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I began commenting on this thread in the belief that the Spears had been "promised" a position in the S14 at the expense of the lowest placed SA team in the 05/07 season, and that seems to have been a decision reversed by SARU. My point was that it is that decision and behaviour I disagree with. To me it smacks of changing the rules once the outcome doesn't go your way, i.e. there was an original agreement to apply relegation and promotion and now there isn't. If I got that wrong then clearly the rest of my comments are misplaced.
The ongoing banter with Happy which include references to English Soccer etc are all a distraction from the original thread but nonetheless good debate (what this site is all about and a change from talking about homework or spelling )
Frontrow you I am sure are not alone in agreeing with Happy's point of view on relegation, in fact in Australia you are most likely in the majority, I still choose to disagree.
Interestingly for me this is a subject (ring-fencing of leagues) that is back on the agenda in the Guinness Premiership. Every so often the RFU discuss doing away with relegation and trot out the same supporting arguments (much along the lines of Happy - so you can see his point of view is widely accepted). Thankfully they have until now always lost the argument as the general consensus see that Rugby Clubs are and must be run as a business, a franchise if you like, and it is a fact of life that there are risks in business.
The possibility of failure exists in any industry; IMHO it does not stifle investment (as stated by the old f*rts at the RFU in the article I have linked below), it encourages it - as only the businesses who invest in their future will thrive. Remove that risk (relegation) and you just become soft and lethargic. In a ring-fenced league it will be possible (I am not saying that happens, but it could) for a team to have a rubbish structure, no development goals and no ambition, to always play poor rugby and continually finish in last place in the league, safe in the knowledge their place is safe and they can start again next season...not my idea of a successful league.
No matter, Ulster away at Connacht and Bath v's the Ospreys for me this week, oh joy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugb...sh/5405124.stm