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A huge row has broken out in European rugby over the decision of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Rugby Unions to pay tribute to the forthcoming Royal Wedding.
At a special press conference in London yesterday it was announced that there are plans for all UK and Irish rugby to have a special royal programme of events at games this weekend. The unions are insisting that all games honour the importance of the occasion by including speeches, patriotic songs and flag waving.
Furthermore, 50% of all gate receipts and merchandise sales in European rugby this weekend will be donated to a special Royal Wedding Fund. Only the French Rugby Federation has opted out of the arrangements although it seems they were under severe pressure to come into line.
The plans have been received with an equal mixture of pleasure and resentment within the rugby community and several member clubs of the RFU, WRU and IRFU have called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to address the matter. However, with so little time left before the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton it seems unlikely the measures will be overturned at this late stage. Instead legal action and High Court writs seem imminent.
The plans are believed to have originated among several senior members of the Home Union committees who have been serving since before the advent of professionalism in 1995. It seems they were anxious to show the game's 'traditional spirit' and their individual support for the heir to the throne.
The main features of the weekend's activities include:
* Half of all proceeds from Magners League and Heineken Cup games to go directly to a special Royal Wedding Celebration Fund.
* English National anthem to be sung prior to Newport Gwent Dragons v Cardiff Blues on Friday (as a mark of thanks for the match being given permission to go ahead on the same day as the wedding). Players expected to sing along, regardless of nationality.
* All kits in Magners and Heineken Cup to carry Union Jack embroidery (French teams excluded) for weekend. Irish teams also exempt from this but compiling would be 'huge gesture for international relations'.
* Flags and bunting to be displayed at grounds.
* Any players red carded or cited for foul play this weekend to face harsher bans than usual as sign of rugby's respect for the royal couple and the institution of the monarchy.
* All winning teams to be presented with a 'Royal Wedding Trophy' to commemorate the occasion.
Newport Gwent Dragons have lashed out at the WRU for giving away 50% of their income without consulting the region first and have threatened to not play 'God Save the Queen' as instructed. However, a spokesperson for the WRU said that as the Queen is the Patron of the WRU and Prince William is a Vice-Patron the union is morally obliged to donate to 'such a happy and momentous occasion'.
"Besides," continued the spokesperson, "I would remind the Dragons how much funding we give them throughout the year, so I hardly think a small donation on a day of such national importance is much to ask. As for complaints about playing the English anthem at Rodney Parade, many would consider Newport a part of England anyway. So it really is a fuss about nothing."
Supporters of the plan within the RFU believe the weekend can be used as a platform to reignite interest in the game from those in the Home Counties who may have 'slipped or drifted away from the game' in recent years.
"The monarchy has been a great supporter and patron of rugby union from the very early days of the sport in the nineteenth century," said RFU committee member and House of Lords member Alfred Milton. "The game may be professional now, but we must hold ourselves to the very highest standards and act with dignity and pride. The very least we can do this weekend is offer something back to those who have given us so much. This is a weekend of rugby for the people, by the people and of the people. Cry God, William and Saint George!"
The diplomatic storms in the UK are nothing to the outrage building up on the streets of Dublin, however. The IRFU face a revolt amongst their membership and supporters for their agreement to 'partially decorate' the Aviva Stadium in honour of the royal couple for this weekend's semi-final clash between Leinster and Toulouse.
The IRFU are defending their stance claiming it is good public relations ahead of the historic visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Republic this coming May.
The controversy is the biggest of its kind in rugby union since 1901 when England fullback Edgar Elliot was forcibly retired by the RFU and made to work as a Buckingham Palace servant for the rest of his life as a gesture of respect from the union due to the death of Queen Victoria.
People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner! https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21
Mark Webster is a standout bet here against Terry Jenkins @ 2/1.
Jenkins, the treble killer, has cost me more money betting than anyone or anything alive but he loves to play the bigger names and is always the underdog. He's the favorite here and trays unusual for him.
leave for an afternoon to play golf and the whole place turns into Naziland. This is clearly what happened to the Weimar Republic. One afternoon of golf then bang their out.
USD will continue weak too and I expect previous lows to be breached this year
who did you do the reverse tracker through?
ProShares - I bought their UltraShort S&P500 ETF (NYSE: SDS), which double inversely tracks the S&P500, bought on 11th Jan 2008 and sold on 9th Oct 2008 for an almost 100% gain, sold just in time too, bear run was ending and bull run just around the corner. Oh, and an unexpected benefit - since the ETF holds lots of good (but hopefully overpriced) companies' stock, you also get dividends!
ProShares - I bought their UltraShort S&P500 ETF (NYSE: SDS), which double inversely tracks the S&P500, bought on 11th Jan 2008 and sold on 9th Oct 2008 for an almost 100% gain, sold just in time too, bear run was ending and bull run just around the corner. Oh, and an unexpected benefit - since the ETF holds lots of good (but hopefully overpriced) companies' stock, you also get dividends!
wp, who/what did you use to buy Proshares?
X can be anything, any number, that is what’s CRAZY about X.
Because X doesn’t roll like that, because X can’t be pinned down!
Ah, just through my Davy account - was always happy to pay a little more compared to the discount brokers (have been disappointed by discount brokers in the past) for a broker I could actually walk into if I had a problem... though now it maybe seems like I should have gone for an overseas broker just so any cash in the account won't be in jeopardy should we somehow leave the euro suddenly.
Guys the problem is not Barca or the Special ne or whatever poncy name he likes to style himself.
FIFA is the problem.
The game is set up to reward cheating. Cheating wins games thus making money therefore it becomes the defining attribute of the game. FIFA for whatever inexplicable reason refuse to act against the cheating even to take the simplest measures to discourage it.
Mickey Mouse game plain and simple.
Now maybe I'm watching the wrong games, I watch very little soccer but I would guess that maybe one in ten games I've seen could be described as entertaining.
Soccer is the beautiful game, the true world game. That’s because of the basic dynamics of the game. Right now, kids all over the world who have never heard of FIFA or UEFA are playing the game in streets, in parks, in school yards, and in their dreams.
So why do you dislike the game so much? It’s a sport. Sport is a positive force.
Most times when you post on soccer it is chavball this or chavball that. I just get the impression from the tone of your posts that you have a seething hatred for the game.
All sports generate inane arguments among fans. You just see so much among soccer fans because it is such a popular game.
Finally on the subject of cheating I remind you of this beaut from your beloved rugby. Premeditated, involving players and staff.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ppwVqvTipU[/ame]
Soccer is a great sport. Embrace it baby.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Going by the first 18 mins of this game Villarreal at 9/2 looks like valooo. Porto look ridic vunerable at the back.
Strange old game. Villarreal could have been out of sight at half time but were only 1 up. I greened up for small, lucky too because Porto absolutely smashed it in the second half. Manager must have given some inspirational speech at the break to get that reaction. Their Striker Falcao looks Cavani esque in the air. Great game.
Going by the first 18 mins of this game Villarreal at 9/2 looks like valooo. Porto look ridic vunerable at the back.
Strange old game. Villarreal could have been out of sight at half time but were only 1 up. I greened up for small, lucky too because Porto absolutely smashed it in the second half. Manager must have given some inspirational speech at the break to get that reaction. Their Striker Falcao looks Cavani esque in the air. Great game.
Im all emotional now to be honest. He is just a legend and a nice guy to boot. Goals he scored were unreal and to go through the Munich air crash and lose your friends it must have been so hard to go play football after. Just a genius.
Strange old game. Villarreal could have been out of sight at half time but were only 1 up. I greened up for small, lucky too because Porto absolutely smashed it in the second half. Manager must have given some inspirational speech at the break to get that reaction. Their Striker Falcao looks Cavani esque in the air. Great game.
Every big club who are looking for a manger will be fighting over Villas Boas in the summer.
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