Heniken Cup: Gatland calls for changes to quailifaction

[Thequeerone]

Gatland wants Euro qualification to be tougher

Gatland wants Euro qualification to be tougher - WalesOnline

WARREN GATLAND has called for Heineken Cup qualification from the Magners League to be made tougher.

Wales’ Grand Slam coach has joined a growing body of opinion that the current qualification system for Europe should be ripped up.

The New Zealander, who has coached in Ireland and Wales, wants the top eight teams in the Celtic League to qualify for Europe, regardless of what nation they come from.

Under the current system, Wales are always guaranteed three qualification spots for the Heineken Cup, while the Irish have the same.

[thunderchicken9]

I see the logic in Mr. Gatland's argument. I don't have a big problem with the top 8 teams qualifying; 8 teams is a pretty fair representation for the Magner's League. I think more times than not each nation would be represented somewhere among the 8 teams. The nation that has the most to risk, due to having the fewest teams, is Scotland. I really can't foresee both Scottish sides being at the bottom simultaneously, ( Borders was dissolved in order to strengthen Edinburgh and Glasgow, right?) but then again any thing's possible in sports...

[jargan83]

i assume that at the moment the qualification goes to the top ranked sides from each nation? I think Gatland is on the money here. So what if someone misses out. If a team misses out because they weren't good enough to make the top 8 it should be motivation to make the grade the following year.

The important point would be that you don't want teams qualifying for Europe just because they were filling a national quota. You could have a team finishing down the bottom of the league and still making it
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[fulvio sammut]

What do they do to the poor quail when they quailifact it?

[welshrugbyfan]

This will either clarify or confuse things even further.

• England: 6 teams (selected by performance in Guinness Premiership and EDF Energy Cup)
• France: 6 teams (selected by performance in Top 14 Championship)
• Ireland: 3 teams (selected by performance in Magners League)
• Wales: 3 teams (selected by performance in Magners League)
• Scotland: 2 teams (selected by participation in Magners League)
• Italy: 2 teams (selected by performance in Super 10 Championship)

The remaining two places in the 24-team tournament are allocated as follows:

• One team comes from France, England or Italy; this place is allocated to the country whose team progressed further in the previous season's Heineken Cup. For example, Toulouse have progressed further in the 2007–08 competition than any English or Italian team, so there will be seven French teams in the 2008–09 competition.

• The final team is the winner of a playoff between the best-placed team in the Magners League who has not already qualified, and the best-placed semifinalist in the Italian Super 10. The playoff is a single match, which takes place alternately in Italy or the home of the Magners League side.

[Thequeerone]

So we are not going to see Toulon Versus the Ospreys or anyone else ...