RaboDirect PRO12 - new Magners Sponsor

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/9118.php

RaboDirect New League Sponsors
8 June 2011, 10:45 am
By The Editor
It was announced today that RaboDirect, the online banking arm of Rabobank, will become the new sponsor of Rugby's premier professional club competition in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
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From the start of the new rugby season, the competition formerly known as Magners League will become the RaboDirect PRO12.

Commenting on the new four year sponsorship John Feehan, Chief Executive of RaboDirect PRO12 said: “We are delighted to welcome RaboDirect as our new title sponsor alongside our new brand PRO12 . Securing the support of an international business with the reputation of the Rabobank Group will raise the profile of the RaboDirect PRO12 and enhance the investment in the competition. The Rabobank Group are active and engaged sponsors of a number of sporting properties worldwide, including Holland, Italy and Australia and we look forward to working with them.

We are very excited to welcome RaboDirect as our new sponsor at a time when we are launching our new Brand. Our competition has experienced a huge growth over the last few years and it was time to move it to the next level. Our new brand, the PRO12, encapsulates the structure, growth and energy of our competition. We look forward to working with RaboDirect, developing and nurturing the RaboDirect PRO12 competition for many years to come.”

Securing the support of an international business with the reputation of the Rabobank Group

Oh dear!
The Pro12 now linked up with a bank!!!

Receivership followed by bailout next?

Firstly, awful name.

Secondly, I don't feel comfortable at all with having a bookies sponsoring the League.

"The Heineken is important, but the RaboDirect is the real bread and butter"
"The RaboDirect is where it's at!"
"Anyone fancy a nice cold pint of RaboDirect?"


It's not working, is it?

Never heard of them!

Just goes to show...I had actually heard of Magners cider even though I'd never drunk it.

So what will we call it? The Rabo?

I guess we need a new name to stand alongside the Jeff. The Maggie?

Or to pick a Celtic name, the Owen/Eoin/Ewen?

And I really don't like the "Pro12" part, it makes the league sound like it's on a par with the French second division, the Pro D2.

Cari why not call it the Pro12?

Or the hooker on Castle Street?

In Ireland, Rabodirect are known as Rabo and are an online bank. Parent company Rabobank are best known as the most aggressive chasers of property developers through the courts - dead keen on getting their money back. And unlike our crashed banks, Rabo are very solvent - bit unusual that these days so the sponsorship money seems safe.

Awful name that for the league though

ospreylian wrote:Securing the support of an international business with the reputation of the Rabobank Group

Oh dear!
The Pro12 now linked up with a bank!!!

Receivership followed by bailout next?

From wiki:

Rabobank (Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A.) is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking. The group comprises 141 independent local Dutch Rabobanks, a central organization (Rabobank Nederland), and a large number of specialized international offices and subsidiaries. Food & Agribusiness is the prime international focus of the Rabobank Group.[1]

The bank has a AAA credit rating from the rating agencies Moody's (since 1981), Standard & Poor's (since 1981) and DBRS (since 2001), which makes it the only private bank in the world with a triple-A rating. Global Finance currently ranks Rabobank 6th in its survey of “the world’s safest banks”.[2]

Kiwireddevil wrote:I guess we need a new name to stand alongside the Jeff. The Maggie?

Or to pick a Celtic name, the Owen/Eoin/Ewen?

Genius! The Euan/Eoin/Owain it is! Oh wait....is there an Italian name like that? Actually I think The Rab would be OK?

Pro12 - sounds like a medicine you take for mental health problems.

RaboDirect PRO12

Doesn't that just roll of the tongue...............

Its funny that the Magners league was always called by its sponsors name - going forward, I truly believe people will only say the pro12 bit.

Bad idea!

Snappy name

Cari wrote:The Rab would be OK?

I have it.... The Nesbit!

Magners site is down now. You can see the new logo here. Think it will be just known now as the Pro12.


http://www.magnersleague.com/

The Rabid Dozen!!

I think it has a ring to it.

Doesn't have a great ring to it does it? Give it time maybe.

Pro12 - I'm happy with it.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:The Rabid Dozen!!

I think it has a ring to it.

I like that. Alternatively we could always call it The Rab C Nesbitt Cup...being as Scotland won't have much involvement elsewhere

I think we should call it the Lesley. Or the Ann.

Not really, it'll probably end up being known as the Rab, which isn't too bad.

Robocop league?
Or is that only for people over the age of 30?

Can I just check - is this for the 11/12 season or the 12/13 season?

RaboDirect Pro 12???

I'll just call it the Pro12, like the french Top14

Hobo, it's for this upcoming season

Ok, awful name, hideous colour scheme and a distinct problem with finding a decent nickname aside...

It took years for the Celtic league to attract a sponsor. It's a great sign that it took a lot less time this time round.

greybeard wrote:Ok, awful name, hideous colour scheme and a distinct problem with finding a decent nickname aside...

It took years for the Celtic league to attract a sponsor. It's a great sign that it took a lot less time this time round.

Agreed on all the bad stuff

but this is a big safe bank coming in and sponsering our league.
It is also a truely eurpoean company that could have some influence in reaching non rugby outposts of europe

Could we see the Grand Final being held at a neutral venue with the new sponsorship? Amsterdam maybe.

greybeard wrote:

Cari wrote:The Rab would be OK?

I have it.... The Nesbit!

Right with you on The Nesbit, greybeard - lines up nicely alongside the Jeff

I am in favour of the grand final being in a neutral venue but for the time being it should be kept within the league, so maybe Italy? Give them a final may get more people in on the league and such

The Jeff & Nesbit, sounds good to me!

i will probably still know it as the magners,
but i think celtic pro 12 sounds ok otherwise pro 12.

I just tweeted this but thought I would share it here!

I hope the refs are renamed Rabo Cops - now theres an opportunity to generate cash for the respective associations!

Hobo wrote:I just tweeted this but thought I would share it here!

I hope the refs are renamed Rabo Cops - now theres an opportunity to generate cash for the respective associations!

Rabo Cops

"you have 10 seconds to comply.....or have the penalty reversed!"

Naw, it's tha Nesbitt aw riiiii!

So now we have the Pro 12, the Top 14 and the Super 15.

This is going to seriously restrict the English should they ever decide to go for a short, zippy title.

The Terrific 12 perhaps.

Frantic Firteen?

It'll just become known as the Pro12. That sounds fine to me.

RaboDirect Pro 12?! Bleurgh. It'll never be the same. As if anyone in Ireland has money to invest in a bank. Or would if they did. The Celtic League is the perfect opportunity for alcohol companies to sell to their target audience - the Irish. Even the Jaegerbomb League would have sufficed.

I'd like the see the Man of the Match have to do a jaegerbomb

Nesbitt was also suggested on the Ospreys facebook page by someone else just now.

I suspect most will just call it the Celtic league.

As if anyone in Ireland has money to invest in a bank!

Pro 12 sounds ok to me, but I guess most will just go back to saying celtic league (Plus Italians)!

Rabo cops for refs - thats genius!

So what will the MOM get now it used to be a magners bottle didn't it? Maybe they get a demo of how to use the online banking!

Mass boycott of RaboDirect bank? Everyone should also just refer to it as the Magners - it'll soon stick.

Nesbitt's alright. Though I'm also a fan of calling it the Doalty. Either that or The Brian. I think the Jeff and Brian goes well together.

Impossible Standards wrote:
So what will the MOM get now it used to be a magners bottle didn't it? Maybe they get a demo of how to use the online banking!

That's a very valid point. I know that when Tommy Bowe won Player of the League in 2010, he got a years supply of Magners cider. What will the winner get this time? Free banking? A credit card?

Cari wrote:

Impossible Standards wrote:
So what will the MOM get now it used to be a magners bottle didn't it? Maybe they get a demo of how to use the online banking!

That's a very valid point. I know that when Tommy Bowe won Player of the League in 2010, he got a years supply of Magners cider. What will the winner get this time? Free banking? A credit card?

Isn't banking and credit cards free anyway? I don't remember having to pay to use my bank or get a credit card. Maybe he'll just get a cash prize. 10,000Euro of taxpayer's bailout money?

Robo Cop 12 is a sound name.

Imagine if the confussion if you hadnt added the Italians though

The new sponsors for the magner leagure have been announced,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/13693548.stm

The competition will now be called the RaboDirect PRO12,

Which is a bit wordy - So, as on old 606, the old Guiness Premiership became the Jeff - named after one of the posters daughters pets,

It is time we make a new nickname for the ML,

Any suggestions?

It is time we make a new nickname for the ML,

Any suggestions?

[/quote]

I said it above, and a few others have been suggested. I think the Brian.[quote]