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Quick Quiz: which of the top ten rugby nations doesn’t have a national comp of any consequence? Don’t know? Let me make it easier.
Which of the big four Southern Hemisphere nations doesn’t have a national comp of any consequence – South Africa, New Zealand, Australia or Argentina?
Still don’t know?
Try Australia.
It’s a damning indictment of Australian rugby that, firstly, we don’t have enough participation players of a particular standard to play in a national competition. And secondly, that we haven’t yet been able to inaugurate a national comp. Although it hasn’t always been from lack of trying.
Consider the following:
2007
The ARU under Gary Flowers implemented an 8 team national club Australian Rugby Championship (ARC). It lasted just the one season.
The 30 leading WRC squad players were deemed ineligible, robbing the comp of its very best players. High player relocation costs and ground hire fees, and poor location allocation of franchises contributed to the downfall of this competition.
2006
The ARU implemented the four team Super franchises Australian Provincial Championship (APC). It also lasted just the one season.
I’m still not sure why this comp was canned. Maybe the media and sponsors just weren’t interested, which is a pity.
2000
The ARU implemented a six team second tier national region Australian Rugby Shield (ARS). Despite changes in both the name and location of teams, and format of structure, the comp still survives.
1996
ACT Brumbies was created as third Australian Province to join NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds in S12. In 2006, WA Force joined expanded S14 comp.
To this day, New Zealand rugby and South African rugby are subsidizing Australian rugby, because without the Super 14, we would be totally lost. Maybe it suits New Zealand and South Africa to help us out?
1968/77
Ambitious national competition titled ‘Wallaby Trophy’ implemented, involving wight unions in two divisions. First Div – Sydney, NSW Country, Queensland, Victoria. Second Div – WA, SA, Tasmania, Qld Country.
The concept of this comp was sound, but the timing was lousy. Australian rugby was both very amateur and weak all-round in the period 1968/77. Whether perseverance would have succeeded is something we will never know.
1930s
Victoria emerged as genuine “third force” in Australian domestic rugby. At least once each between 1930-39, it beat NSW and Queensland.
WW2 stopped the development of Victorian rugby dead in its tracks, much to the detriment of the national rugby game as a whole.
1882
NSW played Queensland in first inter-state rugby match. Apart from two world wars, the collapse of rugby in Qld (1919-28), and the odd other year, these two states have a tradtion of sporting rivalry dating back over 125 years.
So there you have it.
This will be the 127th year since NSW played Queensland in our first inter-state match. And apart from our four Provinces meeting each other in the Super 14, we still have no national comp that we can call entirely our own.
Argentina is the only country among the ‘top 10 combined player quality and economic wealth’ powers not to belong to an annual international tournament of some description. Yet they have a domestic set-up that shames Australia.
Firstly, they have the Zona Campeonato (Zone Championship). This involves 24 provinces throughout Argentina. The top eight Provinces form the ZC, which is a promotion and relegation comp.
The remaining 16 Provinces play in the Zona Ascenso (Zone Promotion). They are divided into two equal pools, a north and south pool, each of eight Provinces.
And that is not all.
There is also a 16 national club teams comp known as the Torneo National de Clubes (National Clubs Tournament). This comp works on a quota system depending on where clubs finish in their regional comps (equivalent of our Premier Rugby district comps).
Eight clubs are drawn from Buenos Aires Province and the remaining eight from the rest of the country. The 16 clubs are divided into 4 pools.
Yet Australian rugby continues to drag its feet on the issue of a national comp. Part of the historical problem has been a lack of depth of quality players and numbers. Part of the problem is the tyranny of distance. Part of the problem is the cost associated with transferring players to non-rugby regions.
A big part of the problem continues to be the intractability of Sydney and Brisbane Premier Rugby district comps to place the national interest ahead of their self-interest.
In a scenario that reads a bit like landing a man on the moon but not finding a cure for the common cold, we read stories about the Wallabies playing Bledisloe Cup matches in Tokyo or Los Angeles, and expanding the Super 14 to include not only Argentine Provinces but also Japan.
Yet, Australian rugby appears entirely incapable of creating its own national comp.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.