By Barry
October 28th 2009 @ 1:30am
Loading ...Super Rugby’s 2020 vision
Crusaders' Andy Ellisleft, bottom left, tackles the Waratahs' Dean Mumm as his captain Phil Waugh jumps to make room for a pass during their Super 14 rugby union game at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, March 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
I had a dream. In my dream, the year is 2020. The conference system has worked well for Super Rugby, and the tournament has undergone rapid expansion.
The financial and management structures undergirding the tournament and individual franchises have changed somewhat, as have the structures undergirding Super Rugby itself.
Countries such as South Africa and New Zealand no longer support professional franchises plus extra professional teams in their national domestic competitions. Instead, there has been a merging of the second and third tiers.
There are now 10 franchises playing out of the New Zealand conference. They are the same (soon to be) 10 teams from their ANZC.
There are 10 franchises playing out of the South African conference, with a similar set-up to New Zealand.
There are 10 franchises playing out of the Australian conference (8 from Australia, plus 2 from Japan).
And there are 10 franchises playing out of the American conference (4 from Argentina, 3 from the US, and 3 from Canada).
The teams from Australia are Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies, Force, Rebels, a team based in Western Sydney, a team based on the Gold Coast, and a team from Adelaide.
Unfortunately, still no Pacific Island country is able to support a franchise.
However, a concession has been made to allow all teams to have an extra international player from the Pacific Island’s without jeopardising them from playing for their own country of origin during the international season.
This has opened up a potential 40 extra positions on top of the number of overseas players different countries allow their teams to have.
The tournament within each conference is basically a national domestic competition with an international finals system.
Within each conference, all the teams play each other twice (home and away) with the top 2 from each conference moving through to a final 8 knock-out tournament (3weeks). At the same time the teams ranked 3rd and 4th from each conference move through to the Plate finals, using the same knock-out structure.
There is the usual three week break during the tournament for the June internationals.
There are plenty of games for Pay TV, and they get the pick of the round; but there are also plenty of games left over for local FTA TV to pick up – which they do!
The Super Season runs from March through to mid-August, followed by the 4 Nations played over 8 weeks (involving Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina).
And the year ends with the November tour.
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(16)
Working Class Rugger said | October 28th 2009 @ 1:52am | Report comment
Not a bad vision there Barry. One thing though. I’d like to think that by 2020 we could possibly have a 5 or even 6 Nations. Hopefully.
Robbo said | October 28th 2009 @ 6:21am | Report comment
Here’s a more realistic vision for 2020. 6 teams from Australia (Vic and W. Syd), 6 from NZ (Auckland 2nd team), 6 from SA, 2 from Argentina.
allblackfan said | October 28th 2009 @ 6:45am | Report comment
How about this one?
Super rugby is no more.
SA and NZ have reinvigorated their domestic competition while Australia have finally sorted out their domestic needs.
True Tah said | October 28th 2009 @ 7:26am | Report comment
I agree Allblack fan.
Top 4 from each of the Currie Cup and Air NZ Cup qualify for SH hemisphere Cup. Top 2 from Australia and the Pacific Rugby Cup also qualify = 12 team competition.
Alternatively we could include Argentina and split the tournament into a Pacific and Atlantic conferences. This would remove some of the costs, as you would have the winners of each conference play off against each other. Potentially you could include Japan in the Pacific Conference.
Alternatively let South Africa focus on Currie Cup and maybe develop a relationship with Argentina, historically south africa has contributed a lot to Argentine rugby.
Australia, NZ, Pacific, Japan develop the Pacific Championship. Top 4 from NZ, Top 3 from Australia and Japan, Top 2 from Pacific. Four pools of three, with everyone playing each other home and away. Winners of each pool then go to next round, again on home and away, then we have the final. This would help get Pacific some Pay TV $$$ which they sorely need.
Would remove the costs of travelling to South Africa.
As always Australia is the fly in the ointment, but I propose that the teams each nation puts forward do not necessarily need to be provinically based, Australia could nominate the best three club teams in Australia, say the grand finalists from the Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra comps play each other with the best three qualifying. In both Japan and Argentina, the game is club based. The problems with implementing a regional system in Australia are associated with the clubs, they actively tried to undermine the ARC. Seeing their sides getting smashed by the Kiwi sides would certainly put them in their place, and maybe help them come to the realisation they need provincial/regional sides.
Sides for regional comp = WA, Vic, ACT, Qld, NSW Country, Parramatta Rams, Sydney Waratahs, South Australia.
Brett McKay said | October 28th 2009 @ 8:07am | Report comment
AB Fan, tell us how we finally sorted out our domestic needs!!! Was there a lot of blood-letting?!?!
I’m still a fan of Chig’s time travel idea from Monday…
Klestical said | October 28th 2009 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
I think super rugby sucks to be honest. I don’t like how teams are split up provincially, but I suppose that’s the way things are likely to stay. I think even having south africa stretches it. it should be australia, new zealand and pacific islands.
As for the “future” I just don’t understand how adding the united states, canada, or argentina etc to create some sort of world league split into conferences can make a better product, they are in other parts of the world and therefore shouldn’t be in the same competition. I can understand Japan, as it is in a timezone similar to our own.
Instead of this expansive Super Rugby, why can’t we have some sort of Rugby Champions League… every 2 years the best clubs fight it out. Do it like India has, keep it in one country, as a proper tournament. There is already the Heineken Cup, but I think one step further would be fantastic.
Willem said | October 30th 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Mate without South Africa the Aus and NZ unions will lose major television revenues, it would be financial suicide as south africa currently contribute 60% of the super rugby revenue.
Bay35Pablo said | October 28th 2009 @ 7:36am | Report comment
Was JON explaining all this in a power point presentation in the dream? I think this is what he envisions.
8 teams per conference might be more realistic.
True Tah’s outline also is viable. Although it would involve SANZAR deciding to end Super rugby, which would be a huge step. They will persist with it despite there being some limitations starting to show up. Once started, hard to go back.
True Tah said | October 28th 2009 @ 7:46am | Report comment
It is a case of killing the goose which lays the golden eggs.
The problem is supporters having patience, and people these days are no longer patient, they want instant success and gratification. As a North Sydney and Waratahs supporter Ive learned that sometimes you need to be patient, in the US, some teams in NFL/MLB have waited something like 50 years to win. Ireland won the Grand Slam this year for the first time in 50 years.
I just hope a long term view is taken, and maybe the ARU needs to elect its management with this in mind…I work in an organisation where the top brass are on short term contracts for three years and it does not encourage any long term thinking, more a case of what can this three years do for me and my resume.
Bay35Pablo said | October 28th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
TT, agreed. Being a Balmain fan in league taught me that.
The fairweathers come and go, but the rusted ons stay and slowly build. I still remember my first S10 game v Western Provence in 1994, with 12K crowd and that was huge for then. Now we’d turn our nose up at that number.
I think the problem is we had it so good through to 2003, that all the rusted ons got false hope, and thought the good times were here for ever. Now they have the slump that comes about 11.30am when the first 3 coffees are worn off and the sugar crash comes. Some of the rusted ons seem to be losing heart, when really we are still better off than we were 20 years ago in many ways, and in comparing ourselves to NRL and AFL we are kidding oursleves we are in the mix. Slow and steady wins the race. Plan for 20 years not 20 months time. Olympics, international code, etc.
I am re-signed for 2010 tahs pass. Same boys on again, all 7 of us. We’ll be cheering on Berrick, giving Rocky curry for being a traitor, and getting fired up next year.
LeftArmSpinner said | October 28th 2009 @ 8:06am | Report comment
thats where it is headed. What you didnt dream was that club rugby has returned to its tribal amateur roots, and is now pulling larger crowds and has local support along with its own internet based TV channel.
sheek said | October 28th 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment
Ah Leftie,
In 2020 the national comp includes the 12 Sydney PR clubs, 10 Brisbane PR clubs, Canberra & Perth. And Melbourne replacing one of the first 22.
A 24 team club national comp. Yeah, I’d like to see that?!?!?!?!?
But it’s only a dream…..
Steve said | October 28th 2009 @ 8:19am | Report comment
Super Rugby will always be around. Here is my vision.
Australia has 8 teams, Melbourne, Western Sydney, Gold Coast and Adelaide. Pacific Islanders manage to get 3 teams, one from Fiji, one from Samoa, one from Tonga. PNG also have a team(hey its 2020.) Argentina have 2 teams. NZ and SA have expanded there countries to 8 each. Free to air television is all on. Tri-Nations is 8 weeks. A 4 week competition involving Samoa, PNG, Fiji and Tonga and Japan. is like a 2nd tier Pacific Nations cup. There is still no more Australia A program.
I want to see PNG get more involved, even though they aren’t strong. An inclusion in a program like this could see their league players transfer to Union.
Bay35Pablo said | October 28th 2009 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Steve, having some experience in having visited PNG and Fiji, I’ll be cruel and say each country is playing the right code ….
But having said that, there are some PNG boys that would razzle dazzle in union. That Will Genia for one …
allblackfan said | October 28th 2009 @ 10:08pm | Report comment
Since you asked, Brett …
club level — the weaker clubs in Sydney (and Brisbane) club comps will merge to form a “regional” side capable of taking on the stronger sides like Sydney Uni. This is already starting to happen in Western Sydney.
Province — NSW and Qld to be joined by non-S15 ACT side (Brumbies or something else), Melbourne, Perth and other sides from the Shield comp (Tasmania, Northern Territory, Adelaide. Note: The Australian Rugby Shield was an even more national competition than the AFL.) Draft/Origin system to be implemented to farm elite players out to weaker sides (hey, if Drew Mitchell is happy to play for Balmain!!?!) Given the rate at which some major sponsors are dropping NRL teams, there is an opportunity to secure major sponsorship dollars.
Super 15 — in time, national spread at provincial level will feed new up-and-coming talent into established S15 sides.
National — Wallabies to benefit from strong widespread two-tier domestic system.
Bay35Pablo said | October 29th 2009 @ 11:19am | Report comment
The arbitration decision on Melbourne v Southern kings is expected within 2 weeks. See http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26273490-5015651,00.html