish club travelling to Russia and you would hope that the group phase of any competition would at least be split geographically to minimise this requirement.


I'm aware of the Iberian cup past. Is there any movement in Spain and Portugal , particularly with both being in the top division of Rugby Europe to amalgamate their league and on paper increase the quality of the competition?

[Armchair Fan Profile]

No, there was two or three years ago but it is dead. You will only see Iberian Cup being played between national champions.

[Canalina Profile]

Rovigo, Petrarca and Valorugby, placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the last italian Top12, will play Coppa Italia in the incoming season, during the weekends dedicated to the european cups. This means that they will not play Continental Shield and that, therefore, very probably Continental Shield has been abandoned.
Sic transit gloria tertiae coppae

[Grzegorz B. Profile Website]

In the menu on the EPCR website, Continental Shield has also been removed.