Only spanner in the works is if Edinburgh win the Challenge Cup and would take Cardiff's spot if it happened. Can't see it mind, playing La Rochelle tonight who are on fire in the Top 14 right now and have actually picked a decent side for the game.

wp_rathead wrote: I know the Craggy Island Podcast lads were saying we'd want to face an away French team in Play off due to our record in England - but would we not be better off facing an away English team with the carrot of a home game against a probable French side?
Winning an away Semi in France would result in an away final, probably in England anyway

I kind of see your point - while our record in England is appalling, whatever way it plays out we almost certainly need to win in England to get through, so surely the route with a possibility of a home game (finishing 8th) is the easier.

The problem is for that to happen, we'd realistically need to start throwing games to finish behind Cardiff, which we're never going to do (it's repugnant, Cardiff are so poor they'd probably finish behind us anyway, you could get caught and fecked out of the playoffs altogether, and that's no way to prepare for a must-win game in England).

They are likely to be 6 points behind us after this weekend and up against Ulster and Ospreys in their next two games, so just one further win after Zebre probably puts us out of sight. It's as good as decided already so we'll have to suck it up and do it the (even) hard(er) way.

Yeah that's it. And it would save my bank balance

I know the Craggy Island Podcast lads were saying we'd want to face an away French team in Play off due to our record in England - but would we not be better off facing an away English team with the carrot of a home game against a probable French side?
Winning an away Semi in France would result in an away final, probably in England anyway

19/20/21 May 2017

Play-off 1: Aviva Premiership (currently Saints) v Guinness PRO12 (currently Cardiff)
Play-off 2: TOP 14 (currently UBB) v Guinness PRO12 (currently Connacht)

The Premiership and TOP 14 clubs will have home advantage

26/27/28 May 2017
Play-off Final: winner Play-off 1 v winner Play-off 2

The winner of Play-off 1 will have home advantage. So if you want home field advantage in final, need to finish in the worse Pro 12 playoff spot. Shocking twist that if the AP side win their SF, they get home advantage in final....

www.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionsc...lification/index.php

The winner of the playoff against the English team will have a home "final"

Tall Paul wrote: If Connacht get a home final play off ( the 9th pro 12 team)
Will we be allowed to play in the sport's ground.
Or will we have to play in a bigger ground like Thomand, or a GAA ground?

Not aware of any limits on crowd size. Sure the only way a Pro 12 side will be at home in the playoff final is if they both win their semi finals;)

Connacht haven't announced anything yet it's still rumour from Murray Kinsella

connachta wrote: Could be bad for us. If it means Grenoble is saved by that move, and Coulson cannot be released under his contract as "not relegated"...

Would this be a similar situation to Marty Moore. Once you sign a contract it's the point of no return.
Would Connacht announce a player who has not signed a contract?

If Connacht get a home final play off ( the 9th pro 12 team)
Will we be allowed to play in the sport's ground.
Or will we have to play in a bigger ground like Thomand, or a GAA ground?

Good reaction from Paris to beat Toulon but I don't expect either of them to finish seventh. Brive beating Montpellier, Castres losing at Grenoble and Bordeaux's win over Toulouse are probably all good results. Seven points covers 4th to 11th with a few games in hand thrown in so you can stick a pin in it, but as long as Toulon stay up there, Racing make a move upwards and Toulouse continue a their slump, you'd give Connacht a decent shot against any of the rest.
Looks like a bit of a try-fest in England. Northampton losing at home to Leicester while Quins hammered Falcons probably makes Saints the most likely seventh, but Bath could drop down there after getting stuffed by Saracens. Bit of a gap opening up below that to Gloucester.

phatguerilla wrote: Well there is also talk on the twittersphere that Stade might be demoted due to problems with money, which would go some way to explaining why the merger was on the table in the first place.

Stade needs EUR 10 million by the end of the season to remain in business. Half to cover the existing debt and the remainder to fund next year.

I expect Max Guazzini to ride to to the rescue on a pink horse sometime soon.

Well there is also talk on the twittersphere that Stade might be demoted due to problems with money, which would go some way to explaining why the merger was on the table in the first place.

Glad it's not happening but in one way im disappointed that we won't get to see the craziness and the fall out

rugbylad.com/breaking-the-stade-francais...ng-92-merger-is-off/

quality language Maybe we were right too soon...

St Placide wrote: Stop press: the fusion is off. Full details later!!!

Just the 27 players to find for next year then.