YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

And... breathe

That post makes far too much sense for your suggestions to be implemented rossie!

God I wish we had managed to lure Cronin back west, and nacewa will be missed perhaps more than anyone by leinster next year.

One more year!

At 21-3 to Leinster, it is looking good for next year.

i think that the english rugby public in general believe that irish rugby and the ERC are one cosy cartel who look after each others interests. Thats the opinion on english club forums, its the opinion held publicly by chairmen of tigers, sarries and the PRL. its echoed by many british rugby journos as a result. They probably believe that if france have 7 spots so should england and wasps are being denied this by the cartel. crazy but a popularly held opinion atm.
I think that if France and england were granted 7 hec spots each with pro12 retaining 10 but qualification based solely on pro12 league finish position, Bt were granted shared tv rights for english home games with sky and the comp knockout stages finished in april there could be a deal very quickly.

Hardly worth getting upset about. Have Edinburgh, Zebre or even Cardiff done anymore to earn their spots? Will clubs be any happier to see Connacht in their pool than Perpignan or Exeter or Wasps? As it was Connacht won more pool games than 9 of the other teams and an equal number to 4 others. Is the fear that the longer Connacht get to hang around with the big boys the better they'll get?

Hell, he talks down the All Blacks. He sets the bar a little high

And 'smooth talking Irish bast*rd' is a redundant phrase. There's no other type of Irishman.

ummm, wrote: I'm wouldn't single Jones out as being anti-Connacht, he's just anti-everything and occasionally we're the target. He's a mouthpiece, just like Francis, and paid to be a contrarian.

Had the old qualification based on league standings been still in effect we'd have qualified already this year without having to wait on tonight's result, so the whole premise of us not doing anything to deserve qualification is based on a lie.

Let it go, his opinion is not fact, and entirely worth ignoring.

He's definitely got a bug up his ar*e about Irish Rugby over the years though, keeps talking us down in his pieces. He must have been rejected by the Irish Time as a fledgling journo, or lost a young love to a smooth talking Irish bast*rd :whistle: or something, he's a Taff who social climbs by sucking up to the English...

I'm wouldn't single Jones out as being anti-Connacht, he's just anti-everything and occasionally we're the target. He's a mouthpiece, just like Francis, and paid to be a contrarian.

Had the old qualification based on league standings been still in effect we'd have qualified already this year without having to wait on tonight's result, so the whole premise of us not doing anything to deserve qualification is based on a lie.

Let it go, his opinion is not fact, and entirely worth ignoring.

This line of attack is annoying me now.

Jones has been openly anti Connacht for the last few years! Perhaps more importantly his commentary and analysis has been openly hollow and irrelevant for even longer.

I am not going to try and say we have earned the right to play in the top tier competition but anyone who genuinely thinks it is as simple as us pigging backing on Leinster's success would not be looking at the full picture.

Look at the historical funding shortfall we receive from HQ compared to the other provinces, by virtue of our development province status the IRFU guaranteed Ulster, Leinster and Munster HC qualification at our expense.

So any scraps we get IMO we owe nobody nothing!

He is right though (apart from the 4 out of 5).
Connacht have been given a free pass into the Heineken Cup for the past 2 years and possibly next year.
However, the only way that can change is:

1: Qualify automatically. With the way the other three provinces are playing, I cannot see that happening for a while.
2: Get past the group stage of the Heineken cup and prove that the ranking system is flawed.

Also, I don't believe that we owe Leinster any gratitude.
I severely doubt that Leinster's main motivation this weekend is to get Connacht into the Heineken Cup.

not much love for us on twitter, munster and leinster fans sticking up for us. some twat wrote to michael corcan saying that we would be 4th time in the heineken in 5 years.

Terry Burwell ‏@26eltel 12h
@PaulMorganrugby @michaelc_rte Connacht set to qualify for @HeinekenCup for 4th time in 5 yrs without ever earning it themselves @ercrugby

then the biggest twat on twitter stephen jones Sunday Times rugby correspondent, took it on himself to retweet this without checking the facts (surprise surprise). 9,933 poor souls being feed wrong information, i guess thats what happens when you choice people like him to follow

pinky wrote:
We actually can't get Perpignan

There are 7 French teams (if we get through) in which case one group will have 2 teams. Unless I'm missing something we can get Perpignan from Tier 2 or either Racing or Castres from Tier 4 if we're drawn with 2 French teams??

salmson wrote:

croket wrote: Go Leinster, Go Connacht, Go Perpignan

Amen to that, sir, maybe we'll draw Perpignan if all goes plan tomorrow night.

We actually can't get Perpignan, as we have to get a French team from Pot 1 if we're in the H Cup, so the only other French team we could get is the lowest ranked one (Racing). On the other hand, if Stade spoil the party, we'll both be in Pot 1 in Amlin land.

Stade are 5-1 to win the cup with PP, probably better odds elsewhere, but I have stuck a tenner on it to soften the blow should the worst happen.

Very unlike PP to get it glaringly wrong, they have only moved it down from 6-1 after the teams were named so I am quietly confident Leinster will do the job.

On the other hand listening to a few of the podcasts over the last few weeks, collectively they have made it clear that they were determined to win the Rabo (for obvious reasons) and the Amlin would be a welcome bonus.