Heineken Cup Reforms

So as the rugby season draws to a close I have decided to open one last decide, some food for thought if you'd like during the summer break.

The structure of the Heineken Cup is very topical at the moment after the French and English teams threatened to pull out once again, if this was to happen Europe's  premier rugby competition would cease to exist.

Also the recent draw for the Heineken Cup competition highlighted the lopsided  nature of the group phase.

I for one believe the competition needs many reforms and not just how teams qualify for the competition but also how the group phase works. I do believe the best team has won the competition over the past number of the years but their is too much good fortune involved during the competition that makes  the latter stages far more predictable then the group phase.

Current Qualification Format:

Places are awarded by country, with each country deciding how to allocate their allotted places:

• England: six teams (selected by performance in Aviva Premiership and Anglo-Welsh Cup)
• France: six teams (selected by performance in Top 14 Championship)
• Ireland: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
• Wales: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
• Scotland: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)
• Italy: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)
Starting with the 2009–10 season, the remaining two places in the 24-team tournament for the following season are filled by the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup.

Is the group phase ranking system working for the Knock-out stages?

No it does not if you look at the past three years of the competitions knock-out phase. Cardiff who were obliterated by Leinster in the Heineken Cup last season but are still number one seeds yet Clermont who were a whisker away from beating the champions are second seeds this time around. A far better system would be the winners of three leagues and the winners of the previous year’s Heineken Cup would be automatically be the top seeded teams for the following years. This format is clearly unfair and for the competition to reach its full potential it is essential the qualification format is fair for all teams and also the ranking system for the quarter finals needs to change. I think the simplest way is for the competition to move to a twenty  teams with four groups of five.

Some examples of the problems with the current format:

In the 09/10 season Munster played Northampton saints twice in the group phase and again in the quarter finals. The familiarity of the teams with each other made it boring for the neutral. The current seeds means this can happen any season if results fall a certain way.

12/13 draw for the competition was the clearest example of how good fortune plays far too much of an important role in the Heineken Cup. Look at Biarritz and Harlequins group who were drawn alongside Connacht and Zebre. Its Connacht's second year in the competition and Zebres first year in existence. Already these teams have a far better chance of qualify then say the teams in group six who are all evenly matched.

The current seeding system for the quarter final also handicaps the top seeded teams. Take this season’s draw for example. The number top two seeded teams will more than likely play either Leinster or Clermont in the quarter finals as one of them will qualify as the one of the best runners up. That is some reward for the so called top seeded teams.


Reforms Required:

Six teams from each of the RaboProDirect 12, Top 14 and Aviva Premiership qualify along with the Amlin Challenge winners and the Heineken Cup winners from the previous year would qualify.
The top two teams would qualify for the quarter final.

The teams would play each other once with two games away and two games at home.
The top seeded team in each group would play the third and fifth seeded teams away and play the second seeds and fourth seeds away.
The four group winners get a home quarter final. There would be an open draw to decide the pairing for the quarter finals.


Teams that finish third would qualify for the Amlin Challenge Cup

Some might say it’s not a European Cup without all countries being represented but akin to the Champions League it is not feasible for a team from every country to be represented in the group phase of the competition.


Closing notes:

People might think it is unnecessary to tinker with the current system but remember professional rugby is in its infancy and like its soccer counterpart, the champions league will undergo changes throughout the years to ensure it still provides the excitement, drama and most importantly high quality rugby matches to keep the fans in the stands happy.