The Six Nations committee, based in Dublin, is set to take up the running of the competition and proceeds will be shared equally between the leagues, with additional money for clubs that reach the knock-out stages.
The RaboDirect Pro12, which resumes this week, will see their club’s participation reduced from nine to seven. The top club from each country, represented in the Pro12, will qualify, leaving the other spots up for grabs.
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As the league stands now, the Pro12 qualifiers for the 2014/15 Heineken Cup would be: Leinster, Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Treviso, followed by Munster, Ulster and Scarlets. Connacht, as Ireland’s lowest placed side, are currently nine points behind Scarlets and that final qualifying position. There is no better time, then, for Connacht’s three-match winning run to develop into a table-climbing streak.
Connacht inside centre Dave McSharry told TheScore.ie his team are confident of recording their fourth successive victory, away to Dragons on Sunday, and finishing the season as high as possible. “We want to push up the table,” he said. “We have a block of six games left and believe sixth or seventh position is achievable.”
McSharry on the run against Toulouse. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The western province have participated in the Heineken Cup for the past three seasons, developing a taste for giant-killing exploits. As well as four wins over Italian side Zebre, there have been famous home wins over Biarritz and Harlequins, and a stunning triumph against four-time Heineken Cup winners Toulouse at Stade Ernest Wallon.
McSharry, who featured in the Connacht backline against Toulouse, added, “We have been told that we should be able to qualify if we finish sixth. That is our aim now. We want to be able to qualify off our own bat. If we can finish sixth we won’t need help from anyone else.”
Heineken Cup rugby has come courtesy of Leinster’s Heineken Cup victories in recent seasons and last May’s Amlin Challenge Cup win over Stade Francais.
Victory over Dragons at Rodney Parade, on Sunday, could elevate Pat Lam’s men as high as seventh. The Welsh side have dipped since a strong start to the season, which included wins over Leinster and Ulster. Next up for Connacht, on the weekend Leinster and Munster clash at Lansdowne Road, is an away date with Scarlets. If the winning streak can stretch to five, heading into April, the qualification picture may look clearer yet for the westerners.
Connacht’s match with Dragons will only be screened live on BBCWales, with TG4 showing highlights at 17:40. Both @connachtrugby and @rugby_ie will be tweeting updates during the match.
Seventh is good enough this year, but then after that it will only get them into a 4 team playoff even if they come 4th in the league.
At the end of the day, England bullied and lied it’s way to everything it wanted, serious millions. The Frenchies just caused mayhem for the benefit of domestic politics, who knows what goes on in their mad heads. The Welsh were exposed to be really weak and spineless, sad really, like golumn desperately searching for his precious, and the scots, well, the scots have worms, haven’t they. oh yeah and the useless Italians played their crap hand and then came crawling back, as if anyone cared.
And us fookin paddies? What do we get out of this nightmare passage of European bs politics and powerplays? No chance for Connacht and we’re gonna lose the HQ of the tournament. More unemployment! Brilliant! Honestly, did we lose a war or something?!
I would have thought that a HC winning team will ensure an extra qualification spot for their competition. Eg if Leinster win HC, rabo league get an extra qualification spot. As is the norm in these competitions, guaranteeing the winner of the HC, qualification the following year incase their not in the top 6 in their domestic league.
Qualification will be tougher, but the new system will make the Rabo much more interesting, will attract more viewers and eventually better sponsors, feck it we should embrace it.
The problem that I see however is with the agreement being made between sky sport and BT is to split coverage, so in order to watch HC at home you will need 2 subscriptions!!!
It’s entirely possible that zebre will qualify ahead of treviso going on current form. Interesting battles all over the pro12 now, top to bottom. Really hope connacht get the 6th spot, but is it right to say that 6th won’t guarantee qualification?
Its a bit unfair for the lower teams, the later they release the official qualification procedures the more difficult it will be for lower teams to make any move. Ideally it would have been agreed and released a season in advance, ideally!
At least this will give Connacht a chance of qualification without relying on a favour from the other provinces if we hadnt started the season so poorly we probably would have had 6th this season will need to win almost all of the remaining games to finish 6th now. This change should an extra edge to the league and more entertaining games.
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Seventh is good enough this year, but then after that it will only get them into a 4 team playoff even if they come 4th in the league.
At the end of the day, England bullied and lied it’s way to everything it wanted, serious millions. The Frenchies just caused mayhem for the benefit of domestic politics, who knows what goes on in their mad heads. The Welsh were exposed to be really weak and spineless, sad really, like golumn desperately searching for his precious, and the scots, well, the scots have worms, haven’t they. oh yeah and the useless Italians played their crap hand and then came crawling back, as if anyone cared.
And us fookin paddies? What do we get out of this nightmare passage of European bs politics and powerplays? No chance for Connacht and we’re gonna lose the HQ of the tournament. More unemployment! Brilliant! Honestly, did we lose a war or something?!
The tournament HQ will be based in Dublin.
I would have thought that a HC winning team will ensure an extra qualification spot for their competition. Eg if Leinster win HC, rabo league get an extra qualification spot. As is the norm in these competitions, guaranteeing the winner of the HC, qualification the following year incase their not in the top 6 in their domestic league.
Lucerne actually not Dublin.
Qualification will be tougher, but the new system will make the Rabo much more interesting, will attract more viewers and eventually better sponsors, feck it we should embrace it.
It should improve the rabo.
The problem that I see however is with the agreement being made between sky sport and BT is to split coverage, so in order to watch HC at home you will need 2 subscriptions!!!
It’s entirely possible that zebre will qualify ahead of treviso going on current form. Interesting battles all over the pro12 now, top to bottom. Really hope connacht get the 6th spot, but is it right to say that 6th won’t guarantee qualification?
Even though there’s been a lot of hassle, next year we’ll have a stronger and more consistent Heineken Cup, and also a more interesting Rabo
Its a bit unfair for the lower teams, the later they release the official qualification procedures the more difficult it will be for lower teams to make any move. Ideally it would have been agreed and released a season in advance, ideally!
At least this will give Connacht a chance of qualification without relying on a favour from the other provinces if we hadnt started the season so poorly we probably would have had 6th this season will need to win almost all of the remaining games to finish 6th now. This change should an extra edge to the league and more entertaining games.
Dragons didn’t beat leinster at all this year, we beat them at the RDS and also at Rodney Parade.
Haha best joke all year
Must have missed that time Dragons beat Leinster Patrick?
would you expect them to say anything other than that?