TOP 14. VIDEO. Discover all the summaries of this 3rd day, from the victory of Racing to that of MHRAfter three days of Top 14only one club is still undefeated after the defeat of Toulouse à Pau the Stade Rochelais. The Maritimes are off to a good start after winning the title in Champions Cup. They are four steps ahead of Antoine Dupont and company as well as the champion of France from the Hérault. But the pack is not far behind as from the 4th to the 7th, four formations have the same number of points (8). A ranking that is bound to evolve as the days go by. But for some, like former player Jean-Baptiste Lafond via Rugbyrama, there will not be many changes as far as the big teams are concerned: "You'll see that in three or four months, the rankings won't have changed significantly."
He sees three teams dominating the season, namely La Rochelle, Montpellier and Toulouse, and share the podium and a direct qualification for the semis. Which clubs will be in the Top 6? Behind these three leaders, he sees the Racing 92 finish 4ᵉ or 5ᵉ then UBB carried by its public and Urios. This leaves only one place for the play-offs. “There is a chair for five or six clubs, namely Clermont, Paris, Castres or even Toulon and Pau who will flirt with the Top 6 and who will hang it one day. And according to him, "it's too little.” The fight will be fierce once again and there are bound to be disappointments, as there are every year. "I will suggest a solution to avoid bloodshed, clubs gutting each other and coaches jumping. But also to satisfy the sponsors, the public and the fans." His solution? A quarter-final.
These put* of play-offs occupy a day of championship. So whether it's a quarter or a playoff, it's the same. So, I suggest that the first meets the eighth, the second meets the seventh, etc, at home in the quarterfinals. That way everyone will be happy. It will ease the tension."
 
I'm for it. It doesn't change much in the calendar. On the other hand, it is necessary to give a title and a "carrot" (financial and seeded status for the European Cup draws for example) for the one who finishes first. It would be less valuable than a Brennus but it would be fair to reward regularity. And since the disappearance of the duManoir, there is only one title for everyone, a 2nd one would not be a luxury (and it should be awarded retroactively to the clubs n°1 of the ranking since the passage in single pool)
To really ease tensions and see BeauJeuVillepreux, it would be necessary to pass to a top16 with a final phase which would start from the eighth finals.
the 1 meets the 16 the 2 meets the 15... 😉 😄
Everyone would be happy.
More seriously, a final phase of 3 matches that calls into question a ranking obtained after 26 days seems to me a bit superfluous and, in my eyes, lacks sporting interest.
But on the other hand, a Brennus is recovered after a final so it is difficult to reconcile these 2 visions...
JBL... saloon door kicker...
#habahmincewas satisfied
Pity buddy, last night I saw JB Lafond on video!
Yeah, so what?
And then, I don't know if you noticed, but this guy always looks like he's drunk?
But what's the impression!? 😄
I am sorry to say that you are all off the mark.
You comment then that you have a fan's eye that loves the beautiful game and wants to protect the players to have high level games.

Nonsense.

I remind you that the decision makers are grouped at the NRL and that they are the club presidents. His proposal has a much better chance of being validated than a move to a top12.
Indeed, the decision makers will surely be interested, but that's not why it's good...
Especially since there are more voters in ProD2 (16 clubs) than in Top 14, so it seems to me unlikely that they would vote to reduce their chance to reach the upper echelon
Semi-final directly instead
This is not a relevant idea at all!
"And what are you going to sing for us?
And your parents ... Where are they in the room?
- Is that the bearded groos over there?"

And well...Everyone has won...!! "
Poor JB Lafond !
Or else we can also say that the 14 teams are qualified and reversed in the final phase, so that "it will ease the tensions", the blood will not flow, the clubs will not kill each other and the coaches will not jump...
The logic of some is beyond me...

This championship is perhaps one of the most balanced in the world. It offers us surprises every year, and nobody can say in advance who will be champion. Why would you want to change something that works? The only justification that could lead to change the Top 14 in my opinion should be the reduction of the number of games, but unfortunately, this would imply a top 12 or even a top 13 with a different team at rest every week.
Especially since the renewal is finally quite fast.

5 years ago, the 6 qualified were Montpellier, Racing, Toulouse, Toulon, Lyon and Castres. In his crystal ball, Lafond sees only 3 of these teams qualify, so a renewal of 50%.

Knowing that with the professionalization of rugby, less and less medium-sized cities can survive in the elite, we must indeed expect to see the same names again, and it is not 1/4 finals that will change much, but I notice that each team knows bad years, even the Stade Toulousain has had some dark seasons recently

Personally, even if I remember with nostalgia the endless finals before the introduction of the single pool, I don't think that giving more tickets for the finals will improve the overall level. On the contrary, it would increase the number of deadlocks during the season as the qualifying places are cheaper. And I don't think anyone misses that.
I agree with you except on one point, this one:
"Knowing that with the professionalization of rugby less and less medium-sized cities can survive in the elite"
I don't know, but for the moment, it's not true: Bayonne, Brive, Pau, Castres, La Rochelle are not big French cities. But they benefit from a real fervor around their rugby team, from a public. We could even mention Toulon and Clermont which, although more populated, are not major metropolises either.
In short, in all these towns, the club is even often a standard for the city at the national level and even for some European (La Rochelle, Toulon) and I believe that it is what allows them to release local financing and even of companies with international fame (Michelin for Clermont, Fabre for Castres, Sodebo in La Rochelle).
I'm not sure it's going to stop anytime soon, as evidenced by the significant investments made in many of the clubs mentioned above.
It is precisely the play-offs that should be eliminated and start directly with the semi-finals...
But play-offs bring money to the clubs so...
That's it! I've been saying it for a long time, I see that I'm not the only one! I even go further by proposing a final between the first and the second, like that, no more dead ends, it is necessary to work all the season to be in front and that would make gain dates. The only drawback is that the duplicates handicap some teams for a part of the season and distort the equity! But the doubloons are an aberration of which we are not ready to see the end, because dough! The broadcasters make the law and do not care about the health of the players! Bread and games and the good people are happy, the rest is literature 😕 😝
Exactly, and it rewards the first 2 who have a weekend of rest in addition.
It also allows to have the 2 halves in the same city, which makes a nice event
L’important serait de promouvoir LE GRAND N’IMPORTE QUOI……En plus je suis sur que la ligue y travaille sérieusement…Tristesse…….
What was on the menu last night, JW Carte Noire 🥃 Havana Club 10 años? Don't tell me it was at the Picon/Beer 🍺😜
It attacks the beer picon
With a parade of elephants in the head 🥴
Then it turns to this 😜
No the first one meets the 14th one, the second one meets the 13th one etc.... All in South Africa in 3 matches won
Why in South Africa when there are brand new air-conditioned stadiums in Qatar?
Everyone is trying to reduce the number of matches and is suggesting that they do more.

Replacing the players with robots works. 🙄
It would only be one more game for 4 teams, the 2 first and the 7-8, so they would play as much as the play-offs. But I don't think it's a good idea
If not, we'll start again with a top 16.
We do the 8th, the quarters, the semis and a final.
In one month the championship is over
4 pools of 16 otherwise, with a round of 32, so that Biarritz can perhaps dream of maintaining its position
Well no, we make a top 16 for the ranking and then we attack the 8th...
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