Why are there no Russian teams in the Amlin cup yet?

Why are there no Russian teams in the Amlin cup yet?

VVA-Podmoskovye have an operating budget over €3.5m
Yenisey-STM, with an operating budget of €3.5m
and Krasny Yar have an operating budget of 2.5m Euros

Surley these 3 teams have bigger budgets than a lot of the teams in the Almin.

Must be bigger than Club Rugby La Vila Comunidad Valencia, Bucharest Wolves and the 4 Itianian teams in the Amlin.

They may be big enough to have the top Russian team in the Russian League to get into the H-cup and the 2nd and 3rd places get into the Amlin cup.

VVA-Podmoskovye's budget must be around Aironi's, Glasgow's and Edinburgh's and this is before the extra income generated by the H-cup is included.

I'm aware these are operating budgets and some figures quoted for otherr teams are player budgets, but surly they are better finaceally than some of the clubs in the Amlin, and could be considered good enough to have a team in the H-cup.

Just a matter of time....more countries have teams that are improving.

Its good for European rugby...

Well I actually like the long term view of growth in the Rabbo. You wouldnt need to increase the amount of games either as instead of playing home and away legs against each team it could just be narrowed to one game which alternates between home and away fixture each year. To make this fair a Irish side would get say Home games as follows 2 Welsh Away, 2 Welsh Home, 1 Scottish Away, 1 Scottish Home, etc

I think 22 games - plus playoffs is the right amount for revenue and gametime. So essentially on the 1 game per team format you could expand it to 23 sides in the league if needed although less could equally be beneficial.

Would give it an interesting flavour anyway and could see expansion to Unions from Russia, Romania etc.

No way do I like the Pro 12 being increased, nor do I like the home or away, as that halves the Derbies and makes things unfair. one team gets Ospreys away while another gets Dragons at home.
The Pro 12 is fine as is with enough teams, and doesn't need messed with.

The Russian League (Professional Rugby League) will improve, as these teams get more exposure, in H-cup and Amlin cup, hence atrract better sponsors to the League, and given increased money.

Thats the way to improve them, not that the best and place them in a different League, thats still struggling to find it identity.

The Russian sides are the hesitant ones to join. The ERC have offered them a place in the past.

I dont think these teams will join the Pro12, the distances are just too great, a flight from Tbilisi to Dublin for example would be 5 hours, so that would put the away team. The Russian league is most likely going to become an 'eastern' Pro12 with teams from all over that region, with the Georgians possibly joining the the Romanians and Italians or something because of the political situation between the two.

As for the Amlin, its my lond held belief that it should be use as a competition with just a few teams from bigger countries to give the lesser teams somethind to aim at. Then have them moving on to the HC whem they become better and attract their better players or form their own leagues if numbers increase.

MBTGOG wrote:The Russian sides are the hesitant ones to join. The ERC have offered them a place in the past.

My understanding is the Russians have been lobbying hard to have their champions included in the Amlin Cup but a space hasn't been opened for them yet. Hopefully it will come in the next season or so though.