neill_m wrote: www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-...eferees-16181071.amp

Worth a read. Q&A with Greg Garner the boss of the Pro 14 refs.

One obvious solution to the high cost of neutral officials that isn't mentioned is to use English officials for games in Wales and Scotland. Much cheaper than flying them in from Ireland or Italy. You could balance it out by getting Nigel and Bew W to ref a few Premiership games, though that shouldn't even be necessary as their higher playing population surely means they have a surfeit of qualified refs. Greg Garner should have the contacts to sort that out.

It's conceivable that they are deliberately not announcing it as it could be advantageous for a team to lose a game in order to get a better conference. Or they are just waiting to see how it pans out in case their proposed system leads to very imbalanced conferences, in which case they just come up with a new method.

Evil_g wrote: It's a bit of a joke that we go into the last weekend of the regular season without knowing whether, and how, results affect something as important as our conference for the next two years.

Indeed the Pro 14 aren't big on communicating. Only source for the method of deciding the conferences going forward was a press report and in addition no official word how the league would distribute a bonus 8th Heineken spot, although La Rochelle look warm favourites to get that.

www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-...eferees-16181071.amp

Worth a read. Q&A with Greg Garner the boss of the Pro 14 refs.

It's a bit of a joke that we go into the last weekend of the regular season without knowing whether, and how, results affect something as important as our conference for the next two years.

From what I can see it will work out the Connacht are in with Munster again regardless. If Munster get ahead of Leinster then that means Connacht will drop below Ulster and it's as you were. If Leinster stay ahead of Munster they will be one and Ulster four, so all provinces will switch conference.
Scarlets will move into Conf A with the loser of the Cardiff Ospreys game staying there and the winner will move to B to join Edinburgh, Treviso, Dragons and Kings.

For me Edinburgh Treviso Dragons Kings beats Glasgow Zebre Scarlets Cheetahs, regardless of which way the Ospreys Cardiff gig goes. So better if Leinster beat Ulster or we beat Munster.

If we assume the Welsh press report was accurate 're the rejig, Munster on 73 can overtake Leinster 75 as Ireland 1 which would keep things as they are.

Things have got spicy in Wales with Anscombe joining the Ospreys. So he is playing for his current club v future club in winner takes all game in R21 to make the Euro Playoff and be Wales 1 in B.

No official announcement yet from Pro14 to confirm the conference re-jig for next season, and I don't think it was reported anywhere else other than Wales Online, so I'm wondering if it's actually definite.
But as it stands, Ulster must be favourites to get ahead of Connacht and get the spot in Conf B with Dragons and Kings. They'll surely be facing a Leinster A side. Granted they'll probably be taking no chances themselves with us lot coming up the following week.

pinky wrote: No, they won't do that. It would mean over a month off for the teams involved.

Which would leave them 2 options - have the play-off (was on weekend of SF last season) with the loser hoping the league get an 8th spot or no play-off with best side outside the top 3 getting the 7th spot and then the next best the 8th. No doubt the Pro 14 will explain it fully well ahead of time;)

No, they won't do that. It would mean over a month off for the teams involved.

Another curve ball is that the Pro 14 Euro playoff may not take place until the weekend of May 31 - Jun 2 as the Top 14 only finishes the weekend before and La Rochelle are just outside the Top 6 and it may come down to the last game to see if they make the playoffs. They could well be in an all French Challenge Cup Final.

pinky wrote:

neill_m wrote:
:lol: In simple terms if the league gets the extra spot, it goes to the side with the most points who aren't in a qualifying position!

Except that's not confirmed yet - the proposed system from last season won't work this time around as I mentioned in what is in retrospect probably the wrong thread. My latest prediction is that the extra spot would just go to the playoff loser, but Pro14 haven't confirmed it. I even went so far as to email them to ask, though even as I was typing it I wasn't naive enough to assume they would actually know the answer.

One final consideration is the seedings for the Champions Cup draw. It is important to finish above the third team in the other conference so we get into at least Pot 3 (unless the other crowd go ahead and beat Munster or Glasgow away in the QF). So Ulster losing would help in that respect. Treviso losing would also help but I think we've decided we'd prefer them to win for various other reasons.

EDIT: Where are my manners? Obviously Ulster losing won't help you neill_m

Tis true the Pro 14 have not confirmed the scenario for the extra spot and also true that they would not reply to a tweet/email/letter etc in regards to the subject. The Heineken draw is another factor again, the loser in the QF round with fewer points and the Euro playoff winner from the league will be in Pot 4.

Fully expect Treviso to beat Munster 3rds, Ulster were in Pot 4 this year and made the QF!

neill_m wrote:
:lol: In simple terms if the league gets the extra spot, it goes to the side with the most points who aren't in a qualifying position!

Except that's not confirmed yet - the proposed system from last season won't work this time around as I mentioned in what is in retrospect probably the wrong thread. My latest prediction is that the extra spot would just go to the playoff loser, but Pro14 haven't confirmed it. I even went so far as to email them to ask, though even as I was typing it I wasn't naive enough to assume they would actually know the answer.

One final consideration is the seedings for the Champions Cup draw. It is important to finish above the third team in the other conference so we get into at least Pot 3 (unless the other crowd go ahead and beat Munster or Glasgow away in the QF). So Ulster losing would help in that respect. Treviso losing would also help but I think we've decided we'd prefer them to win for various other reasons.

EDIT: Where are my manners? Obviously Ulster losing won't help you neill_m

salmson wrote:

neill_m wrote: The European spots add another element to it:

Pro 14:
Confirmed: Leinster, Glasgow and Munster
TBC Ulster, Connacht and Treviso.

The Play-off would have Cardiff Blues at home to Edinburgh. If the Pro 14 get the 20th Heineken spot, then Cardiff Blues would be in automatically with an Edinburgh Ospreys playoff.

Right, think I've got that now...

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... or maybe not.

:lol: In simple terms if the league gets the extra spot, it goes to the side with the most points who aren't in a qualifying position!

neill_m wrote: The European spots add another element to it:

Pro 14:
Confirmed: Leinster, Glasgow and Munster
TBC Ulster, Connacht and Treviso.

The Play-off would have Cardiff Blues at home to Edinburgh. If the Pro 14 get the 20th Heineken spot, then Cardiff Blues would be in automatically with an Edinburgh Ospreys playoff.

Right, think I've got that now...



... or maybe not.

Scarlets are still just about there. Good chance they'll get 10 points. Unlikely they can get second though, and would a trip to Llanelli be that bad? I suppose Treviso is still the best option, despite the season they're having (though it could be costly to get there at short notice).