Global Rapid Rugby

[TovinoThomas]

Confirmed teams for Continental Shield Final, both finalists will be in next year's Challenge Cup

Enisey-STM (Russia's Professional Rugby League) beat Timisoara Saracens (Romania's SuperLiga) 58-52 across two legs
This will be Emisey-STM's 5th consecutive season in the Challenge Cup. Since the finals were introduced two season's ago they've won both times.
-Calvisano (Italy's Top 12) beat Rovigo Delta (Also Italy's Top 12) 57-43 across two legs.
This is Calvisano's 2nd time in the Challenge Cup, having featured in the 2015-16 competition.
Final will be played Saturday 11th May 2019, taking place before the Champions Cup Final in Kingston Park rather than St James Park.
OMobdro https://pnrstatus.vip/ https://sarkariresult.onl/
Quick explanation of the format for those not in the know: Continetal Shield is the contest for Rugby teams in Europe outside of the Big 3 leagues.
One side of the competition is an ever changing competition involving group stages featuring various teams from various countries. After the group stages there is a final across two legs home and away to decide a winner. The winner qualifies for next season's Challenge Cup. This year the winner is Calvisano.
The other side is the two teams that featured in that year's Challenge Cup playing each other across two legs, the winner qualifying again for next season's Challenge Cup. This year that team is Enisey-STM. The two teams will play to decide who is the Shield Winner.

 

[Kpc]

Hello from Russia! Everyone says that the EPCR has abandoned the Continental Shield. They do not want to allow clubs from Russia, Romania, Georgia, Spain, Germany to play with European top clubs in the Challenge Cup. Therefore, 99% participation of the Enisei-STM in the Challenge Cup 2019-20 (6 games from November to January) will be the last.
During these 5 years, the Enisei-STM has become the strongest in Europe outside the countries of 6 Nations. They won the Challenge Cup qualification 5 times in a row. They have 4 victories in the Challenge Cup (above Newcastle, Worcester, Newport and Brive).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenisey-STM_Krasnoyarsk
Another club from Russia - Krasny Yar due to restrictions on the part of the EPCR has participated in the Challenge Cup only once. They defeated Stade France in Krasnoyarsk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk
Both clubs are professional, the strongest in Russia. They play more than half of the players of the Russian national team, who will go to the World Cup in Japan. There are also many foreign players from different countries. In the championship of Russia, they have little intense games, so they are looking for an opportunity to play in international leagues. Rapid Rugby for two clubs from Krasoyarsk is a perfect tournament. Strong rivals and ideal dates for games from April to August.
Geographically, Krasnoyarsk is located in Central Siberia, this is North Asia. From Krasnoyarsk to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo are closer than to Dublin, London and Paris. This is a metropolis, with good infrastructure, a new airport. With a transfer in Beijing you can get anywhere in Asia and Oceania. Krasnoyarsk in 2019 took the Winter Universiade. Winter is cold, but the climate allows you to play home games in Krasnoyarsk 7 months a year (April - October).

 

[Rebels3]

Hello from Russia! Everyone says that the EPCR has abandoned the Continental Shield. They do not want to allow clubs from Russia, Romania, Georgia, Spain, Germany to play with European top clubs in the Challenge Cup. Therefore, 99% participation of the Enisei-STM in the Challenge Cup 2019-20 (6 games from November to January) will be the last.
During these 5 years, the Enisei-STM has become the strongest in Europe outside the countries of 6 Nations. They won the Challenge Cup qualification 5 times in a row. They have 4 victories in the Challenge Cup (above Newcastle, Worcester, Newport and Brive).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenisey-STM_Krasnoyarsk
Another club from Russia - Krasny Yar due to restrictions on the part of the EPCR has participated in the Challenge Cup only once. They defeated Stade France in Krasnoyarsk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk
Both clubs are professional, the strongest in Russia. They play more than half of the players of the Russian national team, who will go to the World Cup in Japan. There are also many foreign players from different countries. In the championship of Russia, they have little intense games, so they are looking for an opportunity to play in international leagues. Rapid Rugby for two clubs from Krasoyarsk is a perfect tournament. Strong rivals and ideal dates for games from April to August.
Geographically, Krasnoyarsk is located in Central Siberia, this is North Asia. From Krasnoyarsk to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo are closer than to Dublin, London and Paris. This is a metropolis, with good infrastructure, a new airport. With a transfer in Beijing you can get anywhere in Asia and Oceania. Krasnoyarsk in 2019 took the Winter Universiade. Winter is cold, but the climate allows you to play home games in Krasnoyarsk 7 months a year (April - October).

Welcome and thanks for your input. You never no in modern rugby with teams joining certain leagues

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Hello from Russia! Everyone says that the EPCR has abandoned the Continental Shield. They do not want to allow clubs from Russia, Romania, Georgia, Spain, Germany to play with European top clubs in the Challenge Cup. Therefore, 99% participation of the Enisei-STM in the Challenge Cup 2019-20 (6 games from November to January) will be the last.
During these 5 years, the Enisei-STM has become the strongest in Europe outside the countries of 6 Nations. They won the Challenge Cup qualification 5 times in a row. They have 4 victories in the Challenge Cup (above Newcastle, Worcester, Newport and Brive).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenisey-STM_Krasnoyarsk
Another club from Russia - Krasny Yar due to restrictions on the part of the EPCR has participated in the Challenge Cup only once. They defeated Stade France in Krasnoyarsk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasny_Yar_Krasnoyarsk
Both clubs are professional, the strongest in Russia. They play more than half of the players of the Russian national team, who will go to the World Cup in Japan. There are also many foreign players from different countries. In the championship of Russia, they have little intense games, so they are looking for an opportunity to play in international leagues. Rapid Rugby for two clubs from Krasoyarsk is a perfect tournament. Strong rivals and ideal dates for games from April to August.
Geographically, Krasnoyarsk is located in Central Siberia, this is North Asia. From Krasnoyarsk to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo are closer than to Dublin, London and Paris. This is a metropolis, with good infrastructure, a new airport. With a transfer in Beijing you can get anywhere in Asia and Oceania. Krasnoyarsk in 2019 took the Winter Universiade. Winter is cold, but the climate allows you to play home games in Krasnoyarsk 7 months a year (April - October).

How bad is the weather in March? As it's very likely GRR will start in March at the latest? It's also in not too bad of a timezone. They'd need to reach out to GRR for it to happen. Would certainly add a bit of difference to the competition.

I've actually managed to see a couple of Einsei's games over the years. They play quite an up tempo game plan which would fit in nicely.

 

[Kpc]

How bad is the weather in March? As it's very likely GRR will start in March at the latest? It's also in not too bad of a timezone. They'd need to reach out to GRR for it to happen. Would certainly add a bit of difference to the competition.

I've actually managed to see a couple of Einsei's games over the years. They play quite an up tempo game plan which would fit in nicely.

Usually in March from -5С to +10С. But every few years there may be -15C and a lot of snow. But this is not the main problem. After all, they can start the first two rounds on the away. The Russian national team until middle-March is playing in the Rugby Europe Championship. KY and STM will have to start without a few major players.

 

[Kpc]

I recall players from the southern hemisphere who played for Enisei-STM and Krasny Yar in different years. So you understand that Krasnoyarsk is not a deaf village. By the way, in 1992, Krasny Yar played at home against Barbarians, losing with a score of 21-32.

Enisei-STM: Australia (Richard Kingi). New Zealand (Ryan Bambry, Robert Malnik, Thomas Halse). Samoa (Jake Gray). Argentina (Federico Torres). South Africa (Brendan Owen, Dean Gordon, Jeremy Jordaan).
Krasny Yar: New Zealand (Marty Banks, Toby Morland, Glen Horton, Campbell Johnstone, Glen Gregory, Scott Cowan, John Dodd, Craig Clare, and others). Tonga (Eddie Paea, Fangatapu Apikotoa, Sione Fukofuka, Sunia Latu).
These are players that I remember, but more than 10-15 years ago several Fijians and South Africans played. Also for several years at Krasny Yar the coach was Tongan Siua Tuamalolo. He was called Seva in Russian. And in the Enisei, from 2019, the new coach for the defenders is South African Rynhardt van As.

 

[ForceFan]

Krasnoyarsk is the capital of the region with a population of >1 Million.
It is located in the magnificent Yenisei River and as it is only about 450m above sea level has a milder climate than most of Siberia. It is a prosperous city due to the large Aluminium Industry. It is located on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Although milder it is still very cold for all but 4-5 months of the year (May - Sep).
March average temps are ~0 deg C to -10 deg C. April +8 to -3. May +17 to +5. June +22 to +10.
It's not a good fit with Asia/Pacific during the period March to June.

I was fortunate enough to have spent 2 years in Russia prior to the GFC. Our regional office was located in Krasnoyarsk.

There is no doubt that Krasnoyarsk is the home of good rugby in Russia.
I've stood in the snow and watched games on grassless pitches.

However, IMO, to include Krasnoyarsk in the initial stages of GRR is impractical.
Much like Argentina, Krasnoyarsk doesn't fit well with any other competition.
It's a better fit with Northern Hemi competitions.

Krasnoyarsk is 1 hour behind Perth.
Total travel time from Perth to Krasnoyarsk is about 20 hours (at best).
Even gaining Tourist Visas can be a slow process/hassle and it is difficult to travel cheaply.
The easiest way is with an organised tour group. The Russians will be only too happy to take your $$s.

Krasnoyarsk teams may fit into one of the expansions for GRR (but probably not the 1st or 2nd) and could eventually be part of a Northern Conference in our time zone.
I'd certainly be interested in a Conference winners playoff in Krasnoyarsk between a Krasnoyarsk team and the Western Force.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Krasnoyarsk is the capital of the region with a population of >1 Million.
It is located in the magnificent Yenisei River and as it is only about 450m above sea level has a milder climate than most of Siberia. It is a prosperous city due to the large Aluminium Industry. It is located on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Although milder it is still very cold for all but 4-5 months of the year (May - Sep).
March average temps are ~0 deg C to -10 deg C. April +8 to -3. May +17 to +5. June +22 to +10.
It's not a good fit with Asia/Pacific during the period March to June.

I was fortunate enough to have spent 2 years in Russia prior to the GFC. Our regional office was located in Krasnoyarsk.

There is no doubt that Krasnoyarsk is the home of good rugby in Russia.
I've stood in the snow and watched games on grassless pitches.

However, IMO, to include Krasnoyarsk in the initial stages of GRR is impractical.
Much like Argentina, Krasnoyarsk doesn't fit well with any other competition.
It's a better fit with Northern Hemi competitions.

Krasnoyarsk is 1 hour behind Perth.
Total travel time from Perth to Krasnoyarsk is about 20 hours (at best).
Even gaining Tourist Visas can be a slow process/hassle and it is difficult to travel cheaply.
The easiest way is with an organised tour group. The Russians will be only too happy to take your $$s.

Krasnoyarsk teams may fit into one of the expansions for GRR (but probably not the 1st or 2nd) and could eventually be part of a Northern Conference in our time zone.
I'd certainly be interested in a Conference winners playoff in Krasnoyarsk between a Krasnoyarsk team and the Western Force.

Both teams could use Avanguard Stadium which after it's second stage is complete will have 5k seats, heated pitch, indoor running track and gym, extra training facilities and a small hotel. All built specifically for Rugby.

 

[Kpc]

Both teams could use Avanguard Stadium which after it's second stage is complete will have 5k seats, heated pitch, indoor running track and gym, extra training facilities and a small hotel. All built specifically for Rugby.

Krasny Yar can play their matches at the Central Stadium. There is also heating. I also see risks in March. But is it really impossible to resolve this issue so that Krasny Yar and Enisei play the first matches on away. And in April in Krasnoyarsk, normal weather for rugby.
Distances for the Southern Hemisphere, this is not a problem. Even conservative Europeans, who are always skeptical of those who are not in the 6 Nations, even they flew to Krasnoyarsk several times (Connaught, Bordeaux, Stade France and La Rochelle). The remaining matches were played in Moscow, Sochi, Krasnodar and Tbilisi. Also came their fans to Siberia.
Moreover, we do not know how many teams will be in Rapid Rugby. I read information about teams from South Korea, Malasia, about four clubs from Japan. Perhaps there will be two conferences North and South?
About the money. For Enisei and Krasny Yar Rapid Rugby is needed not for money, but to play with strong rivals. In Russia, they have almost no equal matches. They are not interested in playing there. If in Rapid Rugby you can earn and partially cover transportation costs, then good. This is a bonus. If not, no one will be upset in Russia. In the Challenge Cup, they played for their money at 100%.

 

[ForceFan]

Global Rapid Rugby rugby union’s future, says entrepreneur Richard Fale
Nick Taylor The West Australian Sunday, 28 April 2019

International entrepreneur Richard Fale has made a big statement. A very big statement.
"Global Rapid Rugby is the future of southern hemisphere rugby. Period," he says.
"It's a big statement but if someone had said Google was going to be the future of web browsing when it was in its infancy people would have said that was a big thing to say."

It's not a surprising statement given Fale is driving the Kagifa Samoa side in the GRR competition bankrolled by Perth mining magnate Andrew Forrest.

No doubt Rugby Australia's mandarins and their SANZAAR partners that run Super Rugby will disagree with Fale.
But they don't have the backing of Forrest who decided to go it alone after being outraged by RA's controversial 2017 axing of the Western Force from Super Rugby and their rejection of his $70 million offer to keep the side alive.

Fale adds: "Some of the biggest and greatest things have small beginnings, but having a billionaire backing the competition....I don't know if that can really be classed as a small beginning!
"When the model is refined I don't see how Rapid Rugby is not the future."

Fale, until recently the Republican whip in the Hawaiian House of Representatives, is chief executive of Pacific Sports International, a 12-strong consortium of former NFL players, all with PI heritage, who played rugby before being drawn into the US code.

Fale was born in Utah but grew up in Tonga and Samoa. "Rugby is where my heart is," he said.
"We believe in the talent capability, market ability and commercial viability of a Pacific Island team.
"This is going to be a clear path for Pacific Islanders to strengthen their rugby position in the world.
"There is no shortage of athletic talent. The quality of the athletes is unbelievable. It is an awesome problem to have.
"I had to make a decision on where I was going to invest my time and effort.

"Rapid Rugby is going to take a lot of my time away from Hawaii and I had to step away from the political arena.
"There was no way I could have worn both hats but this platform allows me to help Pacific Islanders across the globe."
Fale's group missed out on a bid for NRL's New Zealand Warriors and then turned down the idea of committing to a Super Rugby franchise.
"You can’t ask guys to put in $50 million to launch a Super Rugby team and then have the licence yanked from under you like they did to the Western Force and the Sunwolves,” he said.

"There were issues with Super Rugby and its commercial viability that we were not impressed with.
"It has to do with ownership rights, they could drop you from the competition whenever they wanted. It was a major problem with our investments because there's no security.
"Rapid Rugby allows for security for our investors. It allows us to build an asset that will grow in value as well as deliver a much needed product on the field with Pacific Island teams."

Fale's syndicate initially wanted a GRR side based in Hawaii but it was not sanctioned by the US Rugby Union.
"That side will have to wait but I absolutely see a future for Hawaii in Rapid Rugby," Fale said.
The Samoan side, named after a legendary massive wild fish that caused havoc, has joined Fiji Latui in the GRR showcase series Pacific conference.

South China Tigers from Hong Kong and Singapore-based Asia Pacific Dragons are in the Asia conference and GRR will expand next year with teams from Japan and Australia competing for a $1 million prize.
The Force, who are unbeaten at home against the Tigers and Dragons, play the return fixtures in the next two weeks before moving into their Pacific conference campaign.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

It's going to be a bit of a battle getting the sanctioning for the Hawaii based squad now that the MLR sanctioning has been ratified. I don't know how exclusive it may be but I certainly know who to ask. Not saying it's impossible but seeing as MLR has the sanctioning for professional Rugby in the US they may need to effectively negotiated with them as well.

 

[Kpc]

Director of the Enisei-STM Alexander Pervukhin wrote in his blog that they want to offer Israel Folau a contract for three months (November-January) to play for the Siberian club in play-off Russian Championship and play six matches in the European Challenge Cup. He writes that they do not have much money, but they can afford a short contract if the player is free at this time.
If Folau agrees, then I think this will be a good trump card for the negotiations of the Enisei-STM with Rapid Rugby. Then the Enisei-STM will make sense to sign a multi-year contract with Folau.

 

[formerflanker]

Director of the Enisei-STM Alexander Pervukhin wrote in his blog that they want to offer Israel Folau a contract for three months (November-January) to play for the Siberian club in play-off Russian Championship and play six matches in the European Challenge Cup. He writes that they do not have much money, but they can afford a short contract if the player is free at this time.
If Folau agrees, then I think this will be a good trump card for the negotiations of the Enisei-STM with Rapid Rugby. Then the Enisei-STM will make sense to sign a multi-year contract with Folau.

I can't see that ambitious plan happening.

 

[kiap]

It's going to be a bit of a battle getting the sanctioning for the Hawaii based squad now that the MLR sanctioning has been ratified.

The distance to these kind of places needs to be kept in mind. Otherwise the errors of Super Rugby happen again.

If you take a look at the current sorta scope of Rapid Rugby, it's geographically stretched already. It's like ten and a half hours in the air from Nadi to HK. They have (rightly) excluded teams playing out of South Africa, but even Samoa is a stretch - and they'll likely end up mainly in Auckland. Brisbane might've been another alternative, the only problem is it's in Australia. Kagifa Samoa will perhaps play the occasional game in Brisbane - same with Apia or beyond.

To be part of a regular league, though, Hawaii is too far away, in my view.

 

[kiap]

Talking of Kagifa Samoa, their jersey has been revealed. Looks good!

 

[Show-n-go]

The distance to these kind of places needs to be kept in mind. Otherwise the errors of Super Rugby happen again.

View attachment 10620

If you take a look at the current sorta scope of Rapid Rugby, it's geographically stretched already. It's like ten and a half hours in the air from Nadi to HK. They have (rightly) excluded teams playing out of South Africa, but even Samoa is a stretch - and they'll likely end up mainly in Auckland. Brisbane might've been another alternative, the only problem is it's in Australia. Kagifa Samoa will perhaps play the occasional game in Brisbane - same with Apia or beyond.

To be part of a regular league, though, Hawaii is too far away, in my view.

While the travel in super rugby has never been a positive, the main problem has always been time zones imo, Hawaii has a great time zone for tv viewing which I think makes it a viable option

 

[kiap]

While the travel in super rugby has never been a positive, the main problem has always been time zones imo, Hawaii has a great time zone for tv viewing which I think makes it a viable option

I do get that point. To a limited extent.

It's a helluva long flight to anywhere except Fiji and Japan, tho.

(Not counting the US mainland which is their primary link)

 

[formerflanker]

Hawaii?
I can see many business meetings scheduled there if a rugby team gets up.
Oh...and a few family holidays from Oz.

 

[kiap]

Haha. Always wondered why conferences I used to go to somehow often ended up being in Vegas ... It's a long way for a jolly!

Anyway, I suspect Hawaii is on the back burner and won't be happening next year or anytime soon.

This comp has still yet to get off the ground. Even in a non-expanded format it's going to cost.

 

[Kpc]

I can't see that ambitious plan happening.

So another six months before the start of the Challenge Cup. There is a lot of time to negotiate with Folau. But first, Pervukhin should talk to the sponsors and the Russian Rugby Union.