Ian Flanagan: 'I think everyone in Ireland who likes their rugby would go back to the old ERC format'

OLD FORMAT: Ian Flangan would revert back to the old Heineken Cup format in a heartbeat as Munster struggle to sell out games for Champions Cup. Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

If Ian Flanagan could return to the old Heineken Cup competition set-up, he would do so in a heartbeat after revealing he believes the current format is impacting Thomond Park attendances.

Munster Rugby did as much as any participant to put the European club rugby tournament on the map, its exploits during the late 90s and 2000s engaging supporters in a way that captured the imagination of a much wider audience.

Yet the reduction in pool games under current Champions Cup structures from six under the old format to four has in the view of the Munster CEO, diminished the narrative surrounding the competition’s rivalries while the streamlining of the early stages from six pools of four teams each until 2013 to the present one of four pools of six each via a two-pool system of 12 clubs each has confused supporters to the point where sell-out fixtures are no longer guartanteed, including their own home games against Stade Francais and Saracens this season.

“We didn't sell out either of the two European games, we sold out the Leinster (URC) game but that would be an area of the budget where we would probably be off and we’ll have to make that money up somewhere else during the season,” Flanagan told the Irish Examiner.

“Yeah, certainly people have issues with the format. If you could give me a magic wand I would absolutely go back to the older (pre-2013) ERC (European Club Rugby) format. I think everyone in Ireland who likes their rugby would go back to the old ERC format. It was three home three away, everyone loved it.

“I'll use the Stade game. That was a passionate game, they had two players sent off, the crowd’s blood was up. There was nothing that the people in the ground, the players, the supporters, people watching on TV would have wanted more than for us to go down to Stade and have a rematch with them. But now we might not have play them for a few years now and that will all be forgotten.

“It takes away that wonderful element, people love that kind of rivalry and we haven't had that opportunity. I'm sure Sarries would have loved the chance to have had another go at us after our game as well.

“So that takes away a big narrative thread, I think it takes away one of the things that made the original Heineken Cup great. and then fundamentally we get two guaranteed home pool games now versus three, so that has a significant financial impact.

“Don't forget in the URC we also have fewer games than we did previously. Match days are very important to us and the fact we have fewer match days now makes it harder because you're more reliant on that knockout income and you're more reliant on generating income elsewhere.

“But fundamentally, the new format for our supporters, for the supporters of the other three provinces, they would all be of the collective view that it’s not as good as the Heineken Cup.

“The problem is this is the format that we have and I don't have a magic wand. The French clubs are locked into a Top 14 TV deal, which is very lucrative but it means they only have eight weekends available for European Rugby and not the nine you would need for the previous format.

“So look, the reality is I would love to go back to the old model, whether it'll happen or not, who knows. I think, as a general point, there's been an awful lot of format changes and as we saw with Super Rugby previously, the more format changes that happen, the more people lose interest and the more people find it difficult to understand.

“I do think on the positive side, some of the games have been excellent, our game against Northampton, case in point. Some of the games haven't been competitive but don’t forget there were dead rubbers and non-competitive games in the previous format as well. But it's certainly a factor the Heineken Cup games used to be unmissable games, I think you can see across the four provinces now that a lot of people don't view them as warmly as they would have done the previous Heineken Cup games.

“Don't forget also, there was a fourth Irish home international in November this year. Played on the same weekend as a URC weekend, played on the same day we had a home game against the Lions. So I think all of the provinces are of the view that that was probably an additional ask that wasn't there before and people are making decisions, you know, four games in Dublin in November.

“Then big Champions Cup games, big interpros, Christmas bills to pay. There's only so much disposable income to go around as well.

“So I think that's a factor but I think the format, people have fallen a little bit out of love with it and are effectively saying ‘I'll wait to the knockouts because that's a format that I understand’, and unfortunately, we don't have a magic wand to go back to the old format.”